My 10 month old DD and I just had the longest day ever. We got home both exhausted and she peed and pooed all over us just as I was chaning her. I put her down on the bathroom floor to get her bath ready and she stood up and slipped, face planting on the tile. I picked her up and she was screaming. At first glance, she looked fine. She stopped crying within a minute. I cuddled her for a bit and then we got in the bath together. About 5 minutes later, I noticed both her nostrils were bleeding. Not gushing blood, but drops. At first she didn't even notice it, but I think more started flowing back into her mouth and she started coughing and getting fussy. It was already way past her bedtime so I gave her her last bottle and she knocked out right when she finished it. I'm noticing now that her forehead is red and a little swollen and so is her nose. But she is asleep so I'm not sure if I should wake her or what else I should do. I'm in China now too and I can't just call up a pediatrician. Anyone have experience with this?
Thanks Moms! She threw up right after I asked the question so I took her to the emergency room. And let me just say, it was quite a medical culture shock. The Dr. there suggested she get a CT scan but their machine was broken so I had to go another hospital. He said they were going to have to knock her out and that scared the crap out of me considering the hospital condition and standards here. I took her across the border to Hong Kong the next day and the Dr. at the hospital there said, nothing to worry about. He said that almost 99% of all falls that happen naturally (not b/c of child abuse) won't be able to damage the brain, especially if she falls from standing up and not off of a height. Her throwing up could be because of her bloody nose and the blood irritating her stomach.
I know when any person child or adult hits their head you should never put them to sleep. I would call the pediatrician and talk to the answering service and have the doc call you back with advice.
She probably bumped her nose just enough to burst some blood vessels and cause the bleed. Keep her awake if possible (if not, just check on her periodically), ice the bump on her forehead and her nose (don't be surprised if both her eyes bruise underneath).
Signs to watch for:
-extreme fatigue, dizziness, nausea, uneven or completely dilated pupils, and 'just not acting herself'
If any of those things happen, take her to the ER immediately.
Hope you BOTH feel better soon :)
Our doctor always said if they do not cry at all, or if you cannot get them to stop crying, then he would be worried. The normal reaction is to cry for the pain and when it subsides then stop crying. It sounds like your daughter got a pretty hard bump on the head but with the play time in the tub and then the bottle she is fine. Our doctor also said he would not worry about an infant falling unless is was from more than 2 feet onto a hard surface. Now the bathroom floor is probably pretty hard, but the length of the fall is her own height, not off of a counter. And even if she is new at standing up, instinct makes you put your hands out to stop the fall, but her face still hit. I personally would let her sleep and at the next feeding see if she acts normal. If not, she could just be sore and perhaps some baby Motrin would help her with the pain of the face plant.
Head injuries are nothing to play with, you've received great advice so far. I suggest to keep checking on her, do not leave her alone. If possible wake her and keep an eye on her. You really should find a pediatrician to take a look at her as soon as possible just in case. Everything is probably fine, but you can't be too careful, better to be safe than sorry!!
Good luck!
My daughter used to get nose bleeds all the time and they were scary. I am sure this scared you as well.
If she hit her head, i would wake her. Get a good look at her pupils to see if they are equal and dilate properly...both should be the same size. I realize that she is asleep. However, to wake her to check her eyes is okay. You can use a small flashlight to check to see if her eyes respond to light. if she starts vomiting and her pupils are NOT dilating right - take her to the emergency room she could have a concussion...I'm sorry - I'm not trying to scare you, but to give you information.
I hope it's nothing serious and just a bump!!
She's probably fine, but you should keep an eye on her and if your mommy instincts tell you something isn't right then you should seek a medical opinion. Our noses are very vascular, and the fall likely just caused a broken blood vessel. As long as the bleeding stopped, I wouldn't worry too much about that. My son fell yesterday, and nearly split his head open. It can be very nerve-racking when your baby can't speak and tell you what hurts. I found Dr. Sears' website super helpful, here's a link about head injuries... http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/childhood-illnesses/head...
Hope this helps!
My little guy fell out of his new chair and hit the floor face first when he was a tad older than your daughter. He cried and then sneezed and lots of blood came out. The advice nurse told me his nose could be broken, and there is always the chance of a head injury, so to take him in. I did and they checked him out and he was fine, but I have to be honest, if he'd had blood flowing back into his mouth and gotten fussy I wouldn't have let him lay down. Do have her checked out to rule out anything serious.
I usually try to keep them awake for an hour after too watch. I know that's hard when they are already sleepy. I would just check on her often.
Oh boy....scary I'm sure.
I would definitely keep an eye on her through her sleeping.
If she still has swelling when she gets up, I would probably call the ped.
If it's hurting her, you can give her some Motrin or Tylenol.
Gotta hate the face plant.
