**I AM NOT A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL. EVERYTHING CONTAINED IN THIS POST IS JUST ADVICE THAT I AM GIVING BASED ON MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE. ALWAYS FOLLOW THE ADVICE OF A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL.**

My previous post was all about what happened that one time my daughter needed seven stitches, but now, I’d like to share with you what I learned from the experience that may help parents in a similar situation:


1. Prevention is the best form of treatment. Always tell your child not to run!

Specifically at times where it could be dangerous for them to do run.


I never really worried about Leia running because she’s a kid, and kids are always running, but after this incident, I will definitely be more watchful and not hesitate to tell her not to run.

2. Keep a cool head!

When she fell, I was flooded with thoughts of how to properly handle the situation.


The two CPR classes I’d taken years ago, and all of the movie scenes in which people were shot and bleeding all flashed through my head. 


These are the steps that I followed that might also help other parents in a similar situation:  


NOTE: **I AM NOT A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL. THIS IS JUST ADVICE THAT I AM GIVING BASED ON MY EXPERIENCE. ALWAYS FOLLOW THE ADVICE OF A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL BEFORE DOING SOMETHING YOU SEE ONLINE.**

• Assess the wound.
• Look for napkins, towel, sweater, shirt, anything to soak up some of the blood – we’ll call this the soaker.
• Apply the soaker to the wound and keep pressure on the soaker at all times to help stop the bleeding. (This I learned from the movies. lol)
  • If I could do it again, I’d probably use a diaper as a soaker instead of baby wipes.
• Find someone to ask for help.
  • In my case, I happened to have a museum employee nearby, but it could be anyone. If someone is close by, assertively instruct them to call emergency services.

3. A good cry and a good night’s rest make everything better.

The night of the incident, after Leia went to bed, I was wracked with guilt. I felt like the worse mom ever. I cried for a good half hour and verbalized all of those irrational thoughts about being the worst mom ever. (Thank you, Looey Q, for listening to my emotional rant!) Then I got ready for bed, and slept. The next morning, I wasn’t such a bad mom anymore and the day was filled with new hope and promise.

4. An injury can happen anytime, but if we handle it well, then everything usually turns out alright.

Now that I’ve been through this whole ordeal and we’ve all come out of it well, I feel like I can handle myself better in a situation in which someone is injured. And I learned just how resilient a child’s body and mind can be.

5. Keep a first aid kit in the car or a mini first aid kit in your purse.

You never know if it’ll come in handy one day, even if it’s just for a bandaid to cover up a papercut, it’s best to be prepared.

Thanks for reading this, and I hope it helps you if you ever find yourself in a similar situation.

If you want to read about the entire ordeal, check out my previous blog post by clicking here.

Stay lovely,