Smart Woman: Mother Saves Child's Life With CPR
By: Maxine Ridling
Updated: May 21, 2012
Three-month-old Ashlynn Flores is going home from the hospital today. That's big news for her family. Her mother was feeding her in the middle of the night when the unthinkable happened.
Mother Ashley Sanchez said, "And when I laid her back, her eyes just rolled back and she just looked pale. I laid here right there and I just began the CPR the best way I can and I kept doing it for at least five minutes."
Mom continued chest compressions and breaths on the ride to Mission Trail Baptist Hospital near their home. Then thanks to a special pediatric transport partnership with Airlife, Ashlynn was taken to North Central Baptist for intense treatment.
Dr. Samuel Zuckerman said, "She arrived to the other hospital not breathing at all, no heart beat, no pulse. But she was able to maintain her well enough that they could get her resuscitated at the other hospital and she's a marvelous, wonderful rescue."
Doctors used a special cooling bed to bring the baby's temperature down to 94 degrees to cut down on brain swelling and damage, a therapy called induced hypothermia. She was on breathing machines for several weeks. Now, she's been cleared to return home to her parents and six siblings. Her prognosis is very good. And doctors credit mom's instinctive CPR with saving her daughter's life.
Sanchez said,"I just kept doing it and doing it. I never did it before."
Ashlynn's father Donny Flores said, "But she did it and she successfully did it and brought our daughter back to life. And my daughter's here now."
"Her mom, you know, she's here because of her mom," said Zuckerman.
Learning infant CPR is fairly straightforward. That's why many experts say parent, grandparents and babysitters all need to be trained, so they won't hesitate to try and safe a life in an emergency.


