Within 15 minutes of walking into my home for the first time, Mike started talking about the time his daughter nearly choked to death on a Mum Mum.
Mike was graphic. He described the shade of blue she turned (think blueberry) and how he and his wife reacted when they realized that her throat was completely obstructed. He talked about how his wife picked her up, flipped her over and held her like a football player running towards the end zone. He described the whacks his wife delivered with her palm to the space in between his daughter’s shoulder blades. He said about 15 serious whacks were needed before the Mum Mum finally flew out of her throat and onto the sidewalk where they had been enjoying a relaxing walk.
It was an extremely difficult story to hear. But, since we had invited Mike over to our house to teach us basic first aid and CPR skills, his story reinforced that we had made the right decision by calling him in the first place.
Up until today, I had lived in a closeted fear that if Pea ever got into any serious danger I wouldn’t know how to react. Since I essentially see myself as her guardian and protector, not having these basic skills kind of made me feel like Superman with a backpack full of Kryptonite.
(For those of you who are unfamiliar with Superman lore, Kryptonite is the only substance that can bring him to his knees… it renders his super powers ineffective, and essentially turns him into a mere mortal… let’s just say that if her tried to leap over a tall building, he’d end up taking a header into a first floor window instead. That’s bad, people. Bad. I digress.)
After today, I have a peace of mind that makes me feel capable of handling a variety of situations that I pray never come to fruition. Choking. Unconsciousness. Cuts. Falls. And so on. I now feel like Superman with a permanent layer of teflon (which, I assume, repels Kryptonite as well as most other substances… again, I digress).
Wait a minute. I think I just feel like Superman, period. There’s no need for teflon really, he’s Superman. Wow, more digression. Moving on.
Another bonus? Since Mike came to my house to deliver the training, I was able to invite my parents, sister and in-laws to take the course with us. This means there’s the added peace of mind that comes with my network of babysitters being trained as well.
For our family, this type of training was long overdue. I shudder to think of having to use this knowledge at any point in my life, but it does feel good to know I can help if I have to. Trust me when I say, this insurance policy is already worth every penny.
Good for you Shawn for taking it! I took the infant cpr thing when I was pregnant and wasn’t sure what I retained. But, a couple weeks ago Will choked on a chip and even though I was freaking out, I instinctively did the football hold and the whacks…you’ll be happy you did it!
we joke about how there’s no “man-ual” or book that comes with child rearing but i believe your story really brings home the idea of how basic first aid should be the “diploma” of parenthood. along with birthing classes i truly believe basic first aid should be a requirement of parenthood.
here’s hoping you never apply what you learn!