7 week baby choking

[dreamerkr]

My 7 week old DS randomly started choking (well, we think so anyway) 2 hours after feeding and straight after we changed him. We think he started choking but we’re not too sure. After his feed he didn’t burp as he usually does (bottle fed). It took a minute or 2 for him to get his breath back properly and it was scary. We brought him to A&E where the wait for the doctor is 10 hours! Nurse checked his obs which all are normal. BP, heart rate, temp etc all normal and good and nurse said he seems fine. Doctor wait would be up to 10 hours longer. We’re going home because baby seems absolutely fine and he’s feeding as normal etc. I’m still scared but baby seems normal tbh. Is this normal or should I have waited to be seen by a doctor? I’m going to definitely call GP on Monday.

I was thinking reflux but I’m not sure. He seems fine which is why we’re going back home but I’m still scared… it was so scary. Is it normal in babies? I would think it to be normal if it was straight after feeding but it wasn’t. Could it be because he didn’t burp?

Is this your first baby? I don't mean that in a patronising way because first or fifteenth i would have reacted the same way as you. In fact my baby choked on his own baby sick at a few months old and we had to call
999. The reason I ask is because it wasn't until after kids I learnt that choking is silent or a high pitched sound and if they're coughing/gagging/making noise then they're not choking. They're in fact dealing with the blockage... even though it still sounds scary.

Yes, this is my first baby and I’m always so stressed and worried especially after I’ve had recurrent miscarriages. He wasn’t making much noise but only a little bit and I’m not even sure if he was choking tbh. It sounded like choking but also like he’s getting scared of something if that makes sense? Like a high pitched sound. So scary! Which blockage?

Completely understandable. By blockage I meant whatevers stuck that they're choking on.
After my son choked I booked myself in on a Daisy First Aid course, I think they're national but I'm sure there are lots others too. I as very expensive, especially for how crucial the things they teach you are. You can either go to one of their sessions, or you can even book a private one at home and have everyone who will ever be looking after your baby in the future attend. I.e. dad, grandparents etc.
If this has really shaken you, it might be worth looking in to, particularly before weaning begins

Sorry - typo - it wasn't very expensive*

Thank you so much, I’ll definitely look into it. Do you think it was baby choking though? We’re back home now and baby seems absolutely fine and is feeding well, but I’m still so scared and I don’t know how I’m going to sleep tonight. I want baby next to me and not in his cot 🥺 does this happen a lot in newborns?

@dreamerkr That must have been so scary. You did the right thing to go to the hospital and the triage nurse checked him.

I will post a link that has some helpful information.

Like a pp, I did paediatric 1st aid too. It is well worth it and will give you peace of mind that you will know what to do in an emergency.

It’s very normal to worry about your baby and to have parental anxiety. It does get easier as they get older because you learn more and more.

Take care, get some sleep. If you really want to keep an eye on him throughout the night can you and your partner take it in shifts? So you both can get some sleep. 💖

www.thebump.com/a/what-to-do-when-baby-is-choking

Thank you so much 🥺

Baby seems fine today but I’m still so scared 🥺

Choking is so scary, isn’t it?
A first aid course is a good idea, but until you can arrange to do that I would encourage you to download the Paediatric First Aid app free from British Red Cross. You will find it in the App Store or equivalent. It’s very easy to read the different emergency health situations and watch to short videos that should help your confidence. Once downloaded it will be available anytime, even when you don’t have WiFi/data.

Gagging is noisy - basically air is still getting to lungs and their body is working to get whatever is blocking their qirway out of the way.

Choking is silent usually, aa it means their airway is completely blocked its important to understand the difference. Definitely recommend booking on to a baby first aid course.

I'm not trying to be goady, but what is it you are still so scared of?

I’m scared of it happening again 🥺 I don’t know if it was choking or gagging but he was gasping for air. At the same time it sounded like he was getting scared of something if you get what I mean?

If there was noise it was probably gagging. Babies gag reflex is much farther forward in the mouth than in adults, ready for weaning at 6 months. Gagging is really important as it is the babies way of learning how to deal with substances in their mouth, and keepijg their airway clear. Most gagging episodes baby will deal with themselves, choking is what you have to watch for as you will nerd to help.

And in the nicest possible way, you need to get this anxiety under control before weaning at 6 months as your baby will gag and probably choke on food at some point. You need to be prepared to deal with it when it happens and not pass this anxiety on to your baby

What are the differences between gagging and choking? I feel like I have no idea about any of this. 🥺 it was just so scary and it was the first time it happened

My DS did this at a similar age. He went blue. We called an ambulance. First responder came, by which time he was fine and crying. Was diagnosed with silent reflux later on. He slept in a bouncer for a little while while we sorted meds.

This happened to me when my DD was a newborn. It seriously put the fear of god in me and I didn't want to sleep at night incase it happened to her again. It shook me for a good couple of weeks. It never happened again thankfully. My daughter was fine after this. First aid course is a good idea. Make sure you are burping baby properly to avoid them being sick when laying flat. It gets better

To be clear, they thought he had brought back some milk and breathed it in as he was lying down on his back. He was choking on it, struggling to breathe.
I understand how scary it is. X

Main one is gagging is noisy and choking is often silent

Yes kinda, but it was 2 hours after feeding.

Hi there… sorry. Years later… what was the outcome? DD going through exact same at 8 weeks and so terrified of aspiration / pneumonia in lungs. Really sounds terrifying and at every feed. Affecting our days. Sorry if post is too late.

Hey @Cmuxx I’m not the OP but once we sorted meds for DS he was absolutely fine. He grew out of it. He’s now a strapping 14 year old, but I remember how scary it was at the time. He slept sitting in his bouncer for a while.