What To Do If Your Baby Chokes On Milk
As a mother, it is a difficult experience, not knowing what to do when your baby milk swallowed. No matter whether from the breast or from the bottle. Respiratory arrest is not uncommon at a young age. It is therefore essential to react quickly and correctly.
As a new mom, you will face many new things related to your child’s care and well-being.
During this time it is important to be aware of possible dangers to the health of both mother and child. You need to stay calm, but react quickly when your baby chokes on milk. Panic won’t help you in this situation.
It is more of a hindrance and you unnecessarily risk your baby’s health.
What to do if your baby chokes
Follow these tips:
- Immediately place your child face down on your lap.
- Give him a gentle but firm pat on the back to make him cough.
- This should be enough, because the cough induced in this way would have to clear the airways.
It is also possible that your child has choked on something solid. In this case you can use the so-called Heimlich maneuver.
You can only use this if your child is older than 12 months.
Secretly maneuvers
- To use this well-known technique, you need to sit down and put your arms around your child.
- Place your hands on the solar plexus or over your stomach.
- Then apply pressure with one hand over the other
- This pressure between your chest and belly button will push out the object or piece of food that is blocking your airway.
Other techniques
- Lay your child face up on the floor or on a hard surface.
- Place your hands over each other on the area between your chest and belly button.
- Push towards your chest five times.
If that doesn’t help, you should call the ambulance immediately. It is important to have all the phone numbers you need to hand. Your memory will let you down especially in situations like this.
Reasons for breathlessness
Choking can happen for many reasons. Some you can prevent, others depend on your child’s health.
If you notice that your child has frequent shortness of breath, it is better to speak to your pediatrician. He will be able to decide what to do.
Why your child is choking
When you breastfeed your child, the milk flows directly into their throat. It is possible that this flow of milk is too strong.
This situation can be resolved by squeezing your nipple a little or expressing some milk beforehand.
Proper breastfeeding ensures that your baby does not choke on the milk. It is vital to ensure that your baby is correctly positioned in relation to your nipple.
Your child’s tummy should point towards your stomach while their nose should point towards your nipple. In this situation it is easy to breastfeed.
Perhaps if you are bottle feeding your child , the fluid may also flow too quickly. Very young children are not yet able to adapt to it. This situation can be resolved with patience.
Internal influences
Some children have internal problems that affect their ability to swallow, or they suffer from gastroesophageal reflux.
To confirm that the problems are internal and not related to breastfeeding problems, you need to speak to a doctor.
Reduce the risk of ingestion
In no time, your baby will be able to eat and drink without your help. In the meantime, here are tips to help you reduce the risk of choking:
- Don’t put your baby down immediately after you’ve fed him. Hold it up. In the event of reflux, your child can cough or vomit without risk.
- You should never let your child drink from the bottle unsupervised.
- Keep your baby’s crib near you for the first six to seven months.
With these simple recommendations you can reduce the risk of dangerous situations. Still, if you notice more serious problems, you shouldn’t hesitate to ask a specialist.
