Well, I sure found myself conflicted between pediatric nurse practitioner and mama when Lily bumped her head for the first time this week.

Mama was just trying to go to the bathroom for a minute, and as she tried to pull up on my legs, the bathroom rug slipped out from under her little feet so fast. That darn door frame sure got in the way of her little forehead.

It quickly ballooned up to a little egg, and a faint bruise showed up within minutes, and boy did that hurt my mama heart.

How could I have prevented this?

Why did I let this happen?

She was over it within minutes, but it took mama all day to get over it. So as a mama now, I know that it is so hard to see your baby get hurt, but I want to share what I teach with my pediatric nurse practitioner hat on instead of my mama hat.

ITS OK.
It may be the first time, but it certainly will not be the last.

WHEN IS A BUMP NOT JUST A BUMP?

if your child:

has inconsolable crying that lasts for more than 10 minutes
starts acting differently from normal: fussiness (irritability), more sleepy (lethargic), confusion or disorientation, of course unconsciousness
vomiting, especially if more than once
“bogginess” of the surrounding tissue around the egg (super soft/mushy) as this could suggest a skull fracture
(If under one year) a bulging soft spot on the top of their head

Most symptoms of concern will develop within 24 hours of the fall, but monitor for up to 48 hours.

If any of these symptoms develop, call your pediatrician right away and seek medical evaluation.

But let me repeat, falls are going to happen.

It is a normal part of child development. They have a disproportionately large head to body ratio, newly developing muscle coordination, and lack of understanding of cause and effect or dangerous situations. As parents it is important that we do our best to prevent dangerous situations, but we otherwise need to let our kids explore and learn for themselves.

Lily currently loves crawling on top of her little chair, pulling to stand, sitting back down, and scooting off of the chair all by herself. She expresses “I did it!” after every single time. We have a soft landing underneath of the chair in the event that she falls off, but she needed to learn on her own, after a few undesirable tumbles, the best and safest way to do this.

My mama heart was sad to see her little bruise and small goose egg on her forehead, but when I put my nurse practitioner hat back on, I remind myself it’s okay.

So this is your reminder too:

They are learning, and you are learning. It’s OK. You’re doing a great job.