Despite the advent of adapted infant formula, breast milk is still the best food for a newborn baby. It is ideal for its intestines, is completely digested by a fragile organism, saturating it with vitamins and mineral elements necessary for the full growth and development of crumbs. And also natural feeding gives minutes of communication between mother and baby and establishes a special emotional connection between them. And it is unfortunate that these moments are overshadowed when the baby chokes on breast milk while feeding. We will tell you why this is happening and how to deal with it in our article.
Why is the baby choking on breast milk?
During pregnancy, every expectant mother worries about whether her lactation will be sufficient. But after childbirth, some women encounter another problem - strong flushing of milk to the nipple during feeding. As a consequence of this condition, the baby begins to hastily and noisily swallow, choke, cry and cough. Some children squeeze the nipple to somehow slow down the flow of milk.
So, the main reasons why a baby chokes on breast milk during feeding is as follows:
- a strong rush of milk during sucking;
- hyperlactation;
- greedy breastfeeding by an infant with severe hunger;
- nasal congestion in a child;
- choosing the wrong posture for feeding;
- weak swallowing reflex in a newborn;
As another reason for choking a baby with breast milk, some mothers call "weak" nipples. Of these, the liquid pours literally into the river, and the child simply does not have time to swallow it. As a result, the baby quits sucking, but since he is still hungry, he begins a real hysteria.
How to fix the problem
If a newborn baby chokes on breast milk while feeding, he certainly needs help. But the solution to the problem depends entirely on the cause that caused it. The following measures help most moms:
- expressing milk before feeding;
- choosing the right and comfortable posture;
- control the flow of milk during feeding;
- breastfeeding on demand.
It is important that in the room where the mother feeds the baby, there should be a calm atmosphere. Extraneous noise and people around act on the child as irritants, as a result of which he can easily choke.
Do I need to express milk before feeding?
It would seem that if lactation is established, and at each feeding the baby receives as much milk as it can suck at a time, then there is no need for additional decantation. But it is not so.
If the baby chokes while breastfeeding and coughs at the same time, then you can help him only by reducing the flow of fluid from the nipple. It is enough for mom to express a small amount of front milk before each baby is applied to her breast. It is more liquid, and it is for them that the baby chokes on feeding. Back milk is more nutritious, oily and thick. His baby will be enough to get enough.
By the way, you can express directly during feeding. As soon as mom feels a strong rush of milk, she can pick up her breasts and express a serving in a prepared container. When the tide is over, the child will be able to continue eating.
Choosing a comfortable posture for feeding your baby
Most moms feed their babies lying on their backs. In fact, practice shows that it is in this situation that the baby most often crumbs and chokes on breast milk. When feeding a child, a tantrum begins, he refuses to take a breast, and mother is forced to offer him a bottle with a mixture. It is for this reason that some women completed breastfeeding and completely switched to artificial.
So that the child does not choke and does not choke on milk, it is enough to choose a different position for eating. Ideally, the baby's mouth should be located higher than the nipple. Then the pressure of the stream can be reduced, since the milk will pour up, not down. For example, while sitting, a mother can hold her baby in her arms, folding them with a cradle and leaning back on the couch.
How to cope with a stuffy nose in a newborn?
Any discomfort that the infant feels while breastfeeding makes him abandon his breast. If the crumb has a nose, it will try to breathe through the mouth and at the same time eat. And since even an adult is hard enough to do this, the baby will surely refuse food and begin to cry. If, in addition to this, the mother has a strong rush to the nipple, then the situation will arise when the baby chokes on breast milk while feeding.
In this case, it is recommended to rinse the nose with a solution of sea salt before offering the baby a tiny breast. You can buy it at the pharmacy or cook it yourself. Perhaps the baby will have to help pull the mucus out of the nose with a special tube. All recommendations on this subject can be obtained from your pediatrician.
What to do if a child chokes on milk: first aid
If the baby does not have time to swallow milk while the mother is feeding him from the breast, he begins to cough. This is a normal reaction of the body to the ingress of a foreign body into the respiratory tract. What should be done:
- Do not continue breastfeeding.
- Raise the baby vertically with a "column" so that he jumps faster.
- Turn the baby to his back and slightly bend forward. Pat the baby on the back.
All these measures must be remembered and applied when the baby is choking on breast milk.
Komarovsky E.O. - a well-known pediatrician and author of numerous books for parents about the upbringing and health of babies - gives a number of recommendations on what to do if a child suffocates when a foreign body enters his respiratory tract:
- Take the baby with his left hand under the chest, tilt it so that the head is below the rest of the body, make 5 claps on the back with the right palm.
- Put the crumbs on a flat horizontal surface. With two fingers of the left hand (middle and forefinger), press the baby in the center of the chest.
- Repeat the steps described in paragraphs 1 and 2 one after another several times until a foreign body can be removed from the mouth.
It is worth noting that all the recommendations of Dr. Komarovsky apply to the situation when a child chokes on solid food.
Do I need to see a doctor?
If the reason why the baby is choking on breast milk while feeding is managed to be determined and eliminated on its own, you can not specifically contact the pediatrician. It will be enough only to tell the doctor about this at the next scheduled visit to the clinic. But if the child often chokes, swallows air and burps, then the problem may not be in a hurry with food. Perhaps the baby will need to be examined additionally to identify diseases and make a diagnosis.