Even just the thought of a medical emergency happening to your little one is enough to send you into a hot sweat… let alone something actually happening. If this resonates with you, you are in the right place. Have a read of these tips on how to stay calm below.
Before I had my three children I worked as a Registered Nurse for a decade, and looked after some really unwell patients. I teach parents first aid as I know how important these skills are for us to have, but on the flip side, I totally understand how scary some of this can be. So, hopefully these will help:
- Take a deep breath. In through the nose, and out through the mouth. This will send oxygen-rich blood to your brain and together with the adrenaline will help you stay focused on the task at hand.
- Remember the casualty can probably hear you. That’s right- hearing is the last sense to go, so the chances are the casualty can hear every single word you are saying. This is a wonderful opportunity to stay calm, and show them that you are in control of this situation. Use a calm voice, and reassure the casualty. “It is okay. Mummy is here. An ambulance is on the way.”This will be so reassuring for them, and in turn this will help you to feel you are doing something really productive.
- Repeat a mantra. I have got this. I have got this. I have got this. And you do!! There is so much that you CAN do incase of a medical emergency. There are SO MANY ways that you can help.
- Call for help early. Ask someone to call emergency services for you, or else activate your speaker on your mobile phone and call yourself. Having the call handler on the phone will mean that a) help is on the way and b) they can remind and reassure you of what you need to do. Listen to their instructions, and do not hang up.
- Talk to others about what you would do incase of an emergency. How would you manage a choking situation? What would you do if your little one received a bad head injury? Talk through these situations with your partner or a friend, even though they haven’t happened. This will help cement the knowledge into your brain so it is even easier to recall when you need it most.
- Have confidence in the skills that you have. Confidence is trusting yourself, and the skills that you have. We can not control absolutely everything in life, but we can control the knowledge that we do have, and our response to a situation. For example, we can’t control if our baby will actually like that bit of broccoli, but we CAN control our response if we start seeing them gagging and coughing. Confidence is key
Sammy has been making parents feel confident about Baby and Child First Aid for the past 5 years. To book into a Buckinghamshire based session, click here. To learn these life-saving skills from the comfort of your sofa with our online courses, click here.
