Seeing baby grow and develop is the dream of all parents. That is why they do their best to meet their needs and protect them. Now, when these little ones begin to crawl, they tend to carry everything to their mouths, including coins and small objects, which risk stifling them. To save your baby, if ever this happens, here is the Heimlich technique used by rescuers.
How to know that baby is choking?
There are several signs that can alert you that your baby is choking:
- He has an expression of discomfort or distress on his face
- He has his mouth open and can not speak or make a sound
- It struggles to breathe and emits acute sounds by inspiring
- He holds his throat in his hands
- It does not breathe, does not cough and turns red or even blue
- He has a squeeze but nothing comes out of his mouth
- He loses consciousness.
What to do when my baby is less than a year choking: The Heimlich technique
The first thing to do when your baby has an object that clogs his or her airways and that he coughs to expel him is not to shake him or hit him in the back. Just keep an eye on him. On the other hand, if he can not breathe, open his mouth to see if it is possible to see the object and remove it. Above all, do not push your finger into your baby's throat, for fear of pushing the object even further.
Then take your baby and place it on your stomach, on your arm, so that it passes between your legs and your hand supports his face. You can also use your thigh for more support. Lean your baby down, then with the bottom of your palm, give 5 firm and quick steps between his shoulder blades.
If the object still does not come out, turn your baby gently on his back, passing it on the other arm. By leaning her head down and supporting her at the neck, place two fingers under the sternum, down the line connecting the nipples. Press firmly while pushing towards the groove, to push the blocked object out. Repeat this gesture 5 times by checking your baby's mouth to see if the object has been moved and can be removed
Continue to alternate between back pads and chest compressions until the baby's airway is clear.
Baby has more than a year: how to react?
If your baby is more than a year old and your back is not working, place your child in front of you so that your back is against your bust. Form a point with your hand and place it just above her navel and cover it with your second hand. Make 5 quick, firm thrusts inward and top of the abdomen to expel the stuck object. Alternate between these pushes and the steps between the shoulder blades.
If your baby loses consciousness, you should call the rescue immediately and perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation while awaiting their arrival.
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation for baby
Place your little one on a hard surface, positioning yourself perpendicularly to his chest. Place one hand under his chin and another on his forehead, and tilt his head gently backwards to clear his airways. Lay your lips around her nose and open mouth and blow gently, making sure her chest is lifted. Let it drain before resuming. Do 5 repetitions, then 15 compressions at the sternum, pressing hard until pushing nearly a third of the thickness of the chest.
Alternate between 15 compressions and 2 breaths mouth-to-mouth until the arrival of rescue. If your baby regains consciousness, or begins to cough or breathe, put it in a lateral position and hold it firmly to help it breathe normally.
To reduce the risk of suffocation, be vigilant in feeding and supervising baby, even when breast-fed. Also avoid giving him hard candy or letting him play with objects too small.