Mother’s Quick Reaction Prevents Potential Tragedy

A mother’s prompt action may have averted a disaster when she awoke to find her infant struggling to breathe. Casey Clute from upstate New York shared a Nest camera recording capturing the alarming moment her 4-month-old daughter, Madilyn, began choking after spitting up while sleeping.

Casey, 34, described the incident happening around 12:30 a.m. She explained to Newsweek, “I am a very paranoid parent and always worried something will happen to my children, so I wasn’t sure if the noise I heard was actually my baby or just my mind playing tricks on me.” With her husband, 30-year-old Joshua, working at the time, Casey opted not to ignore the situation. The couple also has a 3-year-old daughter, Charlotte.

“Something in me told me to wake up,” she recalled. “So I opened my eyes for a second and I heard her gasping for air and shot right up.” The footage, later shared on TikTok (@mama_casey02), shows Casey quickly lifting Madilyn by the armpit, initially unaware that she was choking. Thankfully, Casey had taken several CPR classes and knew exactly what to do. “I put her on my chest face down and immediately started patting her back to ensure she expelled the spit up,” she said.

Casey described her maternal instincts being “tested” during the incident.

Once Madilyn began breathing normally again, Casey inspected the sleep area. “I noticed my toddler had thrown two stuffed animals in there and immediately removed them as they are unsafe with a baby this young,” she noted.

Supporting Casey’s caution, a 2019 study published in Pediatrics reviewed infant suffocation cases reported to the U.S. Sudden Unexpected Infant Death Case Registry. The study found that soft bedding was the leading risk in 69% of suffocation cases. Researchers suggested that ensuring safer sleep environments could lower infant suffocation death rates.

The American Academy of Pediatrics advises parents to lay babies down on their backs for every sleep session. The surface should be firm, flat, and non-inclined, avoiding pillows, blankets, stuffed animals, and other items that could block an infant’s airway.

Even after the crisis subsided, a restful night’s sleep was elusive for the mother of two. Casey expressed gratitude for her response, stating, “It definitely was a scary situation, but I am grateful I was able to hear her and save her from a potential tragedy.” The incident also influenced her future plans. With maternity leave ending soon, Casey and Joshua were considering moving their daughter to her own room, or perhaps sharing one with her sibling due to Casey’s early work schedule. Now, she has reconsidered.

“This event has taught me that anything can happen in an instant, no matter how prepared you are,” she stated. “I truly believe if she were in a room by herself and not next to me when this occurred, she would have choked to death. So to be extremely cautious, we will be keeping her in our bedroom with us from now on.”