She admits that, although the breathing monitor was part of their newborn essentials, she and her husband did not assign it any special importance. “Together with my husband, we saw the breathing monitor more as a practical use of technology. While I considered anything that helps monitor the baby’s condition a necessary part of the kit, I viewed it rather as a given. Other family members also used it with the children, so I never really thought twice about buying it. Never in my dreams did I imagine we would actually need it,” says Janka, vividly recalling the night when she and her husband were gripped by the fear of losing their firstborn son. Neither of them will likely ever forget the moment the piercing sound of the breathing monitor broke the silence of the night. The alert occurred just three days after Janka and Riško returned home from the maternity hospital. “At three in the morning, the breathing monitor indicated that Riško wasn’t breathing,” recalls Jana Malaga. When you hear the alarm of a breathing monitor, there is neither time nor space to think about what is happening. Immediate action is necessary! In the event of respiratory arrest, every second counts, and the quicker you respond, the greater the chance of saving your baby. “After the alarm went off, my husband and I ran straight to the crib. We tried to wake Riško by raising our voices and giving several firm shakes. (It was only afterward that I read this was not the correct first aid technique.) He immediately opened his eyes but then became unresponsive again. After a short while, we were thankfully able to wake him, started undressing him, opened the window, and Riško took a breath and began to cry. Fortunately, he wasn’t purple, just completely pale. In the meantime, my husband called emergency medical services. Upon arrival, one of the nurses thoroughly examined Riško and ensured he was okay. We then went with them to the hospital, where all necessary tests were performed. Thankfully, everything turned out fine, and Riško remains perfectly healthy today. Since then, we have used the breathing monitor even more cautiously, including with our second son. I recommend it to every mother, especially those who have experienced premature birth. You never know when this simple device might signal that your child has stopped breathing,” adds Jana Malaga, grateful for Riško’s health. What else did Jana share with us? ● The breathing monitor starts signaling after 20 seconds if it does not detect movement—breathing, ● The risk of SIDS is higher in premature babies, like Riško, who was born at the turn of the 36th–37th week of pregnancy via C-section rather than naturally, ● It is not recommended to place the crib with the monitor next to the parents’ bed, as it detects micro-movements/breathing from the parents and may not reliably monitor the baby, ● Babies breathe very gently, and I learned to monitor him even while he slept in the stroller or car seat by feeling his pulse on the wrist, ● I only reviewed the CD and first aid instructions included with the monitor after this incident and realized that my overly eager and stressed response could have harmed Riško during first aid, ● Some studies suggest that if such an incident and SIDS risk occur, caution should also be exercised with the second baby.