Infant CPR and Choking

CTDA's doulas hosted their first annual doula share, at Any Baby Can in Austin, Saturday, May 22nd, 2010.


Lisa Houser taught Infant CPR and Choking

Lisa's upbeat personality and enthusiasm for teaching parents these life-saving techniques eased the feelings of fear surrounding this serious topic. She covered a lot in a little time, and gave parents hands-on practice.

She first covered the ABC's.

Airway: A consideration with this, is to make sure the place your baby sleeps is safe. Baby should be 6 weeks or older before there is anything fluffy around. If an object can fit through a toilet paper roll, it is a choking hazard to a baby!

Breathing: Put your ear close to baby and listen.

Circulation: Check the MMR (like the vaccination): moving, moaning, and response.

If your baby isn't breathing or responding, give 2 gentle breaths (just enough to see chest rise) and then 30 compressions. Lisa had a great way to remember where to press. Do the Hook 'Em Horns sign with your hand, line up pinky finger with nipple line. The two fingers that are up, you unfold and use to compress. These compressions are about 1/2 to 1/3 depth of the chest, since you have to go through muscle, tissue, and fat.

If your baby is choking but still coughing, crying, or spiting up encourage them to continue to do this. If baby can support their own weight you can hold their arms straight up to the side of their head in "champion arms" .

If your baby is choking but is making no noise, isn't struggling, or losing color place them in football hold, baby's tummy against your forearm, baby is looking down and you hold their chin in your hand without blocking their mouth. You can sit in a chair for support, just make sure baby is on a downward angle (head lower than heart). In a firm downward pushing/sliding motion hit between shoulder blades. Support baby's neck and roll over, so baby is looking up. Keep head lower than heart and do a couple chest compressions to try to force air out of lungs and dislodge object.

© 2010 Sarah Webb. All rights reserved.