Previous post I’ve talked about how to handle choking baby. But do you know if you still do not dislodge the blockage, you must be ready to perform CPR (Cardio-pulmonary resuscitation) on the infant? CPR is a life-saving measure which could be vital if your baby stopped breathing, but how many of us would have the confidence to carry it out? Below shows step by step on how to perform CPR on a baby:
Ensure the airway is open.
Seal your lips around the baby’s mouth and nose.
Blow gently into the lungs, looking along the chest as you breathe. Fill your cheeks with air and use this amount each time.
As the chest rises, stop blowing and allow it to fall.
Repeat this 5 times.
Place the baby on a firm surface.
Locate a position in centre of the chest.
Using 2 fingers, press down sharply to a third of the depth of the chest.
Press 30 times, at a rate of 100 compressions per minute.
After 30 compressions, give 2 Rescue Breath.
Continue resuscitation (30 compressions to 2 rescue breath) without stopping until help arrives
Note:
If you have someone with you, send them to dial ‘999′ for an ambulance immediately.
If you are alone, carry out rescue breaths and chest compressions for 1 minute before taking the infant with you to call an ambulance.
Even if your baby seems to be fully recovered from the choking episode, take her to your doctor that day. You can have a look at the following video showing how to perform CPR on a baby that is less than 1 year old. CPR on toddler is a bit different from baby, the 2nd video below shows how to perform CPR on children.
There are many reasons why babies choke. For the most part, it has to do with their small bodies and lack of practice. Babies are most likely to choke when he or she is starting solids. Because the pureed food does not go down as easily as the milk or formula they are used to, it is easy for the food to get stuck in the back of their throats. Most breastfeeding mommies face the same problem when their baby chokes while breastfeeding.
Do you know what to do if your baby choking on milk or choking while feeding? Especially first time mommies do not know how to handle their newborn baby when they choke and you will scream for help “MY BABY IS CHOKING!”
If you’re at home alone, and there is no time to rush to the hospital. Your baby needs help immediately and what can you do?
The first thing to do is to not panic. Keep cool, and assess the situation. If the choking baby can still cry, then he or she is still breathing.
Then you can try:
Hold your baby so that he is lying face down along your forearm with his head lower than his body and his back and head supported.
Use the heel of your hand to give up to five back blows.
Check your baby’s mouth and remove any obvious obstructions. Do not use your finger to sweep inside his mouth - this could push the obstruction further into his throat.
If your baby is still unable to breathe, turn him onto his back and give up to five chest thrust.
Use two fingertips to push inwards and upwards (towards his head) against his breastbone, one finger’s width below his nipple line.
Try to dislodge the object with each thrust. Don’t automatically do all five.
Check your baby’s mouth after each thrust and remove the obstruction.
If the obstruction does not clear after three cycles of back blows and chest thrusts, dial 999 (or if you have direct emergency number) for an ambulance and continue giving your baby back blows and chest thrusts until help arrives. If the child loses consciousness, begin cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) while waiting for emergency crews to arrive.
We will further discuss on how to carry out CPR on your little baby in future post.
If you are still not clear about how to handle choking baby, you can have a look at below video. It shows clearly on how to dislodge the blockage of your baby.
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