I was hesitant to post about this because I know there are so many opinions out there about parenting in general. I feel like people are going to look at us and think “WTF?! Don’t you watch your kid??” And, yes. We do. Obvi.
About six months ago Ryder fell down a few carpeted stairs at a birthday party. This kid is tough and falling never seems to phase him. I have tried really hard not to over react when he falls and figure he’ll always let me know if and when he falls and it actually hurts or scares him. When he fell down the stairs he cried really hard. He held onto his right hand and said “hurt”. Cutest and saddest thing ever. It was already late that night and we weren’t sure how bad it was because he didn’t didn’t cry for too long after the fall. So we decided to go home and let him sleep. I figured if I needed to get it checked out, I could do it in the morning after he’d gotten some good sleep.
It was a rough night. He was whimpering and/or crying all night. I tried to rock him, let him lay in bed with us, sing to him, cuddle. Nothing helped. So early in the morning I took him into the emergency room. Every nurse/doctor told me stories of their own kids and how they’d fallen down an entire flight of stairs, shut their kids hand in the car door, tripped over a toy and broken their arms, etc. Which made me feel a little bit better but I was fighting back the tears the entire day. Boys will be boys I guess?
After a few X-rays we learned that Ryder had fractured his right arm in three places. I was heartbroken for him and fighting back the tears while they put a tiny red cast on him. He was NOT happy about the cast and cried the entire time they put it on him. He recovered quickly and one week later we were able to put him in a removable brace. I was shocked because originally they told me he’d be in a hard cast for 3-6 weeks! The brace was great because he had better use of that hand and I could remove it for bath time and bed time. He took it like a champ and I’m pretty sure it was harder on me watching my poor, innocent baby walk around struggling to hold/pick up toys than it was for him! Three weeks later he was cast/brace free.
Fast forward to this past weekend… Ryder fell. Totally normal fall while he was running in the basement. Nothing unusual, but I guess he hit it just right. Tooth said he cried for a while and then was really cuddly and even fell asleep on his shoulder. This never happens! He’s too busy playing and making a mess to cuddle and take 20 minute cat naps on our shoulders these days (something I miss beyond words). We gave him cuddles and baby Advil and he seemed to be ok. He was a little grouchy, but nothing crazy. He ate with his left hand at lunch and took a normal nap. But when he woke up and still favored/babied that hand we knew something was up.
So we took him back into the emergency room and sure enough, it was broken. I can’t tell you how much this hurts my (pregnant/hormonal) Mommy heart. My poor baby was just innocently playing and being a boy. I feel so bad for him. He was put in another cast and I’m just hopeful it heals as quickly as the last break.
He’s learned how to play with it and carry toys between his cast and belly. Which is very smart of him but also just so sad to me. It hasn’t slowed him down one bit, though! He’s still running around and playing like he always does. I do think it affects his sleep. I imagine it’s hard to roll over and get comfy with that big, bulky thing in the way. Poor baby! But other than that, it doesn’t seem to bother him too much. I guess I’m glad it’s not pool season quite yet, since he can’t get it wet. I’m praying we are able to get him into a brace again soon so we can take it off for sleeping and bath time. My little baby angel. Ugh. I have a feeling he is going to be a rough and tough kid who gets hurt. He is ALL dude and I love that about him.
This is the opposite of me. I was always afraid to get hurt and it really held me back in sports and so much more. I was very cautious – still am! Which is why I suck at skiing and pretty much anything else that can lead to me breaking bones! (Knock on wood!!)
Prayers for a quick recovery for this wild man of mine are much appreciated!
First Break – Right Arm
Second Break – Left Arm
Anyone else have a toddler in a cast? How do you keep it clean?
Would love to hear your stories/advice!
