Infant CPR
The American Red Cross suggests following these guidelines when performing infant CPR:
1. Lay infant faceup on a firm surface. Tilt his head back slightly and lift his chin to open the airway. Look, listen, and feel for the baby’s breaths.
2. If your baby is not breathing, seal your mouth over his nose and open mouth. Blow two slow and gentle rescue breaths to see if his chest rises.
3. Depending on the baby’s response to the rescue breaths, follow the steps in one of the categories below:
IF THE CHEST DOESN’T RISE…
Retilt the baby’s head and give two rescue breaths. If the chest still doesn’t rise, the airway may be blocked. Imagine a line between his nipples, and place two fingers on his breastbone, just below the center of the nipple line. Use your fingers to give five quick chest compressions, depressing the breastbone 1/2 to 1 inch (don’t remove fingers between compressions).
Tilt his head, and check for an object in his mouth. If an object is visible, sweep it out with your little finger. Give one slow rescue breath. If his chest doesn’t rise, repeat the pattern of five chest compressions, object check, and one breath until air goes in.
IF THE CHEST DOES RISE…
Check for signs of circulation: breathing, coughing, or a pulse on the inside of the upper arm. If signs of circulation are present, continue giving one resuce breath every three seconds (remove your mouth between breaths). After one minute, check for your baby’s pulse again. If you can still feel it, give one breath every three seconds or keep checking for a pulse every minute. If there are no signs of circulation, administer five chest compressions, followed by one rescue breath. Repeat the cycles of five chest compressions to one breath. After one minute, check for signs of circulation, continue the cycles, and then check again every two minutes.
Visit the American Red Cross website at www.redcross.org to find out about infant CPR classes offered in your area.
