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11th Apr 2018

Mum issues stark warning to parents after newborn stopped breathing in car seat

Orlaith Condon

car seat

The mum-of-two is telling other parents to be vigilant.

Kirsti Clark is warning other parents to be careful after her newborn was left foaming at the mouth and no longer breathing after a two-hour car journey.

Three-week-old Harper Clark was left oxygen deprived after the long car journey, resulting in her lips turning blue and her mouth starting to froth.

Kirsti and her husband Christopher rushed their daughter to the hospital after she stopped breathing and doctors told them she had suffered a seizure.

The parents are now warning other parents of the dangers of having a child in the car for more than an hour after doctors told them it can cause babies’ oxygen levels to plummet.

fitting car seats

“The whole way [to the hospital] all I could think was ‘we’re going to lose her’. I can’t even talk about it without getting upset,” Kirsti said of the ordeal.

“Seeing her like that was the worst feeling. It was horrid. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.

“When the consultant told us it was the car seat I couldn’t believe it. I thought ‘there’s no way’. I couldn’t understand why nobody had ever told us.

“We had obviously heard about not keeping babies in car seats overnight because it causes curvature of the of the spine but not about anything like this.

“After we got our heads around that being the reason, Christopher and I felt so angry at ourselves – we felt like we did this to our baby.

“We’ve spoken to so many people and they had never heard about it either and then some people have conflicting opinion on the time,” Kirsti added.

“That’s why we knew we had to share what happened to Harper because parents need to know. Just two hours in the car seat and we could have lost her – it’s terrifying!”