Warning after Aussie mum's 'traumatising' ordeal with young son: 'Woke up screaming'
Tomikah Jenkins became worried when her five-month-old woke up struggling to breathe, so she rushed him to hospital where she learned what was wrong.
A worried mum has detailed the "traumatic" ordeal she experienced with her five-month-old baby who ended up in hospital after "waking up screaming" and struggling to breathe.
Aussie mum Tomikah Jenkins recalled the scary moment on social media this week hoping it could help other parents "be more prepared". The five-month-old was later diagnosed with a common illness that affects roughly 15 per cent of Aussie kids.
"He woke up screaming so I tried to console him and I noticed that he sounded like he was struggling to breathe," she said in a video on TikTok. "At first I thought maybe he just had a blocked nose so I tried to unblock it but he got even more distressed".
At that point she admitted she began to worry because nothing would help calm him down. "I wasn't prepared," she said.
"So I called the ambulance. I've never had to call an ambulance before, but I thought maybe something was struck in his throat or his nose. I obviously didn't want him not to be able to breathe."
Viral infection common and 'difficult to prevnet' in young kids
Turns out, the young boy had croup which is a viral infection of the airway, particularly affecting the larynx (voicebox) and trachea (upper airway), Professor Christopher Blyth from The Kids Research Institute Australia and Perth Children’s Hospital explained to Yahoo News Australia.
He said it's "difficult to prevent" and commonly affects preschool children, typically those between 3 months and 5 years of age, but older children can sometimes be affected.
"Children present with symptoms common in viral respiratory infections including fever, sore throat and runny nose. Children with croup also develop a characteristic hoarse voice, barking cough and sometimes a noise when they breathe in, called a stridor," he explained.
"Stridor develops when there is swelling or narrowing of the larynx."
Tomikah said she "had no knowledge of this virus" and didn't feel prepared. While she now knows it's "quite common" the mum said the fact he wasn't breathing was worrying. "He needed to be administered steroid medicine to open up his airways," she explained.
"The paramedics and the doctors were so lovely and so helpful and really helped me feel like I could be calm in the situation".
Croup 'can become more severe quickly'
While most cases of croup are mild and can be cared for at home, Professor Blyth said it "can become more severe quickly" and that "more severe cases do require treatment".
"Mild cases can be observed. It's best to stay inside a warm room, reassure the child if they are distressed, and provide pain-relieving medications such as paracetamol or ibuprofen," he said. "Severe cases can be recognised where there is difficulty breathing, feeding, or if children become pale, lethargic or blue."
In these instances, treatment usually involves a potent anti-inflammatory medication to reduce swelling in the child’s airway. Severe cases may need additional medications and admission to hospital.
Thankfully, the mum and bub were able to go home after five or so hours, but it was at that point that she realised "how unprepared I was".
"I had no knowledge of this virus and had nothing packed in case of emergency," she said, encouraging other parents to "trust your mum gut".
"I'm going to have a hospital bag in his room ready to go always now with some onesies and nappies because you never know how long you have to stay there for".
Symptoms of croup in children
Croup usually starts with a cold — a runny nose, cough and slight temperature. Symptoms include:
noisy breathing (inspiratory stridor) - a high-pitched sound
harsh, barking cough
hoarse voice
difficulty breathing - depending on how severe the illness is.
Parents are advised that if the child's symptoms don't settle quickly with comforting and once they stop crying, the child needs to be seen by a doctor urgently.
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