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21.01.2022 Tell me... are you really *really* ok? R U Ok day is an incredible initiative. A day to instigate conversations, check up on one another and lean in to help. But we need to reach out and listen more than ever right now.... We are all living in turbulent times, and that looks different for every single person. You could be cruising along nicely and then BAM, in one moment the walls are closing in. Or you could have sad feelings and thoughts simmering and bubbling away at the back of your mind all the time. What about you are just feeling so touched out, so overwhelmed and so ready for an escape - and that escape is no where to be found? Mental health is SO important. But "good" mental health is different for everyone. It's ever changing and evolving. And it's ok to not be ok. I haven't been ok lately. I've been feeling overwhelmed and irritable - and then I feel frustrated that I have been feeling overwhelmed and irritable. Ironic much?! But I know it will be ok. It's ok to have uncomfortable feelings, but it helps enormously if you talk to someone about it. My big sister was there for me today to vent, troubleshoot and just be. So I ask you, when someone asks "Are you ok?" Please, please talk what you're thinking and feeling, because you are important! Are you ok?

19.01.2022 Have you noticed a foul smell coming from your little ones nose? Sure, it’s not uncommon for kids with a sinus or throat infection to have a smelly breath or nose but it’s not normal for them to have a smelly nose without a cause. If you have noticed your little ones nose smells on the rank side of thingscheck the following things:... 1. Is there any chance they have shoved something up there? It is VERY common for curious kids to put all sorts of things up their nose. Lego, beads, peas, bits of fabric who knows why, but it does happen, and it needs to come out. It’s not uncommon to need ENT involvement to bring out the schmicko tools. 2. Do they have lots of nasal discharge? Is it black? Or bloody? 3. Have they been treated for a nasal or throat infection without any improvement? Stinky noses without a cause are not normal. If this happens to your little one, please ask for your child’s health professional to have a GOOD look up the nose, because you never know if your sneaky little one has shoved something up there. These photos show some sort of object that was stuck up in a 3 year old’s nose for WEEKS. They noticed a foul smell coming from the nose and saw their GP. They tried antibiotics for a week with no improvement. They realised something was stuck up there, and as they were waiting for an ENT appointment, they attempted the Mother’s Kiss and out popped this thing. Phew. No one knows what it is, but I’d love to hear your guesses below I’m thinking a chewed up piece of foam. Maybe a Maccas toy?? What do you think?

19.01.2022 Common doesn’t mean normal. Let me say that again to let it sink in a bit more. Common doesn’t mean normal.... Kids get sick all the time right? It’s soooooo common. But that doesn’t automatically mean that each and every one of their illnesses are normal. Take fever for example. It’s super common in little people. But it is 100% not normal in a baby under three months of age. Take breathing difficulties for example. It’s super common for children to have viral induced respiratory distress, but this type of breathing is not normal. It still needs medical attention. To make things even more complicated, normal differs from one child to the next! So take it from me, don’t assume a symptom is normal because it’s common. Keep learning about the differences between normal symptoms of sickness in children, and what’s abnormal. Keep asking for help and clarification whether that’s from health direct, your GP, or me. Side note: I may or may not have an online course coming out soon that talks alllll about what’s normal and what’s not. Keep your eyes peeled. So here’s your opportunity to get me to clarify if something is normal, or just common. Ask away in the questions.

18.01.2022 I get it. Sick kids can be terrifying. Hands up if you’ve lost sleep worrying over your sick baby? Or if you’ve found yourself as anxious mess as you google your toddlers symptoms?... It’s totally normal to be scared. You are not alone in your worries. Our little people mean everything to us and we want to take away their sickness and pain as quickly as possible. But some sicknesses are inevitable for our little people. So let’s start to learn about these symptoms of sickness to help replace your worries with evidence-based information. Let’s replace your constant stress with practical knowledge. Think of Sick Happens as a warm cup of coffee it’s comforting, effective, and you can dial it up or down depending on your needs. All you have to do is figure out how you like to learn: Reading through an online eGuide? Chatting zoom-to-zoom with me in an education session? Or in a self-paced online course with follow up support (coming soon)? Soooooo. What type of coffee shall I grab you before we start... what’s your choice

18.01.2022 5 things that go through the mind of a paediatric triage nurse Obviously I can only give you my own perspective, but it’s likely many other nurses think and feel the same. I’m hoping these insights might give you an understanding about why they do what they do. Triage is a hectic job but I promise these experts are trying to be as efficient, compassionate and as thorough as possible. 1. They want you express your immediate concerns as quickly and efficiently as possible. Th...ey honestly care about everything that has happened over the past month, but they really just want the basic information to triage you as quickly as possible. 2. They want you to give your child pain relief before you come to Emergency. It’s 100% ok (and recommended) to get your child as comfortable as possible. I promise you won’t be masking anything by giving these medications. 3. They want to sit down with you and give you all the education, reassurance and comfort in the world but they literally do not have time. And it’s an upsetting reality for them as well as you. 4. They are really, truly sorry about the wait times. They would love get you all in and out as fast as possible, but triage is one part of a multi-step system. 5. They are sorry if they appear rude. They are expertly trained to be able to asses for concerning symptoms and pick up clues from their history in order to get your child the help they need. Quite often they might need to cut you off or redirect your explaining to help them make this assessment. Refer to number 1 again. I have an IGTV that explains the triage system it might be useful for you to watch if you are unsure about this. Triage nurses often feel all alone out the front of the department, and that they are walking up a massive sand dune just like this beautiful picture by @_jemmadarling but let me assure you, they would run up that hill for every little person and parent that comes in need of help. Do you have any questions about triage or emergency?

16.01.2022 Seriously....swipe across for my biggest secret This mindset shift was a game changer for me as a junior nurse and it can 100% be useful for parents too. I used to panic that I didn’t know everything about paediatric nursing. But, you know what, I never will know everything about paediatric nursing and I also don’t have to know it all. Sure, the more I can learn the better, but really, the most important thing I learnt to do was to ask for help, learn from other experts an...d know how to find my answers. And this is EXACTLY how parents should approach sicknesses in children too. Don’t stress yourself out diving head first into a google black hole reading about diseases, illnesses, complications and worse-case scenarios. Instead, why don’t you shift your focus to learning about symptoms of sickness in children RATHER than trying to know all of the possible diagnoses out there?! As parents, we all think that the buck falls with us. That it is up to us to solve ALL of the problems, ALL of the time. But it doesn’t have to be that way. You don’t have to carry 100% of the load, 100% of the time. We all wear one million different hats, but Doctor, Nurse and Paramedic doesn’t have to be one of them! Instead lean on your experts for help aka call HealthDirect, see your GP, or head to Emergency / call an ambulance if you need too. Outsource that shiz Now tell me. Who else falls prey to the google vortex of doom? I can guarantee you are not alone x

14.01.2022 What are you missing the most during this pandemic? I don’t know about you, but it’s definitely not materialistic things. It’s people.... It’s joint experiences. It’s sharing tactile laughter and joy not through a screen or a mask. Heck, it’s even sharing the tears and crap times but I miss sharing them with my people. It’s sharing a wine as my friends cry. It’s sharing a coffee whilst we celebrate successes. It’s going to kids birthday parties. It’s visiting family interstate. It’s visiting my grandparents without the fear that I will unintentionally pass something on. I know as much as the next person how quickly we all are to forget. How quickly life will return to a new normal and we will complain about the next thing, and forgot about what we were once missing. But I really hope that the good that comes out of this pandemic is the readjustment of what’s important it’s people. not things. What do you miss the most about this pandemic? Or better yet, what have you found to be the best thing about this pandemic?

13.01.2022 OOPS! I messed up. I’ve accidentally overdosed my child on a medicine. What do I do? Ahhhhhhh. Trust me when I say this it happens a LOT. Medication overdoses can happen so quickly and easily, and it usually happens one of three ways:... - You accidentally give the wrong dose of medicine. - You realise that both you and your partner have given your child a dose of medicine within a short time frame accidentally. - Or, your little one helped themselves to the medicine cabinet BUT, although it’s super common it’s not at all ok. Overdoses are dangerous, especially when you have no idea how much they have ingested. Nonetheless, here are some steps you need to take if this happens to you. So, take a breath, accept that it has happened, and do the following: 1. First up, work out whether your child is in immediate danger. Are they breathing? Are they conscious? More often than not they will be ok, but if they are in any danger at all call an ambulance without any hesitation. 2. If they appear ok (or even if you are unsure if they have actually ingested any of the medicine) call the Poisons Helpline on 13 11 26 It’s open 24/7 and they are BRILLIANT at advising you on what to do. 3. Follow the directions from the Poisons Helpline with whether you can stay at home and observe your child, or if you need to go to your GP or ED. 4. Keep reassessing your child. If their symptoms change, you can absolutely go seek medical attention, even if the helpline have said it’s ok to stay at home. Obviously prevention is way better than treatment but I know how quickly accidents can happen. Kids are slippery little suckers and they are super quick. Here are my top two prevention tips: 1. Grab yourself one of my Sick Happens Medicine Tracker Magnets to prevent any accidental overdoses. Its PERFECT for the middle of the nights and can save you soooooo many arguments between you and your partner about when you last gave medicine to your child... or it will save any guess work in your sleep deprived state! 2. Make sure all medications, cleaning products & essential oils up out of reach of little hands. What do you do to prevent accidental overdoses in your home?

10.01.2022 This is the face of someone who is struggling a bit. It might not look like it, but that’s the power of social media. We all have our struggles. ... It’s normal. It’s expected. Real life isn’t you frolicking through the sand with the soundtrack of sunset lover whispering in the wind. That’s the gram and a music button which I still don’t have Lately I’ve been struggling to find the right balance between being a mum, a business owner, an educator, a wife and a woman. I feel like I’m doing a million things, but all of them terribly! It’s been an emotional challenge for me especially because I am always striving for perfection (which we all know never ends well). I’ve been LOVING watching my business grow, but it’s also meant that I’ve had to try to set up personal boundaries and work out how to integrate it into my life in a way that is sustainable and MY choice. This isn’t a woe-is-me post. I’m not looking for sympathy. But I want to highlight that it’s totally ok to struggle!! Life has ups and downs. It’s ok to have downs, but you need to reach out and talk to people about it. Bottling it up inside isn’t sustainable. Parenting makes it even more complicated. I don’t know about you, but I’m always striving to be the best parent I can be and this can be at the detriment of what’s best for ME. It’s emotionally and physically exhausting. But I can guarantee you that every parent out there struggles at some point even those that appear like they never stumble, or have it all together. We all stumble. But gosh it’s easier to stumble together. Don’t hide it talk about it. So tell me, who else is stumbling and fumbling at the moment? Let’s help one another out.

10.01.2022 Do you have a squirmy toddler that makes giving puffers impossible? Then read on. Giving children inhaled medications through a spacer or ‘puffer’ can sometimes be really difficult. Young children can become really terrified of their spacer, I don’t blame them something has been shoved over their face and held there for what would seem like a long time. Unfortunately though, medications that improve breathing are non-negotiable. ... So how do you give puffers to a child that would give the Incredible Hulk a run for their money, and you don’t have anyone to help you give them? The position shown in these pictures is one that I suggest to all parents, especially if they have a non-compliant child aka most of them You only need one person, and usually by the time they are too big to be held like this, they are generally so used to having their puffer that they don’t fight it anymore. It may look questionable, but sometimes it’s the most effective way. If it makes you feel better, if they are crying you can guarantee that they are breathing in the medication effectively. Here’s how to do it: - Sit on the floor (up against a wall or lounge for back support if you need it). - Place your child on their back with their head snuggled in between your legs. - Place your legs over their arms and legs (if they are small enough). Be sure not to place pressure on their chest - Now you have both hands free so you can: 1) hold the mask on their face and maintain a good seal and 2) have one hand free to squeeze the inhaler to administer medication into the puffer. Has anyone used this position before? Tag a friend that you think would find this useful

10.01.2022 Have you got a teething babe? Then read on my friend. Teething really does get the blame for lots of things doesn’t it?! Sure, it can be so painful for some little people, but be mindful to not blame teething for every symptom under the sun. Take fever for example. It isn’t actually a symptom of teething but it can very often happen alongside of teething.So just be mindful to not disregard symptoms like fever as just teething because they could be an indication of somet...hing else. Nonetheless, here are some evidence-based tips and tricks to help relieve the pain and discomfort associated with teething. I would recommend to start at the bottom. Start with as minimal intervention as possible, so that you can layer on interventions if needed. Rather than jumping straight to a pharmaceutical intervention, why not try these ideas first (and yes, they are still evidence-based!) PRESSURE Rubbing your finger along their gums is super effective. Let them bite (on anything but your nipples). Let them chew. Let them take the lead here. COLD Cold foods and toys are great at relieving the discomfort associated with teething. Just make sure toys/teethers aren’t frozen because you can run the risk of freezer burn (frozen food should be fine because they will melt quickly upon contact). CUDDLE THERAPY. Yep. It’s a legitimate pain relieving strategy. The closeness, the contact, the smell, the touch. Just like skin to skin when they were little, it still works when they are a bit bigger! What are you go-to strategies for a teething babe? Wine and chocolate are my no-brainers, what about you?

08.01.2022 Are first aid courses the only bomb diggity way to provide health education to parents? Nope. First aid courses are amazing. They teach you irreplaceable life saving skills...but, what happens after the course? Who is there to guide you when things don’t go exactly the way they were described in the pristine learning scenario?... Who is there to help you troubleshoot the inevitable bouts of sickness that are guaranteed to happen to your little ones, rather than the not-so-common situations? How do you learn to how to quickly adapt to a different situation each and every time your little one gets sick? Because let’s face it they throw curve balls each and every time! This is exactly what Sick Happens does. I teach you how to learn, rather than what to learn. I give you the skills to be able to interpret symptoms of sickness in children, rather than simply following a step-by-step list of instructions. I teach you how to apply evidence-based information to YOUR child and THEIR current sickness situation. With Sick Happens you will learn: - How to troubleshoot through your child’s sicknesses. - How to shift your focus from diagnosing to learning about symptom recognition. - The difference between abnormal and normal symptoms of sickness in kids. At the end of the day, parents don’t need to work out what’s wrong with their little one at home you just need to know when they need help, and how to get it for them. Let me help you, to help them What do you need the most help with? See more

07.01.2022 Have you ever seen little streaks of pink, orange or red in your brand new babies nappy? Ever wondered what they are? Or have you ever thought it was blood?... Thankfully, it is most likely urate crystals. Oh sounds fancy right, but what is it? Urate crystals aka uric acid crystals, urates, brick stains are a bi-product of healthy metabolism. Babies are born with a high level of uric acid in their blood, and this is very normal. When they breast or bottle feed, their bodies breakdown this acid and it is excreted in their urine. It is excreted as a brick/orange/pink/terracotta coloured fluid. This is very normal for the first few days of life. However, this breakdown ‘should’ stop after about 3ish days. If you see this colour in their nappy after about 3-7 days of life, it’s best to chat to your healthcare provider because it may need further investigating. Sometimes it is linked to a baby not feeding properly, or becoming slightly dehydrated, but this is not always the case. Take a photo if you are worried, or keep the nappy to show your midwife at your next check-up, or mention it to your GP/CFHN. Have you seen urate crystals before? Did you know what they were, or freak out thinking it was blood?

06.01.2022 A scary camping experience We recently went camping with some great friends who shared a scary story that resonated with me because it could happen to anyone. They have two little boys who have asthma. One night, one of the boys woke up suddenly gasping for air. With only their phone lights handy, they were fumbling around the tent trying to work our what on earth was happening whilst becoming terrified by the minute. It quickly became apparent that he was not recovering w...ith his puffers & he was really struggling to breathe. They needed to call an ambulance. And this is where things got complicated. The 000 dispatcher asked for their location. They gave the name of the holiday park. But the dispatcher needed an address. No idea. What about the nearest cross road? No idea. Surely the dispatchers can tell where people are located from their phone call?? Well, not quite. They finally worked out where they were located, but they were in NSW right on the border of QLD. The closest ambulance was sent from QLD. But, this QLD ambulance vehicle didn’t have the universal emergency code for the boom gates for holiday parks in NSW. So they couldn't get in. Cue my friends running barefoot in the middle of the night with their breathless boy to the entrance gate to get emergency help. Now, this is what we call a clusterf&$k chain of events. Luckily, our little friend got the emergency treatment he needed, but this situation could happen to anyone! So here are a few tips that could help you next time you are camping: 1. Always know your location. Write down the address where you are & keep it handy. 2. Have a torch and car keys within arms reach in your tent/caravan. 3. Know where your emergency pick up points are you can ask at check in what the process is for an ambulance. 4. Ask the dispatcher where the ambulance will meet you seriously, every tent looks exactly the same! 5. Stay on the line to 000 if you aren’t sure where to meet. 6. Never, ever blame yourself for situations like this. Do the best you can, take a breath, and call for help. Have you had a scary holiday experience? Please share with us what happened and how you handled it

03.01.2022 A safety system to make sure parents are always heard in hospital. Miscommunication can be a dangerous thing. Especially in a hospital setting when kids are sick, staff are stretched, parents are terrified and kids are massively overtired.... Maybe your concerns weren’t completely heard, or maybe you caught the treating health professionals in a moment of flurry and they forgot to follow up or didn’t *really* hear your worry. Effective communication resolves problems *most* of the time I have been on both sides in the hospital setting a worker, and a mum to a sick child. So I get it. I really do. I can guarantee that health professionals are on your side and want the absolute best for your child and your family. But, problems can arise when there is miscommunication after miscommunication. So what can you do if your concerns and worries fall on deaf ears, or you feel like everything is spiralling out of control? There are a number of multi-step systems in place to support patients and families to raise concerns if they believe the patient’s health condition is getting worse, not improving, or their needs are not being heard. Now, this is not a you against them post. I am wholeheartedly #teamnurse AND #teamparents But, this is a useful service to explore if ALL other attempts have failed. These systems are knows as REACH, CARE or Ryan’s Rule. But they all work in the same manner. Unfortunately it doesn’t seem to be available nationwide, but these services would be able to point you in the right direction. Like I mentioned previously, most of the time your concerns and worries should be resolved without this process but, it’s nice to know that there are systems in place to make sure your concerns are ALWAYS heard. Have you heard of these systems before? Have you ever had to utilise this system?

03.01.2022 It’s World Diabetes Day today, and the theme for this year is The Nurse and Diabetes So it’s only fitting for me as a Paediatric Registered Nurse to raise awareness of this disease. Diabetes is a chronic health condition that impacts your bodies blood sugar levels. In children, the most common type of diabetes is type 1. It is thought that this type of diabetes is an autoimmune reaction.... Insulin is made in the pancreas and it is released into the blood when we eat food as a response to the spike in glucose (sugar from food no, not just sweet foods) Insulin is kind of like the essential key that allows these sugars to enter the bodies cells to give us energy. BUT, when you have diabetes, the body doesn’t make enough insulin, or it cannot be used correctly. As you can imagine, this causes a MASSIVE build up of excess sugar in the bloodstream which leads to very serious health complications. Signs and Symptoms of diabetes in children are; Extreme thirst Constant hunger Frequent urination (especially been woken up from sleep to go wee) Bedwetting in a previously toilet trained child Weight loss Blurred vision Nausea and vomiting Lethargy Possible increase in illnesses Even with all of the excessive drinking, undiagnosed or uncontrolled diabetes can lead to an incredibly serious complication called Diabetes Ketoacidosis (DKA). DKA requires emergency treatment. Head to the blog for a personal story of a lovely Sick Happens community member @minimessmakersau who shares her story from when she was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes as a child. Do you have a little one with diabetes, or do you have any questions about it?

02.01.2022 Help! I think there is blood in my baby’s poo Ok. First up. Breathe. Finish changing their nappy, give them a cuddle, take a photo of the poo before you chuck it, and save this post to refer back too!... Let’s chat about all the possibilities for blood to be in your child’s nappy. Remember, this post is not here to help you diagnose your child, rather it is here to educate you about the possible causes which are not always dangerous or scary! Are you breastfeeding your baby with damaged, sore or cracked nipples? It’s very possible that your baby has swallowed blood from your nipples. This can also appear to be dark brown/red in colour. Does your baby have bad nappy rash? Is the blood actually from your child’s skin, rather than in the poo? Does your baby have an allergy or intolerance? Quite often the blood will be accompanied with green mucous and possible pain, poor weight gain/loss, increased irritability, bloating or tummy pain. Please chat to your healthcare provider before you start taking foods out of your diet (if you are breastfeeding), or changing formulas haphazardly. Is your child constipated? Were they straining when trying to poo? Could they have caused a slight tear around the anus? Has your child had ongoing diarrhoea, gastro or another infection? It is possible the gut lining is inflamed or irritated. Is there lots of fresh, bright red blood, or is the blood very jelly like? This could indicate a surgical complication. Regardless of the cause, blood in the poo should always be checked out by a healthcare professional, it just depends how promptly that help is needed. If it’s fresh blood probs best to get it seen quickly, otherwise, don’t forget you can always call HealthDirect to have some help troubleshooting what to do, or go to your local Emergency Department. Where are my fellow allergy / intolerance parents? I bet you have a million photos like these in your camera roll. Come on, be honest hehe

02.01.2022 A sneaky sneaky peek into the online course Normal or Not? This is an insider look of the workbook you will get when you sign up to the online course Normal or Not? This course absolutely transforms you from a worried-late-night-googler, to a confident, competent and prepared parent! ... So what’s in the course, and the workbook? The workbook includes... a summary and refresher for EVERY module Febrile Convulsion FACT SHEET Hydration TRACKER links to recommended references & resources space to brain dump all of your lightbulb moments and key learnings from the course The course modules include: FEVER Is fever normal? Fever Management Febrile Convulsions When is fever abnormal? BREATHING What breathing is normal? What breathing is abnormal? What does respiratory distress look like? What should you do? RASHES What are rashes? Common rashes in children When is a rash abnormal? VOMITING Why do kids vomit? Is it normal? When is vomiting concerning? Preventing Dehydration Practical Tips POO Poo colour & consistency Constipation & Diarrhoea Real life examples NEVER-ENDING SICKNESS & IMMUNITY Why do kids get sick all the time? Preventing recurrent illnesses Supporting their immune system Childcare tips CASE STUDIES Three different case studies that teach you have to troubleshoot your way through their symptoms, and suggested plans of action. Who’s a late-night googler? Who wants to be confident & calm? Come join a tribe of parents already in the private Instagram classroom! So tell me, what’s the funniest thing you googled last?