CPR Certified?

On Saturday night a couple of our friends dropped their kids off to play at our house for a few hours so they could go to dinner and see a movie. Living away from family is so hard when it comes to babysitting but thankfully we have some close friends who we are able to swap babysitting with. Travis and I had gone out Friday night, so now it was their turn. We were watching Julia's little friend, Sadie, who is 2 and adorable little Camdon, who is 18 months.

Everything was going great. We had dinner and the kids were all playing and having fun. After about an hour, Camdon started to look kind of tired and just wasn't his happy self. I knew it was around his bed time so I decided I would read him some books and just let him settle down. I laid him down on my bed to change his diaper and suddenly, his eyes rolled in the back of his head, he stopped breathing and he started convulsing. This was the scariest moment in my entire life. My heart stopped.

I picked him up in my arms and ran to Travis, who was working in the yard. I opened the door and yelled for him to call 911. I looked back down at Camdon who was no longer convulsing but was limp and lifeless in my arms. His lips were completely blue, his hands were blue, and even his feet were blue. I ran him back to my room, away from the other children and laid him on the floor. I opened his mouth and checked to see if he was choking and there was nothing. He was still blue, not breathing and non-responsive. I thought in that moment that this child was dying right there in front of me. I then started to pray. I prayed like I have never prayed before. I begged and pleaded Heavenly Father for help. And suddenly in that moment, he took a small breath.

His color started to come back but he was still not responding and was having trouble breathing. I tilted his head back and started CPR. I gave him two breaths and started chest compressions. It then dawned on me that I didn't know CPR. How could I not know CPR? I had taken a class years ago but I didn't know if my hands were in the right place. How many compressions to how many breaths? How hard do I press?

I took the phone from Travis and begged the dispatcher to help me. By this time little Camdon was doing better. The dispatcher helped me check his vitals by telling her each time his little heart was beating. Counting the times his chest was rising and falling. CPR was no longer necessary but he still needed immediate help. I can't tell you how long those minutes were waiting and waiting for help. Travis and I continued to pray.

Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, an officer walked into the room. Camdon was still unconscious and had very shallow breathing. He started asking questions, taking his pulse and he pinched the back of Camdon's arm to see if he would respond, no response. It took a few more minutes for the paramedics to come. Once they were there, they finally got Camdon to open his eyes once. I can't tell you the relief I had to see those beautiful blue eyes open as they called his name.

They took him in the ambulance and game him oxygen, tried to get an iv in him and took his temperature and blood pressure. The lights and sirens went on, and off we went. I was absolutely hysterical. But thankfully on our way to the hospital, he started to do much better. He was somewhat awake and responding better. I can't tell you all the things that were going on in my head. Did I do something wrong? Did he put something in his mouth when I wasn't looking? Did I feed him something I wasn't supposed to?.....Will his parents ever forgive me?

Travis on the other hand was trying to get ahold of Camdons parents, while consoling two scared little 2 year olds. I kept thinking of his parents getting that awful phone call that every single parent dreads. They were in the middle of dinner when they got the call and immediately drove to the hospital. They ended up beating the ambulance there and the hospital staff turned them away telling them they didn't have an ambulance coming there. They frantically drove across the street to a 24 hour care center only to find no ambulance. They couldn't find their son. They called back for a second address and that one, led them to a cemetery! Can you even imagine driving everywhere trying to find your child and ending up at a cemetery? Thankfully, they were led them back to the hospital and they found Camdon.

Camdon had a febrile seizure, which is fairly common in young children. A child's fever spikes at such a fast rate and it causes them to have a seizure. I had definitely heard of this and had even been warned about it when Julia had RSV but what I wasn't aware of, is that the seizure can also cause children to stop breathing. That is what happened to Camdon. He was thankfully fine and after X-rays, tests and being poked and prodded a MILLION times, the poor thing was released that same night.

My entire point of telling this story is not only to tell you I witnessed the amazing power of prayer that night, but to encourage others to become CPR certified. I can't begin to tell you the terrible feeling of having another person's life (let alone someone else's baby) in your hands and you don't know what to do. It is a moment I have replayed over and over in my head. I am ashamed that I didn't take another class to stay certified. You better believe I am signed up for one now. I encourage everyone to do the same. Almost every city offers a class and you never know when you will need that knowledge. The 30 dollars you might spend on taking the class, is definitely worth a life.

I am so glad Camdon is okay and I am eternally grateful that we had the happy ending that we did. I love that little boy so much and my heart and prayers go out to him and his wonderful parents who had the scare of a lifetime. Love you guys!