Here’s what you need to know about proper feeding.
“Today, a baby was brought to my emergency room lifeless,” the viral Facebook post begins. “Her lungs filled up with milk. She probably died from aspiration. This is a consequence of feeding a child laying flat on bed while the parents are asleep.”
Chao-Tiao Yumol, the user who uploaded it, is a doctor based in Quezon City, Philippines.
“If as an adult you can’t drink your water laying flat, these babies also cannot,” his post continues.
Babies do not yet have the ability to let you know that they’re struggling, and so they choke and experience difficulty breathing without a parent even knowing.
“I understand that not everyone is knowledgeable on proper feeding techniques that’s why I can’t blame the already grieving parents. But please ask your health workers or experienced parents the ways to feed a child to avoid this kind of death.”
The doctor also advises elevating a child to your chest level after feeding, and then wait until they expel excess milk and gas from their stomach.
“Never feed your child without your full focus which tends to happen most of the time at night,” he says.
The post, which now has 24 thousand likes and 30 thousand shares, also illustrates the proper position to feed a baby.
“Breastfeeding your babies gives huge advantage on preventing aspiration and complications compared to bottle-feeding, not to mention its nutritive superiority over milk formulas.”
Aspiration in babies and children
Aspiration occurs when food or liquid enters the airway or lung. It’s a common accident which usually happens when throat muscles are too weak to function properly, resulting in problems swallowing.
There are many reasons behind aspiration, some of which include brain damage, cleft palate or problems in the oesophagus. It is also common with infants with delayed growth or still premature.
Signs and symptoms of aspiration include:
- Weak sucking
- choking or coughing while feeding
- Red face
- Watery eyes
- Stopped breathing while feeding
- Voice or breathing sounds wet after feeding