LOOSE Women star Myleene Klass has opened up about the moment her daughter, Hero, turned blue and collapsed after choking.
Speaking on the We’re Not Getting Any Younger podcast this week, the 47-year-old presenter said the horrific incident left her “hysterical.”
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The mum-of-three who shares daughters Ava and Hero with ex-husband Graham Quinn, and son Apollo with partner Simon Motson – said the choking scare happened when Hero, now 13, was a baby.
“She choked on one of those dayglo stars you stick on the ceiling,” the ex Hear’Say star recalled.
She credits her first aid training with saving her daughter’s life – and now refuses to keep the decorations, sold for as little as £2 a pack, anywhere in the house.
Asked whether the star had fallen from the ceiling, Myleene clarified: “She found it. She was so little, she couldn’t even speak.
“Not just because she was choking, she physically couldn’t communicate what had happened.”
Describing the moment she realised something was wrong, Myleene said her daughter “stumbled” into the kitchen, “holding her throat”, while she was doing the washing up.
“Her face had gone blue and then she just dropped to the floor,” Myleene said.
“It was the longest five minutes of my life.”
When someone is choking, it means that the oxygen supply to the lungs is obstructed, the first aiders explained.
This in turn cuts off the supply of oxygen to the brain.
The lack of oxygen to the brain has widespread ramifications for the rest of the body, which become more serious with every minute.
If your child doesn’t receive oxygen to their brain for one to four minutes, they’ll lose consciousness, according to Headway, a brain injury charity.
After three minutes, the neurons in their brain will get damaged.
Permanent brain damage becomes much more likely after four minutes of your tot not being able to breathe.
After 10 minutes, a child could slip into a coma and lasting brain damage becomes almost inevitable if their brain is still alive.
Survival becomes almost impossible after 15 minutes.
This is why it’s imperative that parents learn choking first aid.
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Using her first aid knowlegde, Myleene sprung into action.
“I turned her upside down, well, not literally, but she was small enough that I could lay her across my forearm,” she said.
“I gave her a firm back blow and eventually she vomited it up.
“Then she just toddled off as if nothing had happened. I was left a complete wreck.”
Your sign to get trained
Myleene’s first aid training also helped her save her other daughter, Ava, during a choking incident when she was a tween.
Both “terrfiying” experiences drove her to earn a more professional qualification with St John Ambulance, she said.
In a post she shared on Instagram in June of herself doing the training and wearing the first aid uniform, she wrote: “The only thing worse would have been not knowing what to do.”
She explained on the podast: “I had done first aid, but now I wanted to learn it to a more sort of professional level.
“This might be your sign to get first aid trained.”
According to the NHS, choking is common in young children, especially during play or mealtimes.
This is because they often explore objects by putting them in their mouths.
Parents are advised to keep small items out of reach, cut food into small pieces, and familiarise themselves with first aid techniques.
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What to do if your child chokes
IF your child chokes, don’t panic and freeze immediately.
The NHS says if the child is coughing, encourage them to continue as they may be able to bring the object up. Don’t leave them alone while this is happening.
But if their coughing is silent, they can’t breathe properly or they don’t bring anything up, get help immediately.
Use back blows on your tot if they’re still conscious.
First aiders at St John Ambulance give the following advice based on the child’s age.
Baby
- Slap it out:
- Lay the baby face down along your thigh and support their head
- Give five back blows between their shoulder blades
- Turn them over and check their mouth each time
2. Squeeze it out:
- Turn the baby over, face upwards, supported along your thigh
- Put two fingers in the centre of their chest just below the nipple line; push downwards to give up to five sharp chest thrusts
- Check the mouth each time
3. If the item does not dislodge, call 999 or 112 for emergency help
- Take the baby with you to call
- Repeat the steps 1 and 2 until help arrives
- Start CPR if the baby becomes unresponsive (unconscious)
Child
1. Cough it out
- Encourage the casualty to keep coughing, if they can
2. Slap it out
- Lean them forwards, supporting them with one hand
- Give five sharp back blows between the shoulder blades
- Check their mouth each time but do not put your fingers in their mouth
3. Squeeze it out
- Stand behind them with your arms around their waist, with one clenched fist between their belly button and the bottom of their chest
- Grasp the fist in the other hand and pull sharply inwards and upwards, giving up to five abdominal thrusts
- Check their mouth each time
