The newborn stage of parenting can be overwhelming and incredibly stressful. If there are complications at birth, that can make the first few weeks of a baby’s life even more unbearable for parents as they can be consumed with making sure their baby is OK.
We often hear there is nothing quite like a mother’s instinct or that moms have eyes in the back of their heads. What some call a sixth sense sometimes can end up being a lifesaver.
London mom Lucy Robin, 35, gave birth to twins Sammie and Sophie in 2023. Sammie spent time in the neonatal intensive care unit after birth, but when he went home, everything seemed fine. One night, however, Robin jumped up in bed because a voice told her to look at her son she told SWNS, according to People. Sammie was blue and not breathing, and Robin had to think fast.
Sammie was born without a heartbeat.
Sammie’s heart was not beating at birth, according to SWNS, and he spent nine days in the NICU. He was released to his parents and given a clean bill of health. Robin said everything was “clinically fine,” but maternal intuition said something different.
“But I had a gut feeling that something wasn’t right with him,” she said.
Robin kept a close eye on her babies.
When they were just 17 days old, she put them to bed, but something woke her from her sleep. She said she bolted up in bed, filled with fear.
“I didn’t even wake up slowly. I literally sat up straight away,” she told SWNS. “As I sat up I remember a voice in my head saying, ‘Look at the baby.'”
Sammie had turned blue.
She explained that she picked up her infant, and “his hands were freezing cold,” and he had “a tiny trickle of blood by his nose.”
Robin woke her husband, Patrick, who called paramedics, and the mom took the situation into her own hands and began CPR. “I got his breathing back but not fully, he was taking a breath once every thirty seconds,” she explained.
She apparently saved her baby's life.
Robin, a mother of seven, got Sammie to breathe, ultimately saving him. He spent four weeks in the hospital, and although doctors are unsure of what caused his cardiac arrest, he and Sophie recently celebrated their first birthday.
“Never in a million years did I dream I’d have to resuscitate any of my children,” she told SWNS via People. “I don’t know what would’ve happened without that training — my son wouldn’t be here today.”
Robin wants all parents to learn CPR.
She explained to SWNS that the training was brief but changed their family’s life forever.
“It’s a couple of hours of training,” Robin said, “but for Sammie it was worth a lifetime.” She added, “I think it’s important people know how to help their babies.”
The Red Cross urges all parents to learn CPR and take refresher classes as needed:
“Although you hope you’ll never use cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for a child or infant, it’s important to know the steps so that you can help in the event of a cardiac or breathing emergency. And although you may have taken a class in child CPR, it’s a good idea to keep the steps handy so that the information stays fresh in your memory. With our printable step-by-step guide, you can access the child and baby CPR steps anytime, anywhere. Simply print them up and place them in your car, your desk, your kitchen or with your other first aid supplies, then read over them from time to time to help maintain your skills.”
