Helping a choking baby
WHEN a baby chokes, a parent’s first reaction is usually to panic and then apply a few measures handed down from generation to generation to assist the child.
These recommendations vary. Some mothers say they have been taught to blow into the nose of a baby who starts to choke on milk. However, paediatrician Dr Anona Griffith said before any home remedy is administered, you must first identify that the baby is indeed choking – which refers to the partial or complete obstruction of the airways, and which can occur with anything from small objects to food, including milk.
“Babies naturally at a certain age have a tendency to put things in their mouths. It is part of their exploring. The first thing to do is to prevent it, which is not to leave small objects like hair clips and hair beads within their reach. Batteries, sweeties and peanuts should not be given to small children. Tablets and medications should be locked away. However, choking can occur in the safest settings.”
The paediatrician added that choking can be indicated by coughing, the inability to speak, a weak cry, inability to breathe or difficulty breathing, children turning blue – face, lips and tongue, their ribs and chest pulling inwards, and in severe cases, loss of consciousness.
She said choking on milk is common and usually happens when you have babies puking up or vomiting.
“Some ways include milk coming through their mouth and nose or the baby coughing while feeding,” she said.
She said when this occurs you should turn the baby on the side to let the milk, since it’s liquid, run through the nose, or turn the baby completely over, face down, to allow the clearing of the airway. After doing this you should observe the baby and see if he or she is turning blue, and call for help from your medical emergency team if necessary.
“You must feel for the alertness of the baby. Once the baby starts to decompensate or become unresponsive you go into CPR, which involves rescue breathing and chest compression,which is more complicated. So you need to call your emergency provider to get the baby to the hospital,” she said.
For babies who are choking on other objects, Dr Griffith said if the baby has a strong cough you don’t need to try to force the object out.
“If you try to push your fingers in and force the object out, you might actually push it further down and cause more damage. So if they are coughing actively, try not to force out the object,” she said.
She said in this instance, if the baby is small enough to be held in your hands, you should hold the baby downwards, face down on your forearm where the jaw is resting on your fingers or chest resting on your forearm, and administer five back blows by hitting in between the shoulder blades with the palm of the hand that is not holding the baby.
“The baby’s head should be held lower than their body and after you do that, turn the baby over. If the object doesn’t come out with the first five blows, turn the baby face up and support the head. Put two fingers in the middle of the breastbone – between the nipples – and give five quick thrusts downward compressing the chest about halfway downwards, then turn back the baby over and start again with the five blows.”
For an older child, place the child in front of you, place your arms around the waist of the child, and use abdominal thrusts to dislodge the object.
“Place your fingers above the navel of the child and thrust upward,” she said.
If the object is dislodged you must still get medical help as it is possible that damage might have occurred in the airways.
You can try to prevent your children from choking on food by encouraging them not to eat too fast, or laugh or talk while eating.
If the child loses consciousness and becomes unresponsive or stops breathing, you need to administer CPR. She stressed the need for parents to know basic CPR.
“The whole risk of choking is that if oxygen is cut off for more than four minutes, the risk of brain damage increases, and suffocation by choking is a known cause of death,” Dr Griffith said.
