When you hold your first child in your arms, you will experience a surge of emotions that cannot compare to anything else you have felt before. You can’t imagine that you created something so amazing yet vulnerable to the world. The reality of your child’s vulnerability can be challenging and stressful to accept, as keeping your child safe is now your ultimate responsibility. As such, all you want to do is protect them in the best way you can and know how to do so. Here are reasons why every new parent should learn CPR.
New Parent Anxiety
Despite the fact that having your first child is one of the most amazing experiences you could have, it can also bring a great deal of anxiety. It is more than normal for new parents to deal with a rush of panic when they realize that the safety and health of their infant are wholly reliant on them.
The main reason for this anxiety is that most parents do not have the healthcare knowledge to know what to do in any situation, whether minor or major. As such, many new parents can find themselves contacting their pediatrician or quick care with any issue that arises. Running to the clinic anytime your child does anything can become a waste of time and resources. What’s more, there are many emergency issues that you might have to handle on your own.
Anything Can Happen
We cannot deny the reality that newborns and toddlers are quite vulnerable, and with that, anything can happen. However, this truth is not something we must accept and then hope for the best. We live in an age where we have a vast knowledge of healthcare that no longer leaves us victims to fate.
In fact, you can utilize that healthcare knowledge to help your children in the event of any emergency. When you equip yourself with the proper education that can help you know what to do in a variety of situations, you take back your power. That is one of the many reasons why it is crucial that new parents learn CPR.
How CPR Can Help
CPR, short for cardiopulmonary resuscitation, is a life-saving skill that everyone should know in the event of an emergency. Of course, no parent wants to imagine their children having a cardiac arrest event. However, it is crucial that you know what to do in such a situation, as CPR can significantly improve the chances of life.
Consider the fact that in most emergency situations involving your children, you will be the first responder. On average, actual emergency services can take around 7 minutes to arrive on a scene. What’s more, the chance of survival from a cardiac arrest decreases by nearly 10 percent for every minute a victim goes without CPR. With these statistics, it makes sense you want to utilize this time in the most efficient manner possible with the knowledge of CPR. Here is a range of conditions and situations where CPR can greatly increase the chances of survival.
SIDS
SIDS, short for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, is the name for a condition wherein infants die suddenly without any reason or warning. SIDS has no symptoms as it happens suddenly, which is quite alarming for a parent. However, there have been cases of infants having near SIDS saved by a parent who noticed their child was not breathing. In this moment of asphyxiation, the parent was able to administer life-saving CPR to the child and buy enough time to wait for emergency services to arrive. While SIDS is exceedingly rare, happening to about 3,000 infants a year, it is a condition for which you want to have the knowledge of what to do should it occur.
Choking
We have all noticed toddlers eating with much abandon, talking with their mouths completely open. Moreover, when your child enters the oral phase of development, they will attempt to put nearly anything in their mouth. This phase of development and the lackluster eating habits of children can all result in a choking incident.
Choking incidents are all too common in children, and panic can easily settle in when you notice your kid struggling to breathe due to something blocking their throat. However, with the correct training, you will know how to assess the situation, assist them, and remain calm while doing so in order to maintain the best outcome for your child.
Drowning
Did you know that children 1 to 4 years old have the highest rates of drowning? In fact, it is a leading cause of death in children. The scariest thing is that much like choking, drowning can occur at any time. Moreover, it can be quite hard to notice your child drowning, as you might be occupied elsewhere for a short moment while they swim.
If this event were to occur, you would want to help as best as you could. The fear of watching your child without knowing what to do is a situation no one wants to find themselves in. With CPR knowledge, you will be able to administer life-saving skills to your child, or anyone’s child, significantly helping prolong their life.
Certain Conditions
There are a variety of conditions your child could have that may require you to know CPR. A cardiac arrest in a child seems outrageous, but it can occur with an underlying condition. For example, your child might have an underlying heart condition that increases their chances of cardiac arrest. Children’s congenital heart disease, abnormalities, or abnormal heart rhythms can make sudden cardiac arrest more likely.
Efficient Know-How
Of course, no one wants to think of their children having a life-threatening event, but we cannot deny that these incidents occur every day worldwide. Unfortunately, our children and family are not exceptions. However, that does not mean we cannot take action and do our best to alter the course of events; the future is not set in stone.
But with such a busy life and one that will only get busier in the next few months with your newborn, finding time to learn CPR can be a challenge. That is why we have developed our CPR course to accommodate all kinds of schedules and lives. You can attain your Heartsaver CPR AED certification in the comfort of your own home. At CPR123, we are passionate about equipping you with the knowledge you need, no matter how busy your life is.
