Please Take Extra Precautions with Children and Pools!!!

Updated on March 27, 2008
C.H. asks from Rockwall, TX
3 answers

A 3 yr old little girl nearly drowned on my street yesterday afternoon. It was the scariest thing I've ever been through. My husband is a paramedic and he and his partner were at our house waiting for their next call. The little girl's uncle ran over and was pounding on the door when he saw the ambulance out front. Thank God they were there and were able to start CPR right away! They worked on her for awhile and then went to a hospital located right next to my house. My husband called me once they got there and said it was too late. Everyone was sobbing and praying. I personally called everyone in my phone and asked them to pray as well. That's all we could do. My husband called me back a little while later and said she had a pulse, but not to count on that b/c the drugs they push at times like this will cause you to have a pulse, but stop there. We just kept praying and believing for this precious child. Then a miracle happened! The last time my husband called me, he said she had a STRONG heartbeat and blood pressure! They flew her in a helicopter to Children's and I havent heard anything since.
The reason I tell you all of this is to first give God the glory for reviving her little lifeless body, and the second is to ask those of you with small children and pools to be EXTRA careful! The little girl was at her grandmother's house. Her grandfather and uncle were there as well. Her parents had just returned to Oklahoma to get furniture, I think b/c they are in the process of moving here. The grandparents actually just moved in a few months ago. The little girl was playing in one room and the grandmother went into her room to use the restroom. The grandfather was on the couch asleep. Not sure where the uncle was. When the grandmother came out of the restroom, she went in to check on the little girl and she wasn't there. She woke up the grandfather and told him she couldn't find her. They ran to look out back and they found her floating in the pool. As my husband was running back across the street to the ambulance, all I saw was a little lifeless purple body.
Please parents, I beg of you to take proper precautions with pools. It happens so quickly, in the blink of an eye. Three yr olds CAN unlock doors. The grandmother was so naieve when she said to me, "All of the doors were locked..." Please have a gate put around the pool. Also have a top chain lock that is locked AT ALL TIMES. Or a button you have to push on the back door that allows you to unlock and open the door, that your child cannot reach. Also, make your children take some form of swimming lessons. Please spread the word so that helpless children everywhere are safe. They count on you as their parents to protect their lives. Thank you!

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C.M.

answers from Dallas on

I think I might be the biggest baby in the world.. I was in tears before I got done reading your message.. My husband and I have a 6 yr old and an 8 month old.. and have been in a really deep discussion about getting a pool. We had someone come out and give us an estimate not long ago.. and we have been talking to the bank about getting a loan.. things like this really make me second guess that decision. Parents always feel like "It wont happen to me" and it may not.. but my other concern is other children in neighborhoods that sneak in when you arent home.. I dont know that I could deal with someone else's child drowning in my pool.. Maybe we should just get a boat instead ... I hope that little girl gets to come home soon. And tell your husband thank you for what he does too. My hubby is EMT and Fire certified but unfortunately we could not live off of the pay he was being offered.. it is really sad b/c he had the heart for it more than most..it wasnt about the "glorifed" title for him.. I applaud your husband.. and I am sure he doesnt get much of a Thank You very often especially for what he has to see.. so I thought I would pass a Thank you to him :) Have a good day!!

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M.P.

answers from Dallas on

I definitley feel the pain of these parents and their family. We lost our 2 year old nephew last March due to a pool accident. He unfortunatley, found a doggie door while playing at someones house they were visiting. It has been very hard to deal with and losing a child this way is horrible. I feel poeple need to be more aware of the dangers in having a pool and having children around. It can happen so fast, even the gates put around them do not help sometimes due to the fact that 2 and 3 year olds like to climb. I was a nanny for a family at one time who did have a pool with a nice tall gate all the way around it, but one of their 2 year olds climbed it and lucky they got her out just in time. So scary! I will be sure to keep this family in our prayers. thanks for sharing!!

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B.S.

answers from Dallas on

C., your post really spoke to my heart. How kind of you to put up this reminder. This is my first post on mammasource as I just joined today.

We have a pool and a 2 year old. We put up our fence last year. I was SHOCKED, SHOCKED, SHOCKED when I was researching pool fence companies. The ladies that did the selling all told me that there are many many child drownings each year in the metroplex but that they are kept off the TV and out of the papers. They said it is soooooooo common that it would make you sick.

They were all moms that were selling the fences, they all had a passion to keep children safe. They all said that the best approach is a layered approach....a fence around the pool, an alarm on the house that chimes, an unreachable chain on the door, etc. And...nothing replaces diligence, nothing. Your message is a good one!

Thanks for the reminder of how it can all happen so quickly. I pray that little girl will be OK?!

1 mom found this helpful
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