Infant Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, or CPR, can save an infant's life. Infants may need CPR due to a variety of reasons such as choking, suffocation, lung disease, drowning, poisoning or serious injury, according to MedlinePlus. Infant CPR is performed slightly differently than adult CPR as an infant's airway is much smaller and more delicate. Symptoms for which to watch include no pulse, unconsciousness, or if she is not breathing. Only those who are CPR-certified should perform CPR, according to MedlinePlus.
Step 1
Examine the infant. Check to see if he responds to touch through movement or breathing. A light stroke is all he needs; never shake a baby. If he doesn't respond to your strokes, begin CPR if you are the only rescuer available. If you and another person are present, have the other person call for help immediately while you begin CPR.
Step 2
Clear the airway. To clear the airway, place the infant on her back on a firm, flat surface, such as the floor, and gently tilt her head back so that her chin is pointing to the ceiling. Place your ear next to the baby's mouth, for no more than 10 seconds, and listen for breathing sounds while watching her chest for breathing movements. If no breathing can be heard, seen or felt, begin mouth-to mouth resuscitation.
Step 3
Breathe for the infant. Start by covering his mouth and nose with your mouth. Slowly breathe a gentle breath of air into the baby's mouth and nose within a one second time frame. Watch to see if his chest rises. If his chest does not respond to the first breath, deliver a second gentle puff of air to the infant. If you still receive no response from him, once again tilt back the infant's head and lift her chin, and then deliver another gentle puff of air, according to MayoClinic.com.
Step 4
Examine the infant's mouth if she still does not respond to a second round of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Look for foreign objects such as toys, food or coins that could be blocking her airway. If you can see that there is an object blocking her airway, use a gentle sweeping motion with your finger to attempt to remove the foreign object. If you can see the object, but cannot safely remove it with your finger, perform first aid for a choking baby.
Step 5
Restore blood circulation to the infant by performing chest compressions. To perform chest compressions on an infant, imagine a horizontal line, or side-to-side line, between the infant's nipples. Place two fingers in the center of his chest where the middle of this imaginary line would exist.
Step 6
Compress the infant's chest about half way in depth, according to the Mayo Clinic. The compressions need to be gentle motions, not hard or vigorous but should be in a rapid movement. As you are performing infant chest compressions, you should be performing 100 compressions per minute. To keep track of how many chest compressions you are performing, count aloud.
Step 7
Give two breaths of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation after every 30 chest compressions. Continue to perform CPR until the infant begins to show signs of life, such as breathing or crying, or until medical help arrives.
Things You'll Need
- CPR certification course
