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3 week old choked on breastmilk advice please!!

12 replies

Sawa75 · 06/05/2021 07:20

Just looking for reassurance I guess. My almost 3 week old EBF baby had a choking episode last night on left breast. It seems to have a faster flow and I've read about position/oversupply and will act on this in future. He was in a lying down position so that wouldn't have helped. It happened a few minutes into the feed. Anyway he started making gasping high pitched sounds trying to inhale. I wasnt as quick as I would have liked getting him leaning forward (I'm still very new and very conscious of head and neck support) when I got him leaning forward he continued gasping- maybe ten or so seconds in total between both positions (time seemed to slow down though i was panicking when he didn't recover straight away after leaning forward) and then he recovered and started breathing normally ( no coughing though). Has this happened to anyone? Is my baby ok? Not breathing for 10 seconds (or so it seemed with the high pitched gasping) - could this have caused oxygen deprivation/ brain damage? He has seemed fine afterwards and now but he's onky 3 weeks so I cant ask him is he OK.

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SmednotaSmoo · 06/05/2021 07:23

Oh I remember doing that with mine. Of course I am Not A Doctor but all my children have had the choking thing on overflow and are fine now, but I remember the terror the first time it happened.

My flow calmed down/baby got bigger and easier at having enough and swallowing it and it gets so much easier soon.

Congratulations on your little one!

MsChatterbox · 06/05/2021 07:25

In my experience of parenting I would say your baby is fine and no long term damage done here. My let down is very full on too. Can you feel when your letdown happens? If so take baby off for a few moments and put something over nipple to catch the intense letdown and then put baby back on. It should calm down/baby handle it better with age. Also think about gravity, for example if baby is laying on you tummy tummy it will be less intense then if baby is laying on the bed and you are leaning over to feed. You sound like you reacted great. It probably felt slow to you but in reality you helped your baby just as you needed to.

Northernsoullover · 06/05/2021 07:25

Its a long time since I breastfed but do nipple shields help slow the flow?

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Sawa75 · 06/05/2021 07:27

Maybe it was slightly longer than ten seconds I dont know :-(

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Namechangenumber2000 · 06/05/2021 07:27

When it happens blow on their face. Don't know why it worked but midwives and health visitors showed me it. My ds was always choking on milk or reflux

rattlemehearties · 06/05/2021 07:29

It's not choking, of course no oxygen deprivation! Blimey. It's the surprise/shock. @MsChatterbox reply above is perfect

Sawa75 · 06/05/2021 07:35

Thanks for the comments and advice! I will definitely be mindful of position in future. I'm not sure about being aware of let down....i can ell hes getting a good amount by the feeling but he has managed it fine in the past. The right side doesn't seem to produce as much or as fast so I suppose I thought it was a good thing he was getting more on the left as he sucks hungrily and I didnt worry about the flow (until now)

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Bul21ia · 06/05/2021 07:39

Hi OP. It’s awful when newborns especially starting choking or coughing during a feed. It makes your heart skip a beat. I think it does happen and your baby will be fine.

Sawa75 · 06/05/2021 07:49

I'm sorry if it seems OTT I'm a FTM just looking for experiences of other mothers. It definitely seemed like choking, high pitched sound when trying to inhale like airway blocked

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NewMum0305 · 06/05/2021 07:53

One thing I was taught when doing a paediatric first aid course in preparing for weaning my daughter (a group of us NCT friends did it together) was that choking is silent - what nervous parents often refer to as choking is gagging, which is the child trying to clear the obstruction and is a good thing.

Appreciate you’re talking about a much younger baby and breastfeeding but the principle would remain the same.

If your baby was making a high pitch sound, they won’t have been choking and what you describe wouldn’t have resulted in oxygen deprivation or any brain damage x

ChateauMargaux · 06/05/2021 07:56

I remember someone describing this as similar to asking an adult to lie down under a garden tap and drink from it while it is on full.

The laid back feeding position might help as it alows the baby to move it's own head and reposition if needed. Copied from a breastfeeding group...

Biological nurturing or natural breastfeeding allows mother and baby to respond to the primitive reflexes of a newborn where they paddle their feet to move up towards the breast, use their hand to stimulate the 4th intercostal nerves below the breast and their heads are free to move from side to side to find the nipple.

The mother is in a laid back supported position, with her arms free. The baby is supported by her body. This position is relaxing for the mother and does not require additional supports like breastfeeding pillows, foot stools etc. By reclining, she is supported by the sacrum and not putting pressure on the perineum or the sitz bones which can help after a painful delivery.

Gravity holds the baby in a face down position with their torso in contact with the mother with their hands, feet and head free to move. Other holds restrict their movement and holding their head can impact the nerves that operate the face and tongue muscles needed for feeding.

This wonderful video shows a baby demonstrating the reflexes and doing what is commonly called the ‘breast crawl’. It is important to remember that babies keep these reflexes and can use them at every feed, weeks down the line, even if they do not do the breast crawl when they are born.

This video shows biological nursing in practice and shows a number of women being observed by Nancy Mohrbacher, one of the ‘Grandes Dames’ of breastfeeding.
www.naturalbreastfeeding.com/

Dr Suzanne Colson is the other great voice in this field.

www.biologicalnurturing.com/assets/articles/Colson%202007%20non%20prescriptive%20recipe%20for%20BF.pdf

Fleetw00d · 06/05/2021 09:49

It's very scary when this happens, it happens quite a lot for me on my right side she just gets all caught and spluttery. Sitting her up helps so she's sitting on my thigh legs dangling off the sofa and then her back propped in my arm, it's easier in a chair with arms so they can be fully up right and propped. I normally can sense when it's about to happen now, she'll stop sucking and just be holding milk in her mouth so I tip her forward and she dribbles some out and shallows the rest. Sometimes a bit of gasping and a little cough but then wants more milk. The first time it happened though I freaked out and even now find it really scary, but she's totally fine so try not to worry!

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