Tuesday's Two Truths and a Non Truth

Today's topic- Sun Smarts

Which 2 are true, which one is not?

1. You won't get a sunburn on a cloudy day so no need for sunblock.

2. Hats keep out 50% of UV radiation.

3. Keep babies under 6 months old out of the sun. Really.

Want to make a guess? I'll post the answers tomorrow.

A mother saves her six week old baby- an inspiring story.

Wednesday's Results... on Friday.

Which two are true and which one is not?

1. Give a cool alcohol bath to treat heat exhaustion. FALSE
The days of alcohol baths are long gone. Pediatricians no longer recommend this practice as the alcohol absorption may have toxic effects.

2. Heat exhaustion untreated may lead to heat stroke. TRUE
Signs of heat exhaustion:
pale, moist skin, usually a fever over 103 degrees, nausea, vomiting, headache, fatigue, weakness, muscle cramps
Signs of heat stroke:
red, dry skin, usually a fever over 105 degrees, nausea, vomiting, headache, lethargy, rapid heart rate, seizures, coma and death are possible.

What should you do?
heat exhaustion: remove excess clothing, move to a cool place to rest, try to give fluids. If your child is unable to drink, IV fluids are most likely necessary- call you pediatrician.
heat stroke: remove excess clothing, move to a cool place to rest, try to give fluids, place ice bags under arms and on groin. Heat stroke is a life-threatening medical emergency and needs to be treated by a physician, call 911 if you think your child is suffering from heat stroke.

3. Leaving children in a hot car- even for a brief period of time (yea, hi mom & dad- gotta love parenting in the 70's!) can lead to heat exhaustion. TRUE
Leaving a child in a hot car can indeed lead to heat exhaustion and if for any period of time will lead to heat stroke which can be fatal. Never, ever, ever leave your child in a car.

know more. worry less.

National CPR & AED Awareness Week is June 1-7.

The American Heart Association set a goal to train 1 million people in CPR and help save more lives from cardiac arrest. Have you taken a class? If your child, mother, husband collapsed in front of you, would you know what to do? Could you save a life? Here's a link to CPR courses all over the United States- sign up today!

NYC parents- In honor of National CPR & AED week I'll be offering reduced rates on my group in home CPR training and will also give a free baby MEDBASICS travel pack to each participant. Just call 917-353-1932 or e-mail tara@babymedbasics.com to find out more.

know more. worry less.

Tuesday's Two Truths and a Non-truth

Fun In The Sun Can Be Exhausting! 

Today's topic- Heat Exhaustion and your kids...

Which 2 are true, which one is not? 

1. Give a cool alcohol bath to treat heat exhaustion.

2. Heat exhaustion untreated may lead to heat stroke.

3. Leaving children in a hot car- even for a brief period of time (yea, hi mom & dad- gotta love parenting in the 70's!) can lead to heat exhaustion.

Want to make a guess? I'll post the answers tomorrow.

Join Us This Tuesday!
MEDBASICS at Baby Bites NYC
June 2, 2009 12-2 pm

	Every mom who attends this luncheon will take home a travel pack, your essential what to do guide to infant emergencies on the go.

If your baby

is choking...

stops breathing...

is bleeding...

Do you know what to do? Does your babysitter?

Don't worry, if your baby needs medical help you can do it and Luke Hermann MD and Tara Summers-Hermann RN, BSN will show you how.

Discover the most common choking hazards and how the steps to saving your infant are different than saving your toddler. Learn why you hold direct pressure to a cut and find out the truth about tourniquets. When your baby has a fever, know when to call the doctor and how high is too high. Find out how to create a safer environment for your little one.

Other topics include SIDS, animal bites, falls, drowning, and allergic reactions.

Knowledge = Love

Love your baby, know what to do.

Tara Summers-Hermann, RN, BSN is the co-founder and President of MEDBASICS, LLC. After years of specializing in Cardiology , she traded full time nursing for full time motherhood with the birth of her first son, Nicholas. After a choking episode involving her son, she and her physician husband started MEDBASICS, LLC. Tara is an AHA Certified BCLS instructor with her primary focus being infant and toddler CPR/ first-aid courses. She lives in New York City with her husband Luke and 2 sons, Nicholas and Oliver. Luke Hermann, MD is the co-founder and Vice-President of MEDBASICS, LLC. Dr. Hermann is a practicing emergency physician on academic faculty at a major New York Hospital.

Wednesday's Results...

Which two are true and which one is not?

1. Brain damage from lack of oxygen (when your baby stops breathing) begins in 4 minutes and death shortly thereafter. TRUE

This statistic is why it is crucial to begin care as soon as possible when your child stops breathing. The American Heart Association states, if you are alone with your child, give 2 minutes of CPR then call 911. If someone else is with you have them call 911 while you begin giving CPR. A lot of parents believe that calling 911 is enough... it's not.

2. The average time for EMS to respond to a 911 call is 8 minutes. TRUE

There have been several studies conducted through the years regarding EMS response time. One interesting article I found was written by Gary Ludwig MS, EMT-P entitled, "EMS Response Time Standards" . Ludwig states, "First, there is no federal law regarding response times, and, after doing thorough research, I cannot find any state laws that pertain to response times. There are some contractual agreements between EMS providers and political subdivisions that stipulate response times, and some political subdivisions enter and ratify these contractual agreements into ordinances. But most of the contractual agreements or ordinances are directed toward private EMS providers. Most of these communities have established standards of eight minutes or less 90% of the time for ALS service. Some municipalities, especially in California, have even moved response time standards to 12 or 15 minutes for private EMS providers 90% of the time, but these are usually coordinated with ALS first response."

Parents, combine the information from question 1 with this knowledge and now you have a solid statistical reason for why you and everyone you know should be able to save your baby if necessary. Know what to do.

3. When trying to clear a blocked airway, if the object hasn't been removed after 5 minutes you should just stop trying. FALSE

If the obstruction is caused by food, it may start dissolving and become dislodged. No matter what the obstruction, becoming unconscious allows your baby's airway to relax slightly making it easier to clear the object. Do not give up. Remember medical help is on the way.