On June 22nd, Emily France of Superior, Colorado, feared her overheated four-month-old baby would die in her arms while they waited to evacuate a United Airlines flight at Denver International Airport. By the time an ambulance rushed Owen away, the plane had been sitting on the tarmac for over two hours. Though crew members allowed France to come to the front of the plane and hold her son in front of the open door while they brought bags of ice, Owen was struggling with the heat. It was an unusually warm day, with temperatures in the 90’s.
France said, “His whole body flashed red and his eyes rolled back in his head and he was screaming. And then he went limp in my arms. It was the worst moment of my life.”
After the paramedics were called, another thirty minutes passed before Owen finally left by ambulance. Owen is now home and healthy. In a statement, United apologized and said they are taking steps to find out how this happened in order to prevent future occurrences.
While this situation may find many parents thinking twice before flying with little ones, it’s important to consider the facts before calling off your summer air travel plans.
Overheating happens when the rising temperature of your body outpaces its ability to regulate itself or to cool itself down. Overheating can lead to heat stroke, which is potentially fatal. Babies are especially vulnerable to heat stroke because their nervous systems, responsible for temperature regulation, are not yet mature. Physician and mother of three, Ivy Pointer, M.D., who works in the pediatric intensive care unit at Wake Med in North Carolina, explains why.
From a physiology standpoint,
According to Florida physician and mother Micheyle Goldman, D.O., M.P.H., medical director of the pediatric emergency department at Memorial Hospital West, though heat cramps and heat exhaustion are common in the summer months, heat stroke, which is the most severe form of heat illness, is relatively rare. Goldman says that though young children and infants, in particular, are at higher risk, heat-related illnesses are more commonly seen in adolescent athletes who do not hydrate adequately.
Both Goldman and Pointer noted most infants who come to the hospital with heat-related illnesses were left in cars. Says Pointer, “Even on days which do not seem extraordinarily hot, the car can heat up quickly resulting in an infant's death.”
Unfortunately, your baby can’t tell you she’d like to take her hat off or that she’s feeling parched. Fortunately, there are non-verbal cues you can pick up on.
Symptoms of heat exhaustion, which is milder than heat stroke, include:If your baby is overheating, but the symptoms aren’t severe enough to warrant emergency medical care,
According to Goldman, it’s vital to be prepared for overheating when flying. She advises parents to:
When most of us fly with an infant, our biggest concerns are that they’ll have a blow-out or an earache. The fact that they might overheat during a delay doesn’t enter our minds. While the recent United incident is certainly not the norm – Goldman says she's never seen or heard of anything like it in over a decade of working in emergency pediatric medicine – it's something to be prepared for.
Says Pointer, “I can understand how boarding a plane with an infant, already an anxiety-provoking moment, could be even scarier now, but I think moms can make sure they prepare by bringing plenty of fluids (either for themselves if breastfeeding or for their infant) and layers of clothing for their infant. I hope that the airlines will also be more cognizant of specific needs of an infant and adjust protocols accordingly.”
Pam Moore
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