A Mother's Warning After Her Baby Died For Three Minutes From A 'Cold'

Baby Sophia, who is now four months old, died for three minutes after having cold-like symptoms over the course of a few days. Tests ended up showing that the baby girl has bronchiolitis. Bronchiolitis is a common respiratory infection that can affect children under two years of age.

Charmaine, Sophia's mother, is now warning all parents to learn CPR. Had Charmaine's partner, Sam Small, not known how to perform the life-saving action, Sophia would not be here right now.

Sophia had been coughing and sneezing for several days until she stopped breathing one night. "Doctors brushed it off as a normal cold but it turned out she actually had bronchiolitis and she nearly died," Charmaine said.

When Sophia first started coughing and sneezing, her mother called the doctor who told her it was likely just a common cold and that Sophia would be fine. After several days, her symptoms had not improved. Charmaine decided to take the doctor's advice that it would go away soon, she kept a close eye on Sophia.

"She was sleeping next to me in her crib and she started making noises and I thought she was trying to be sick," she added. Sophia had a bit of spit up coming out of her mouth, so her mother picked her up in order to try and settle Sophia back down. "It wasn’t until I got out of bed and went to her crib that I realized something was wrong because her fists were clenched and her back was arched."

Her mother's instinct kicked in and Charmaine started whacking Sophia on her back, waking Sam up from his sleep. Sam then took Sophia on his lap and started whacking her on the back begging her to keep breathing. They said that Sophia could be heard gasping for air.

Charmaine ran out of the room to call for an ambulance. When she returned, little Sophia had turned blue and was not breathing at all. Sam was on the floor giving her CPR. She had stopped breathing for three minutes, and if it had not been for Sam knowing CPR, Sophia would not be here right now.

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Baby Sophia spent five days in the hospital. She was placed in an incubator, given oxygen, and had a feeding tube in place. Charmaine says the only reason Sophia is alive today is because of the fast actions that Sam took to save her through CPR.

Charmaine is now urging all parents to know the signs of bronchiolitis and to learn basic first aid and CPR. "Some parents may brush it [bronchiolitis] off as a cold but this time of year they really, really need to get their baby checked," she said. She believes that CPR training should be given to all new parents.

It is the most vital thing that any parent can learn. God forbid you ever have to do it, but you should always be prepared for anything when it comes to your children. Charmaine says that since this incident every one of her family members has had CPR training. "If it wasn’t for him, my daughter wouldn’t be here right now, I am forever grateful to him for saving her life."