Due Already! Be Prepared For Infant CPR — Dave’s Diary

Ok this is serious. (Unusual for me, I know.) But I am four days overdue from being a grandpa for the second time, which has me thinking about all the pitfalls and challenges that new moms and babies have to survive. I'm more worried than expectant mom Sarah Maier, my oldest daughter in Vancouver, WA.

At the top of the list you’ll find unintentional choking and suffocation are the leading causes of injury or death for babies under the age of 1 year. But parents and caregivers of infants can gain the confidence to handle stressful and potentially dangerous situations by learning how to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, for infants.

I’m so happy to report that Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital is offering an educational class to teach parents and caregivers to recognize when a baby needs rescue breathing, how to perform CPR and how to deal with a choking situation. The class is May 15 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Memorial Education Center, 2506 W. Nob Hill Ave. No registration is needed. The cost is $5 per person.

This is not a certification class. But knowing how to respond in the first few minutes of an emergency – before professional help arrives – can mean the difference between life and death. If you are the parent or caregiver of an infant, learn infant CPR!

For more information, call 248-7322 or visit yakimamemorial.org.

Thanks, Memorial, for thinking ahead and preparing us for that which we hope and pray never happens!