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'The scariest time of our lives': Lucy Mecklenburgh and Ryan Thomas reveal shocking baby trauma

Ryan Thomas appeared with girlfriend Lucy Mecklenburgh on This Morning.
Ryan and Lucy went through every parent's nightmare this week. (Getty Images)

Every parent's nightmare is losing their child. For most of us, it remains a distant dread, for TV stars Lucy Mecklenburgh and Ryan Thomas this week, it was almost a reality.

Baby Roman, 18 months, was found blue and unresponsive in his cot just over a week ago, with dad and former Coronation Street actor Thomas explaining that he was immediately rushed to hospital.

Thomas shared the terrifying news with his Instagram followers, reassuring them that Roman was now safe, and had been in intensive care since.

The actor and dad of two, who played Jason Grimshaw in the soap wrote:

"No words can explain how grateful we are to have our little boy home safe after spending nearly a week in intensive care.

"As parents it’s been one of the scariest times of our lives but with thanks to our amazing doctors & nurses we have king Roman back playing, smiling & more importantly eating, i would like to thank the @nhs and also @cosmic_charity who have been unbelievable. You both really are the real life superhero’s."

Ex-The Only Way Is Essex star Lucy also updated fans with a poignant picture of Roman attached to hospital equipment alongside a soft toy. She said: "As some of you may have noticed we haven't been on social media lately.

"Just over a week ago I found Roman blue in his cot - probably every parent's worst nightmare. Without going into too much detail it ended up with Roman being transferred to St Mary's London intensive care being put on a ventilator.

Read more: Coronation Street star's son rushed to intensive care

"Thankfully we are now all home and Roman is back to his cheeky self."

She went on to effusively thank the hospitals and the Cosmic charity, which raises funds for the paediatric ICU at St Mary's in London.

"I am eternally grateful to the ambulance service for arriving so quickly, to Basildon hospital, the CATS team (children action transport services) St Mary's London PICU, Cosmic charity (Caring for babies & children in intensive care)."

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 24:  Ryan Thomas and Lucy Mecklenburgh attend the Specsavers 'Spectacle Wearer Of The Year' at 8 Northumberland Avenue on October 24, 2018 in London, United Kingdom.  (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)
The pair shared their relief and confessed that the trauma of what had happened to Roman would haunt them. (Getty Images)

"I would love to do something in return and to hopefully help other sick children & their families.

"I'd like to help with the new children's garden area at Basildon hospital as it's unusable at the moment and i know it would bring so much joy to children on the wards.

"I'd also like to support the Cosmic charity with a donation from us, and a promise I will support this charity as much as I can in the future. If you would be generous enough to support this incredible charity there's a Just Giving page in my bio which would mean the world to me if you made a donation and this is why -

"Cosmic Charity raises significant funds for the children's intensive care unit at St Mary's hospital London which was Roman transported to when Basildon could simply do no more for him."

Read more: How to help a choking baby, according to a paediatric first aid expert

She went on to reveal just how terrifying the experience has been, saying: "Although mentally we as a family may never fully recover, we feel extremely blessed to have our special boy home in our arms and it has truly opened our eyes to all the hardworking superheroes working in our hospitals who dedicate their lives to helping others and how extremely lucky we are to have these incredible medical services free for us all in the UK.

"Thank you NHS and all the charities that support the NHS."

Many of Lucy's 1.5 million followers and fellow stars sent good wishes and love under the moving post, with well over 7000 supportive comments posted overnight.

"Sending you all so much love Lucy," wrote Samia Longchambon, who plays Maria in Coronation Street, while fellow reality star Lucy Watson from Made in Chelsea wrote: "So sorry to hear this, hope you're OK."

Star Denise Van Outen added: "Sending you so much love."

Watch: Former TOWIE star Lauren Pope talks baby first aid with paediatric expert

It sounds as though baby Roman is on the mend and by rushing him to hospital, the worried parents did the right thing.

While there's no more details on what caused Roman to turn blue, other parents shared their own stories on Instagram in response, pointing out that knowing what to do in the midst of panic can be the difference between life or death for a small child.

According to trusted medical website WebMD: "Blue skin means the underlying blood has a blue cast rather than the nice pink colo(u)r of blood with lots of oxygen in it...in most cases it's quite normal and harmless as long as it's temporary."

However, it can mean that "the lungs are not getting enough oxygen. Since oxygen is what makes blood turn red, blood cells without oxygen remain blue ("cyanosis").

"You can tell if there is insufficient oxygen in the blood by checking the colo(u)r of the skin all over your baby's body. If there is a bluish cast everywhere (especially in areas with a lot of blood flow, like the lips, tongue, and vagina or scrotum), this could mean all of the blood is blue and there could be a problem with the heart or lungs."

Medical doctor checking the heart rate of an unresponsive infant with a stethoscope.View Similar Images:
If in doubt, call 999 and get your baby checked by a doctor. (Getty Images)

"If a baby is not moving and does not respond when you call them or tap their foot, they are unresponsive. Shout for help."

Call 999 as quickly as possible, and learn baby first aid if you can. The Red Cross has guidance on its website.

Watch: Police officer saves unresponsive baby on the side of the road