How to Do Infant CPR and Make a Drowning Rescue
While playing in a bathtub or swimming pool can be an enjoyable experience for a child, it can turn deadly if the child isn't adequately supervised. Drowning continues to be the second highest cause of injury-related death for children, according to National Safe Kids Campaign. If you encounter a drowning infant, there are steps you can take to help save her life. You can make a drowning rescue and perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on the infant.
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Instructions
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How to Perform Infant CPR and Make a Drowning Rescue
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Tell someone to call for emergency help if you find a unresponsive infant in the water. Take the baby out of the water and place her face-up on a flat surface. Tap the baby on the shoulder, vigorously rub the soles of her feet and make a loud noise to see if you get a response. Open the baby's airway by tilting her head back slightly and lifting her chin. Check to see if the child is breathing by listening and feeling for air with your hand. Open her mouth to see if there is anything blocking her airway.
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Give the baby two gentle breaths if the baby is not breathing on her own. Use your mouth to cover the baby's nose and mouth. Each breath should last one second. The baby's chest should go up with each breath. If not, you may have not created a tight enough seal. Tilt the infant's head and try again.
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Put your hand on the inside of the child's upper arm to check for a pulse. If there is a pulse, continue giving the infant a breath every three seconds. Remove your mouth from the baby to allow her to exhale between each breath. Do this until emergency medical help arrives. Check for a pulse once every minute.
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Perform chest compressions on the baby if you don't feel her pulse. Put two fingers on the baby's chest between the nipples. Give 30 quick chest compressions with a force that pushes the breast bone down approximately one-third the depth of the chest. Give two gentle breaths after each set of compressions. Check for the baby's pulse every two minutes.
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Tips & Warnings
Be gentle when providing rescue breaths to an infant; too much force can rupture an infant's lungs.
Do not apply pressure to the bottom of an infant's breastbone, as this can cause the sternum or ribs to break.
Do not cease performing CPR until an emergency first responder or health care professional takes over for you.
