When I was pregnant with my first boy, I was so excited to breastfeed my baby. I thought what I have learned in my academic life would be enough to make me a happy breastfeeding mom. The truth was that I had no idea what it feels like to be the only source of food for a little human who is still adapting to the world. You will every move you make and every food you eat with the fear that it will affect the baby. Your baby choking or gagging while breastfeeding is a nightmare for the new parents. But it is something that happens too often while feeding a newborn.
This article will discuss the reasons why the babies choke while breastfeeding, what to do if your baby chokes on breastmilk, and how to prevent such incidents.
CONTENT
1.  Why does my baby choke while breastfeeding?
2.  How to prevent my baby from choking while breastfeeding?
3.  When to be concerned about choking on breastmilk?
1. Why does my baby choke while breastfeeding?
The babies have immature neurological systems. Due to this reason, they have an exaggerated hyper-gag reflex. It actually protects the baby from potential hazards but causes too much gagging during the feeds. Therefore, it is normal for your baby to gag while eating. Their bodies are still learning to coordinate their systems, and as they grow up, this condition fades away.
One of the common causes of choking while breastfeeding is the high speed of milk flowing out from the mother’s breast. The milk comes out faster when the mother has an oversupply of breastmilk. La Leche League International (LLLI identifies restlessness at the breast, choking, coughing, gulping milk, and biting the nipple as signs of a fast flow of milk from the breast.
Some mothers experience over-reactive letdowns when their breasts are stimulated by the sucking done by the baby. This oxytocin forced fast letdowns are beyond the control of your baby. He might choke on breastmilk while trying to swallow more milk than he could handle.
2. How to prevent my baby from choking while breastfeeding?
The easiest way to protect your baby from choking while breastfeeding is to change the position you breastfeed. You can lay back on the bed or a chair to reduce the impact of gravity on your letdowns. Let the baby position in a more upright manner and latch properly to the breast.
If you know that you have an oversupply and a fast letdown, pull out your breast from the baby at short intervals so he can grasp a breath. Holding the breast out from the baby’s mouth during the first 20-30 seconds of the first letdown is another way to deal with choking on breastmilk.
You can follow the block feeding method to reduce the supply of breastmilk. Let your baby feed on only one breast in each session. The other breast should be blocked for a certain amount of hours. This way each breast will be signaled to reduce its production. This will also benefit your baby in another way as a fully-emptied breast lets your baby receive fat-rich milk which is highly nourishing.
You can also try expressing breastmilk a few minutes before feeding the baby. But this is a risky remedy as too much expression can lead to further increases in your supply. It will only increase the chances of your baby choking on breastmilk.
The babies who do not latch in the right manner also experience difficulties in swallowing breastmilk.
3. When to be concerned about choking on breastmilk?
The process of sucking milk from the breast and swallowing it involves several muscles. As soon as your baby develops the muscle coordination to swallow properly, this frequent choking and gagging behavior will disappear. It is very rare that a baby chokes on breastmilk and turns blue but it is always good for a parent to take a course on infant CPR. You should contact your pediatrician immediately if your baby chokes while breastfeeding to the point he cannot fill his tummy.
