Being a new mother, sometimes you may encounter the situation where your baby chokes on milk. This happens because you lack experience in feeding your baby, and it is easy for your baby to choke on milk accidentally. So why does your baby choke on milk? Seeing your baby's painful expression when they choke, are you worried? Below, I will teach you some emergency methods to deal with your baby choking on milk!
What is choking on milk?
Choking on milk occurs when the baby's swallowing function is not fully developed, and the milk enters the airway during regurgitation because the trachea is not closed. It is important to note that if the milk in the baby's respiratory tract cannot be coughed out in time, it can easily lead to airway obstruction, resulting in breathing difficulties and even choking to death.
Emergency methods for baby choking on milk
1. Positional drainage
If your baby chokes after being fed, you should place your baby on their side or lie them down with their face to one side to prevent milk from flowing into the airway. If choking occurs immediately after feeding, first tilt the child's upper body forward at 45-60 degrees, and then place them in a prone position on the parent's legs, which helps the milk in the airway to flow out.
2. Clearing the oral cavity
You can use an automatic breast pump to suck out foreign objects from the mouth. Specifically, insert the soft tube of the breast pump into the throat and suck out the milk and vomit. If you don't have a breast pump, you can also use a manual method: wrap a piece of gauze around your finger, insert it into the baby's throat, and suck out the milk. This can prevent the milk from entering the airway again and causing danger.
3. Stimulate the baby to cry
When a baby chokes on milk, they may remain quiet. In such cases, it is recommended for the mother to gently pat the baby's back or soles of their feet, or even pinch or twist the baby slightly to make them cry in pain. This helps to expel the milk from the airway and maintain smooth breathing.
4. Compress the upper abdomen
When choking occurs, you can try compression. Place your hands on the child's upper abdomen and push towards the head, increasing abdominal pressure and forcing the milk in the airway to spray out. When you release your hands, the baby can also inhale oxygen. Repeat this method several times to relieve symptoms such as choking and asphyxia. At the same time, call an ambulance and seek medical treatment.
How to prevent choking on milk?
1. Don't wait until the baby is hungry to feed them
Don't wait until your baby is very hungry to feed them, as they may eat too quickly and easily choke on milk.
2. Control the amount of milk
If you are breastfeeding, before breastfeeding, you should check the degree of breast engorgement and milk expression. If there is too much milk, you can press around the areola with your thumb and middle finger to control the amount of milk and prevent the milk from rushing too hard, causing the baby to choke. The feeding time should be around 20 minutes.
3. Don't let the baby lie flat while feeding
Breastfeeding babies should lie at an angle of 30-45 degrees in the mother's arms, instead of lying flat on the bed to feed. Formula-fed babies should also not lie flat and should be positioned at an incline, with the bottle positioned higher than the nipple. Feeding while lying flat can easily cause the liquid to reflux into the airway.
4. Allow the baby to feed peacefully
Do not disturb the baby while they are feeding. Playing with the baby at this time can cause them to smile, which may open the airway and easily lead to choking. Similarly, do not feed the baby while they are crying.
Mothers, have you learned these emergency methods for baby choking on milk? In daily life, we should feed our children correctly and try to avoid choking on milk, so that our little ones will not suffer so much. Here, I wish all the babies a healthy and happy growth.
