This is another impromptu post. Prior warning: put-you-off-your-morning-coffee-and-crossiant details included. And also, I’ll start at the end so this doesn’t appear to be some OTT dramarama – Mabel is much better now.

Last weekend we moved Mabel into her nursery, she was sleeping in our bedroom in her Snuzpod until that point. Our intention was to have her with us until the recommended 6 month mark* but as she is a long and chubby healthy baby unfortunately she simply became too big and has been waking herself up by hitting the sides of the crib with her arms.

The timing wasn’t exactly ideal, Mabel has also just started teething so it’s been a week of little sleep and general restlessness (I wake up countless times with the thought “is she ok” rattling around my subconscious). We were due to go away with friends this Friday for a three day break in Wales, we decided to cancel based on the fact it wouldn’t be fair that they would probably also be woken several times in the night at ungodly hours and that Mabel would possibly be further confused by her surroundings.

At 1am I was woken by Mabel gurgling in her cot, I checked the monitor (we have an under mattress sensor with associated video) and couldn’t see anything suspect. Call it intuition if you will but I decided I would go and check on her regardless, she seemed fine in herself but was absolutely soaking wet. The bed linen, her pyjamas, her hair – pretty much everything basically. She had been very very sick. I called James into her room and we set about cleaning things up, as I said, she seemed well in herself – even smiling as we put her in fresh sleepwear.

As soon as we lay her back down in her cot she went bright red and started choking, or at least that’s what it seemed like, James whipped her up in a flash and with a few pats on the back she was projectile vomiting like nothing I have ever seen before. We went into panic mode, what was wrong with her? why couldn’t she catch her breath? did she have some terrible illness? What would have happened if I hadn’t have gone in to check on her? What would have happened if we had been at the Wales location, practically in the middle of nowhere?

We dialled 111 (I haven’t used this service before but from what I can gather, it is very similar to the NHS direct line that stopped in March of this year) and discussed her symptoms with the operator, whilst on the phone the same thing happened, the choking, the projectile vomiting….only this time she appeared distressed. As she was not limp in any way and was relatively alert the operator suggested it was more than likely a bug, but that we should take her to our nearest hospital to be checked. We flung what we could remember in terms of little person paraphernalia in the car and went on our way.

She was seen by a staff nurse and the doctor that was on duty, her vital signs were fine and would you believe, in typical Mabel fashion, she was beaming at everybody she came across. After (a very long) hour we were told we could go home, and that they too thought she had contracted a (albeit unpleasant) non life-threatening virus. It was the “choking” that bothered me the most, the medics thought this was simply a gag reflex, scary, but normal. That was until she started again whilst the doctor was there, at this stage she was bringing up a thick yellow bile. Our nearest hospital* didn’t have a specific paediatric ward so again to ensure it was a virus and nothing more suspect, we were transferred to Heartlands in Birmingham so that Mabel could be monitored in their PAU (paediatric assessment unit).

Mabel was seen by two doctors who both concluded the same – it was a virus. They suggested we give her formula little and often and look for signs of dehydration and deterioration. We were finally discharged at 7.30am. It was a long and emotionally challenging night, I am usually known for keeping my cool in difficult situations but I was a complete mess. And I couldn’t help but wonder if she might be unwell because of something I did or didn’t do.

You learn from every experience, good or bad. What I came away with specifically was a generous dose of perspective. The last few weeks I’ve been running around like some kind of mad woman, juggling several work-related projects on little sleep, not eating properly, stressing about the prospect of weaning, moaning about my lack of holiday wardrobe and my post-baby physique and generally not knowing my arse from my elbow.

Did I not learn anything from my own recent head-over-the-toilet debacle?

At least we have our health. At least my baby girl, although pale and wan, is A-ok. I have a supportive and loving family, amazing friends, a roof over my head and a job that I love. I am more than aware that there are plenty of folk that have non of these things.

I told myself to get a bloody grip.

Although the content of this post is not exactly pleasant, it’s not supposed to give you the Monday morning blues, quite the opposite (I hope). Sometimes you’ve really got to appreciate what you’ve got, and not dwell on what you haven’t. It could be a lot lot worse.

And to make you laugh (or to put you off your porridge) Mabel managed to get puke in my eye. And down the inside of my brand new designer bra. No, I don’t know how she managed it either, the girl has aim.

*I have many friends who have put their babies in their own room much earlier, and some later than 6 months. There is not a right or wrong amount of time, it’s personal choice and what you feel comfortable with. Please free to voice your opinions in the comments section however.

*In the panic both of us completely forgot our “nearest” hospital didn’t have a paediatric unit, Warwick was just as close and does have the facility, it’s things like this it would be handy to write down/have recorded somewhere if at all possible, in case of emergency.

As you read this I will be having a relaxing “proper” breakfast before I begin my day. The world isn’t going to end if my list of tasks get delayed by half an hour or so.

Yep, perspective.