When I was pregnant with my son, I had a little “heart to heart” with my family. I knew that there was going to be a time where I’d have to leave my son with one or all of them. I’m an RN so I don’t worry about how I would react if a friend or a neighbor needed CPR or assistance because he/she was choking. I also don’t worry about my ability to deal with a similar incident should it ever happen to my son (although I can’t presume I’d be as calm as I am with my patients). But up until a few months ago, I couldn’t say the same thing about the people in my life who were about to take care of my son. So I sent them all to get CPR certified at our local hospital. It was the only way I could have peace of mind leaving my 6 month old with, say, my father.
Summer is coming very soon and there are lots of activities for children to enjoy. But with activities like swimming, come real facts about what happens when people are not prepared. Unfortunately, more drownings occur in the summer months. For many families, summer is synonymous with water. You may vacation at the lake or spend weekends at the beach or tote your kids to swimming at the community pool. Regardless of how you plan on spending family time this summer, might I encourage you to get CPR trained? It’s easy and painless (I promise). Many of you may think, why? Maybe you think you can just call 911. Those vital minutes you spend calling and waiting for the ambulance to arrive can be spent doing CPR and increasing a person’s chances of survival.
The first week in June begins National CPR and AED Awareness Week. I highly encourage you to get trained (have I driven the point home yet?). Honestly, I hope no one who reads this ever has to use CPR. However, I hope that everyone who reads this, makes it a priority to get trained. As a busy, working mom, I understand time and child care restraints. The thought of trying to take a class right now makes me want to laugh since I know I have no one to watch my son. The American Heart Association realizes that adults are busy and may not be able to attend a traditional course in a classroom (which they do offer, by the way). For those of you who are self-learners, the AHA offers a self-directed course called CPR Anytime. In 22 minutes you (or anyone) can learn CPR (infant and child/adult). The kit comes with an inflatable, reusable mannequin and instructional DVD. We have one at home that my husband used since he couldn’t attend a physical class before my son was born and he learned a lot from it. What’s nice is that you can practice or brush up on the skills in the comfort of your home at your leisure, thereby building confidence.
We use the CPR Anytime Kits in the NICU where I work for parents getting ready to take their babies home, and they’ve been very effective when a class is unavailable. Once new parents have viewed the video, we have them practice and return demonstrate the skills, thereby encouraging questions and providing feedback.
I highly recommend checking out the site and finding a CPR training that works with your schedule.
Profuse thanks to Mom Central for this review opportunity!
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Very good post advocating cpr training. There are also many ‘refresher sites’ that let you view videos that will refresh your memory if you’ve already been trained.