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Is a baby’s life in your hands? Whether it is your little child or one of a friend or family member’s, seeing an infant (described as a year old or less) in medical distress is about as painful as it can get. In fact, it could even be a baby you’ve never met before, yet the mental anguish of seeing them suffering is incredible.
That said having knowledge of CPR could mean the difference between life and death for that little one.
With that being the case, is it worth your time and effort to learn CPR sooner rather than later? If so, how will you go about receiving the knowledge you need to become CPR-certified?
Find the Right Course at the Right Time
So that you can learn CPR for an infant, along with giving them a better chance at survival if they go into cardiac arrest etc., take the time now to become certified.
When you do, you very well could save a little one’s life one day.
In order to learn CPR and be able to properly apply it to an infant if need be, make sure you:
- Locate the best course available – There are numerous organizations and others offering CPR nationwide, but which one is best suited for you? If you work full-time and/or a student, you know that available hours can be few and far between. With that being the case, you need to find a CPR certified course that works within your weekly schedule. There are courses out there that will allow you to study online and take the exam from home. When you attain a passing grade on the exam (requirement is to hit 85 percent or greater), you are then CPR certified. One way to go about finding the best course for you is turning to the worldwide web. Many organizations and other groups offering CPR certification have a presence on the Internet. If you’re not sure which one is best suited for you, round-up a bunch of them and compare side-by-side. You can also look each organization’s social media presence. Whether they are on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or other such sites, review their profiles. Do they appear to get passing grades from those who have taken their courses? If not, what are some saying about the coursework and/or the organization? Also look to see how much social interaction the organization provides in responding to consumers. Any organization worth its weight will take the time to properly respond to inquiring minds;
- Know the signs of trouble – Applying CPR to an infant and to an adult are like feeding dog food to a dog and cat food to a cat. Sure, some animals will cross over and eat each other’s food, but there is a reason they have their respective foods. Trying to give an infant CPR the same way you would apply it to an adult are two different things, so never try and treat the two the same. A baby’s body for instance is much more fragile than that of an adult’s, so how much pressure one applies during CPR certainly does matter. You also need to recognize whether the infant is truly suffering from cardiac arrest or they have something caught in their throat area. If a baby is coughing (or attempting to), it is more likely the latter situation, whereby a delicate approach to the Heimlich maneuver is more appropriate. Under no circumstances should you ever apply to much pressure in either situation where you could fatally injured the infant by pounding on their chest, stomach or throat areas.
While most babies grow up to be big and healthy, there are certainly cases where a little one’s life can be on the line for a variety of reasons.
Even though you may never have children of your own, knowing how to apply CPR to an infant can come in handy in myriad of ways.
Whether it is an infant relative, a friend’s infant, or even in a public setting where an infant suddenly stops breathing, being educated on infant CPR could mean the difference between life and death for that little one.
With that being the case, a baby’s life truly could be in your hands.