Learning Infant CPR in Grandparents Class

Its been thirty years since I've changed a diaper and the like. So after my daughter informed me of Grandparents Class at The Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital where my grandchild would be born, I thought it would be a good refresher. Especially to learn what the medical society has to say in 2011 about pediatrics and child safety.

It was time for Grandparents Class to start, excitedly as we settled into our seats not knowing what to expect awaiting the presentation of the agenda. Grandparents class was two four-hour sessions. What could we possibly learn that we didn't already know? Honestly .... quite a bit. The hospital offered a variety of classes for new parents and grandparents: birthing, car seat instruction, nursing and safety. Not only were we surprised to learn about the proper use of car seats, we learned that 85% of the car seats holding children were improperly installed today. We were shocked with this statistic. We also learned about feeding, choking, swaddling, changing a diaper, and first aid. The entire second session was held on infant CPR and choking. I am here to tell you that becoming a grandparent is hard work.

Grandfathers Memories to His Grandchild  by Thomas Kincaid

Grandloving:  Making Memories with Your Grandchildren  by Sue Johnson and Julie Carlson

Grandparenting with Love and Logic  by Jim Fray

Grandparent Guide  by Arthur Kornhaber

Grandpas Are for Finding Worms  by Harry Zietert

Attending Your Grandchild's Birth  by Carolyn Bauer Zorn

It was interesting to learn the psychology involved for grandparents by being available and supportive, though allowing children to become effective parents by being respectful of their decisions as new parents. I am sure it is very hard to watch your child learn the hard way about parenting without trying to interject with lots of unsolicited advice. Our children want to learn from their mistakes to become better parents, just as we did. One message that was very clearly communicated was to allow our children to make their own decisions and only give your opinion when it is requested, unless of course in the event of emergency situations. The group discussions were interesting and productive. Many topics were foreign subjects in our immediate world as empty nesters. Topics like, how to support a breast feeding mom and recognizing post partum blues, proper burping while supporting the head, and how to swaddle. My husband became a swaddling champion with the baby doll provided for practice though when it came to diaper changing, well, let's just say the outside hose was not an option. 

By participating in the class, it gave both grandparents a bird's eye view into what their new world could become by discussing the importance of the role of grandparents in a child's life. What would our grandchild call us? How could we support our children and grandchildren in the best way possible? What kinds of baby items would we need to purchase for our home to be ready for the baby? The moderator had tremendous insight into the world of new parents and grandparents. She was amusing and high energy and made the class fun and interesting while engaging with the participants. Everyone seemed to appreciate all the resources available through the hospital as well as books and online sites provided.

The car seat installation is very important to the overall safety in the event of an accident. The hospital offers a special service by appointment to teach proper installation of the specific car seat owned by the parent and grandparent. All you have to do is call for an appointment.  This is a free service provided by the hospital to ensure the safety of children. Check your local hospital to see if you can benefit from this free and invaluable service.

Choking is the #1 childhood fatality, since whatever all little babies and small children can put their hands on goes into their mouths. Like the picture, even the cat is a tasty treat. I know when my daughter was in the crawling stage an ash tray was found under the couch leg that I did not know about. That was not a pretty site.  As the diagram shows infant choking can be quickly averted by grasping the baby between the jawline and chest with your hand and patting on the shoulder blades while holding the baby pointing down. We learned to use your leg to hold the weight of the child during this procedure to dislodge whatever is stuck. If older children are choking on food of some kind, (we used to say put your arms into the air) DO NOT DO THIS, this actually makes it worse. The 2011 method is to sit down and put your head lower by bending down to help dislodge by relaxing the throat.

Prevention is the preferred best practices solution by following a childproofing checklist provided in class for choking and prevention of poisoning by everyday use of household products. Also, a very important item to have as a grandparent is an Emergency Contact Information Consent Form just in case of emergency while child is in your care. This form should include all the parental information a hospital would need to treat the child, including insurance info, special allergies, medications being taken and a signed statement by both parents giving consent to treat the child in the event parents cannot be contacted.

I cannot stress the importance of learning how to resuscitate your grandchild in the event the child is not breathing. We spent hours learning the rules of safety and the actual emergency procedures to follow while awaiting the arrival of the local rescue team. I know I will return to my booklets over and over to refresh my memory in the event an actual emergency presents itself. I hope to be able to respond immediately with conviction.

CPR today does not encourage breathing as much as chest compression for adults. Though, with infant CPR, breaths are extremely important. First tell someone to call 911 then quickly access the situation for safety before starting CPR. Begin, two quick breaths into the child just enough to make the chest rise to follow with 30 two finger chest compressions for a baby, two breaths and again 30 compressions for a total of fives times before leaving to call 911 unless someone else has already do so. Continue administering emergency procedures until rescue professionals arrive. You do not know how long it has been since the child took a breath and those initial minutes are crucial when finding a child that is not breathing.

This article does not take the place of a class or by any means give you all the information you need to become a trained CPR respondent. Please go take a class. This article only serves to inform the basics to provide awareness of the need to learn by trained professionals. As my husband and I learned how to compress correctly and breath into the CPR doll, we learned how difficult it was to actually perform correctly. It takes concerted effort and stamina to keep up the compressions correctly to be effective. When I was finished my session, I was ready to be resuscitated myself. No kidding. It would be a good idea to keep practiced with the procedure just in case it is needed so there is no need to try to remember what to do.

Grandparents Class was so worthwhile, I encourage everyone to check with your local hospital to see if these important safety classes are available in your area. The life of your grandchild could depend on your ability to respond in an emergency situation.

If I Had My Child To Raise All Over Again

If I had my child to raise all over again,

I'd build self-esteem first, and the house later.

I'd finger paint more, and point the finger less.

I would do less correcting and more connecting.

I'd take my eyes off my watch, and watch with my eyes.

I would care to know less and know to care more.

I'd take more hikes and fly more kites.

I'd stop playing serious, and seriously play.

I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars.

I'd do more hugging, and less tugging.

I'd see the oak tree in the acorn more often.

I would be firm less often and affirm much more.

I'd model less about the love of power,

And more about the power of love.