Drowning is the second highest ranked cause of accidental death in infants. Statistics provided by InfantSwim.com indicate that the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, concludes that infant drowning falls just below automobile accidents in injury-related deaths for babies. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, is one way to keep the heart pumping and air circulating when the baby suffers cardiac arrest due to injury or water in the lungs. Without circulating blood, the baby's brain becomes deprived of oxygen and the child dies. The process of providing CPR to a drowning child is not difficult and is something every child care provider and parent should know.
Step 1
Tap the baby's shoulder to encourage crying. The first step of CPR is to determine that the victim needs help. You can do more damage than good if you attempt to resuscitate a breathing child. Chest compressions on a beating heart will stop it. Lay the children flat on her back and scream her name. Place your hand on her shoulder and tap. A scared infant will cry if able.
Step 2
Call out for help. Even if you are alone, there may be someone in the vicinity. Call out several times as loud as possible, "I need help! Call 911." Be specific to avoid confusion. If you see someone, be specific in telling him to call 911. You don't want him calling his brother for help instead of getting paramedics en route to you.
Step 3
Place one hand on the baby's forehead and the fingers of the other hand just under the baby's chin. Push back on the forehead and lift up gently on the chin. This will open the airway and may be enough to encourage spontaneous breathing.
Step 4
Lower your head so that one cheek is above the mouth. Your eyes should focus on the baby's chest. Feel for air on your cheek and watch for chest rising to indicate breathing. This is often referred to as "look, listen and feel."
Step 5
Cover the baby's mouth and nose with your lips. Create a tight seal against the baby's skin. Continue pressure on the forehead and chin to maintain an open airway. Give two quick rescue breaths. You should expand your checks with air, and then force the air out fast, like a puff. Rescue breaths will force a rise in the chest of the victim.
Step 6
Remove your hand from the baby's chin and slide it down to his chest, just below the nipples. Feel for the breastbone. If you feel the end of the bone, move up slightly on the chest, towards the baby's head. Ideal positioning is approximately 1/4-in. below the nipples in the center of the chest.
Step 7
Press down of the chest with your index and middle fingers. Press down approximately one-third the depth of the chest. Compress the chest 30 times. Count out loud. Compressions must be fast with no delay between counts.
Step 8
Give two rescue breaths and repeat the compressions. Continue this process until the baby begins to breath or help comes. If you are alone, perform CPR for two minutes. If after this time there is no response from the baby, stop and call 911, secure help and then continue CPR.
Tips and Warnings
- Teach your infant to swim as soon as possible. Many organizations, such as the YMCA, offer swimming lessons for babies. A baby who can swim will do so by habit if she ends up in water unexpectedly.
- Your natural instinct will be to try to get the water out of the babies lungs. The best way to do that is the get the child breathing. Do not waste time shaking the baby or trying to pound the water out. You will just hurt the child. A person who is not breathing will not expel water from the lungs. Expelling air requires air pushing out, and for that you need the child to exhale. Begin CPR immediately.
