Why does a newborn baby always choke when feeding? What should I do if I choke when feeding?

The baby's swallowing ability is still developing. If the mother is not careful, the baby may choke when feeding, which seriously affects the baby's normal growth and development. So why does the newborn always choke when feeding? What should I do if I choke when feeding?

What to do if your newborn keeps choking while eating milk

When feeding, try not to wait until the baby is particularly hungry before feeding, so as to avoid the baby choking due to eating too quickly.

If the mother has enough milk, she can pinch the nipple with her index and middle fingers when breastfeeding, commonly known as the "scissor hand" shape, to allow the milk to come out more slowly, so as to prevent the milk flow from being too large.

Or when there is too much milk, stop feeding, press the nipple with both hands, rub it gently to let it come back before feeding the baby.

Try to feed while sitting down, hold the baby diagonally, raise the baby's head slightly, and let him relax. Then pat his back gently to let him breathe comfortably.

Why newborns always choke when feeding

In the first three months, babies have poor swallowing ability. Sometimes the milk comes too fast and they don't have time to swallow it, which can cause choking. If breastfeeding is used, the mother can hold the breast with one hand in a V shape to slow down the milk flow. The mother can also pull out the nipple when the baby is halfway through feeding. If bottle-feeding is used, a small nipple can be selected, and the bottle can be placed flatter when feeding, so that the milk flow rate will be slower.

Correct feeding posture for newborns

There are two common feeding positions: lying and holding. No matter which position you take to feed, you need to put the entire nipple and areola into the baby's mouth, which helps reduce the probability of nipple cracking.

After feeding, you can apply breast milk to the nipples, which is also helpful to prevent nipple cracking. When the breast milk flow rate is too fast, the mother can pinch the areola with her hands to help control the breast milk flow rate.