Mum warns other parents as infant daughter nearly suffocated by car seat

Kirsti and Christopher Clarke took their daughters out on a day trip over the Easter break. Each time they stopped they took their three-week-old girl Harper out of her car seat. 

Returning home, the family got stuck in rush hour traffic but didn't think anything of it. However, arriving in the house they noticed that Harper's lips had turned blue,  she was foaming at the mouth and her jaw was clenched shut. 

The couple raced to the hospital with the baby and her three-year-old sister, Malena. 

Luckily medics were able to resuscitate the baby, who was suffering a seizure as a result of oxygen deprivation. Doctors warned them that a babies oxygen level can plummet when spending more than an hour in a car seat. 

The mum from Scotland, told Metro that she was terrified for losing her baby. 

"I could tell straight away from his face that something was wrong.

"When she’s feeding sometimes she holds her breath and the health visitor told us to blow in her face so we tried that but it didn't help then suddenly this white foam started coming out her nose and mouth. It was so scary. My husband was holding her and patting her back and I was trying to get her mouth open to make sure she didn't swallow her tongue but her jaw was clenched shut.

"It wasn't like a normal seizure, she was arching her back and throwing her head back. We both knew we needed to get her straight to hospital so we got Malena into the car and raced straight there."

Thankfully the doctors were about to resuscitate the baby. But the experience shook Kirsti. 

"Seeing her like that was the worst feeling. It was horrid. I wouldn't wish it upon anyone. It has left me so paranoid. She is absolutely fine but I had to go out and buy a clip on monitor which monitors her breathing just to give me some peace of mind." 

She now want to make sure that other parents don't make the same mistake. 

"That’s why we knew we had to share what happened to Harper because parents need to know. Just two hours in a car seat and we could have lost her, it’s terrifying.

"I would tell every parent to just really carefully watch their babies and if they don’t absolutely need to be in the car seat take them out because it is not worth what we had to go through.

"Watch your baby and know your baby. If something doesn't seem quite right take them straight to hospital."