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- A mom gave her newborn premature baby lifesaving CPR treatment at home, saving her life.
- The newborn fell ill and suddenly stopped breathing after being discharged from hospital.
- Little Britney was born at 26 weeks and three days, weighing only 700g.
A 38-year-old mother from Blackheath saved her newborn premature baby's life by administering lifesaving CPR, when the little one suddenly turned blue and stopped breathing.
Portia Marcus said she immediately went into "survival mode" when she realised that her little Britney was refusing her bottle and was slowly turning pale.
Little Britney had been born at 26 weeks and three days, weighing only 700g.
"I immediately alerted my parents that there was something wrong with her when she started turning blue," Marcus told News24.
Trying not to panic, Marcus, quickly put her little preemie on the table and started performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
READ | CPR saves 'miracle' baby as KwaZulu-Natal woman gives birth in her boss' driveway
She was familiar with the technique, having gone for training after her firstborn arrived prematurely.
"But that was 12 years ago," Marcus said.
After a few resuscitation attempts, the infant started crying, much to her mother's relief.
Britney was later taken to the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Tygerberg Hospital for treatment.
According to Marcus, the doctors were far more concerned about her calmness throughout the ordeal.
She added:
"They [medical professionals] told me that I should look out for signs such as vomiting, baby's head leaning down and eating less," she added.
"This was very traumatic, but thankfully I managed to stay calm and do what was needed."
Marcus and her baby were discharged from hospital on 26 June. However, on Monday, they were admitted again.
READ | 'Our little miracle': Newborn baby survives two life-threatening medical conditions
According to Marcus, doctors said her little Britney had water on her brain.
The new mother and her baby are currently in hospital, however, Marcus said she is confident that they would be discharged before the end of the week.
Tygerberg Hospital paediatric registrar Dr Kerswill said they were grateful to the kangaroo mother care (KMC) nurses for their dedicated care of premature babies like Britney during the long and often difficult time spent in hospital, and for teaching life-saving interventions like infant CPR.
According to the hospital, premature babies remain at risk for infection and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) for many months after they are discharged from hospital.
"SIDS is when a baby who is younger than one-year old dies suddenly (usually during sleep) and after an investigation, no cause can be found. SIDS can happen suddenly to a healthy baby."
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