A Red Deer mother whose premature baby stopped breathing twice within 10 days praised city fire-medics.
Cindy Oliver, 45, and her seven-month-old son August dropped by Red Deer Emergency Services Fire Station 4, located at 30 Davison Drive, to thank ambulance staff on Monday afternoon.
“They were heaven sent for sure. If it wasn’t for them, he wouldn’t be here right now,” said the single mother about her son, born Dec. 4 at 24-weeks and five-days gestation.
At only 22-weeks gestation, Oliver was fully dilated and was in Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre for 19 days on bedrest to delay the birth before being transferred to Calgary to give birth.
The mom and infant were back home on Feb. 26 and 13 days later, August stopped breathing.
“I was holding him and I went to put him down and he just flopped.”
When August didn’t respond to her efforts to stimulate his breathing, she called 911 and was directed to give him CPR while she waited for the ambulance to arrive.
After fire-medics took over resuscitation and suctioned out his airway, he started to breath.
After August went home following a five-day hospital stay, he stopped breathing again.
This time, Oliver started CPR immediately and fire-medics again revived the infant by suctioning his airway.
August was diagnosed with apnea, which can happen with premature babies and the fire-medics saved the day — not once, but twice, she said.
“He’s the boy who should not have survived for sure and he’s in perfect health. It’s a real miracle,” said Oliver who wanted to thank local fire-medics for all that they do before moving with her son to British Columbia to be closer to family.
szielinski@www.reddeeradvocate.com