The Pearsalls

Ella's 9-month check-up and wicked Karma....

Friday morning, Ella had her 9-month check-up at the pediatrician. We have such a great pediatrician, and she said Ella was just "perfect" (as if we didn't know). She weighed 21lbs 9oz and was 28.5in long. That is the 90th percentile and 85th percentile, respectively. So, she is still a big girl. Oh well, big is beautiful. We talked to the pediatrician about her eating habits and told her about Ella's refusal to eat veggies. She suggested sneaking some veggies in with meat....something I'm not crazy about. Chuck is insistent that Ella be an omnivore, but I hate the thought. But, I think he will win and we'll give Ella some chicken or something soon. We also told the pediatrician that Ella is doing very well at eating "solid" things like cheerios and chunks of fruit. I believe I said, "She hasn't choked on anything at all." This is where the wicked Karma kicks in...

Saturday evening, Chuck, Ella, and I went to a get-together at Chuck's friend Becki's house. There were several of Chuck's teacher friends there with a couple of kiddos and Becki's new baby. We were having fun, chatting and snacking on the fruit tray. I gave Ella some small chunks of honeydew, as I have done before, and she ate it right up. Then, every mother's worst nightmare came true - Ella choked. There she was, first coughing, then silent and struggling to breathe. I yelled, "She's choking, she's choking!!!" Well, after waiting about 1/2 a second for Chuck to do something (he was holding her), I snatched her up and my super mommy instincts kicked in. I started doing what I remembered from reading something about helping a choking baby. I grabbed Ella and held her face up with her body and head angled down. I then started beating on her chest to try to force the piece of fruit out. I remember yelling, "She's turning blue!" And someone else started yelling for someone there who happened to be knowledgeable about EMS stuff. After what seemed like forever (probably 5-10 seconds), she started coughing. HALLELUJAH!! I knew if she was coughing, she was breathing. I raised her up and checked her out to make sure she was okay. Everything was fine and she wasn't even upset or crying. I think that was probably the scariest 30 seconds of my life! The EMS guy finally came into the house and checked Ella out - of course she was fine.

I just want to insist that everyone who has a baby or child or knows anyone with a baby or child NEEDS to know how to help them if they are choking. Thank goodness my super mommy instincts kicked in and I remembered a little about what to do. Just take a minute and read this webpage about helping a choking baby. It may save someone's life.