A Mother’s Frightening Experience and Call for CPR Awareness

Layna Wells, a mother from Missouri, relived a frightening moment when she discovered her newborn daughter, Stevie, in distress. On an ordinary morning, Wells woke at 5 a.m. to care for her 3-week-old baby, feeding and holding her before putting her back to sleep. At around 7 a.m., Wells woke again and faced every parent’s worst nightmare.

“I don’t know why I woke up, but I did,” Wells shared with Newsweek. She found her daughter blue and cold, prompting her to act quickly. Wells performed emergency procedures by unswaddling Stevie, delivering five back blows, and following with chest compressions. These actions helped Stevie start breathing again. “I began to massage her skin to ensure proper blood flow, and her eyes opened,” Wells explained. Despite being awake, Stevie remained silent during the trip to the ER, only crying after her vitals were checked more than an hour later.

A BRUE is a brief, unexplained event involving an infant that resolves before medical attention is sought.

Stevie was diagnosed with a Brief Resolved Unexplained Event (BRUE). This condition differs from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID). Most infants with a low-risk BRUE recover well without increased risk of sudden death. The term BRUE replaced the older term ALTE (Apparent Life-Threatening Event) in 2016 after research showed these events are not precursors to SIDS.

Despite administering CPR “incorrectly”, according to medical standards, Wells was told her actions were appropriate. “Doctors advised if it happens again, do exactly what you did,” she mentioned.

The incident deeply affects Wells. “It’s the most gut-wrenching experience I’ve lived through,” she said. Living with the fear of losing her child, she often watches Stevie breathe at night, panicking if her breathing slows.

Wells hopes her story motivates parents to learn infant CPR. “You never think you’ll need it until the moment arises without time for hesitation,” she explained. She felt “incredibly lucky” for her timing and instinctive response. “I want parents to know that sometimes, despite doing everything right, misfortune happens. It’s not their failure,” Wells concluded.