Did I overreact? WWYD?

[RiverandJulie]

DS is 12 months and at that stage of pulling up and standing.....all the time.  So, last night, he was standing on the floor and holding a chair.  The whole chair tipped over and he fell over backwards onto the wood floor. I didn't see it happen, just heard the thud and the screaming.  I picked him up and he cried for a few minutes, then started to cuddle and fall asleep in my arms.  This is not normal behavior for him, he was acting sleepy and closing his eyes, and looked pale.  

OK-this is my first, and DH was not home, so I may have panicked a little. I called my mom and and my neighbor was outside, so I called her in (she is a mother and grandmother).  Mom said, if you're worried, take him in. Neighbor said, he looks fine, but he was still cuddling and going to sleep in my arms.  

So, I took him to the ER. He slept int he car on the way in, and by the time we walked in, he perked up and was acting normal.  But, we were there, so I decided to get him checked out.  
He was fine, narrowly escaped a ct scan.  

So, yes, better safe then sorry, but we spent over 3 hrs in the ER, past DS bedtime, so he was falling apart, and it was just me, so it was a pain....

Anyways, I was mostly feeling helpless,,,,,like I didn't know what to look for.  I know the signs, pupils, sleepiness, lethargy, weird behavior.  But, he's 12 months and a bad sleeper, he is often sleepy....and weird behavior.....uhhh babbling, giggling at the fan, seriously...what baby doesnt have "weird behaviour".  And it is his brain...dont want to mess with that. 

So, wwyd in this situation?  I have heard that if they fall from their own height, they are fine, but the sleeping on me was what scared me.

[PatioGardener]

I can't say what I would have done, but I can say that I  think what you did sounds completely reasonable. How frightening, Mama!  I'm glad all is OK. 

[Knitting Mama]

I would have been scared too, mama! I don't think you were unreasonable at all going to the ER when you noticed a big change in his usual behaviour.

[ASusan]

Exact thing happened to DS when he was 15 mos. My mom, an RN, was caring for him while DH and I were at an MRI for me an hour away. DS hit the floor, cried for a moment, then "passed out" or fell asleep and she could NOT rouse him.

She called 911, because even though we are less than a mile to the ER, she didn't want to be the driver AND try to monitor him in the car (should he stop breathing or something). EMS arrived, took him in the ambulance, and she was supposed to follow in the car. But got lost (how this is possible, I'm not sure). By the time she got to the ER, he was awake and smiling and playing with the medics. They waited an hour for observation, then came home.

He was fine. We had a large ER/ambulance bill.

I don't think you over-reacted. You don't want to mess with head things, and if you can't rouse them, it's a concern.

[SilverFish]

it is definitely fine to overreact! because babies are non-verbal, it is very difficult to get a good reading on how they're feeling. my dd just did a spectacular dive off the sofa onto the carpeted floor, landing face-first and scraping her nose up. she did the same thing, crying for a few minutes, then wanting to nurse and fall asleep. if it hadn't been her regular nap time anyway, i would have been really concerned (and it helped that my friend's ds did EXACTLY the same thing off the edge of her bed last week... she took him in and he was completely fine).

babies are really very flexible and tough... their bones are very hard to break, and they are resilient to bumps and falls (if they weren't, there wouldn't be many humans around!). however, even if he was totally okay, there is no problem with going in and getting him checked out, especially if you didn't see the fall happen. it is pretty hard on the system though! i was on pins and needles all day yesterday... i kept going in to check on her breathing, and was happier than normal when she woke up ready to play!

[whozeyermamma]

It's the sleepiness that would have sent me to the ER too. That's a concussion symptom ... I say "Good Mommy!"

[Terrilein]

Better safe than sorry. I've been to the ER with my dd so often - a few times in an ambulance even - for apparently "no reason at all". Lots of parents do the same. You're 100% responsible for another human being so I think it's perfectly fine to be "overly" concerned.

[Perdita_in_Ontario]

I think you did the right thing. The sleepiness would worry me too. How can you know? It's not always easy to tell in a verbal child or adult, so I think you did what you should have.

I had a car accident last month - I was broadsided on the rear panel, behind where DS was in his car seat. He cried immediately but started smiling and gurgling as soon as I managed to get to him. I called 911 anyway and had paramedics check him out. Paramedics, nurses, doctors - they're trained to see things we might not. Better safe than sorry when it comes to this stuff :)

[Snapdragon]

I also think you did the right thing- same thing I would have done. You had a rough night but at least now you have gotten him checked out so you can rest easier- otherwise you may have worried on it for much longer. It is so scary to take care of a baby when something happens to them!

[RiverandJulie]

Thanks everyone-glad to know I am not being overly worried.  Yeah, he cant talk to tell me how he is feeling, and if I hadnt taken him in, I would have been up all night worrying..

[marinak1977]

I think you did the right thing, you followed your mommy instincts. It's better to be safe than sorry.

One thing I noticed with DS though, that could've caused that) because you mention that he was tired and is a sleep fighter/bad sleeper in general. When DS is fighting sleep he keeps crawling away, trying to play with toys, and doing nur-mnastics (flailing around wildly while nursing, jumping from breast to breast) if he happens to bump his head or get a booboo (for example he fell 10 inches off the mattress onto a floor) he would cry and as soon as I pick him up and offer comfort nurse he nurses straight down to sleep as if he needs to relieve that emotional pressure and then he gets sleepy. Is it possible he felt something similar? I often feel sleepy/tired after I cried and was upset.