The Star Online

Thursday December 11, 2003

Be prepared at all times

By CHAN LILIAN

Much as we hate to think about it, accidents do happen. Would you know what to do in an emergency? CHAN LILIAN looks at the importance of equipping ourselves with life-saving techniques.

AS PARENTS we are ever protective of our young charges. We want to keep them safe from harm at all times. However, accidents can and do happen even under close supervision.

Often times we read about the deaths of children due to drowning, choking and other tragic incidents. We tend to brush off such cases as something that happens to others, not to us. Though some accidents may be unavoidable, there are cases where a precious life could have been saved.

Have you ever wished that a trained person was around to save that little boy or girl from tragedy? Do you have fleeting thoughts of what you could do to prevent loss of life? If you are a parent, has it occurred to you that you could equip yourself with some basic knowledge of first aid to help you in an emergency?

Two years ago, my husband and I revived our premature baby at home. Armed with just a doctor’s brief demo on cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR), we jumped into action and successfully breathed air into our fourth son who had stopped breathing.

That episode spurred me to learn more about CPR. Last year, I attended a course on CPR of infants and children conducted by a consultant paediatrician/neonatalogist. I came away from the course convinced that CPR was not something too difficult to learn.

The course participants were given proper coaching by the instructor and senior nurses. We learnt hands-on the ABCs of CPR.

A baby-size mannequin equipped with wires and an alarm light were provided for the participants to try out what they had learnt.