Worst mom of the summer award

I am officially the worst mom of the summer.

Jack and Lily (14mos.) have just recently finished ISR (survival swimming) class and are fairly adept at the swim float swim. We spend many afternoons at our country club pool and it is really very easy for me to take the both of them myself. Lily is a little swimmer and loves to swim around whereas Jack loves to sit on the steps and play. Today, like every other day, we were all three in the pool together. I was letting Lily practice her swim float swim from about 2 feet out back to the steps and Jack was playing on the top step (I was never a reach away from either). After a bit I thought they might like to go into the baby pool which is gated off and a great pool for them to play in. It is a small circle of a pool and they love to walk around in it and play with the other kids and their toys. I think it is a bit deep so I always go in and stand in the pool by them watching them. Another woman was there with her children and they had taken the same swim class as we had so we were discussing the merits of the class and whether it would ever really save a life or not.
The next thing I know I look down and LIly is floating on her back and Jack is swimming around with his head underl (both they were taught in class). I picked LIly up immediatly and she was sputtering and coughing and I grabbed Jack quickly. After a few coughs and some tears on LIly's part everyone was back to playing and I was busy tearing myself up in my head. We played for a bit longer and came home. They are napping now.
Good thing is that I guess that was a testament to the fact that their rescue lessons worked. In the class they are taught to swim under water, flip to their backs and float to find air, and then swim to the side. Bad thing is I royally messed up and I am so upset about it. I just cannot get it out of my head.
The thing that is really bothering me is that it just all happened too fast and I wish I really remembered exactly what went on. I have no idea how long I was not looking for but I cannot imagine it was even a minute. I shudder to know. I have no idea how long LIly was floating on her back and Jack was swimming for and I have no idea whether they swallowed a lot of water or not. I was just too flustered after to remember anything. I wish I could just play it back and see it so that I would know what happened.

I feel like such a loser and to top it all off I am compulisively worrying about dry and delayed drowning and googling it did not make matters any better. The way they describe delayed or dry drowning it is like anytime someone swallows a drop of water you have to be careful. Well, any child who swims swallows water. The babies have soo much fun at the pool I just hate to worry so much. We were taught in ISR not to use floatys as they learn to swim horizontal and floatys put them veritcal so it goes against the lesson. And to be honest, this happened in the little shallow baby pool. Thank goodness we took those lessons but for goodness sakes I really messed up.

I just really needed to get this out so thanks for reading.

 

Oh don't feel like a bad mom because you are not. I just posted a week ago about my girls falling out of their floaties at my mom's. I know how you are feeling but everything is okay.

 

I'm sorry this happened to you. But don't keep beating yourself up about it though. Yes, you took your eyes off them for a minute. But now you know what can happen in a minute...

I believe you will keep checking on them while they're sleeping, but I think they're ok.

My twins always try to drink the bath water, they'll put their heads facedown in the water to drink..I don't know how many times I have to correct this. As I know all it takes is a drop of water in some cases for a child to drown.

Don't think you're a bad mother, because you're not..

 

:hug99: Accidents happen. You are not a bad mother!

 

These things do happen. You are not a bad mother at all, you are a mother concerned about her kids. :hug99:

 

:hug99: :hug99: How scary!

But don't beat yourself up about it for another minute - Mom's need all the energy they put into beating themselves up to be happy Moms. And you and your kids are prepared to be in the water! How many mom's can say that? (Not me)

And if it makes you feel any better at all, you have informed at least one mom about dry drowning! Thank you!!

 

I'm sorry sorry this happened to you! Thank goodness for the lessons!

I have heard about dry drowning, but I didn't know even a drop of water could cause it. How is that possible? My boys don't like the pool but they like to try and drink the bath water. Not putting their face in, but drinking from the little play cups we have in there.

Thanks,
Mendy

 

QUOTE(me&myboys @ Aug 1 2008, 08:54 PM) [snapback]909334[/snapback]
I'm sorry sorry this happened to you! Thank goodness for the lessons!

I have heard about dry drowning, but I didn't know even a drop of water could cause it. How is that possible? My boys don't like the pool but they like to try and drink the bath water. Not putting their face in, but drinking from the little play cups we have in there.

Thanks,
Mendy


Mendy, I do recall many years ago reading that children can drown in but one drop of water or the equivalent of one tsp of water. It's got something to do with how they breathe and get it in their lungs...

Maybe someone else knows a little more about this?

 

You are not a bad mom, you are a good mom for taking your kids to those lessons to ensure that they would be safe (which clearly worked).
I'm sorry you had such a scare :hug99:


QUOTE
I have heard about dry drowning, but I didn't know even a drop of water could cause it. How is that possible? My boys don't like the pool but they like to try and drink the bath water. Not putting their face in, but drinking from the little play cups we have in there.

I don't know exactly how much (or little) water it is possible for a child to drown in, but my understanding of dry drowning is that it can only happen if water gets into the lungs. If your boys are actually drinking from the play cups I would think there is no significant danger of it happening-after all you would not worry about giving them a drink of water during the day, which is basically the same thing.

 

We had a pool "incident" this summer too .. so i know what you are feeling. The "what ifs" will drive you nutty. I was sick to my stomache for the rest of the day thinking about it. BUT you cant beat yourself up over it .. these things DO happen to even the most cautious parents .. I'm just glad your little ones are ok !

 

A little more reading about dry drowning (on wikipedia, so not necessarily the best source, but not the worst, either) shows that while dry drowning is possible with just a little bit of water, there is really no way it can happen later on, hours after inhaling water. After reading, I'm really not panicking even about my sons' habit of pouring a pint of tub water in his mouth all at once...

 

QUOTE(Zabeta @ Aug 2 2008, 11:56 PM) [snapback]910414[/snapback]
A little more reading about dry drowning (on wikipedia, so not necessarily the best source, but not the worst, either) shows that while dry drowning is possible with just a little bit of water, there is really no way it can happen later on, hours after inhaling water. After reading, I'm really not panicking even about my sons' habit of pouring a pint of tub water in his mouth all at once...



THANK YOU! I really do not want to have to worry for hours after, each time they go swimming!

 

your not a bad mommy your a very good mommy so don't beat yourself up on it. it is so easy to talk to someone and the kids get into something or do something. that does not make you a bad mommy. they were just doing what they did in swim class and sounds like Lily just got scared because you did not that something was wrong with her. they are fine i am sure and you taught them good. dry drowning is so scary i didn't know either about a drop of water. my kids love to drink the bath water also. mine also get water in their faces when i rinse out there hair so now i am scared about that because sometimes my DS breathes in when that happends.

 

First of all- give your self props for taking the kids out swimming in the first place. I just posted not that long ago about being chained to my house and too worried to take them out for fear that one will run loose! So I commend you for that! We haven't had a pool incident, but I had one of my sons at about 17 months climb on the couch and go head first off the back. He was fine, but I did the "what if's" for a LONG LONG time. Also I wanted to add that I never look anything "potentially scary" up on the google anymore b/c it just scares me! I'm glad your kids are okay, and with time... you will be too!