New parents, babysitters, daycare workers, and other jobs benefit greatly from knowing how to properly perform infant CPR. There are countless stories of people saving their baby after discharge from the hospital, or after a sudden seizure. Read this story of how one father saved his infant son. The steps to perform infant CPR are outlined below:
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- Assess for scene safety
- Check for responsiveness (is baby opening their eyes or crying?)
- Check for breathing and a pulse (brachial pulse in babies)
- Call for help (have someone call 911)
- Start chest compressions just below the nipple line at a rate of 30 compressions to 2 breaths if alone.
- Give 2 breaths, covering the infant’s entire mouth and nose with your mouth. Only blow air until you see the chest rise.
- Assess for scene safety
When children and infants suffer cardiac arrest, it is usually because of a respiratory issue. The child/infant had problems breathing, stopped breathing, and then their heart stopped due to lack of oxygen. It is more important in children and infants to provide rescue breaths than in adults because they have been without oxygen longer.
In situations where you come across a child or infant and do not know how long they have been in cardiac arrest, perform several rounds of CPR before going to find help. If you witness the cardiac arrest occur, you should get help prior to initiating CPR. In most situations, you likely have a phone in your pocket and can dial 911 and put them on speakerphone while beginning CPR. If you forget, the operator will walk you through the proper steps.
The quicker that CPR is initiated, the more likely the cardiac arrest victim is to live. When you begin CPR, you become the heart’s pump. The oxygen in the blood is moved around during compressions, preventing further health complications.
Sign up for a First Aid/CPR or BLS Certification course here.