A Strictly Come Dancing and Olympic legend’s three-year-old daughter has been rushed to hospital after struggling to breathe.
Greg Rutherford’s partner Susie Verrill took to social media to share what had happened, as she posted a photo from a hospital bed.
Greg is a former long jumper who won gold at the 2012 Olympics, and together he and Susie share three children – Milo, nine, Rex, six, and Daphne, two.
Susie penned: “So glad I decided to bring her to hospital because she was NOT good.”
Greg and Susie’s adorable daughter Daphne could then be seen cuddling a toy in a hospital bed with her eyes close.
Susie added: “What a difference some steroids make,” then in a separate snap the little one was seen smiling away and looking much improved to the previous slide.
But Susie share her “guilt” at not bringing her daughter to hospital sooner.
“Thanks for all your kind messages, I’ve got huge guilt for not taking her in sooner,” the mum-of-three said.
She added: “We’re pretty experienced with croup and aside from once with Milo, it’s always sorted itself out with cold air, drinks and keeping them calm.
“When I took her in this morning they heard her breathe & rushed us straight through to have steroids because her nostrils were flaring and throat was tugging.
“Because she’d been so calm and chatty with me I didn’t really panic too much initially.”
Croup is a condition that typically affects babies and young children, irritating the upper airways and causing them to swell making it harder to breathe.
Typically croup is identifiable through the distinctive cough which sounds like a dog’s bark – it can also have a harsh, painful-sounding noise when the child breathes in which is known as “stridor”.
Across most instances this is a condition that can be diagnosed easily by your GP and then treated at home.
When your child or baby is stressed it is best to keep them upright and comforted as crying can make the symptoms worse.
However, if their airway gets blocked and your young one has trouble breathing, you may need to take them to the nearest A&E department.
Most cases of croup will clear up within 48 hours but in some cases they can last as long as up to 2 weeks.Croup is spread in a similar way to the common cold and so it is very difficult to prevent.
As with most things, the best defence against the dreadful cough is good hygiene – this will involve regularly washing your hands and cleaning surfaces.
Some of the routine vaccines your child has, such as MMR, will protect against some of the infections that can cause croup.
