I am the mother of three young children and when I think about the fact that I never had CPR training until recently, I am dumbfounded. My first child was in the NICU for six months and I had a mediocre CPR lesson before he came home but nothing that would actually help me in a time of distress. I am now an American Heart BLS certified instructor and I am adamant on teaching parents, in particular, the necessity of this skill.

CPR at its core is basically someone pumping another’s heart (compressions) and providing oxygen to their bloodstream (breaths). You are physically sustaining someone else’s life with your own simple actions – pretty crazy when you think about it!

While infants and children are not as likely to suffer cardiac arrest compared to an adult, pulmonary issues and choking will arrest the heart. How many times have we seen our children start to choke, with pure horror on their faces, and a gut wrenching terror in our stomachs? They are usually able to cough it up, but what if they can’t?

As a parent, do yourself a favor and learn CPR. Have anyone that is with your children for long periods of time – nannies, babysitters, grandparent’s – learn as well. I can tell you one thing, you will never regret getting trained and neither will the person whose life you could potentially save.

Guest blog by Lauren Aumiller Cronin, Baltimore Manager at Stork Childbirth Education Inc. Mother of Brady, Caroline and Cole

Lauren has spent thirteen years as an Equity trader with a fruitful career in finance having received her Bachelors in Economics from the University of Virginia. While finding a career in finance to be demanding, Lauren decided to step away and focus on raising her three children. She has a wealth of experience as a parent navigating the medical system.