Heimlich Maneuver

The culprit.

"Hey, Mom look what I have for you!" says Vinny, holding out a peppermint pinwheel, in his hand.

"Ooooooooo, thanks!" I say.

"But I want one," whines Gio.

"Sorry, I only have one," says Vinny.

I really wanted the piece of candy, but those mothering guilt pangs began to hammer me, so I caved.

"You can have it," I say, handing the hard candy to Gio.

"Noooooooooooooo!" shouts Vinny. "He's not allowed to have hard candy. He'll choke."

"He'll be fine," I say. Adding, "make sure you don't swallow it, okay? NO SWALLOWING."

Gio nods his head, feigning compliance.

I was about to buckle myself in, when I hear unusual gurgling noises, coming from the backseat.

"Gio, nooooooooo!" I shriek in horror, only a mother knows.

I hop out of my seat, swing open his door, unbuckle him, and whack him on the back, without any result.

He was still coughing, so I didn't try the Heimlich maneuver, yet.

But after thirty seconds his breathing was decreasing, and I knew I had to try, my CPR skills on my son.

Carp.

There wasn't a lot of time to wonder if I could actually do the Heimlich, but the thought briefly crossed my mind.

I pull Gio out of his car seat, thrust once or twice with my fists, under the rib cage, steering clear of the xiphoid process, and his ribs.

I stopped when I heard a funny, rumbling sound coming from somewhere in Gio's little body.

He began vomiting, then the candy flew out of his mouth, landing three feet away, on the pavement.

"Gio, are you okay?" I ask, assuming the worst is over.

"Yeah," he answers, in a momentary daze.

"Phew," I sigh, adrenaline coursing through my veins.

Then I began wondering, "does the Heimlich normally causes its recipients to vomit?"

I thought I saved my son's life, but I wasn't certain.

I texted an authority on the matter:

"Do people normally vomit when you give them the Heimlich????"

My friend assured me vomiting is exactly what's supposed to happen, "you did it right!"

Not that I needed credit or anything. It's just that parenting is the biggest challenge I've undertaken in my entire life. And sometimes it's nice to know I'm doing something right........

"Gio no more hard candy for you," I say.

"Why?" he asks, trauma already forgotten. "Oh yeah, I almost died."

All hail Lord Heimlich!