Our baby died and we couldn’t save him… we want parents to be taught how to protect their kids
A HEARTBROKEN couple whose newborn baby died during cardiac arrest want other parents to be taught how to protect their kids.
Noah Swales was just three days old when he passed away in his mother’s arms after doctors failed to detect bacterial meningitis in routine blood samples.
Parents Dan and Vicky noticed their “special boy” was unwell after a family trip to Guisborough, North Yorkshire.
Noah was refusing to eat and began turning blue, so they rushed to the nearest hospital.
They realised Noah wasn’t breathing on the way and pulled over in a supermarket car park to start performing CPR.
Dan, from Halesowen, near Birmingham, said: “I stopped the car and started performing CPR on Noah in the front seat until the ambulance arrived. He was unresponsive.
“I’ve had to do CPR on children before as part of my job but this was personal – he was my special boy.”
A carer from the local retirement home came out to assist, with an ambulance arriving shortly after.
Despite their best efforts, Noah died in Vicky’s arms several hours later.
In tribute to Noah, a defibrillator was installed at the care home, along with a dedicated plaque in his memory.
Dan and Vicky, both aged 37, have raised more than £35,000 for charity since Noah’s tragic passing in 2017.
Dan, a Guisborough RAF medic, added: “It’s so important that everyone knows how to correctly perform CPR on people of all ages, as it varies vastly between an adult, child and a baby.
“One way we can continue to remember Noah is through raising money for charity and raising awareness of baby CPR.”
Pippa Jones, 53, from Bath, saved her 11-month-old son Luke by administering CPR after he fell in the bath.
She said: “It was one of the scariest moments in my life. Your brain goes into panic and you feel like the world is crumbling down around you.
“I am so lucky to have known how to deliver CPR to different ages, as I know it’s something some parents lack knowledge of.
“I now have a healthy 26-year-old son. Baby CPR was crucial to that, and it is something I am so grateful for learning and hope everyone has the opportunity to do the same.
“I know for an absolute fact, Luke would be dead if I hadn’t known CPR.”
Resuscitation Council UK (RCUK) has produced a book called Aaron’s Heart to help parents and caregivers learn the basics of CPR for babies and children.
It comes after a study found more than a third of new parents wouldn’t feel confident performing CPR on their child.
A survey of 1,000 parents and caregivers with children aged up to six found just 15 per cent feel they would know if their child was in cardiac arrest.
As a result, 89 per cent would welcome more help and information on baby and child CPR.