Parenting is one of the hardest jobs in the world, and so each and every shared story and experience can help in our own daily journeys and battles with our little ones.
One woman who will doubtless have an impact on many parents’ lives today is Andrea, a mum who got in touch with MummyPages to share her own cautionary story as well as raise awareness on a very important topic.
This week, Andrea has urged parents everywhere to arm themselves with information about their children’s medication and treatment, after her daughter was almost mistakenly administered a “lethal dose” of IV paracetamol.
Grateful mum Andrea sent out a very clear message at the beginning of her story: she is “unconditionally pro-NHS”, and has nothing but praise for the fantastic and dedicated doctors, nurses and medical staff who have helped her family as well as countless others.
However, mistakes can always – and very easily - be made, which is why she wants other parents to educate themselves as much as possible when it comes to their children’s medical care, as well as have the confidence to raise questions if they are feeling concerned.
Andrea explained that her daughter was in hospital from birth for 14 weeks, due to a number of health issues. And while she praised her child’s consultant, doctors and nurses, she recalled one very concerning incident.
“Unfortunately, whilst we were in hospital, an experienced nurse almost administered a lethal dose of IV paracetamol (almost ten times the amount) to our daughter which was also checked by another nurse, as this is hospital policy. That second nurse should [have] come into the room to check she was happy it was the correct patient (which she didn't do),” she wrote.
Andrea recalled being anxious about the “huge syringe” and the amount of paracetamol it contained, and she asked for it to be checked again – which could very well have saved her daughter’s life.
“To make a long story short, the two nurses made a huge mistake, which could've been given to my daughter…causing serious damage, if not worse, had I not been there. I usually would not air my private matters on here, but as a mum seeing lots of other babies and children being left at night as many people’s circumstances mean they can't possibly stay 24/7 as we did, I thought it was my duty,” she added.
She proceeded to urge parents everywhere to stay as informed as possible if their children are receiving medical treatment – essential details if you are to keep abreast of major decisions regarding your little one.
“I would just like parents to be aware of what meds their children are on, and to be as involved as they can in their children's care. Most nurses prior and post this were more than happy to go through meds (doses, types, etc.) with us, which gave us the knowledge and confidence to question this dose, which may have saved our princess. I will keep my thoughts about the nurses involved to myself as, again, I am not doing this to view the NHS in a negative light. The care and understanding from the nurses after this incident was nothing but brilliant as, obviously, our trust and confidence was zero,” she warned.
Andrea’s post just goes to show that you can never have too much information when it comes to your kids, and it’s your right as a parent to ask questions if you are ever concerned.
