Would you know what to do if you witnessed someone choking? It’s very rare to witness someone near you choking and even rarer to see a pregnant mother or a little baby experience that. But, while rare, it isn’t impossible. So, would you know what to do should that happen?
The Heimlich maneuver may sound familiar, but abdominal thrusts are the more prevalent name for the method, and many people are unaware of how to do one properly. And when a pregnant woman or a little baby is choking, things become a little trickier. When anything gets stuck in the windpipe or throat and blocks the airway, choking occurs. In cases involving adults, food is frequently to blame. Young kids frequently choke on tiny items.
So, when someone chokes, it robs their brain of oxygen and will need someone to administer first aid in order to help them. In case you aren’t already aware of the necessary steps to take when a pregnant mama or a baby is choking, we’ve listed them down for you in this guide. Read on to find out more!
Pregnant Mothers
The Heimlich maneuver is a common term or technique most people know about, but it isn’t a technique that works well on everyone, such as pregnant women or little children. For them, they will need less rough methods as they are more fragile.
You will need to be extra careful with a pregnant mama as it’s not just her life on the line, but that of her baby’s too. So, instead of doing the usual steps that you would take on other (adult) people, you will have to follow certain steps.
Instead of placing your fist, with the thumb facing in, just above the person's navel and extending your other hand around to tightly hold the fist, do it around the lower chest, just above the stomach.
Back strikes, abdominal thrusts, and chest thrusts are recognized as useful methods to aid a choking person in recovering by both the American Red Cross and the American Heart Association.
Now, while the American Heart Association does officially recommend administering abdominal thrusts as the primary course of action in choking emergencies, the American Red Cross advises administering back blows before beginning them.
However, if you cannot reach around the mother’s belly, you can resort to chest thrusts. Simply follow these steps:
- Place your hands at the base of their breastbone. This is found just above the joining of the lowest rib bones.
- Then, you will have to press hard into their chest with a quick thrust.
- You will have to repeat this action until the blockage is removed from the airway.
Babies
Babies are a blessing and ones that are even more fragile than pregnant mamas. So, you will have to be extra careful when handling a choking baby. When it comes to our little bundles of joy, you will have to administer chest thrusts. But, since they are significantly smaller than adults, you will have to do so with two (2) fingers instead of using your entire hand.
So, you can administer the same technique (chest thrusts) as you would with a pregnant woman, except you will have to use less force with two fingers and not the entire hand.
If your little one is younger than 1 year, you can follow these steps:
- Hold your baby face down on your forearm and have a seat. This way you can retain your balance and focus on your child.
- Rest your forearm on your thighs and hold your baby’s chin and jaw in order to support their heads. You’ll have to place their head lower than the trunk of their body.
- Then, using the heel of your hand, you’ll have to gently give them firm pats on the middle of their back. You can point your fingers upwards so you avoid hitting your baby on the head. The pats should release the blockage.
- If your baby still hasn’t started breathing after this, turn them face up on your forearm and make sure their head is lower than the trunk of the body.
- You will then have to gently give firm chest compressions using two (2) fingers. Place your fingers just below their breast area and press down to about 1 ½ inches. Between each compression, you should let the chest rise again.
- If their breathing still doesn’t start up, call for medical help and repeat the chest compressions and back pats.
- You will have to begin infant CPR if your baby still isn’t breathing but their airway is clear.
Helping out a baby or a pregnant mama while they choke may be a difficult and scary ordeal, but one you (and anyone around) should be ready for. These quick actions can help save a life instantly so it’s best to be prepared. To be extra safe, you can also opt to take some first aid classes so you know what to do should these occasions happen.
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