You can do a number of things in three hours: see a movie, have an evening out with friends, or take a class that could save your child’s life. Brian and Trish Whitley never thought that three hours out of their lives would save their son, but it did.

Brian and Trish were expecting their first child. They bought all the required furniture, picked out a name, and signed up for all the classes they could. Their friends weren’t taking an infant CPR class, and Trish remembered thinking, “We never knew if we’d have to use it, but all our friends are having babies, too, and you just never know…us taking this class might be important for them as well.”

            Brian and Trish took the Beginnings Infant CPR class in November 2004. During these three hours, they had practiced on infant-sized mannequins, learned where to place their fingers, how hard to press down, and how many compressions for each breath their baby might need. They went home feeling somewhat prepared if the worst did happen.

            Baby Sam was born December 28, a late Christmas gift for Brian and Trish. However, Sam was born with some complications. He had breathed in some meconium while in Trish’s uterus. Meconium can be potentially dangerous for an infant. When it mixes with amniotic fluid and the baby breathes it in, meconium can coat the baby’s airways making it difficult to breathe.

            Fortunately, Sam just needed two hours in the Level II nursery. Although exhausted, Brian and Trish were excited to take him home. The doctors informed them that Sam might have some respiratory distress, but he should be able to cough up the phlegm. If he couldn’t, they could use an aspirator to pick up any fluids.

            Being nervous about possible respiratory distress, the new parents decided that at least one person would stay up with Sam at all times. Luckily, Brian’s mother was in town, so the tired couple took a much-needed rest while she stayed awake with Sam.

            Soon after they lay down, Brian’s mother woke them saying, “Sam’s choking. I don’t think he can breathe.” They all ran back into the living room where Sam lay motionless on the sofa. Trish remembered Sam looking like a baby doll; he was stiff and blue. Brian checked for Sam’s breathing, Trish got the aspirator, and Brian’s mother dialed 9-1-1. Sam definitely wasn’t breathing so their instincts kicked in. Brian moved Sam’s head into position and began performing CPR. He breathed into Sam’s mouth and waited. Nothing. Brian gave another breath, and this time, Sam coughed and began breathing on his own. EMS arrived just minutes later. They assessed Sam, and even though he was breathing on his own, it was determined that a visit to the emergency center would be best.

            The Emergency Center staff took Sam to a quiet room in the back, away from the New Year’s Eve crowd.

            “Sam’s nurse was so kind to us,” said Brian. “Since The Children’s Hospital (TCH) staff was more adept at assisting newborns, Sam’s nurse requested a nurse from The Children’s Hospital to assess Sam and start the tiny IV in his wrist.”

            Sam was admitted for observation, and spent one night in the Children’s Hospital. The Whitley’s pediatrician and TCH’s on-call physician determined that Sam’s newborn congestion was an isolated event, and he could go home. Brian and Trish started their new year with a healthy baby and since that time, Sam’s had no further respiratory problems.

            “It doesn’t matter if it’s your first or your fifth child. You want to be prepared, and you think it’s about the car seat and the new stroller,” said Trish. “But there are other things that aren’t as ‘glamorous’ as the baby clothes and the nursery, like a CPR class. We discovered that it’s the ‘not so glamorous’ things that matter.”

            Trish and Brian both believe that what they learned in the CPR class saved Sam’s life. “You take these classes and you wonder if you could do it—if push came to shove. But we knew exactly what to do,” acknowledged Trish. “I was prepared to do the compressions because Brian was doing the breathing. And if we hadn’t begun CPR, we don’t know where Sam would be today.”

            “The Infant CPR class taught us to how to save Sam’s life,” said Brian, “And if we could give any advice to new parents, it would be to arm yourself with education because you never know if three hours out of your evening could save your child’s life.”