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Child Emergencies 101

Face it, though you are one very protective mother there are instances that your child may get a medical emergency. For example, he knocks or hits himself hard on the head and becomes suddenly unconscious; swallows something he has been playing with, or suddenly falls after climbing a shelf.  In times like these you should not panic, at least learn the basics while on your way to see a doctor if necessary.
Learn the Basics of CPR
Remember the ABC’s of First Aid. A is for Airway, B is for Breathing and C is for Circulation.
Airway – Check if there is nothing blocking your child’s airways. Clear his mouth. Check if there is no vomit or anything that is blocking passage of air. Do a finger sweep on his/her nose to remove any blocks, then position him on the lateral side so that if he vomits, it won’t go back in his mouth.
Breathing – Stretch his spine area and extend his neck so his body will be in a horizontal position. If you suspect any spine injury, do not move his bode. Check if air is coming out by putting your hand near the nose and mouth. If there is no air coming out, do CPR.
Circulation– Check his pulse either on the wrist or neck. Observe his color by checking on the lips and extremities. Raise legs to let blood flow towards his chest.
Treating Head Injuries
Go to the hospital if possible for proper evaluation. As a parent, be observant and check how your child is behaving to help the doctor evaluate and properly diagnose. Check your child’s sleeping patterns because he may start to fall asleep or worst case scenarios have a blood clot in his head so you can immediately inform your doctor.
Choking and what to do.
Do not intervene with your child’s spontaneous effort to cough and breathe. Let him continue talking, but if the child cannot talk, breathe and cough perform some abdominal thrusts.

  • Stand or kneel behind the child and put both hands around the upper part of the abdomen
  • Lean the child forward.
  • Clench one fist and place your thumb against the abdominal area between the belly button and the edge of the breast bone. Grasp this hand with the other.
  • Pull sharply inwards and upwards
  • Repeat until the object is expelled or the child becomes unresponsive
  • If the child is unresponsive proceed to CPR

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