I need YOU mothers!!!

[luv2bmommy]

i posted this in maternal and child and got some good advice but i didnt get that much response and need experiences or reassurance from other mothers now!...

My family was camping last night and my 2 yr old daughter fell and busted her lip on a log! poor thing bled so much the front of her shirt was soaked. we had her cleaned up with our first aid kit and there are clearly two cuts, one inside and one out. I have never dealt with this type of injury, my oldest has never so much as fell hard! DH says shes fine and the swelling is already going down, she is able to eat and drink but if something rubs it wrong or something she cries. what is the best way to heal this? I know the mouth is a dirty area and i dont want it infected. Normally i treat scrapes and things like that with hydrogen peroxide and neosporin. i have been using salt water with a cotton ball and kind of dabbing at it. and she has a "booboo bear" (its an ice pack) but she doesnt want to put anything against her lip. am i doing enough just keeping it clean or is there some other sort of medicine i need to be using for infection, preferrably one that doesnt sting but is cleansing.

now I am thinking of putting some hydrogen peroxide on it because i want those germs gone! is this a good idea??? or will it just irritate it or swell it further? DH is gone to work right now in the car and I am trying my hardest to keep calm and keep under control. I dont want to run off to the hospital with her only for them to tell me it will have to heal on its own. everyone i talk to says it WILL heal but ive never dealt with this before and it just looks so horrible to me. Have any of you mothers out there dealt with a busted lip before? should i dab neosporin directly onto the lip with a qtip? what im thinking now is that since there is a cut on the inside and outside (not bleeding just puffy and red) that she very well could have just bit the crud out of her lip and nearly pierced it all the way through. but the cuts arent bad its mostly bruised. im sorry for posting this here I just know there are a lot of mothers here that may have some advice on this one. Thanks

[luv2bmommy]

aaahh! Thank you! haha, nice tattoo guy!
well that sounds wonderful, im going to get some, im sure it wont be the only time in life i need it and i havent kept baby orajel around for quite some time so i have nothing for pain in the mouth. the hydrogen peroxide i mentioned using i decided not to use because the doctor told me it would be more discomfort than was necassary for her. and its good not to irritate it or swelling gets worse. thanks for the info!

*update* shes doing a lot better the swelling is still there but not nearly as bad, still looks pretty ugly though! (its all bruised up plus the barbie bandaid came off the chin and so she always check the mirror with pitiful face... LOL) but she feels and looks much better! im so happy!

[StacyCPHT]

there is a product called gly-oxide sold at most drug stores in the oral health section. It is an oral peroxide safe to use in and around the mouth. In fact this recommendation comes from experience of wisdom tooth infection, dentist told me and the (ahem) nice tattoo guy told me to get some when I got my tongue pierced at 18 (12 yrs ago) It has a mildly sweet taste kinda minty no burn at all and should be safe for the tiny tiny amount she could possibly swallow. Good Luck!

[luv2bmommy]

oh i can imagine! im sure she'll be brave for you, you will both be in my thoughts tomorrow!

[aabarnett]

No problem.  I hope it works for you.  Thanks for the good wishes about tomorrow, I'm really scared about it because it's 3 hrs away and I can't go because I'm on bed rest so although my husband and mother are going and I know they will take care of her, I still am still freaking our and feeling horriable that Mommy won't be there to make it better.

[luv2bmommy]

thank you! im sorry to hear about your baby though. you must have been terrified. i hope all goes well with the surgeon tomorrow. im going to make some of those juice pops, good idea. we do the frozen grape things too, i eat some of those almost every day! thank you again!

[aabarnett]

If it makes you feel any better my daughter is actually going to a plastic surgeon tomorrow because about 6 mos she opened the car door and then ran face first into it.  She now has a really bad spot just below her eye.  She's got a calcium deposit and some scar tissue because of it.  The biggest problem is that she is always messing with it and it looks like she has a swollen black eye for 6 mos.  But when she did the injury to under her eye, she also busted her lip pretty bad (didn't look too dif from your pics) on the inside and outside of the lip.  I took her to her doc and she said to have my daughter swish salt water to make sure it was clean and then have her suck on anything cold like homemade icy pops made out of juice (didn't want me to give her the ones from the store because of all the sugar in them), or put some grapes in the freezer and let her snack on those.  As for eating (Sis wouldn't because it hurt), we had a lot of jello and soup broth.  Good luck and keep us updated.  I hope she feels better soon.  Oh I also would try to keep a cold washcloth on her lip when she was asleep and she didn't know it.

[luv2bmommy]

wow girl! i suddenly dont feel so bad anymore! your poor heart and nerves!!! my DH says the same thing "shes just getting started" . but I sure hope shes not. I need to toughen up

[blueeyedtabbycat]

I have seen a BIG lip like that once, lol!! My youngest son is so fearless, clumsy and accident prone. He is only 4 and has had stiches( 2x's) broken foot (age 2) black eye (fell off the couch and hit the coner of the coffee table)  Several bumps on the head, he has scares on his face by his eye and 2 on his lips!! I have seen it all, lol. I would listen to your doctor, its too late if she needed stiches.......The swelling should go completely down in a day or two. I think my sons lip went back to normal in aboult three days, I feed him lots of popsicles to help with it cause he wouldnt let me apply an ice pack:)
I know its hard but she will be fine, just keep it clean ( as you can) you can give her tyenol if she complains about it. If she is anything like my youngest this will only be the first of many worries.

[luv2bmommy]

aww Joy thank you, she will surely go for that long kiss thing! I also just got a lip piercing and so I have some of that saline spray on hand!

thank you to everyone else! been soo so very helpful taking the time to look through my pics and letting me know your honest concerns. i will update in my journal how she is doing tomorrow. when shes all healed up I want to do something special for her. (and Taylar for being such a big girl for helping me take care of her baby sister!)
maybe ice cream and that movie wall e<<<?sp or whatever else is out right now...

[JoyRenee]

Saline (salt and water) is actually the preferable treatment. But you should buy one in a squirt bottle form (like what you use to clean contact lenses). That way it's constantly sterile.

My husband just got his lip pierced, so it's not the same as your poor little girl's injury, but he treats his wound with saline. It will not sting (I've had piercings and used saline and I can say that from personal experience). And if she swallows a bit, it's okay.

Most doctors tell you to not use hydrogen peroxide anymore. I wouldn't take her to the doctor unless she become lethargic, unconscious, acts strange, vomits, etc. My oldest daughter fell off my bed, face first, onto hardwood floor as a baby. I called the doc and they didn't want me to bring her in unless I saw the signs I just listed. She was perfectly fine. The Boo Bear (I have one, too! It's green) will help the swelling. Tell her to give her bear a long kiss.

[luv2bmommy]

thank all of you. I really am sick... I thought it was bad and I knew it was bad...
the swelling has gone down slightly since she woke up..? its confusing how it swells when she sleeps, DH says it has something to do with the blood pressure. I gave a call to one of the ER docs and he said I could take her in if it made me feel better but he wouldnt be concerned unless like some of you said it was pussing up, still bleeding, one of her extremities stopped working, or if she started vomiting uncontrollably. he said since it had already been near 24 hours, ive probably seen the worst of it and that swelling would be normal for the next 2 days and if it stayed red and swollen longer than that to make an appointment. he said hed seen babies go in that fell out of their highchairs and had swelling as large as a baseball. made me feel a little better but like you said i would rather him actually SEE these pics and then make the call. it does look horrible doesnt it??? gosh its so sad.....=*(

[kjbutcher]

I just checked out the pictures and I think a call to the doc may be warranted.  She may even be able to come on this site and check out the pictures.  They can usually give you a good idea over the phone even at night if you should go to the er or not.  I would call quickly before it gets too late.  I am not trying to scare you.  I am sure it is fine and the doc will say so, but to be on the safe side.  I know when I let something like this go over night...right around 11 or so I start worrying way too much because I dont want to call since it didnt just happen but I dont want to wait until the morning either.  As a Mom, I can probably guess that you are just sick over this and I know it is a horrible feeling.  Just call and at least make the sickness in your stomach go away.  Good Luck and I hope baby feels better!!!

[LosingMyMindInGA]

as long as you lean her forward over a sink and pour the peroxide just over the lip....and let it drain so she doesn't swallow any it should be fine.  Just keep an eye on it, watch for tell tale signs of infection like red streaks etc....It's gonna be sore for several days but kids are very resilient.  It's probably worse on you than it is on her.  Just early my 3 yo hit my 4 yo in the mouth with a play phone and busted her lip open....ahh the joys of parenthood :)

[northrncwgrl]

Well I have a 5 & 7 yr old and we have seen our fair share of blood and tears!

I did check out your pics after I posted - poor girl! One point though, like BTS says above, to definately watch the swelling. If it doesn't go down after a couple days, or stays very red, hot, or starts oozing anything colored then definately take her to the ER. Those are all signs of an infection, like she said, maybe there could be something stuck in there.

But don't stress, I'm sure it'll go down, just something to be cautious of! I hope your poor baby heals quick! :)

[luv2bmommy]

oh no. thats right, i didnt think of that. and coming from a mom of 2 boys its scary to know you've never seen swelling like that... oooh shoot.

[BTS1022]

I agree with northrncwgrl to a point. I have dealt with a ton of busted lips with my 2 boys lol, but honestly I have never in my mommy life seen a lip swell that bad. The mouth area heals a lot quicker than any other place on a persons body, mainly because of the saliva. I would just keep it slightly clean with some warm water, just to make sure she doesnt get juice or food stuck to it.

If it were my child, with the swelling I would take her in to the ER, granted yes they will tell you that it will heal on it's own, but if it is that bad, who is to say a peice of that log isnt stuck somewhere in her lip?

Not trying to scare you, but it is a possability a peice could have gotten wedged in there deep enough that you may not have seen it when the accident first happened.

[kjbutcher]

AJ just busted the inside of his top lip.  I was freaked out, like you, because it tore the whole piece of skin off that holds the lip to the gums and then way up into the lip/gum.  It was very deep and I thought he needed stitches.  Everyone told me that it will heal on its own and he would be fine.  They were right!  It was sore to the touch for a day or two and swollen, but he ended up being fine.  I didnt put anything on it.  I actually read that there are enzymes in baby's saliva that kill bacteria because they put so many things in their mouth.  It is natures way to make sure they dont get sick from it.  This is just a guess, but that may work for the cuts in their mouth.  I would just make sure she doesnt have any dirt from the log in it, but from there I wouldnt worry too much.  

[luv2bmommy]

oh *sigh of relief* thank you so much! ill have to go to the store and see if i can find anything like the salve you were talking about. you dont know how much relief you have given me. i know it may seem like im overreacting because my hubby and friends are like "busted lip? oh yeah shes fine! get used to it mom!" but it was just so much blood and the swelling is just so ugly. thank you so much for replying.

[northrncwgrl]

Of course you're going to worry if you haven't been through that before!

It is actually a decent place for a cut, as the constant saliva will keep it clean. Just watch what she eats and drinks (avoid sugar and chemicals). All you can do is make sure it is clean - no dirt or anything in it - and put a salve on it. I have a herbal one which is better than anything you find in the pharmacy (though I forget what it is called!). Just dab a bit on and clean it a couple times a day for a few days, then slow it down. Don't cover it, as air is the best thing for it as well.

There's a chance she may have needed a stitch if it was big enough, but they wouldn't do it now anyway. And the worst that can happen is that she'll have a bit of a bigger scar. That's all. So the biggest thing is just to make sure it's kept clean and that she's not irritating it, and she'll be fine!

[luv2bmommy]

i just posted some close up pictures of the lip. the quality of them isnt great but you can see how swollen and bruised she is. please comment if you can...