Derby couple share infant CPR video in memory of their baby boy
A family whose baby boy tragically stopped breathing at home, have developed an emotional video with University Hospitals of Derby and Burton (UHDB) to share their story and teach infant CPR to all parents.
Like many new parents, Rachel and Christian Pepper didn't know how to perform infant CPR when their baby boy Rowan suffered a cardiac arrest at home in October 2022 aged only one week old. Despite NHS staff trying to save him, he sadly died from sudden infant death syndrome a week later.
In his memory, the Pepper family have worked with UHDB, and the Derby Family Hub - a Derby City Council initiative to provide support to families, to create an educational video that tells Rowan's story, and demonstrates how to perform infant CPR in simple steps.
Rachel said: "When our beautiful boy stopped breathing, we didn't know what to do, we felt helpless and we want to stop anyone else from experiencing that. We hope you never need to perform CPR on a baby or infant, but we firmly believe that knowledge is power, and we want to spread this video far and wide and by sharing Rowan's story, we hope to demonstrate the importance of knowing what to do in an emergency.
"We are very much at peace with knowing that we couldn't have saved Rowan that night, but feel comforted that through Rowan's Rule and this video, his memory lives on and his legacy could potentially save another life."
Sarah Noble, Director of Midwifery at UHDB said: "We are committed to listening to families and are proud to be working closely with Rachel and Christian, to inspire others to learn this essential skill in Rowan's memory.
"We care for over 8000 pregnant people, families and babies every year and through Rowan's Rule, will continue to raise awareness of the importance of infant CPR by sharing the video with women, birthing people and families who access our maternity services."
Rowan's Rule, infant CPR video will be played in maternity waiting areas at Royal Derby Hospital and will be part of an educational package that is shared during the pregnancy journey.