Seeing your baby struggling for life is one of the worst experiences for parents.
This is the ordeal Scottish mother Kirsti Clark (28) and her husband Christopher Clark (29) faced on April 4th this year. A family outing with their three-year-old daughter Malena and three-week-old baby Harper turned into a nightmare.
After a prolonged journey home in heavy traffic, upon laying Harper on her play mat, they noticed alarming signs. Harper’s lips had turned blue, her jaw was clenched, and white foam was coming out of her mouth and nose. Kirsti now has a crucial warning for all parents…
April 4th started as a joyful family outing for Kirsti and Christopher who left at 2:30 pm for an afternoon of shopping with their two young daughters.
They returned home around 6:30 pm after a 1 hour and 45-minute drive with Harper securely strapped in her car seat as usual. Once home, Harper spent an additional 15 minutes in her seat while Kirsti and Christopher put Malena to bed.
Upon taking Harper out of her car seat, they noticed concerning symptoms and rushed to the hospital immediately.
“Once we got in, it was well past Malena’s bedtime, so Harper had been in her car seat for 15 minutes while we put Malena to bed,” shared Kirsti as reported by the Daily Record.
“My husband took Harper out and placed her on his knees, but she seemed fidgety, so he laid her on her mat.
“I mentioned her blue lips to him, and he noticed her red cheeks. As soon as he picked her up, I could sense that something was off.”
Despite Kirsti’s terror of losing her baby, hospital staff successfully revived Harper. They cautioned the parents that babies spending over an hour in a car seat are at risk of oxygen deprivation. Harper had experienced an episode due to a significant drop in oxygen levels. Upon being laid on the floor, the sudden increase in oxygen triggered a seizure.
Now, Kirsti is determined to warn other parents about this seemingly unknown danger: “When the doctor attributed it to the car seat, I couldn’t believe it. I was in disbelief. Why had no one ever informed us about this?
“We knew about the risk of babies being in car seats overnight causing spinal curvature, but this was entirely new to us.
“When my daughter was an infant, we had driven four hours to visit relatives in Cornwall without any issues.
“The hospital doctors explained that this concern typically applies to premature babies, but Harper is a healthy baby.
“Once we learned the cause, my husband and I were devastated – we felt like we had knowingly put our baby in harm’s way. It was a dreadful realization.
“We’ve spoken to many people who were unaware, and opinions on this issue vary.
“That’s why we felt compelled to share Harper’s story because parents need to be informed. Just a couple more hours in the car seat and we could have lost her; it’s truly frightening.”
This is awful – baby Harper was foaming at the mouth ?
Posted by Daily Record on Monday, April 9, 2018
“I would urge every parent to carefully observe their babies, and if there’s no urgent need for the car seat, take them out because the risk isn’t worth the ordeal we faced.
“Monitor your baby closely and trust your instincts. If something feels off, take them to the hospital immediately.”
Thankfully, Harper made a full recovery and is now healthy, but the outcome could have been much graver if not for Kirsti and Christopher’s prompt actions upon realizing the issue, and the swift intervention of hospital staff.
Were you aware of the dangers of prolonged time in a car seat for babies? Share this story with your loved ones; it could potentially save a young life!
