Handling when a newborn baby chokes milk for mothers taking care of the first 3 months of life

A baby choking on milk while eating is a situation that can happen to any infant when his or her digestive system is still incomplete. Mother taking care of the first year of life needs to master how to handle the danger that can threaten the baby's life.

What should mothers do when babies are choking on milk?

One of the most common phenomena with babies, especially in the first 3 months of life is choking on milk. Children may choke on breastmilk or bottle milk for many reasons (it may be from a baby but also due to the mother's improper feeding of milk).

But the most common causes of choking on a baby are:

- I have gastrointestinal problems such as a problem with chewing and swallowing food, causing the esophagus to block. From there, the baby easily choked, coughed or wheezed while eating milk.

Children have physical delays or heart and lung problems.

- The flow of milk is too strong or too fast to make the baby swallow the milk in time.

- Mom pulled the nipple out of the baby's mouth suddenly while the baby was still sucking.

- Your baby has gas.

- The mother gave the baby milk in the wrong position, not in the right way.

- The amount of breastmilk given to the baby is too much for the baby to receive.

- In case your baby eats bottle milk, it is very likely that the baby will choke the milk because the nipple size is not suitable for the baby, causing the milk to flow too hard, the baby can not suckle.

My baby is choking on milk often, how should mothers help children prevent?

When you see your baby choking on milk, regardless of whether the baby is breastfed or bottle-fed, the mother should note the following to help prevent the baby from choking again.

1. Adjust the milk flow accordingly. If your baby is breastfed, the mother can press the area around the nipple to slow down the flow of milk. If the baby is bottle-feeding, mothers should check to see if the nipple hole is too big for the baby's suckling level.

2. Adjust your baby's position to breastfeed. It is best to hold the baby to eat milk from a sitting position. Set the child at 45 degrees. You can put a pillow under your arm and put your baby on a thin pillow.

3. With a bottle-fed baby, mothers need to make sure the milk is always covering the nipple. When eating, the baby needs to suck the nipple completely and tilt the bottle up about 45 degrees.

4. The mother needs to burp the baby after each feeding. You can carry the baby or hold the baby in a sitting position and then use your hand to stroke the baby's spine.

5. The mother always has to observe if the baby has phlegm or not, when he sleeps, he breathes normally or makes a strange sound.

6. If the mother has followed the above steps and the baby still chokes on the milk , she needs to send her to a doctor to find out the cause.

How should mothers handle an infant choking?

First, the mother needs to put the baby on his side (absolutely do not hold the baby up in an upright position). Then let the baby's head lower than the body to prevent milk from accumulating in the mouth or throat. Wipe the milk around the mouth or nose if the baby is spitting up the nose.

In case the baby turns purple because of choking on the milk, the mother needs to follow these steps:

Place the baby on his stomach (the head is lower than the body), hold the child's chin and neck with one hand, and the other hand bend and tap 5 times in the center of the child's shoulder blades.

If the baby is still cyanotic, put the baby on his or her back. The head is lower than the body, so the child's face is tilted to the side. Use your index and middle fingers to press in the center of your chest 5 times.

Seeing the milk flowing, the mother needs to get a clean towel for the baby. If your baby cries loudly and exhales hard, it means he can breathe. At this time, you should take your baby to the doctor so that the doctor can check the child's condition.

In case the child's face is still purple, the mother continues to perform 5 back pats and 5 chest presses alternately as above and then quickly take the child to the emergency.

See more:

Eating again is spitting up milk - How to handle this when the baby is sick?

Infants have reflux - Cause and effective remedy

Calmly handle when newborn babies choke on breastmilk, all need to know