Before Elise was born Husband and I took an infant CPR class. I felt very responsible for doing so. I thought at the time that the class would prepare me for the worst case scenario.
Tonight Elise was eating a delicious dinner of lentils, carrots, and yellow squash. There was texture to her food, but no big pieces.
Elise has started experimenting with her airways. Snorts, screams, sucking air in, blowing air out. It was only a matter of time. I knew when her face started to turn red that she did not have a big enough piece of anything in her mouth to totally obstruct her breathing. I knew that she'd be able to work it out. But it's horrible to see your little baby's eyes tear up as she's coughing and trying to catch a breath.
I gave her a few seconds of coughing, then realized that she needed my help. As I'm unsnapping her straps for the high chair, all I can think is, "I don't remember baby CPR! I don't remember baby CPR! Keep coughing! Don't stop breathing! I don't remember baby CPR!" I leaned her forward and pounded on her back and after a few thumps, she spit a throat-full of food onto the floor. Her coughing sounded different after that and I knew that she was getting more air. She kept coughing for a while and drooling food everywhere.
I think I could have pulled it together if I had to. If she'd have stopped breathing, I think I could have remembered what to do. Plus my phone was right next to me, so I could have called 911 and they'd have given me instructions.
Maybe I'll just go re-read the steps for baby CPR, to be sure that I remember them...
It sounds like you did a great baby Heimlich maneuver there! I remember sitting with a friend who had a baby girl who was about 1 year old. The baby started choking and she calmly but rapidly stood up, flipped the girl so her head was pointed toward the floor, and gave her back a good thump. Food came out, baby was fine. The mom then sat back down calmly as if nothing had happened. When I commented, she said that that had happened a lot- you get used to it. SOunds like a blast.
ReplyDeletei thought about turning her upside down. then i remembered in CPR class how the lady said that you shouldn't do any of the CPR steps until the person is actually NOT breathing. i worried, "does that mean turning a baby upside down? do i have to wait until she's no longer coughing or breathing to turn her upside down?!? shouldn't i get the food out of her throat BEFORE she stops breathing? i can't remember what to do!!!" i got worried that if i turned her upside down she'd struggle and try to gasp more air in and make it worse. this is all happening in my head in the split second it took to undo her highchair straps, mind you. i decided to just try to lay her forward and then pound on her back for a bit. and if that didn't help, the upside down trick was next. but then she spit food all over the floor and my leg, so i didn't have to invert her. whew! crisis averted!
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