Choking during BF

[Missy S]

Hi all mummies,

When I am latching on my baby, sometimes he is choking while sucking my milk... Is that normal? When that happens, I immediately lift him to sit upright, then burp him. Does any of you had the same experience before? What is the reason for this?

Also when he is sucking, he let out a loud breathing sound... As if he is grasping for air. But, he continue to suck and drinks his milk... so should I be alarmed?

 

[adelynn]

my girl had the same problem in her first few weeks, LC said that my milk flow was too fast for my girl. To counter this, she has asked me to lean backwards a little to slow down the milk flow to prevent this from happening - and it worked.

in addition, newborns need time to coordinate drinking & breathing so give them some time to learn.

As my girl grew older, she got used to the milk flow and did not choke any more

 

[henny]

same here. my gal also had this experience during her 1st few weeks. Like you, I would immediately sit her up and burp her. she gradually outgrew this choking phase.

:wong19:

 

[Missy S]

Glad to know that it is normal for newborn... Cos I was a bit worried whenever he was sucking.

Thanks for sharing

 

[asphyxia27]

hihi, my girl normally BF on my left side..whenever i try the right side, she will 'choke' n look like she wan to vomit out...but nothing come out..
is there any problem on my right side?

 

[kujiramama]

asphyxia27 mama i got the same problem as u.. but in my case is right side instead of left.. my ger does not seem interested in my left side, also will choke and leak out the milk. Overall i'm not latching her on well. Does the length of the nipples play a part? My CL said my nipples are too short..

 

[Missy S]

hihi, my girl normally BF on my left side..whenever i try the right side, she will 'choke' n look like she want to vomit out...but nothing come out..
is there any problem on my right side?

Hi asphyxia27, initially my right breast milk supply is always more than the left and my baby will be choking whenever I feed him on my right. So, I will always make him sit upright and try to burp him to allow the milk to flow down his stomach faster. Newborn babies will tends to make gagging and choking sounds, as they are still not used to breathing through their noses.

There is no problem with your right side. You should alternate your breasts and not favor on one side only. As long as you keep on alternating them, the milk supply will slowly balance up.

 

[Missy S]

asphyxia27 mama i got the same problem as you.. but in my case is right side instead of left.. my ger does not seem interested in my left side, also will choke and leak out the milk. Overall i'm not latching her on well. Does the length of the nipples play a part? My CL said my nipples are too short..

Hi kujiramama, babies sometimes will show preference for one side of breast. Sometimes, because of the milk flow or the position suites them better. My boy always prefer right, but I will always make sure I latch him on left side too. You should not go along with their preference, always alternate your breasts.

For latching on, maybe you could check out these websites for more help.

PROPER POSITIONING AND LATCH-ON SKILLS

kellymom.com ::

When a Baby Refuses to Nurse: Problems that Can Lead to Breastfeeding Refusal and Possible Solutions

http://www.breastfeeding.com/all_abo...confusion.html

As for length of nipples, it does not affect the milk supply or latching on. Only inverted nipples might faced certain difficulties in latching on, but can be resolve with proper guidance.

I feel that those are old folks belief that you need to have long nipples to BF... don't worry

Just remember it takes a lot of practice and patience so just keep on latching on, and soon you and your baby will find the best latching on position. Jiayou!

 

[Mummy to Baby V]

Like what Adelynn said, try leaning backward. It could be a strong let down reflex, which leads to a gush of milk when baby latches on and sucks.

Another way is to manually express some milk out, then latch baby on after the let-down reflex, the flow would be more stable.

When baby dozes off during feeds, he can choke a little too.

 

[kujiramama]

Another question mummies,

I'm now using EBM to feed my ger during confinement. Is it too late to start latching after the confinement? I dun wan to stress myself out whenever my ger doesn't wan to latch on. When is considered too late for baby to latch on?

 

[lingerbell]

Another question mummies,

I'm now using EBM to feed my ger during confinement. Is it too late to start latching after the confinement? I dont want to stress myself out whenever my ger doesn't want to latch on. When is considered too late for baby to latch on?

I had difficulty in latching my boy during my confinement but I persevere and had to put up with his fussing. Finally at 6 weeks, he was breast feed exclusively so it is never too late. ancing_wub:

 

[Mummy to Baby V]

Another question mummies,

I'm now using EBM to feed my ger during confinement. Is it too late to start latching after the confinement? I dont want to stress myself out whenever my ger doesn't want to latch on. When is considered too late for baby to latch on?

It depends on baby as some are more prone to nipple confusion. When feeding EBM in the first 6 weeks, using cup, spoon or syringe to feed would help prevent nipple confusion.

To help baby latch on better, feed at the first sign of hunger, e.g. rooting reflex. Crying is a late hunger cue and baby would be too impatient to latch and wait for let-down reflex.

Breastfed babies need to learn to work hard to get their food (latch properly, induce and wait for let-down), so start as early as possible. Otherwise, you may have to express for every feed after confinement, which is very tiring.

 

[kujiramama]

Do any of you mummies feed on demand or follow strictly the 2hourly or 3 hourly timing? Which is better? Can mix? As in sometimes on demand, sometimes follow timing? Will it cause a lack of discipline in the baby?

 

[Mummy to Baby V]

Do any of you mummies feed on demand or follow strictly the 2hourly or 3 hourly timing? Which is better? Can mix? As in sometimes on demand, sometimes follow timing? Will it cause a lack of discipline in the baby?

Personally, I don't associate breastfeeding with discipline. My priority is to meet baby's demand for nutrition and comfort so that he can thrive physically, mentally and emotionally. Therefore, I always feed on demand and ensure baby empties the breast(s) and have a full feed.

After a few weeks or months, the baby would develop his own routine. Interestingly, my boy always cried for milk about every 2 hours in the day. During growth spurts, it was every 1 to 1.5 hours.

If you are concerned about baby being stuck to the breasts too often, then try to avoid letting him suckle to sleep. Unlatch when he has finished drinking and is only sucking for comfort.

 

[snowbear]

Hi, I used to have the same problem with my dd till she was about 5mths old. I learnt that that was because she was unable to cope with the fast flow of milk during the letdown as I had overactive letdown reflex.

What I used to do was anticipate her choking or gagging by quickly removing her at the first sign of choking since I can feel the letdown coming. Milk would be spraying everywhere from the nipple so have a small cloth ready to cover the breast then return the bb to the breast once flow has slowed down.