Breathing for two

Yesterday’s Wall Street Journal had a good article on infant CPR classes. There is a range of alternatives, from the American Red Cross to local hospitals to in-home teaching companies. I highly recommend new parents or parents-to-be take a class, any class, from a reputable source. If nothing else, it gives peace of mind. More importantly, you never know when you will need to put something into practice. One incident from when our oldest was seven or eight months old:

One night I was changing his diaper and he grabbed a skincream tube top and popped it into his mouth (unbeknownst to me). He began gagging very loudly, which scared the hell out of me. I immediately opened his mouth and could see part of the top in his mouth and started to reach into his mouth to try and retrieve it. Just as I started, I remembered from an infant safety class not to do that—it might push the top further down his throat. It was probably unorthodox form, but I acted as I could best remember—elevating my leg slightly, placing him so his body was running down my thigh, head just past the knee, and began thumping between his shoulder blades. Nothing happened the first few whacks, so I increased the pressure slightly and saw the top come out and roll around on the floor.

Talk about relief. All this happened in less than 10 seconds, but it took at least two hours for the adrenaline rush to recede. The incident definitely made a believer of me as to the importance of taking an infant safety class (and of keeping the changing area free of small items!). Check with other parents to see what classes they took and if they recommend them--like any other service, a higher expense does not always mean higher quality.