Motherhood Mondays: On Toby getting stitches

While we were on Christmas vacation, Toby hurt his little foot...

We were staying at the Hotel Oceana Santa Monica, our home away from home when we're in L.A. (This is the view from our room, above.) One afternoon, Alex went for a walk on the beach, while I was putting Toby down for his nap. Toby was toddling around the room; I was planning to give him some water and sing some lullabies.

Suddenly, I heard a crash and, a split-second later, a huge cry. I ran over to Toby and saw that, lo and behold, he had pushed a water glass off the bedside table, and it had gashed his foot.

Heart in my throat, I scooped him up, ran to the bathroom and put him in the bathtub. Then I ran to the phone and called the front desk. "My baby hurt his foot. Please send someone up right away! Thank you!" I said, then ran back to Toby.

Toby was wailing in the bath, and blood was everywhere. I rinsed off his foot to see the damage--luckily, it looked like just one small but deep cut on the top of his foot. (Sometimes the smallest cuts bleed the most, haven't you found?) I quickly wrapped his foot tightly with a clean washcloth and pulled him into my lap on a stool next to the tub, to cuddle and kiss him.

The sweet front-desk attendant hurried into the room (looking a little shocked by the scene! It was a literal bloodbath!), and I requested milk, bandages, and a cab to the closest hospital. She got everything in record speed, and Toby and I were soon whisked to UCLA Santa Monica; happily, at this point, he had calmed down a bit with his beloved bottle of milk, although his eyes were still wide and watery. Meanwhile, I was still pressing the washcloth tightly around his foot.

At the hospital, the nurses and doctors attended to us immediately. They were really gentle with Toby. A flat-screen TV above his hospital bed played cartoons, and Christmas carolers even came down the hall with puppies! It was kind of amazing.

Toby was still really upset, of course, and I sang to him and kissed his sweet red face while they were working on his foot. The doctor gave him a couple shots to numb his foot before the stitches, but those shots sting (I knew exactly how they felt, because I hurt my own foot while pregnant!). I think he was also scared by all the commotion and having to keep his foot perfectly still.

It was heartbreaking to see tiny salty tears rolling down his cheeks. All my singing and kissing wasn't doing much in the face of six stitches! It's really hard to see your baby in pain, and my heart went out to all those parents of children who are actually sick in the hospital; I can't imagine what it must be like.

When the procedure was over, I gave Toby some of his favorite toys to play with and cuddled him while signing paperwork. He had stopped crying, but was still doing those aftershock catch-your-breath quiet sobs every now and again--parents, do you know what I'm talking about?

By the time we walked out of the hospital, Toby had fallen asleep, exhausted, in my arms, with his head on my shoulder--he had been through so much! He took a cozy nap in the sunshine outside the hospital, while I sat and leaned against a tree. It was a peaceful, breezy moment after all the chaos.

After that, we returned to the hotel, got well-deserved hugs from Alex, had a relaxing afternoon and put Toby to bed.

The funny thing was, I remained pretty calm and collected throughout the day, but once Toby fell asleep at night, I was suddenly flooded with emotions. It was a true delayed reaction, which I've never really had before! Alex poured me a big glass of wine and held my shaky hand. It's so rattling to see your baby in pain, even from something as innocuous as a cut on his foot. I know there will be more bumps and bruises in the future; I'll have to strengthen my mama's resilience and learn to be as brave as my little man.
Have your little ones ever gotten hurt? How was it going through it? Can you imagine how our own parents felt as we got banged up and took risks? Did you ever get a broken bone, stitches, etc.?
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