Tiny Hearts Education: signs and symptoms child’s head bump could be an emergency or brain injury

Any parent will tell you that young children learning to navigate the world often hit their heads, but a paramedic has revealed the signs that an innocent bump could be something more serious.

Nikki Jurcutz, mother of two and founder of the parenting organization Tiny Hearts Education, has shared a helpful guide to symptoms every mom and dad should be aware of that indicate a blow to the head may have affected the brain or brain. skull.

Nikki, who worked as a paramedic for eight years, said parents should call triple zero if they notice their child is showing signs including balance problems, slurred speech, poor concentration, dizziness and abnormal behavior changes after hitting the head. head.

Nikki created a helpful guide to the symptoms every mom and dad should be aware of that indicate a blow to the head may have affected the brain or skull.

“Seeing your little one with a bleeding head or a huge egg can be really horrible. The thing to watch out for with a blow to the head is… “Did this affect his brain?” Nikki wrote on an Instagram account. mail. ⁠

‘If the answer is YES, it is an emergency and you will see the signs and symptoms listed.⁠’

Nikki created a handy mnemonic with the words “head bang” to make it easy for parents to remember what signs and symptoms to look out for in the event of a concussion or brain injury.

H represented headaches, drowsiness, seizures, and unconsciousness, while E represented eye problems such as blurred vision.

Abnormal behavior changes, as well as dizziness, especially when they cause the child to vomit more than once, could indicate an emergency.

If a child has balance problems, weakness, and difficulty walking or slurring, it is best to see a doctor.

Parents should call triple zero if they notice their child is showing signs including balance problems, slurred speech, poor concentration, dizziness, and abnormal behavior changes.

Other signs and symptoms of a head injury that may require medical attention include memory problems, confusion, disorientation, lack of concentration, and drowsiness.

“I can’t teach you everything you need to know or look for in one publication; there are other things to consider, such as mechanism of injury, height, speed, etc.”, Nikki, who teaches infant and child first aid courses , added.

Parents in the comments were grateful for the potentially life-saving advice and one shared her own horror story about being hit on the head.

“This happened to us yesterday, a little bump on the head in the playground (no tears or obvious egg, otherwise I was happy),” said one mother.

“But my 1.5-year-old couldn’t walk properly afterward and kept falling, so we went to the ER and they confirmed it was a concussion.”

‘What a great mnemonic! Definitely saving this,’ wrote a second.

Earlier, an Australian mother issued a warning to parents after her baby suffered a fractured skull when she fell off a table during a nappy change.

An Australian mother has warned parents to take children to hospital if they fall twice their height after her daughter fell off a changing table.

She shared her story with Tiny Hearts Education as a reminder that any child who falls twice their height needs immediate medical attention.

The mother said her six-month-old daughter, who had not yet begun to roll without assistance, fell off a changing table onto the marble floor while the mother had her back turned for a moment.

“I was changing my six month old daughter’s diaper on a changing table at my in-laws where the wipes were placed behind me,” the woman wrote.

The six-month-old girl was rushed to a nearby hospital where her skull was found to be fractured but with no apparent bleeding or brain damage (pictured: scan of baby’s skull)

“She hasn’t started rolling without help or a lot of speed yet, but when I turned around to grab a washcloth, she rolled off the table onto the marble floor and landed on her side.”

The mother had seen an earlier Tiny Hearts post advising parents to seek medical attention if their child had fallen from a height twice their height, so she and her mother-in-law immediately rushed the baby to the hospital, which was just five minutes.

“In the car she was closing her eyes and falling asleep, I kept her awake until we got to the ED,” the concerned mother recalled.

“We were admitted for two hours of monitoring, however the junior doctor had not felt the impact site and I noticed a cephalohematoma emerging.”

After the mother switched to a nurse for a cephalohematoma, or a large lump on the child’s head, doctors scanned her and found the fractures.

A cephalohematoma is a collection of blood under the scalp that looks like a raised bump on the head.

He informed the nurse of the bump who had a senior doctor scan the boy’s head and found a two-inch fracture, but “luckily” no bleeding or obvious brain damage.

“I had seen a lecture the day before coincidentally on pediatric trauma that advised that a cephalohematoma is a fracture until proven otherwise,” the mother added.

‘I’m glad I had the power to defend my son!’

The post racked up hundreds of likes and dozens of comments from parents grateful for the potentially life-saving advice.

“This one is good, I didn’t know this: anything twice your height leads directly to the hospital,” wrote one mother.

“Oh my gosh how scary and how fragile/tiny the bubba looks riding that big machine,” another replied.

‘My son has completely fallen at least a couple of times his height and I didn’t take him to hospital. He had absolutely no idea! commented a third.

The post also included some tips from Tiny Hearts Education director and former paramedic Nikki Jurcutz for parents to remember if their child falls.

“If your child has fallen from a height that is twice their height, they need immediate medical attention,” he said. ⁠

Even if they look completely fine. Even if it seemed like they didn’t land that hard. Even if it was an accident.

Nikki said signs and symptoms after a fall don’t always show up right away and falling from twice the height of the child can put them at risk of moderate to severe head injury.

He also instructed parents to call triple zero for an ambulance for moderate to severe head injuries.