Fearful mother grateful for calm voice on triple-0 line during daughter’s seizure
It was every parent’s worst nightmare and 10 minutes of hell for young mum Hailey Watson, when her daughter started to violent convulse. But one thing calmed the frantic mum down.
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The worst 10 minutes of young Ringwood mum Hailey Watson’s life was when her perfectly healthy daughter started to violently convulse.
Eleven-month-old Charlotte went to bed unwell and was breathing heavily but did not have a temperature.
“I went to bed with one eye open, I felt something wasn’t right,” Ms Watson said.
She fell asleep but was soon woken by her restless daughter, who was rustling in her nearby bedroom.
“I didn’t have time to grab a thermometer, she started screaming, then jolting and then she was having a seizure,” she said.
“I called triple-0 and sounded like a crazy person.”
She was put thought to ESTA call-taker Ashleigh O’Grady who suspected Charlotte was suffering from a febrile convulsion.
“It was an extremely fast-paced call,” Ms O’Grady said.
“It is a bit tricky with mums and newborns, not many mums are taught about what to do when their children have fevers.
“She was trying to remain calm, we know most mums will be frantic, but that is normal.”
Ms Watson said the 10-minute call while paramedics were on their way “made herself calm down”.
“I was terrified, I just wanted to pull my heart out,” she said.
“It was so hard to see her little body writhing around. You think how are they going to survive.
“I had all these thoughts going through my head. I was just so stressed, I thought she was going to go. I didn’t know what was happening.”
Charlotte was treated by paramedics and taken to Maroondah hospital but has since made a full recovery and is back to her “cheeky” self.
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Ms Watson and Charlotte recently met up with Ms O’Grady to thank her for her help during the ordeal.
“For me that was the worst moment of my life, nothing compares to that, she really helped me,” Ms Watson said.
“I was really scared she was going to stop breathing and Ashleigh helped me through that.
“I bought her some flowers, gave her a hug and said thank you.”
Ashleigh’s response: “It meant a lot, it is a lovely feeling to be there for someone in their darkest hour.”