Working Mums – Accidents And Emergencies

As a working mother it’s hard to leave your children when they are ill. I am luckier than most that it’s my in laws and my mum that watch the boys when I am at work. I know that they will call me if they get worse and will take good care of them while I’m not there. But one of the most important things for me is being able to call home and ask how they are without feeling like you are putting someone out.

But what do you do when you get that dreaded call when your child has been hurt? I got that call on Friday, thankfully my mum had Tyler, he was screaming in the background for me. I got a brief idea about what happened, told my work I had to go and would be back as soon as possible. My hubby also works with me so I told him what had happened and I’ll call.

I called home and spoke to my mum and Tyler on the way home. What happened was that Tyler had fallen in the house, no idea how, you know we never do, and he knocked his front tooth right out of his mouth. Thankfully I’m not far and got there within 15 minutes. I’ll called ahead to the dentist and they said they’d like to see him and I cancelled his nursery for the afternoon.

When I got home, he was chalk white and shaking. I calmed him down and explained I was going to take him to the dentist with his tooth. He was clinging to me but fine. The dentist is less than 5 minutes away and we waited in the waiting room for about 3/4 hour before being seen, this gave me a chance to ask him what happened and give him lots of cuddles and kisses.

He told me he fell and his tooth came out. He kept saying he didn’t know his tooth came out and could they put it back in. He was cuddling in for a long time but then we read a wee book and he started coming round. He was a wee star in the dentist when she looked at his mouth. It was pretty swollen and so was his lips but she was pleased it had came right out and no snapped and it looked like it was starting to heal over. There wasn’t that much blood to be honest, I was expecting more. I think because he hadn’t burst his lip, how I don’t know.

We explained that he couldn’t get his tooth put back in and that the tooth fairy would come and replace it with a coin. He got a sticker from the dentist and she gave him a wee envelope to put his tooth in.

He was quite pleased and went off with his now one tooth less smile. We got back on Friday to see how it is.

I was amazed at the size of the tooth. Normally the baby teeth don’t have roots as they dissolve as the adult tooth grows. This hadn’t happen as he is only three.

It’s huge for a baby tooth.

Tooth fairy envelope.

I took him home and saw my mum, she was so upset that the accident had happened when she was watching him. I explained these things happen. Tyler was feeling fine, just a little sore so I gave him some paracetamol and brufen. It was so difficult to leave him and head back to work, but I knew he was ok and he was looking forward to picking up his big brother from school and showing him his tooth.

I called home a few times to see how he was. He was doing ok and showing off his tooth to everyone at school. The tooth fairy came that night. He’s still a little young to understand the concept and he’s struggling to eat, but I’m sure that’ll just take time to get used to it. He just keeps saying I didn’t know I lost a tooth.

He bought a wee Captain America toy with his money and got to meet Captain America of all people at the toy shop so that made his day. He’s not over it, but he’s getting there.

His one tooth less smile.

What a fright we all got and it is the first emergency I’ve been taken away from work for, for him and I’m sure it won’t be the last. It’s really difficult as a working mother to be away from your child and to leave them ill, but at the end of the day needs must.

How do you do it if you have to leave your child ill or deal with emergencies like the one I dealt with on Friday? I’d love to hear your stories.