h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Yesterday, I took my little boy to the shopping center, to get him some new shirts - too many of them are too small and have holes around the cuffs . The permanent stains from school glue and paint, I give up on those, I could buy a shirt a week if that should be an issue...

But before we even started looking around, I saw a woman who had fainted just by the cash register.

And being the way I am, I move in, lift her feet up, to get blood to her head and revive her. It's just that she didn't come to. Which meant it wasn't an ordinary fainting.

There were a few more people helping, but she wouldn't wake up. Her husband claimed that she had eaten as usual - he thought - and this had never happened before. Her little son was standing wide eyed, looking on. After a minute or so, we asked the shop girl to call for an ambulance. She decided to call security first, and then could not connect to 112. So I borrowed someones mobile and called, and they sent an ambulance to come. Still no reaction from the fainted lady. Just as I hung up, the husband told us she was six months pregnant. Oy, vey... But we saw no bleeding or amniotic fluid at least. She was breathing, she had a pulse. Her pupils seemed to react to light (good), and when I pressed her cheek, she reacted with a slight frown and slowly moved her head away from the pain (not excellent reaction, but could be much worse - like no reaction at all). But still not waking up.

And all the while, my kid is beside us, anxious, and I feel so bad for the lady's son - the father said nothing to him, and I did nothing either to make things the least understandable for him... Poor kids! I should have talked to the son, asked him to take care of mammas handbag, explained something, but didn't.

After a few minutes (who ever has a grasp of time in these situations???) the ambulance crew arrive. The tell me to keep holding her feet up, (at least I did that right) but since the security guy is back, I ask him to do it, and sneak away to calm my son and myself. The crew began putting a needle in, for glucose, I suppose, but I didn't stay to see.

All evening we talked about what had happened. I still wonder what made her faint, and really wish that she can keep the baby, and that all turns out well. I will never know.

Milla

You did the right thing, and the best you could at the time... That's all that anyone can ask for.