How to handle milk choking in newborns

Choking on milk is an extremely dangerous yet very common accident in newborns, and its consequences can be very serious if not dealt with promptly. So parents should immediately do the following if a baby chokes badly on milk:

1. Back blows: Quickly place your baby face down with the head lower than the body. Support your baby's head with the face turned to the side and give 5 firm blows in a row between the shoulder blades, in a downward and forward direction. Afterwards, gently turn your baby over to see whether they can breathe on their own and whether their skin is pinker. If not, move on to chest thrusts.

2. Chest thrusts: Keep your baby lying on their back and use the 2nd and 3rd fingers of your left hand to press straight down on the lower third of the breastbone, about 1 finger-width just below the line between the 2 nipples. Press quickly at 1 press/second, 5 times in a row. Then check your baby; if they have still not recovered, continue back blows and chest thrusts until your baby shows signs of recovery.

3. Clear your baby's airway: Use a suction device to clear your baby's mouth and nose, mouth first, then nose.

If you are giving first aid at home and have no nasal/oral suction device, you can quickly suck it out with your mouth. Once your baby has recovered, still take them to the nearest medical facility for examination and further monitoring.

Reference: tudu.com.vn