Beautiful Brown Eyes and Dry Drowning

The kids were so excited to go swimming. I was exhausted but knew I had no choice but to give in to their demands. We all got dressed and went with grandma to the clubhouse. We showered off and all jumped into the pool. It was surprisingly warm.

So refreshing. Soon we were all smiling and splashing. My two oldest, Alexis and Chase, can swim. I don't need to worry about them. Landon and Beckham are a different story. I have to watch them carefully. So throughout our swimming I practiced with Landon and Beckham in teaching them how to swim. they were doing great and we all were getting into a rhythm.

So Landon and Beckham were jumping off the ledge of the pool and jumping into my arms. If you have ever swam with these guys, they don't wait for you to look and tell them you are ready for them. They jump and land on top of you as soon as they can. They love to jump at the same time. It is like catching 2 basket balls at the same time. Except...these basketballs kick, scream, claw, punch, and twist their way out of your arms.

Now remember, I am alone at the pool with grandma just watching. Kirt is working back at home. I am the only one in the pool with the kids. Landon suddenly jumps at the far side of the pool. I dive to grab him. We swim back to the others and begin to play. As I am standing with the kids I see a beautiful pair of brown eyes.

They are frantic. It is Beckham. ONLY his eyes are above water. His cute baby arms are outstretched and inches to reaching me. I immediately grab him and assess how he is doing. He is coughing and extremely pale. He must have been under at least 30 seconds. "My poor baby!" He stops coughing and lays his head on my chest. He is tired and still extremely pale. He was done swimming. We all left the pool.

I had seen an Oprah episode. (Yes. Yes. I know. I am an Oprah fan, so what?) It was on Dry Drowning. It totally freaked me out. So like any mother...I watched him all day for signs of it. If you don't know what Dry Drowning is I'm gonna tell you.

In dry drowning, a certain amount of water, or any liquid, is present in the lungs, which results in the inability to take in oxygen from the air that is inhaled. It does not mean that the individual died in water, but simply means that there was no or little water in the lungs at the time of death. Hence, the term 'dry' is given. Moreover, it may also take place due to a damage to the respiratory system,
Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/dry-drowning-symptoms.html

So if you didn't follow the link, the paragraph kinda tells you what it is. Everything was fine. And in all reality, you are in the most danger right after swimming or right after the child has inhaled the water. The 3 classic symptoms to look for are chronic coughing for 20-30 minutes and trouble breathing, uneven breathing  and/or chest pain. If the child has dry drowning symptoms it can not be treated at home. It can only be treated at the hospital. Do not take any chances with dry drowning.

I was probably in the safe zone with Beckham, but I am an overly cautious, over paranoid, freak yourself out kind of parent. It had been 8 hours past the time he had been swimming. But I would never forgive myself if anything happened to my cute baby. So....later that night, Beckham had this crazy coughing fit and was coughing up a ton of water and his lips were turning purple. So off to the hospital we went. 

They took a simple x-ray of his chest  to see if he had water on his lungs. Luckily, His lungs were clear and we were good to go home. Sweet little Beckham was safe and I could sleep that night.

I am so grateful to live where I live. I am so grateful to have the modern medicine we have. I am so grateful I was able to go and get help for my baby when I needed it. I wish all could have the opportunities this Nation has. I'm truly blessed to be able to have access to medical help whenever I need it. So thankful for everything in my life!