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The Little Lilypad is a lifestyle blog mostly written by a mum to two beautiful, cheeky and entertaining daughters. It is sometimes written by the Man on the Pad or by one of our baby bloggers. Occasionally we accept guest posts too. There is frequently talk of sustainable living, saving money, lifestyle and travel. It is hopefully helpful, sometimes funny and always honest.

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My child has asthma : what do I do?

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Usually the Lilypad blog is full of anecdotes, silly stories and probably far too much clothes and fashion discussion than any parenting / lifestyle blog "should" have but this week I am a little exhausted.

I am exhausted by asthma.

My toddler has asthma and on a daily basis I am questioning "am I doing the right thing?".

I have never really known anyone in my inner circle with asthma.

I was immune to the effect it can have on a family. 

Asthma

Anyone who has a child with asthma soon learns that symptoms come and go and can change as quickly as the weather. This week we have had a mixture of;

  • wheezing
  • coughing, especially at night
  • times where she has has difficulty breathing

She has also complained of a tummy ache a few times and after doing even more reading, I have learnt that little ones may have a tight feeling in their chest and don't know how to describe it, so complain of tummy ache.

They are reluctant to diagnose young children with asthma (especially those under 2) as nearly one-third of very young children will have wheezing at some point. Over time, most of them will stop wheezing as their airways grow; however for others early wheezing can be a sign they will get asthma in later childhood or adult life.

So what do I do?

  • I make sure she is taking her preventative medicines every day.
  • Constantly look for triggers (usually keeping the cat off her bed) but the pollen has been a big factor this week.
  • Regular handwashing to prevent spread of coughs and colds (reminding her big sister of this too!)
  • I lie awake listening to her breathing. Is it too fast? Is she too hot? 
  • I lie awake wondering why.

Why does she have asthma?

Why can't I fix this?

I didn't smoke or drink or do anything that is reportedly "dangerous" to a child in the womb. I even stayed away from prawn sandwiches! I could control what went into my own body but I can't control what is happening to hers.

I am frustrated and exhausted.

My child has asthma and with every attack I tell her it will be okay. Mummy and Daddy are here and she sleeps, eventually she sleeps.

We are not the first family to have emergency trips to the hospital and we won't be the last but my heart breaks just a tiny bit every time I hear her say "Mummy, I need my pump". She is our daughter, a toddler, a swimmer, a gymnast but she is also an asthmatic. 

 

I needed to vent this evening and normal "fluffy" service will resume soon (I promise).

Tots100 MAD Blog Awards

If you enjoy hearing our family stories and toddler adventures, we would love you to vote for us in the MAD Blog Awards. It is kind of a big deal and it would mean that we know at least one or two people do read our little blog! There are some amazing bloggers out there (and I hear it is a pretty amazing party too) but a vote in the Pre-School Section would be very very welcome xx

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Comments

  1. Gayle

    I have asthma, and was diagnosed officially when I was around 8. But before then I had the stereotypical coughs and night time wheezing. I'm now touching 40 and whilst asthma is an every day reality to me, it's no more than brushing my teeth or the like. Preventative medicine can keep it under control in most cases and you can react to how you feel and adjust it. I know my triggers and avoid them or mitigate them (such as taking antihistamines or dosing up on my inhalers). It must be scary to see your child struggle for breath. But keep watching out for her - you need to interpret for her until she can do it herself. But know it doesn't have to (in most cases) be life limiting. I've never let it stop me doing anything (unless I wanted to use it as an excuse to get out of playing hockey in the rain!). You are doing all the right things, and it was no one's fault x

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  2. It's awful isn't it. My son had asthma when he was nursery/reception age but he grew out of it within a few years which is quite common apparently. It sounds like you're doing everything you should be and I know it's easy for me to say but try not to think about the whys x x

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  3. Awww, it must be completely exhausting. Lots of love to you all. x

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  4. Oh I really feel for you, and rant away, I can't imagine how tiring and frustrating it must be. My husband used to have it as a child, the couple of times he has woken up wheezing have been scary enough.

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  5. Asthma is exhausting and probably the source of most arguments between my husband and I as it is so frustarting all that coughing and staying awake at night. I feel your pain and can only hope that they find better preventatives in the future.

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  6. You poor thing, must be very scary and exhausting for you all. I hope today is a better one x

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  7. ah bless you love breathing stuff is scary i know. I find the better educated I am about health matters the easier to del with things going wrong. It will get easier i promise x

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  8. Poor you! So nice that you share your knowledge and experience though.

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  9. Oh my, like with so many health issues many of us don't really even think about how this effects a family until it happens to us - or we read it like here. Much love Donna x

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  10. Oh so sorry to hear this, it sounds exhausting. A little girl who lives next door to us has it bad and her move from Manchester to the countryside has made ll the difference. She was in hospital 2 -3 times a year living in the city and now not at all in 3 years! Mich x

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  11. Oh I completely feel for you right now. I am glad you wrote this down and got it out for your sake. She will be fine. She has an amazing Mother watching over her. My husband has acute asthma and is one of the sportiest/fittest people I know. Sending much love x

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  12. That is really frustrating! I'm not sure what I would do in that situation. Big hugs xx

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