Mom Shares Video Of Baby Having Asthma Attack To Educate Parents
This is what asthmatic breathing in a small child really looks like
As a parent, you’re going to have moments with your kids that scare the living crap out of you. If you have a child with asthma – those scary moments might happen a lot. Their breathing can go from bad to terrifying pretty quickly, and as one mom points out knowing the signs to look for is huge to getting medical help immediately.
Sophie Cachia, an Australian mom blogger and businesswoman, posted a video of her 9-month-old baby Florence having an asthma attack on Instagram.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BaVbwUPBeB8/?taken-by=sophiecachia_
Cachia explains that she and her family were on vacation when her little one started struggling to breathe.
“The sucking in under her throat and her ribs means she’s working really hard to breathe,” she writes. “We used prior knowledge and listened to our gut and Jaryd took her in just before bed time.”
In the video you can see that she’s struggling, using all of her muscles to breathe. It’s so scary.
“I only took this video just before they left in case she got to the hospital and was breathing fine, I always prefer to have something to show them upon arrival,” Cachia writes. Seriously, this is really smart if it can be done safely.
They took baby girl to the hospital for the same issue just days before this video was shot. She was treated and medical personnel told them to come back if it happened again.
“My brave girl. I know they’re only little, but the look they give you when they’re scared is something that haunts me, as I try to do my best to keep it together as their mumma,” she writes. That is the hardest part- not falling apart when your kids are going through something scary.
“Florence appears to be exactly like her brother and suffers from breathing difficulties triggered with sudden changes of weather – either to cold, or to hot,” she writes.
According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, asthma can be triggered by rapid changes in weather like going on vacation to a cold place from a hot, or visa versa. It can also be triggered by rain and thunderstorms. The signs to keep a watch for include:
- Fast breathing
- Working harder to breathe (nostrils flaring, skin is sucking in around and between ribs or above the sternum, or exaggerated belly movement)
- Panting with normal activities such as playing
- Wheezing (a whistling sound)
- Persistent coughing
- Difficulty sucking or eating
- Tiredness, not interested in normal or favorite activities
- Very pale or blue coloring in face, lips and/or fingernails
And while the literature is always helpful, sometimes it’s necessary to actually see what a condition actually looks like. The first time my asthmatic daughter had an attack she was three years old. I had no idea what was happening. She hadn’t been diagnosed yet. My daughter was running around an indoor playground and suddenly got exhausted and almost listless. I panicked and rushed to the hospital. She was officially diagnosed, stayed the night, and we were sent home with a nebulizer – which has been a life saver so many times throughout the years. I certainly connected to Cachia’s story because you just know how petrified you are going through it.
Cachia was praised for sharing the video by parents who’ve gone through the same thing with their children. Many in the comments also shared their own frightening experiences with asthma. Nurses and paramedics also chimed in saying they were thankful this mom was showing what an asthma attack looks like.
As for baby Florence, she’s doing just fine now. The mom posted a photo of them back home in Melbourne looking happy and healthy.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BaWAPxGBhBz/?taken-by=sophiecachia_
