CPR can save your baby's life if she ever stops breathing. Sometimes babies are exposed to smoke from house fires or other dangerous situations. You need to know what to do to help your baby if she becomes a victim of smoke inhalation. If you think your baby has inhaled smoke, get medical attention for her right away, even if she seems OK. Every second counts when your baby is in danger, so you need to act quickly to help her if she is unresponsive after being exposed to smoke. Here are some guidelines for helping your baby until the paramedics arrive.
When an Infant Has Been Exposed to Smoke
Step 1
Take the baby away from the smoke. For example, if you are in a smoky building, take the baby outside and away from danger.
Step 2
Call 911, or tell a bystander to call 911.
Step 3
Try to wake up the infant by calling her name loudly and tapping on the bottoms of her feet or gently rubbing her chest. If the infant wakes up, just watch her and wait for the paramedics to arrive.
If You Can't Wake the Infant Up
Step 1
Place the infant on her back on a flat, hard surface.
Step 2
Place one hand on the infant's forehead and the other hand under the infant's chin, and gently tilt the head back a small amount so that the chin points slightly toward the sky. This will open the airway.
Step 3
Look into the infant's mouth to make sure her airway is clear. If you see anything in her mouth, sweep your index finger through her mouth from side to side to make sure that the airway is clear.
Step 4
Lean down and put your ear next to the baby's mouth to listen for breathing sounds. At the same time, watch the baby's chest to see if it rises and falls. If the baby is breathing, keep her airway open. Monitor her to make sure she keeps breathing and wait for the paramedics.
If the Infant Isn't Breathing
Step 1
Place your mouth over the infant's nose and mouth, forming a tight seal, and gently give a small puff of air from your cheeks. Infants' lungs are small, so be careful to only give little puffs of air to keep from injuring the baby. Give five slow puffs, one every 1.5 seconds, and watch for the baby's chest to rise each time. If the chest doesn't rise, reposition the head to make sure the airway is open and try again.
Step 2
Check for a pulse by placing two fingers on the inside of the infant's upper arm, between the elbow and the shoulder. Apply gentle pressure and feel for a pulse for three to five seconds. If you feel a pulse but the infant is still not breathing, keep giving slow gentle puffs of air until the paramedics arrive.
Step 3
Check the every minute or so for a pulse and to see if the baby starts breathing on her own. If she starts to breath on her own, monitor her and wait for the paramedics.
If the Infant Doesn't Have a Pulse
Step 1
Keep one hand on the baby's forehead to keep her airway open.
Step 2
Place the index and middle fingers of the other hand on the baby's breastbone, about 1/2 inch below the nipples.
Step 3
Press down gently on the breastbone to compress the chest about 1/3 to 1/2 the total depth of the chest.
Step 4
Give the baby about 100 chest compressions per minute, and give one rescue breath after every five compressions.
Step 5
Pause once every minute or so to check for a pulse or signs of breathing. If the baby regains a pulse but is not breathing on her own, stop giving compressions and continue rescue breathing. If the baby starts breathing on her own, monitor her breathing and wait for the paramedics.
Tips and Warnings
- These instructions are not meant to take the place of a CPR course. You can become certified in CPR through the Red Cross or the American Heart Association. Place the baby on a hard, flat surface before giving chest compressions. Chest compressions won't work well on a soft surface like a bed. Never feel for a pulse with your thumb--gently press with the tips of your index and middle fingers.
- You don't have to tilt a baby's head back as far as an adult's to open the airway. If you tilt the baby's head back too far, it will actually close the airway. Make sure you see the baby's chest rise when you give rescue breaths. When you perform rescue breathing on a baby, only give small, gentle puffs of air. Push the air in by puffing your cheeks instead of pushing from your diaphragm, to keep from overinflating the baby's lungs.
