{"id":33363,"date":"2025-04-19T16:20:14","date_gmt":"2025-04-19T16:20:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/33363\/"},"modified":"2025-04-19T16:20:14","modified_gmt":"2025-04-19T16:20:14","slug":"my-two-baby-daughters-ended-up-on-life-support-the-only-symptom-was-coughing-and-we-almost-left-it-too-late","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/33363\/","title":{"rendered":"My two baby daughters ended up on life support – the only symptom was coughing and we almost left it too late"},"content":{"rendered":"

A HORRIFIED dad has spoken of how he has watched not one daughter, but both fight for their lives in hospital.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt turns out that both our daughters are particularly susceptible to picking up respiratory viruses and doctors have no idea why,” says Robert O’Halloran, 37, dad to Fiadh, three, and Nuala, one.<\/p>\n

\"Robert<\/a><\/p>\n

7<\/p>\n

Both Robert O’Halloran’s daughters (Fiadh and Nuala) ended up hospitalised after getting a cough. Pictured with mum, Rebecca, 36Credit: Robert O\u2019Halloran\"Toddler<\/a><\/p>\n

7<\/p>\n

Fiadh, three, was the first to fall sick in March last yearCredit: Robert O\u2019Halloran\"Robert<\/a><\/p>\n

7<\/p>\n

Then two years old, Fiadh was rushed to hospital after collapsing while eating a bananaCredit: Robert O\u2019Halloran<\/p>\n

Fiadh was two years old when she fell sick with a bad cough<\/a> in March last year and parents Robert, 37, and Rebecca, 36, from Ipswich, had already been concerned.<\/p>\n

Robert recalled: \u201cShe was diagnosed with bronchiolitis<\/a>, and we were going back and forth to hospital for a week, as she was coughing so much and had lost her appetite.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey gave us a reliever inhaler to help with her breathing, but by the end of the week, she was so bad, Rebecca and I decided to take her back to hospital.<\/p>\n

“I was just getting her ready at around 8.30am when I gave her a piece of banana as she hadn\u2019t eaten.\u00a0
\u00a0
\u201cThen suddenly, her temples turned grey, and her eyes began rolling back. <\/p>\n

Read more on childhood illness<\/p>\n

“Nuala was only a week old, and Rebecca was breast-feeding<\/a> her when I shouted out that Fiadh had stopped breathing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

When Fiadh fell unconscious, Robert was overcome with panic. He scooped her up and ran out of the house, screaming for help and begging her to breathe.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Rebecca immediately dialled 999.<\/p>\n

Neighbours and passers-by ran over to Robert and a man driving<\/a> by stopped and got out of his car to help.<\/p>\n

Just as Rebecca began administering CPR, guided by a paramedic on the phone, the ambulance arrived.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was one of the scariest moments of our lives,\u201d Robert said.<\/p>\n

What is RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) or bronchiolitis?<\/p>\n

\u201cThe paramedics put Fiadh on oxygen straight away and told us she was very, very sick and had to get to hospital straight away.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

A team of doctors and nurses were waiting at hospital and swept Fiadh straight into intensive care.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThey couldn\u2019t work out what was wrong with her at first,” Robert recalled.<\/p>\n

“Then a specialist team was brought in and one of the doctors said the piece of banana might have gone down the wrong hole because Fiadh had been struggling to breathe.<\/p>\n

\"Toddler<\/a><\/p>\n

7<\/p>\n

Fiadh had been diagnosed with bronchiolitis which had developed into pneumoniaCredit: Robert O\u2019Halloran\"Robert<\/a><\/p>\n

7<\/p>\n

Doctors said her lungs were weakened, which is why she stopped breathing when she chokedCredit: Robert O\u2019Halloran<\/p>\n

\u201cThey discovered she had an infection which was affecting her lung capacity and making it hard for her to breathe and that\u2019s probably why, when I\u2019d given her the banana, it had gone down the wrong way.<\/p>\n

“So, it was a combination of her lungs being too weak because of the infection and the banana going down the wrong way which had caused her to stop breathing.”<\/p>\n

\n

Just like with Fiadh she had a bad cough, and I thought, \u2018Oh no, here we go again’<\/p>\n

Robert O’Halloran<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Doctors said Fiadh would need to undergo lifesaving surgery to remove the banana from her airway. <\/p>\n

But because her lungs were so weak, the operation was high risk.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI was such a mess I couldn\u2019t even talk,\u201d Robert said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI couldn\u2019t fathom losing Fiadh. The operation only took an hour, but it was the longest hour of my life.<\/p>\n

“Rebecca had had to stay home with Nuala and when I called her to give her the good news, we both broke down in tears.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Thankfully, the surgery went well and after a week in intensive care, Faidh began to recover from her pneumonia with antibiotic treatment.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first thing she asked for when she came round was some banana \u2013 I couldn\u2019t believe it,\u201d Robert said.<\/p>\n

What is bronchiolitis? <\/p>\n

Bronchiolitis is a common chest infection that affects babies and children under two. <\/strong><\/p>\n

It’s usually mild and can be treated at home, but it can be serious.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The early symptoms of bronchiolitis are similar to a cold, such as sneezing, a runny or blocked nose, a cough and a slightly high temperature of 38C.<\/p>\n

A child with bronchiolitis may then get other symptoms, such as:<\/p>\n