Just read this and found it very interesting. Just want to share because it is summer and we are all near water at some point in time.

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/parenting/drowning-looks-different-than-you-think-2010225/

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~Christine~
Mom of 6
Brandon ADD/ADHD 17, Chelsea 14, Connor 12, Logan 6, Cody 4 & Austin 1 ( DS & Hirschsprungs pull through 12/8/08 )
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/austinpaquin

God I hope I never witness someone drown, that was an eye opener. I thought that people wave and shout but obviously not. Thanks for sharing that info.

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Karen- Mum to the world's cutest baby!! Ben

So true - we almost lost our 12-year old(he was 4 at the time) at the local pool. I was tending to my daughter and he went under and I didn't even know(he was right next too me) until I looked and saw him under the water - scariest moment of my life - I will never forget it. Life guards helped me pull him out and thankfully he never went unconscious and did not need CPR, but we were very lucky.

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Maureen - Mom to Daniel(21), Brandon(19), Jordan(13)PDD, Thomas(11), Carrie(7), Samuel(4) and Mark (2 - ds, av canal -repaired 6/10/08, pulmonary hypertension)
https://www.carepages.com/carepages/MarkEdwardC32708

We lost my neighbor (cutest 5 year old little boy) years ago in the pond next to my house. It was a different scenario as it was winter and they went on a frozen pond and fell in. Life's never been the same around here. Most of us still live here in the neighborhood and will never forget the precious boy who never got to grow up.

Thank you for sharing the article, it makes a good point about it looking different than you would think....I also would have thought you would hear yelling etc like the article mentions.

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Lisa - Mommy to Elayna 10-1-02 and Daniel (Ds) 6-7-05
Always have hope....Without rain, there can be no rainbows.

OMGosh, thank you so much for posting this! I read it last Friday and hoped I would never need it, but this weekend, I saved a little boy at the water park. I will NEVER forget the total panic-stricken look on his face as he struggled under the water.... Fortunately, I was able to get him up in time.... I shudder to think what might have been if I hadn't seen him......

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Janet (44) and Jeff (44)
Joshua (angel) '85
Sarah-age 22
Jaret-age 5
Jacey-born 2/22/08 (dx w/ Ds 9/10/07)

Oh my gosh, makes me want to throw up. Great advice, but horrible to imagine.

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Marlene, mommy to my precious Aleena (1/30/04)

I nearly drowned when I was about 10. It was in a backyard pool and I was swimming with other kids. I went under water and got confused and couldn't get back to the surface. As my oxygen levels dropped I felt euphoric and thought I could breathe water. Next minute I was lying on the side of the pool coughing up water - one of the other kids (much bigger than me) pulled me out. I never made a sound - just went under and didn't come up.

I nearly lost one of my foster kids too at the local pool. He was 5 at the time and Talitha was newborn. I was holding her in my arms and Corey was standing right next to me near the side of the pool as I called my other kids to get out. A child (who I found out later has autism) ran up and pushed Corey into the pool. He went straight down and then came up but was going down again and I couldn't jump in with Talitha in my arms. I was screaming and another mother jumped in and grabbed him just as he was going down for the second time. It was terrifying for him and me.

When we take Talitha to the big pool we put her in a proper life jacket because she can't swim at all yet. In the baby pool she has a flotation jacket on that allows her to move her arms but won't let her sink. One of us is right near her all the time.

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Karyn
Mum to Nikki (Jul 89), Stefanie (Sep 96), Joel [June 98] and Talitha (DS) (Nov 05) AVSD/PDA repaired 23 March 06

"I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well." Psalm 139:14