Meet Josiah. He’s just turned three. He loves fire engines, has an incredible imagination and is loving his new nursery!
Three years ago his brave mum, Danni, saved his life by performing CPR when he stopped breathing unexpectedly at 4 weeks old.
She wants to use her experience to help spread the word to other parents and expectant parents about the importance of having first aid skills for babies and children.
Danni’s pregnancy with Josiah was straightforward with no complications. That was until she was 32 weeks pregnant and her waters broke unexpectedly. Her son, Josiah, was born within 24 hours of her waters breaking and was admitted to the NICU for 4 weeks.
Danni and her partner both work in schools and have done numerous first aid courses over the years which is why the hospital didn’t think they would need the training that most parents of preemie babies are offered before they leave hospital. Danni decided to push for a place on the course recognising the importance of having the skills that are specific to babies.
They did a basic life saving course on the Sunday, were discharged on the Tuesday and on the Thursday Josiah stopped breathing.
What happened?
Danni was breastfeeding Josiah when she realised something wasn’t right. She looked down at him and he had gone limp, his face was white and his lips were turning blue. She knew he had stopped breathing.
Thankfully, her sister-in-law was there too and was able to call an ambulance and in the meantime Danni’s first aid training kicked in along with her maternal instincts and she started performing CPR on her 4-week-old baby.
The ambulance arrived within a few minutes of being called and thankfully within a couple of minutes of Danni starting CPR little Josiah started breathing again. Danni wasn’t 100% sure if he was breathing normally so she continued with CPR until the paramedics arrived and took over.
Josiah was rushed straight to hospital where he then stayed for a week before being discharged.
How did Danni know what to do?
Danni said her maternal instincts kicked in straightaway and she didn’t pause or delay giving her baby CPR. She knew something was very wrong and she knew she had to act fast to save him and thankfully her first aid training was still fresh in her mind.
When you learn CPR in a first aid class it’s really important to do the practise as you will build up muscle memory and it’s often the case that your subconscious brain will spring into action before your conscious brain has had time to process what’s happening. Which is exactly what happened with Danni; she didn’t stop to think about what she was doing. She acted quickly and saved her baby’s life.
How often do babies stop breathing unexpectedly?
We always stress in our classes that situations like Danni’s are rare. But you never know when you might find yourself in a position where you will need your first aid training which is why at Daisy First Aid we passionately believe that every parent and carer of babies and children should do a first aid class so they know what to do should the unthinkable happen.
Danni and Josiah’s story
Danni very kindly agreed to share her story with us because she wants to help spread the word to other parents about how important it is to have these basic life saving skills. She has, understandably, struggled to come to terms with what happened and suffered with her mental health following the incident. But in sharing her story she is having a positive impact and in doing this she could be saving another child’s life. We think that’s pretty incredible.
Thank you so much for speaking with us Danni, we know it can’t have been easy to re-live such a traumatic experience.
How can I do a first aid class?
Daisy First Aid teach first aid to parents and carers of babies and children all over the UK. To find your nearest trainer head to the homepage of our website and pop in your postcode.
In our classes we’ll teach you the really serious stuff like what to do if your child stops breathing and we’ll also teach you about head bumps, seizures, choking, anaphylaxis, breaks, burns and lots more.
Our award-winning classes are 2-hours long and babies are very welcome in all of our classes.