Joy-Anna Duggar Opens Up About Health Scare With 13-Month-Old Son Gunner

One of the scariest things about being a parent is that emergencies can happen in a split second. One minute, your kid is enjoying themselves, having a normal day — and the next, you're in a terrifying tailspin. Even when everything turns out okay in the end, these scary moments stay with you forever!

In a recent video on her YouTube channel, Joy-Anna Duggar opens up about a horrifying experience she and her family recently went through when her 13-month-old son, Gunner, choked on a piece of ham while the family was away at youth camp. "I was just feeding him a little bit off my plate, and I had a piece of ham, like Thanksgiving ham, and I was letting him chew on it and take a bite off of it, and he bit off more than he could chew and immediately started choking," Duggar said.

As People reported, Duggar started crying and handed her son over to her husband Austin Forsyth, who just happens to be an EMT.

"I started crying 'cause I'm just like Lord, please protect him, like all of those what-ifs come to your mind right away," she said.

Related: Dad's Terrifying Account of Choking in Front of His Kids Is a Huge Wake-Up Call

Gunner stopped breathing for about 20 seconds, and though he vomited several times, he still didn't spit out the ham. Even after starting to breathe , he was "still struggling and was really, really lethargic," so the family headed to the hospital (which was about an hour away).

"I was just crying out to God like, please save him, and I've never been to a point where, like, I thought I was going to lose one of my kids, and it was just that thought of he is going to die came to my mind, and it just like was terrifying . And so I was asking God, 'Please, please save him, please save him, give us wisdom. Help us to get there,'" Duggar said.

Thankfully, Gunner started breathing better and an X-ray came back clear...but mom and don't won't soon forget the experience!

How to Prevent Choking in Young Kids

According to the Cleveland Clinic, eating poses different challenges to children  depending on their age. Kids under the age of two, for example, don't have molars, so they can't "grind or crush food." But even after the age of two, you'll still need to be careful, explained pediatrician Richard So, MD.

One of the most important things you can do is to cut your child's food into pieces that are too small to get stuck in their throat, and only give them a few pieces at once.

Also make sure that your kid is seated and calm at mealtime.

"Teach your child to swallow their food before they start talking or laughing to decrease their chances of choking. Kids at any age, particularly small children, should be sitting down when they eat — even when they’re eating candy. It’s important to supervise and make sure they’re not eating while they’re lying down either.

'Make sure they chew thoroughly,' states Dr. So. 'Don’t let them run around and play with food in their mouths. When kids sit and focus on what they’re doing, the risk of choking goes down significantly.'"

Of course, even when you do everything "right," choking can still happen. That's why it's a good idea for parents to know CPR and the Heimlich Maneuver, just in case!

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