Allie almost died, no more CIO

SeaStar430 · June 2010

I'll preface this by saying that Allie has always been an easy going, mellow baby who doesn't cry or fuss much. I've never had to let her CIO because she's always just gone to sleep on her own, STTN, doesn't really cry for attention.

So on Saturday we were visiting my ILs and I was driving to their house from a wedding with her in the carseat in the back. I was just going to drop her off with my MIL and go back to the reception, so DH wasn't with me. She was being fussy, which isn't like her, and started crying. I thought, "well we're only 5 minutes away, she can cry for a few minutes." Usually she relaxes or sleeps in the car so it was unusual. All of a sudden her cries turned into screaming. I kept loudly saying her name trying to get her to calm down, we were almost home, and I thought she was just upset about being in the seat.

She started to get hysterical, and I was getting worried, and all of a sudden she got herself so worked up that she threw up a little, and then started choking. I heard her choke, and sometimes she chokes on her sobs, so I waited for the breath and it never came. She started gagging and couldn't breathe, and she was violently kicking the carseat so that it was almost shaking the car.

I slammed to a stop in the middle of a 6 lane road, put my flashers on, jumped out of the car and started screaming for help. I threw open the back door and she was turning purple and had stopped kicking, I got her out of the carseat and turned her over and hit her on her back and she gasped and started screaming and I knew she was ok.

Luckily, the car behind me was an undercover police officer who put his flashers on to stop traffic around us. Rescue came but by then Allie was screaming and terrified, so they left. After holding her and crying myself for 10 minutes, I tried to put her back in the carseat and she wouldn't go, she was hysterical and clawing me trying to get away from it. I could smell that she had a dirty diaper, and I checked her and it turned out she was really constipated, that's why she had been screaming in the first place. So the police officer stopped traffic at a very busy intersection and escorted me to a gas station while I held her in my lap and drove.

Finally she fell asleep in my arms, I think she was just worn out and so scared, and I was able to get her back into the seat to drive the rest of the way home. When we got home she was so happy to see her grandma and cousins, she played for hours, like nothing had happened. But the next day, we were going to drive home and she would not get in the carseat. She got panicked and hysterical again as soon as we started walking towards the car. It got me so upset to see her like that that I couldn't be there, I started to panic too. DH eventually calmed her down so we could drive home, but she did have one freak out on the way home and I completely lost it, I was so upset.

All night I had nightmares that she had thick glue in her mouth and was choking and I couldn't get it out.

I know that there will be times in her life where she's just going to have to cry when she doesn't get her way, especially when she's a toddler, but I was so traumatized, it's going to be a long long time before I am able to let her cry even for a minute.

slmcronelaw · June 2010

That is so scary...your poor little girl. I am glad that everyone is ok!!

mrs_sherod · June 2010

Oh my...I'm so sorry that happened to you. I'm glad Allie is a okay now!

Liss_37 · June 2010

wow that is terrifying.. I'm so glad that she's okay. There has been a couple of times when DS has gotten himself so upset that he pukes and chokes, I can't imagine it being when he's in the back seat. way to go with the quick thinking mama!

vmm0016 · June 2010

I am so glad she is okay! That would have totally freaked out too!

Jen1231 · June 2010

Oh my god! I am so happy that everything turned out fine with Allie. That must have been awful!!

sharmurph18 · June 2010

OMG! That is so scary! Poor mamma and baby! I'm so glad she's ok!

Mereou12 · June 2010

Oh, how terrifying!!! I'm so, so, sorry that you had to go through that!

jonnygurl76 · June 2010

poor Allie and poor you!! i can't even imagine what it must have been like. glad you are both physically ok, although it sounds like you are both a little traumatized from the ordeal. Crying

i get very panicked if DD cries or starts to cough while in her carseat--i have pulled over and made DH pull over more than once.

Vuja_de · June 2010

OH MY GOSH! I am so glad she is OK ::HUGS:: I can't even imagine how terrifying that must have been.

Coxity · June 2010

What a terrifying experience! I'm so glad that someone was there to help you through it. I'm so glad you are both ok.

catycombs · June 2010

Oh my God, I am so glad to hear she is ok. I'm so sorry that happened to you! That would scare me to death!

Leap08 · June 2010

How terrifying! I think I'd have nightmares, too. I'm so, so glad she's ok.

kreeper611 · June 2010

How scary and it seems like it happened so fast. DS cries in the car seat sometimes. I'm letting him CIO, I just feel like we really have no other options. I'm going to do what I can to calm him down quickly instead of just waiting it out.