What To Do If The Baby Chokes On Milk?
When you’re a mother, one of the hardest experiences to face is when you don’t know what to do in a situation, especially if the baby chokes on milk, whether it’s mother or bottle. Asphyxia is not an uncommon case during early childhood. In fact, it’s a more frequent situation than it sounds.
Certainly, being a mother for the first time means facing many new things in relation to child care and protection. At these times, it is important to know how to distinguish potentially dangerous situations that could affect the health of mother and child.
Especially when it comes to first-time mothers, you need to keep a calm demeanor and react promptly. If the baby chokes on milk, the panic will not help at all, on the contrary, it may even prevent the solution, putting the children’s health at risk.
What to do if the child chokes on milk?
In addition to trying to remain calm at all times, there are some tips that can be followed:
- Immediately place the child on the mother’s legs, face down.
- Gently but firmly tap the child’s back with the palm of your hand to provoke a cough.
- That should be enough. The induced cough should clear the airway.
However, it may happen that the child chokes on something solid. In these cases, parents can use what is known as the Heimlich Maneuver. It is important to note that this procedure can only be applied to children older than 12 months.
Heimlich maneuver
- To perform this procedure, you need to sit down and surround the child with your arms.
- Place your hands on your solar plexus or in the pit of your stomach.
- Then move your hands progressively over each other and exert pressure.
- The pressure exerted between the chest and the navel will expel the object or piece of food that was clogging the airway.
Other techniques
- Lay the child face-up on the floor or a hard surface.
- Apply pressure with your hands on top of each other in the area between your sternum and your navel.
- Press into the chest with five compressions.
If that doesn’t solve the problem, call the emergency service as soon as possible. It’s important to have all the relevant numbers in an accessible location, as your memory will likely fail in a situation like this.
Causes of Asphyxia
Asphyxia can happen due to several factors. Some of them are things we can avoid, while others have to do with your little body that has just formed. If you notice that your child chokes frequently, it’s best to talk to the pediatrician. He will make the best decision for this problem.
External factors that cause the baby to choke on milk
When a child is breastfed, milk flows directly into the throat. In some cases it is possible that the flow of breast milk is too strong. However, this situation can be resolved by pressing the nipple or pumping some milk before breastfeeding the baby.
The correct way to breastfeed prevents the child from choking on the milk. Therefore, it is essential to ensure the correct position of the child in relation to the mother’s breast.
To do this, make sure the child’s belly is facing the mother’s belly, while her nose must point toward the nipple. This position will allow the child to drink the milk correctly.
If, on the other hand, the child is bottle-feeding, it may be that the milk flow is too fast. Very young children cannot adapt on their own. Fortunately, this situation can be resolved with patience.
Internal factors
Some children may have internal conditions that affect their ability to swallow, or it may be easier for them to cause gastroesophageal reflux, ie, the stomach contents return to the mouth.
To verify that the problem is internal and not related to eating problems, it is necessary to talk to a doctor.
Care to reduce the risk of suffocation in children
Before long, the child will be able to eat and drink without the help of an adult. To help, it is advisable to follow these tips in order to avoid a situation where your child might choke on milk:
- Do not let the child lie down after breastfeeding, it is better to keep him in an upright position. If reflux occurs, the child may cough or vomit without risk.
- It is necessary to prevent the child from taking the bottle unsupervised.
- Keep the child’s crib close to the parents for at least the first six or seven months.
With these simple recommendations, we can reduce the risk of this small incident in babies. Anyway, if you notice more serious problems, such as reflux due to internal factors, don’t hesitate to consult a professional as soon as possible.
