NBR - My freak out for the night!
So my DD (2.5 yrs) takes swim lessons. She's in a class with just the instructor, and 4 other kids 2-3 yrs.
So she ended up falling head first into the pool today!!! And I ended up fishing her out!!! I got there before the lifeguards did b/c obviously she was the only kid I was watching out for, and she'd been leaning over getting her head close to the pool (despite several warnings from me not to), and she did it again and ended up toppling over. She actually would've been able to touch, but she had flipped herself over and didn't know to put her feet down to get her head above water. Since she'd been flirting with it throughout class, I was watching her really closely, so I flew over there and was able to reach her and pull her out. She coughed a little, cried, and wanted to go home (but I knew that if we did that then next week would be a nightmare, so I stayed with her at the side of the pool until she felt comfortable going in with her teacher again), but seemed fine afterward. I chalked it up to a learning experience for her and went home.
THEN my husband brought up the whole 'dry drowning' thing. It's a misnomer... it's actually considered secondary or delayed drowning, but basically, even a small amount of water can cause your lungs to malfunction and not work properly (pulmonary edema, I think it said?), so your brain doesn't get the oxygen it needs, and you drown, even though you've been out of the water for hours. I guess dry drowning is different b/c it's more of a muscle spasm that cuts of your oxygen supply. ANYway, it can happen w/ anyone who is submerged underwater (though I think they mean for more than a minute or so), and it doesn't take much water... I read that a 50 lb child could 'drown' w/ less than 3 oz of water in their lungs. I'm not sure when I first heard of it, but there was a huge news story about that happening to a 10 y/o last year, and DH and I talked about it, so, yeah, Wig-Out City over here.
I called a 24 hr hotline at a children's hospital and spoke w/ an RN. Based on how long she was under and her behavior and symptoms (or lack thereof) since, she said she feels that we'll be fine to watch her at home, but to call them back if she starts coughing for longer than a few minutes, vomiting or seems disoriented/confused, turns blue, etc. I do feel better... my initial instinct was that she was fine, but then DH brought that 'dry drowning' thing up, and I freaked.
But I do feel better about it... and thank GOD for video monitors!!!!
I've got it on her now, and can see her chest moving, so that's a huge
load off... otherwise I'd probably end up sleeping w/ her tonight!
All of this didn't really hit me until hours later when I was saying
prayers with her, and the reality of what COULD have happened came
crashing down, and I started crying as I rocked her (hormones much??!). I'm sure everyone's been through something like that at
some point or another, and I shouldn't be freaking out and 'borrowing
trouble' and what-if-ing, buuut... that's just how I roll, I guess. 
Thanks for letting me talk out my craziness!!
Re: NBR - My freak out for the night!
I would have freaked out too. I think I remember that story of the boy who died. Wasn't he in the pool all day long or something? I remember thinking how scary it is and now we have to worry about them drowning even when they're home safe and sound. My biggest fear is my dd drowning. I'm totally neurotic when she is around water, so I can definitely understand your anxiety.
My daughter fell backwards off of a picnic table bench a couple months ago. It scared me, but assumed she was okay until she started acting really spaced out and threw up. I panicked and flew to the emergency room where she finally started to perk up again. She was fine, thank God, but it did give me a huge scare that stayed with me a while.
Yep, that's exactly the story we were thinking of!!! SO scary... which is why it's 2 am, I have to wake up in 4 hrs and I'm still awake staring at the monitor!!
OMG, yeah I would've flipped about your daughter, too!! Any sort of head/neck/neurological thing makes me a complete basket case! Glad she's okay!