I’m sharing this devastating photo of my little girl so all parents know how to handle a ‘BRUE’
A BRAVE mum has shared a heartbreaking photo of her little girl to help warn other parents.
The tot suffered what's known as a 'BRUE' - a brief, resolved, unexplained event.
Sharing her story with the Instagram page, mum Jane said all parents need to know what to do if their little one suffers a BRUE.
The photo posted shows five-week-old Gianna hooked up to various wires and cables at the hospital - "the night we almost lost her", her mum reveals.
Jane said she and her husband had given Gianna her last bottle before bed, before tragedy struck.
"All of a sudden I heard screaming from the nursery. 'Jane she's not breathing'," she said.
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"My heart immediately sank. I ran down the hall and my husband was standing with Gianna face down giving back blows, trying to stimulate her to breathe.
"She was unresponsive and limp like a rag doll."
Jane then took her little girl in her arms and tried to give her back blows, but Gianna was unresponsive.
"Her lips and her face started turning blue. I immediately ran to grab my phone and dial 911 for emergency assistance," she said.
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While on the phone to emergency services, Jane's husband started doing CPR.
"That was incredibly heart-shattering to watch," she said.
"I remember thinking in that moment that we had lost her. I’ll never forget the blue/grey color of her face. It is forever ingrained in my memory and is horrific to think back on."
What happens during a BRUE?
BRUE's can be frightening, so it's important to be aware of what might happen during one.
Guidance from states that if your baby has BRUE they might:
- seem to stop breathing
- their skin colour might change to pale blue
- their muscles might relax or tighten
- they may seem to pass out.
"Your baby’s doctor or health care professional will examine your baby and decide that there is no known concerning cause for the event.
It will be diagnosed as a BRUE. The majority of BRUEs are thought to be due to immature reflexes," guidance states.
Babies who are discharged from hospital after an assessment are at low risk of having BRUE or of having another underlying issue, the experts state.
If it happens again and you're worried it's life threatening then you should call 999 for an ambulance.
If you witness a similar episode or your baby develops additional problems please return to the Children’s Emergency Department.
If you have any other questions or worries please contact your baby’s GP.
While they were still on the phone, little Gianna started to spit up milk.
Noticing milk coming out of her mouth and nose, Jane said she turned her daughter over and swept the back of her throat to try and clear her airway.
It was then that Gianna started to cry, four long minutes after her parents had first called emergency services.
"Our whole street was lined with emergency vehicles. The response team ran in through the front door and took Gianna in their arms," Jane said,
"She was pale as a ghost, but she was alive. I was in tears in the back of the ambulance, completely overwhelmed with the whole experience."
Medics told the parents that Gianna had suffered with a BRUE.
They can happen sudden and are terrifying for parents and carers - with the majority of cases being down to immature reflexes, according to the NHS.
Luckily, Gianna completely recovered and was discharged the following day.
Jane described the ordeal as the "most stressful, horrific, four minutes of her life".
"Looking at your baby and thinking you just lost them is the worst pain I have ever experienced," she said.
"I hope other parents can see this story and realise just how important it is to educate yourself on what to do in an emergency."
WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?
The experts at Tiny Hearts said that in any situation where your child falls unconscious and is not breathing, there are seven steps to follow..
- Danger: Before approaching your little one, make sure that the area is safe and that you're not also putting yourself in danger
- Response: Check if your little one is responsive or unresponsive, try and talk to them and ask them questions to see if you can get a response.
- Send for help: If you are with someone else, get them to call an ambulance or find help.
- Airway: Check their airway is open and clear. You can open this by placing one hand on the forehead to tilt the head back and use two fingers from the other hand to lift the chin.
- Breathing: You need to check if they are breathing normally. Look down their body and see if their chest is rising and listen for sounds of breathing.
- CPR: If they are not breathing you need to do CPR straight away, call for emergency help and ask them to find a defibrillator.
- Defibrillation: In most cases, there will be instructions of defibrillators, and ambulance staff on the phone will also be able to help guide you through the process.
The experts said that if it's BRUE then you will only reach the 'airway' stage before your child returns to a normal conscious state.
You should monitor your child while you wait for an ambulance.
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Without an official diagnosis of BRUE, you need to treat the situation as an emergency with an unknown cause, they added.