Important First Aid for Moms: When your Baby Chokes

Choking is an emergency case though happens not very often. If not treated properly and promptly, it can cause complications, side effects, and pathological consequences. It might cause death in a short time.

When some unexpected happens such as children swallow some fruit seeds like custard apples or peanut while playing, a foreign object might enter and block the respiratory tract. The patient will choke, cough heavily, and breathe with difficulty. The severity varies depending on the size and type of the foreign object, including the location of the object and the age of the patient. In young children, the respiratory tract is tiny. Even a little obstruction may cause a severe symptom that leads to death.

If your baby chokes, parents must not be panic. You shouldn’t use your hand to retrieve food or the object directly from the baby’s throat. If the baby suffocates from choking until his or her lips turn green from the lack of breath, this is an emergency and can kill the baby in mere minutes. In this case, Heimlich method is recommended. Get your child to sit, leaning forward slightly. Mom stands behind the baby. Use both arms to wrap around the body underarms. Place your fist under xiphoid cartilage. Press on the position quickly to allow the pressure to push the foreign object out of the larynx. In children younger than a year, back percussion can be applied. The patients should be sent to the hospital immediately after the first aid.