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Blog Entry 18 of 21 Adventures in Parenting

I am a valleynews.com staffer, wife, and mom. My husband of two years and I had our first child in February. I will write here occassionally about my adventures with baby Frank plus all the wonderful things going on in Burbank and Glendale (as well as the surrounding communities)dealing with children.

Blog Url: http://valleynews.com/~Mom2B

Trip to ER too much for first-time mom

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Contributed by: angie valencia/valleynews.com on 8/10/2007

I finally learned my lesson. And it only took a trip to the ER for the message to get through.

After weeks of letting my 6-month-old son Frank "taste" just about anything, and having a couple of close calls, I learned that there are some things he should NOT be having.

Back in my country, El Salvador, it's common for mothers to give their infants soft-boiled eggs. They are a source of protein and soft enough for the baby to eat. In fact, my mom and dad tell me, by the time I was Frank's age, I was eating eggs, sucking on meats, and savoring refried beans!

But Tuesday's dreadful experience taught me that I shouldn't be listening to everything people tell me and I should only be taking the advice of experts, i.e. pediatricians.

It happened at about 3:30 p.m. My grandma, who takes care of my baby while I'm at work, calls me crying frantically. I could hardly understand the words that were coming out of her mouth. That was until she made it clear that Frank was in trouble.

She had fed him an egg, which an hour later he had thrown up. He appeared to be choking on his vomit - a large piece of egg was stuck in his throat. She didn't know what to do.

My brother David then grabbed the phone and said that Frank seemed like he was going to pass out. I left the office hysterically, wondering if I even remembered how to get home.

On my way home, I called the 911. Within minutes, the paramedics were at my home and on their way to Northridge Hospital Medical Center. God bless them all!

Emergency Room 9: That's where I saw my baby - teary-eyed and very happy to see his "mama."

As a precautionary measure, they took x-rays to make sure he didn't have anything else stuck. Later, they asked me to nurse him and if he kept his food down, then he was fine.

Hours passed and he was discharged. But not before I learned the biggest parenting lesson thus far: When in doubt, ask the experts.

I'm not a bad parent. Honestly, I'm not. But I must admit, I was negligent in this case. My grandma did not go behind my back when she fed Frank the egg. She seeks my approval on just about everything. I OK'd it. I was to blame.

It's funny, too, because there is not one day when I don't read a baby-related article. I get emails from Baby Center, What to Expect, and Parenting. I browse the Internet daily educating myself on how to be a better "mama." I subscribe to numerous baby magazines.

But I goofed up. I'm sure it won't be the first time either. There will be other oversights. More slips to come. Frank, papa Fernando, and I will learn more lessons as a family.

Looking at his 19 pound, 10 ounce frame, I seem to forget that Frank is so fragile. He's my big boy.

From now on, it's all about pureed vegetables, mashed fruits and milk. And lots and lots of love.

That is until his first set of teeth peek out. I'll make sure to have his pediatrician's number on speed dial!

Here are some useful Web sites I learned about while on Frank's six-month checkup: American Academy of Pediatrics ( www.aap.org), La Leche League International ( www.lalecheleague.org),
Preventive Ounce ( www.preventiveoz.org).

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