Posted by By Sarah McGee Sept 21, 2022 on Sep 25th 2022
Clitheroe dad’s CPR plea to parents after son stopped breathing
Clitheroe dad’s CPR plea to parents after son stopped breathing
An East Lancashire dad is urging all parents to learn CPR and says the procedure "saved his son’s life" when he stopped breathing.
Robert Gregg, from Clitheroe, is also raising awareness about febrile seizure, which can affect any child.
Four-year-old Spencer was enjoying a family day out earlier this month when he started to feel unwell.
Robert said: “We were at a farm and we noticed Spencer had a bit of temperature and wasn’t himself.
“We decided to leave early and get some Calpol.”
On the car ride Spencer’s condition started to decline and he began having a seizure and stopped breathing.
Robert said: “There was no breathing whatsoever. It was chaos, everybody broke down and nobody knew what to do.
“I knew I needed to find out what was wrong and concentrate on getting him breathing again.
“He was lifeless on the floor and I thought I was going to lose him that day on the side of the road.”
At one point Spencer swallowed his tongue and it was preventing any air getting to his lungs.
Robert placed a finger inside his mouth to lift his tongue. Spencer then bit down on his hand.
Robert said: “He clamped onto my finger and I couldn’t get it out of his mouth.
"The paramedics later told me I shouldn’t have done this as children have been known to bite fingers off because their jaws can be so powerful during a seizure.
“But at that moment in time you act on instinct.
“I couldn’t access his airways as he was clamped down onto my finger. I could only remove my finger from his mouth once the seizure had passed.
“When the fit ended he still wasn’t breathing.”
It was at this point, with the help of a 999 operator and some previous training, Robert began to administer CPR.
After a series of chest compressions and rescue breaths Spencer began to breathe.
Robert said: “He eventually came around and was breathing, even though it was laboured.
“If I hadn’t administered CPR he probably wouldn’t be here now.”
These are things that can happen when a child has a fever. They most often happen between the ages of six months and three years.
According to the NHS website, these seizures are usually harmless and almost all children make a complete recovery afterwards.
Robert said the whole experience was “traumatising”.
He said: “It was horrific. It’s a parent’s worst nightmare. It was traumatising and no-one expects something like this to happen.”
He is planning to renew the first aid training course he took four years ago and also wants to learn more about how to help someone having a seizure.
Robert said: “If I didn’t administer the CPR there might have been a different end to the story.
“I want parents to realise that this can happen to them and that first aid training is essential.
“Hopefully you will never need to use it but it could save someone’s life.
“I also want to raise awareness about febrile seizures and it is something I had never heard of before.”
Signs of febrile seizures and what to do if your child is having one:
According to the NHS, febrile seizure usually lasts for less than five minutes. Your child will:
- become stiff and their arms and legs may begin to twitch
- lose consciousness and may wet or soil themselves
They may also be sick and foam at the mouth, and their eyes may roll back.
After the seizure, your child may be sleepy for up to an hour. A straightforward febrile seizure like this will only happen once during your child's illness.
Occasionally, febrile seizures can last longer than 15 minutes and symptoms may only affect one area of your child's body.
These are known as complex febrile seizures. These seizures sometimes happen again within 24 hours or during the period in which your child is ill.
If your child is having a febrile seizure, place them in the recovery position. Stay with your child and try to make a note of how long the seizure lasts.
Do not put anything into your child's mouth during a seizure – including medicine – as there's a slight chance they might bite their tongue.
Take your child to the nearest hospital or call 999 and ask for an ambulance if:
- your child is having a seizure for the first time
- the seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes and shows no signs of stopping
- you suspect the seizure is being caused by another serious illness – for example, meningitis
- your child is having breathing difficulties
While it's unlikely that there's anything seriously wrong, it's important to get your child checked.