Croup is scary sh!t

If the sweetest sound in the world is the sound of your baby giggling, the absolute scariest sound is them struggling to draw breath. When my husband and I heard our eight month old son dragging in air like a pack-a-day-smoker with a ring in his voice box, we were in the car and on the way to the emergency room.

We were among a dozen or so parents fronting up to the large public hospital with kids wrapped in dressing gowns, wheezing and barking like bulldogs.

Turns out Winter isn't just the season for long boots, it's also the season for croup. Terrifying croup. At least, it is for first-time parents with no idea how to treat it or how serious it can be.

The photocopied handout the nurse gave us explained that croup is a narrowing of the larynx and trachea, often caused by a virus. So the fact that our little one had a cold was no surprise to the no-muss nurses on duty.

A dose of a clear liquid (a steroid to help relax the narrowing throat) worked wonders in helping him and the other kids breathe easier (not to mention all the parents!)