Before I had bub I'd never done a first aid course. I never really had a need to, at work we had first aid officers and at home T had first aid training, so I figured I'd be covered should something happen {the thought of something happening to him never crossed my mind, obviously}.
Having a tiny little human changed all that though. Knowing I was now responsible for her life made me realise just how important it was for me to be prepared should something happen. As luck would have it I had a baby with a severe dairy allergy which caused her to choke on a regular basis {before her allergy was diagnosed}, which was extremely scary. One time she even stopped breathing. Watching your baby flailing around in your arms struggling to breath and turning grey is one of the scariest experiences you can go through as a parent, and I went through it whilst home alone and having no idea what to do.
It was deathly silent but I could see the fear in her little eyes as she looked up at me unable to breathe. She was only 3 months old. Instinctively I put her over my should and whacked her {as hard as you can whack a 3 month old} until she started getting some air in. I didn't think to call an ambulance, in that moment my instincts went into survival mode and I did what I could to try and get her breathing again. It worked, but she remained struggling to breath through mucus and was lethargic for a good hour afterwards. I took her to the doctor, who sent us to the hospital and we spent the night being monitored. After that I knew I had to get some first aid training because chances were it would happen again.
When she was about 5 months old I did a Kids First Aid course after seeing them advertised online. Kids First Aid courses are run by husband and wife paramedics Ben and Kate Fisher and are specifically designed for parents and caregivers. The course runs for 3hrs and covers the top 10 most common emergency situations likely to occur involving children - allergies and anaphylaxis, choking, bites and stings, burns, fits and fevers, poisoning, fractures and bleeding, head injuries, drowning and meningococcal. They also cover CPR in depth and you get a quick reference poster to take home.
Kate ran the course that I attended with my mum and it was such a relaxed and intimate setting, where we were able to ask questions throughout the presentation. Having the information provided put into context through her own experience being a paramedic made it stick in the forefront of my mind. I also learnt how to do effective CPR for the first time in my life and it wasn't anywhere near as complicated as I thought it would be. I immediately felt better equipt to deal with any emergency situations that may arise in the future. Little did I know that a few months later I'd be faced with another emergency situation at home.
One night while avoiding bed time bub was jumping on the couch, and literally seconds after I told her to be careful or she'd fall off, she lost her footing and fell head first onto the tiled floor. Of course I was horrified watching it unravel in front of my eyes, but once she started screaming I knew that was a good sign. I knew that if she stayed conscious, screamed and wasn't vomiting then there was a good chance she was ok. She had a huge bruise that started swelling rapidly on her head so we called an ambulance without hesitation {something I probably would've second guessed before taking the course}. In the time between calling the ambulance and them arriving I knew I had to keep her awake so we cuddled up on the couch, with a cool face washer over her swollen bruise, and watched the Bananas in Pyjamas until the ambulance officers arrived. I have no doubt that the kids first aid course helped me to remain a lot calmer in that situation than I would've been usually. I knew what signs to look out for after a head injury and the way she was responding made me feel a lot less anxious. I also felt confident calling the ambulance which I've never done before {mind you I did lose it a little bit when I saw how much her head was swelling}. That single incident alone made the $85 I spent on the first aid course worth it.
Recently I attended another Kids First Aid course as a refresher with my friend Cate. This time the course was run by Ben and I also took the time to practice my CPR skills on the training dummy. It was great to do the course again and refresh my skills that I learnt the first time.
Note: I probably wouldn't be smiling if giving CPR for real
This was Cate's first time attending a Kids First Aid course so I asked her some questions about her experience.
How old are your children?
I've got four kids at home, 13, 8, 6 and 2
What did you learn during the session?
I learnt that the Bee Gees song "stayin alive"actually has a purpose in the world (you'll have to do the course to find out what) and that if you give a child nurofen and panadol and the fever still doesn't break, they probably have meningoccocal
Have you ever been in a situation where having first aid knowledge could have helped?
Considering the four kids, and my previous role as a scout leader, I've never actually needed to use my first aid knowledge
Since completing the session, do you feel more prepared in the event of an emergency?
I definitely feel more confident about being able to give CPR if, heaven forbid, something was to happen.
What did you enjoy most about the session?
Hearing actual stories of emergencies from the instructor and other group members is quite interesting, because it shows that these things do actually happen to people, it's not just someone trying to scare you into learning.
Kids First Aid offers the only first aid courses delivered exclusively by experienced paramedics, designed to teach parents and caregivers how to respond calmly and confidently to 10 of the most common first aid emergency situations involving children. KFA courses are available in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Perth and Adelaide. To book and find the closest course visit www.kidsfirstaid.com.au.
One of the main aims of the course is for parents and caregivers to feel confident enough to administer first aid during the period of time before the ambulance arrives. No matter how quick an ambulance is to respond to an emergency, there is inevitably going to be a period of time where you as a primary carer are going to be the only person available to administer CPR or first aid, and those crucial moments could save a life. I personally feel so much more confident in being able to handle that situation if needed to and I think all parents should do this course because you never know when you may find yourself in that situation.
Kids First Aid have just released an online video course. With over 2 hours of comprehensive, high-definition video training, it shows you how to calmly and effectively handle 10 of the most common emergency situations Aussie kids face (so you’re never left looking on helplessly). Kids First Aid are letting Finding Myself Young readers get lifetime access to the course at a significant discount. That means you can go through the course as many times as you like, share it with your family and caregivers, and return to it whenever you need a refresher. Find out all about the Kids First Aid online course here.
Kids First Aid have just released an online video course. With over 2 hours of comprehensive, high-definition video training, it shows you how to calmly and effectively handle 10 of the most common emergency situations Aussie kids face (so you’re never left looking on helplessly). Kids First Aid are letting Finding Myself Young readers get lifetime access to the course at a significant discount. That means you can go through the course as many times as you like, share it with your family and caregivers, and return to it whenever you need a refresher. Find out all about the Kids First Aid online course here.
Disclosure - I was given complimentary tickets to attend the recent Kids First Aid course in return for this post, however I have previously paid to attend the course myself. All opinions, including unfortunate emergencies, are my own. Affiliate links are included in this post for the online course which means if you sign up I get a small % of the purchase price, however it does not affect the cost to you.