Taking a CPR and First Aid Class and really understanding and learning it can be a very rewarding experience. Showing off the wonderful certification card, just makes your day! However, actually performing it on a child is completely different. The adrenaline kicks in, our hearts start beating faster. What is we forget something? Don’t worry with practice, everything turns out perfectly.
As always, the first thing is you want to examine the scene. You are checking for anything that could be harmful. If the scene is clear, you can go on; if it’s not then you have some choices to make. Can I safely move this child? If yes, then do so. If not, as painful as it is going to be, you have to wait for help. You also have to keep everyone around you safe! Check for consciousness. While gently shaking their arms or feet, say loudly to them, “Hey, are you okay?” If no response, check with the crowd to see who they are with. “Is anyone here with this child?” Repeat it three times. If they respond, you must ask for permission to touch their child. “Do I have your permission to help your child?” If no response, you have to say as loudly as possible “Implied Consent!” Appoint someone to call 911 for you. “Hey you, in the Pink Swimsuit, call 911 for me and get back to me!”
Now, gently run your fingers over the whole body. You want to be sure that there are no other injuries. Next you want to check the pulse and to see if the child is breathing. Place your ear close to the child’s mouth. While doing this place your index and middle finger, on the child’s choroid artery. It is located approximately a fingertip under the jaw, following the line from the ear. Check for the child’s breathing by your ear and looking to see if the child’s chest rises or falls. If neither is present, then you need to start CPR immediately. Bend over the child’s head; gently place your barrier method over the child’s nose and mouth. Slowly administer 2 breaths, about a second each. Also, watch to see if the child’s chest rises and falls. If it does not, then re-tilt the head and try again. If this still did not work, you must perform the Heimlich maneuver on the child before you can administer CPR.
The ratio of compressions to a breath on a child can differ. If there is only one rescuer, the ratio is 30 to 2. If there are two rescuers, the ratio is 15 to 2. You must be sure to apply the compressions correctly. Place your fingers at the bottom of the child’s ribs, where their stomach is, and gently follow the ribs with your fingers up to where the 2 sides of ribs meet. Place two fingers here. Now in front of the fingers, place one hand down. Place your other hand on top of the hand that is on the child, intertwine your fingers. Start to apply compressions. This must be done for 5 cycles. You are then going to reassess the child. If the child is still not breathing and there is no pulse, continue CPR until medical attention arrives.