60 Seconds to Death

 It has taken me a week to be able to write this post, and once you have read it, you will see why.  When you have a child, most new parents do everything they can to be prepared for anything and everything, and you honestly feel you are ready to tackle whatever life throws at you.  When we were pregnant, my husband and I took infant and toddler CPR classes, as well as Heimlich maneuver classes for pregnant women (you can never be too careful!). 

     Nine long years came and went, without anything more serious than a slightly sprained ankle, which happened fairly recently.  So, a week a go, we were eating dinner, and Teagan (as usual) was eating way too fast and talking while he was doing it.  About halfway through his hamburger, he starts to cough, or so it sounded to me, so I told him to get a drink.  After several attempts to get a drink, and it coming right back up, my mom alerted me that he was choking.  He wasn't holding his throat, and because of the sounds he was making, it did at first sound like he was coughing.  I began doing the Heimlich maneuver (not realizing until that moment just how unprepared I was to perform this maneuver on a child, having only ever seen it done for a pregnant woman, and I was on the receiving end of the demonstration).  After about 20 seconds of this not working, I jerked him upside down one-handed (which is quite a feat, because he weighs over 75lbs), and nearly beat the stuff out of his back.  Nothing happened.  So I turned him back upright, and resumed the heimlich maneuver. 
     All the while, what's going through my head?  Why is my mom not calling 911 (we were having dinner at her house that day), what if I can't get this thing out of Teagan's throat, what if he passes out, will I be able to remove it, and perform CPR properly?  Oh, and OMG, not to mention that just recently there was a news story about a couple on a cross-Atlantic flight, and the man choked on his dinner and died, even with medical staff on board, and his girlfriend had to ride with him for over 7 hours until they were able to land.  If medical staff could not save him, why do I think I can do any better for my son?  Because this thing in his throat, whatever it was, was really pissing me off, and upsetting me, and making me panic for the first time in my life, and I was going to kick it's ass.
     And after 60 seconds of battling, literally for my son's life, that thing (which ended up being a 3 inch long piece of hamburger) got its ass handed to it.  And then I had a 2 day mental and emotional breakdown. 
     The lesson learned?  I obviously need to find a Heimlich maneuver class, and take it every year for the rest of my life.  And also, why the hell do they not teach you how to perform the Heimlich maneuver on a child during these infant and toddler CPR classes?
     Hug your children every day, and cherish every breath they take, because the one time they are not able to draw breath will literally scare the hells out of you.  Be prepared, be hyper-vigilant, and force them to eat smaller bites and chew 100 times.  Seriously.
     Below, I have included a link on how to perform the Heimlich maneuver.  Please take a few moments to view it, and at your leisure, look up videos showing how to perform this very useful and lifesaving technique.

http://www.drugs.com/cg/performing-the-heimlich-maneuver.html