Having a newborn can be really scary. They are so small and delicate, and it feels like so many different things pose a danger.
A family in Scotland is breathing a huge sigh of relief that their baby is OK, after the newborn nearly died after spending too much time in her car seat.
Kirsti and Christopher Clark have 2 daughters, 3-year-old Malena and 3-week-old Harper.
The family went on an outing to do some shopping, and headed home. The trip home took slightly longer than expected because of traffic.
When they arrived home, the parents left Harper in her car seat to put Malena to bed.
When they went to get Harper out, things took a terrible turn.
The baby was struggling to get comfortable, and then began having trouble breathing.
Her lips turned blue and she started having a seizure. The terrified parents then rushed Harper to the hospital, where doctors told the stunned parents what nearly cost Harper her life.
Kirsti and Christopher had no idea the danger this posed…
The drive to the shopping center took about 45 minutes, and Harper spent much of the next three hours in her stroller.
Then, there was another 10 minute drive to a different store to check out bunk beds. On this part of the trip, Kirsti held Harper for much of the time.
The family then headed back home.
The drive home took about an hour and 45 minutes due to traffic.
When they got home, it was past Malena’s bed time, so they left Harper in her car seat while they got their toddler to bed.
About 15 minutes later, Christopher went to get Harper out of the seat, and that’s when they realized something wasn’t right.
Kirsti told the Daily Mail, “My husband got Harper out and put her on his knee but she looked like she couldn’t get comfy so he laid her down on her mat and she was kicking about. I told him her lips looked blue and then he pointed out how red her cheeks were. He picked her up and I could tell straight away from his face that something was wrong.”
Kirsti and Christopher tried blowing on her face, like they were instructed to do whenever she held her breath while she was eating.
But then, things got really scary. White foam started coming out of Harper’s mouth, her jaw clenched shut, and she was arching her back and throwing her head back. The couple grabbed their kids and rushed off to the hospital.
But then, things got very scary. White foam started coming out of Harper’s mouth, her jaw clenched shut, and she was arching her back and throwing her head back. The couple grabbed their children and rushed off to the hospital.
“We are going to lose her.”
Kirsti recalls the drive to the hospital, saying, “The whole way there all I could think was ‘we are going to lose her’. I can’t even talk about it without getting upset.” As soon as they arrived, Harper was whisked off to triage, and a nurse led Kirsti back to be with her.
Thankfully, doctors were able to get Harper breathing again by the time Kirsti got into the room.
Then Kirsti and Christopher learned the scary reason Harper had a seizure, and they were shocked.
Doctors said that spending two hours in her car seat caused such severe oxygen deprivation, that when she was picked up, the sudden increase in oxygen sent her little body into shock. Luckily, after a number of tests and a night in the hospital, Harper was given a clean bill of health.
Doctors told the couple that a baby should never be in a car seat for longer than an hour.
Kirsti was shocked to hear that, and feels angry and guilty over what happened. She says, “When the consultant told us it was the car seat I couldn’t believe it. I thought ‘there’s no way’. I couldn’t understand why nobody had ever told us. We had obviously heard about not keeping babies in car seats overnight because it causes curvature of the spine but not about anything like this.”
What an experience! We’re so glad Harper is OK. It’s terrifying to know that a newborn nearly died just from sitting in her car seat.