Baby Rescue: Nurse Revived Harbour Fall Boy

A woman who gave CPR to a six-month-old baby after he had been rescued following a fall into freezing waters says she had never done it before.

The boy, Sam Cooper Stevens, was rescued from the water by a dockmaster and then revived by Tanya Allen, a nurse who had rushed to the scene after hearing screams for help.

"I was really quite worried when I was doing the CPR on him that I didn't hurt him, that I didn't break his ribs. And was I doing it right? Because he was a baby," Ms Allen told Sky News.

Sam is recovering in hospital, where doctors say his condition is no longer life-threatening.

The baby, who was strapped to his buggy, was swept into the water by strong winds as his mother Kate Cooper walked along Watchet Harbour, Somerset, on Sunday morning.

The pushchair was upturned in the water.

"It just suddenly became horrific," Ms Allen recalled.

Dockmaster George Reeder dived in and pulled it to the wall, and then Ms Allen threw a rope over and, with the help of others, hauled it to dry land.

"It must have been 10-12 foot down, it was a long way down and it took three or four of us pull it up because it was very heavy by that time," Ms Allen said.

"We were hoping that he was going to be OK, but he had been under the water for a little while so it wasn't looking too good at that time."

She said Sam did not appear to be conscious as he was pulled out of the water. 

"I took the baby out of the pushchair and I started CPR on him straight away," added Ms Allen, who said she had received training many times as a psychiatric nurse but had never performed CPR before.

The first aid technique can be used where someone is not breathing properly or if their heart has stopped, and consists of chest compressions and sometimes rescue breaths.

"I've never, ever - thankfully - had to give this sort of life support in a real-life situation," Ms Allen said.

She was worried she might hurt the tiny baby. "But then I thought, 'Well if I don't do anything this is going to be disastrous'." 

She soon noticed the baby had started breathing, though keeping him warm until the air ambulance got to the scene was also a problem.

Soon after, Sam was airlifted to hospital.

"I'm so glad I had the training and I think a lot more people should have that training so if they come across something like that your instincts kick in," she said.

The infant's father, Martyn Stevens, said Ms Allen had been "brilliant" and he thanked all the rescuers involved. He said he was at home at the time of the accident.

"I just remember the brilliance of everyone," he said, saying their response had been amazing.

Avon and Somerset Police said a gust of wind appeared to have blown the buggy into the water.