Baby coughing after feeding
Reflux in babies - NHS
Reflux is when a baby brings up milk, or is sick, during or shortly after feeding. It's very common and usually gets better on its own.
Check if your baby has reflux
Reflux usually starts before a baby is 8 weeks old and gets better by the time they're 1.
Symptoms of reflux in babies include:
- bringing up milk or being sick during or shortly after feeding
- coughing or hiccupping when feeding
- being unsettled during feeding
- swallowing or gulping after burping or feeding
- crying and not settling
- not gaining weight as they're not keeping enough food down
Sometimes babies may have signs of reflux but will not bring up milk or be sick. This is known as silent reflux.
Things you can try to ease reflux in babies
Your baby does not usually need to see a doctor if they have reflux, as long as they're happy, healthy and gaining weight.
Do
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ask a health visitor for advice and support
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get advice about your baby's breastfeeding position or how to bottle feed your baby
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hold your baby upright during feeding and for as long as possible after feeding
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burp your baby regularly during feeds
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give formula-fed babies smaller feeds more often
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make sure your baby sleeps flat on their back (they should not sleep on their side or front)
Non-urgent advice: See a GP if your baby:
- is not improving after trying things to ease reflux
- gets reflux for the first time after they're 6 months old
- is older than 1 and still has reflux
- is not gaining weight or is losing weight
Urgent advice: Ask for an urgent GP appointment or call 111 if your baby:
- has vomit that's green or yellow, or has blood in it
- is projectile vomiting (being sick with more force than usual)
- has blood in their poo
- has a swollen or tender tummy
- has a very high temperature or they feel hot or shivery
- keeps being sick and cannot keep fluid down
- has diarrhoea that lasts for over a week or has signs of dehydration
- will not stop crying and is very distressed
- is refusing to feed
Also call your GP or 111 if you have any other concerns about your baby.
Treatment for reflux in babies
A GP or specialist may sometimes recommend treatments for reflux.
If your baby is formula-fed, you may be given:
- a powder that's mixed with formula to thicken it
- a pre-thickened formula milk
If the thickening powder does not help or your baby is breastfed, a GP or specialist might recommend medicines that stop your baby's stomach producing as much acid.
Very rarely, surgery might be needed to strengthen the muscles to stop food or milk travelling back up. This is usually only after trying other things or if their reflux is severe.
Causes of reflux
Reflux usually happens because your baby's food pipe (oesophagus) has not fully developed, so milk can come back up easily.
Your baby's oesophagus will develop as they get older and the reflux should stop.
Page last reviewed: 13 December 2021
Next review due: 13 December 2024
Recognizing Acid Reflux/GERD in Infants: 10 Common Signs
Understanding acid reflux
Acid reflux happens when the contents of the stomach back up into the esophagus.
The esophagus is the tube that carries food from the throat to the stomach. At the bottom of the esophagus — where it joins the stomach — is a ring of muscle that normally opens when you swallow. This ring of muscle is known as the lower esophageal sphincter (LES).
When the LES doesn’t close completely, stomach contents and digestive juices can come back up into the esophagus.
Acid reflux’s effect on infants
Infants are more prone to acid reflux because their LES may be weak or underdeveloped. In fact, it’s estimated that more than half of all infants experience acid reflux to some degree.
The condition usually peaks at age 4 months and goes away on its own between 12 and 18 months of age.
It’s rare for an infant’s symptoms to continue past 24 months. If they persist, it may be a sign of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), which is a more severe condition. While they may vary, the 10 most common signs of acid reflux or GERD in infants include:
- spitting up and vomiting
- refusal to eat and difficulty eating or swallowing
- irritability during feeding
- wet burps or hiccups
- failure to gain weight
- abnormal arching
- frequent coughing or recurrent pneumonia
- gagging or choking
- chest pain or heartburn
- disturbed sleep
1. Spitting up and vomiting
Spitting up is normal for infants. However, forceful spit-up may be a symptom of GERD. This is especially true if your infant is older than 12 months and still spitting up forcefully after meals.
Spitting up blood, green or yellow fluid, or a substance that looks like coffee grounds may also signify GERD or other more serious disorders.
Spitting up is normally painless. Your baby should still appear happy and healthy after spitting up. Forceful spitting up or vomiting is more painful and will be followed by crying and fussing.
2. Refusal to eat and difficulty eating or swallowing
Your infant may refuse to eat if they experience pain during feeding. This pain might be due to the irritation that occurs when the contents of the stomach come back up into their esophagus.
3. Irritability during feeding
Infants with GERD may also start screaming and crying during feeding. The response is usually due to abdominal discomfort or esophageal irritation.
4. Wet burps or hiccups
A wet burp or wet hiccup is when an infant spits up liquid when they burp or hiccup. This can be a symptom of acid reflux or, less commonly, GERD.
5. Failure to gain weight
Weight loss or failure to gain weight may occur as a result of excessive vomiting or poor feeding associated with acid reflux or GERD.
6. Abnormal arching
Infants may arch their body during or after feeding. It’s thought that this may be due to a painful burning sensation caused by the buildup of stomach fluid in the esophagus.
Abnormal arching may be a neurologic problem on its own. However, it can be a symptom of GERD if your baby also spits up or refuses to eat.
7. Frequent coughing or recurrent pneumonia
Your infant may cough frequently due to acid or food coming up into the back of the throat. The regurgitated food can also be inhaled into the lungs and windpipe, which may lead to chemical or bacterial pneumonia.
Other respiratory problems, such as asthma, can develop as a result of GERD as well.
8. Gagging or choking
Your baby may gag or choke when stomach contents flow back into their esophagus. The position of your baby’s body during feeding can make it worse.
Gravity helps keep the contents of the stomach down. It’s best to keep your infant in an upright position for at least 30 minutes after feeding them to prevent food or milk from coming back up.
9. Chest pain or heartburn
Regurgitated stomach contents may irritate the esophageal lining and cause heartburn.
This is one of the most common signs of acid reflux in older children and adults, but it may be hard to recognize in infants.
10. Disturbed sleep
GERD and reflux can make it more difficult for your baby to sleep through the night.
Try to feed your baby long before bedtime so stomach contents have a chance to settle fully. There are other ways to help your baby sleep, too.
Takeaway
It’s important to speak with your baby’s doctor or pediatrician if you think your infant has GERD.
The doctor can rule out other conditions or confirm a GERD diagnosis. They can also suggest certain lifestyle changes that may help treat your baby’s GERD or acid reflux.
baby coughs after feeding - 3 recommendations on Babyblog.ru
Our children are restless and inquisitive.
They are ready to learn the world around them not only visually and tactilely. Everything that falls into their little hands must be studied more “by the tooth”. But the consequences of such "scientific activity" are not always favorable. It happens that babies swallow small parts of the objects they are examining. And even worse, when these parts get into the airways of the little ones. A baby may choke on milk during feeding, and an older baby may choke on a crumb of bread or a piece of food. When bathing in a bathtub, pool or pond, any baby can begin to drown or choke on water. What to do if a child chokes? How can I help him get his breath back? Parents should know the answers to these questions, no worse than the multiplication table, or even better. Indeed, the life and health of our children usually depend on the speed of our reaction in such situations and the timely provision of qualified assistance.
If your child is choking, the key to success in first aid is calmness .
In no case should you panic and fall into hysterics. First of all, you need to assess the situation sensibly, without unnecessary emotions and fuss.
If your child is choking, calmness is the key to successful first aid. In no case should you panic and fall into hysterics. First of all, you need to assess the situation sensibly, without unnecessary emotions and fuss.
Nature has made sure that the human body is able to independently get rid of foreign objects that enter the respiratory tract. Protective mechanisms of the body - reflex cough and vomiting. With their help, everything that prevents us from breathing is pushed out.
Remember, if the baby, choking, begins to cough and cry, he has an urge to vomit, it means that his airways are not blocked. He can breathe. And that's good. The first thing you should do is to calm the baby and find out what he choked on.
The baby is crying
The first thing you should do if the baby is choking is to stay calm and calm the baby yourself
Small pieces of food and liquid are usually released during coughing and vomiting.
For some time after this, the child will still feel discomfort in the airways and cough. But it will pass quickly.
If a child chokes on something larger, it is likely that the object is stuck somewhere in the larynx. It is better not to try to get it yourself. As a result of your attempts to do this, what the little one choked on can change its location so that it blocks the air duct.
After calming the baby and making sure that he can breathe, call an ambulance and wait for the doctor. At the same time, the child should lie on its side (the chin is raised up) and move less. To avoid displacement of an object in his airway.
But if you notice the symptoms listed below, you can't do without your intervention and help.
The boy is choking and holding his hand to his throat
When the child is choking and choking, he constantly tries to put his hands around his throat
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When should I intervene?
The child is choking, trying to catch air with his mouth.
His skin turns blue.
The peanut's mouth is open, and salivation is increased.
The baby's eyes are wide open, and fear is frozen in them.
The child constantly tries to wrap his arms around his throat.
He can neither speak nor cry, indicating that the baby's airways are blocked.
First Aid for an infant who is choking
If an infant is choking, place the baby along your arm so that he lies face down, as shown in the picture
First Aid
case, do not panic. Depending on his age and on what the baby choked on, choose one of the first aid methods, and clearly follow the instructions below.
Infant
If an infant chokes while feeding, he will cough, snort or breathe heavily. Immediately position the baby along your arm so that he is lying face down.
And lower your hand so that the baby's ass is a little higher than the head.
With the other hand, lightly pat the baby on the back between the shoulder blades. Five such pops will be enough to help the baby cough up milk that has entered his respiratory tract.
Think about why your baby choked while feeding. Especially if such cases in your practice are not isolated.
The mother is breastfeeding the baby
The baby may choke during feeding if he is hungry. Or if the mother has too much milk
There are several reasons for this
Incorrect attachment to the breast.
Long breaks between feedings.
Profuse milk flow.
Large hole in the nipple (with artificial feeding).
Baby up to three years old
A child who is already 1 year old, in case of food, liquid or small objects getting into his respiratory tract, can already be helped by pressing on his stomach, alternating with pats on the back.
First aid if a child under three years of age is choking
To help a child if he is choking, press on his stomach between the ribs and the navel, standing behind him and wrapping his arms around his waist
How to do it correctly?
You should put the baby in front of you and put your arms around his waist.
At the same time, place one of your hands, clenched into a fist, on the baby's stomach between the ribs and the navel.
And with the palm of your other hand, grasp your fist.
While spreading your elbows out to the sides, press the child's stomach from the bottom up 4-5 times.
Then give 4-5 light pats on the baby's back between the shoulder blades.
Repeat this sequence until the little one begins to breathe freely.
Be sure to check that the child's airways are completely clear and that there are no foreign objects in them.
The child covered his mouth with his hand
Vomiting contributes to the reflex contraction of the airway and the removal of foreign objects from it
Preschooler and adolescent
If a child is choking and is already able to respond adequately to the situation and follow your instructions, in addition to the method of pressing on the abdomen and patting on the back, you can try to induce vomiting and help the foreign object to move out of the airway.
To induce vomiting, simply apply pressure with your fingers or a teaspoon to the root of the victim's tongue. During this process, reflex contractions occur not only in the esophagus, but also in the respiratory tract. Thus, everything superfluous is pushed out not only from the stomach, but also from the air duct.
A girl swimming in a pool
A child may choke while swimming in a pool or pond, as well as bathing in a bathtub
In a pool or pond
Water accidents are not uncommon. And it happens that even the most vigilant parent needs to look the other way for a split second, as his child, splashing in a river or pool, has already managed to go under water with his head and choke. In such a situation, act on the basis of how old the baby is and how difficult his condition will seem to you.
Help a very young child like a baby. Place it on your arm face down and lightly pat between your shoulder blades. From these manipulations of yours, the baby should begin to cough.
Make sure that he spit out all the water that will flow from the crumbs' respiratory tract.
An older toddler can already be saved as an adult. Get one knee on the ground. Bend the second so that your thigh is parallel to the ground. Place the injured child face down across it. Lightly pat him on the back between the shoulder blades so that the water that has entered the respiratory tract can exit through the mouth. The child should start coughing. This is a sign that he can already handle the situation on his own.
First aid methods have been described above for children who are choking or choking but are conscious. But there are situations when babies, due to suffocation, lose consciousness. What should parents do then?
Chest compressions for babies
If the baby is choking and unconscious, he needs to be given chest compressions
If the baby is unconscious
Immediately call an ambulance, and while waiting for the doctors, try to restore the baby's breathing.
How to do it? Lay the child on its side. Gently tilt his head back, lifting the baby's chin. Thus, the duct straightens, opening to the maximum and allowing air to pass more intensively through it. But if the object that is stuck in the airway blocks them completely, this may not work.
Then it is necessary to resort to artificial respiration and chest compressions. And do them until the arrival of the ambulance doctors.
Lay the child on their back on a firm surface. Make sure his head is below his body.
Draw air into the lungs and gently exhale it into the baby's mouth, while pinching his nose with your fingers. Please note that the lung capacity of a child is much smaller than that of an adult. Do not overdo it. Such exhalations need to be done, for starters, five. Next, proceed to an indirect heart massage.
If the baby is less than a year old, place the index and middle fingers of your hand under the baby's breastbone. Do five finger pressures on the baby's chest (it should bend by 1/3) so that each time the sternum has time to straighten.
If the child is older, an indirect heart massage can be performed with the palms (one on top of the other). By placing them two centimeters below the mentally drawn line between the baby's nipples. Your movements should be strong and sharp. But remember that you need to control your power. After all, you are saving a child.
After chest compressions, perform artificial respiration again - 2 exhalations. And so you alternate until the little one coughs and comes to his senses. Or until medical help arrives.
CPR on a child who is choking
CPR on a child who is choking and unconscious, as well as chest compressions, should be done before qualified medical assistance arrives
How to behave if the child is choking
Now let's summarize. What to do if the child chokes (or chokes) and suffocates? Whatever causes suffocation, whether food, or liquid, or some small detail, the first aid to the baby in any of these cases will differ only in details.
In general, here's what you need to do
Keep yourself calm and calm the baby.
If a child is coughing and crying, it means that he can breathe.
Call an ambulance if necessary.
Restore the child's breathing (if you do not know how to do this, stay in touch with the ambulance specialists, turn on the speaker on the phone and follow their instructions).
Trying to help your child with one of the methods listed above.
If the baby is unconscious, give him artificial respiration and chest compressions until the ambulance arrives.
The kid is trying to get something out of his mouth with his hand
Parents should be attentive to their children. Do not leave them unattended. After all, little researchers strive to try new things for them “to the tooth”
And remember, parents, and only them, are responsible for all the troubles that happen to their children. Especially when the latter, as they say, walk under the table on foot.
Therefore, the best prevention of such troubles is vigilance, attentiveness and boundless love.
And let nothing happen to your little ones described in this story. And if such a situation arises in life, now you will know how to get out of it a winner.
https://youtu.be/rG8YU2HOMJE video from Dr. Komarovsky
Why is the child coughing? | 1DMC
Cough is a sudden explosive expiration, the task of which is to clear the paths of the respiratory system. This is the wording of pulmonologists. Cough is a protective mechanism that clears the larynx, trachea, bronchi.
Types of cough
Cough can be physiological or pathological.
1. Physiological is short-term, there are no other symptoms of diseases, there is no discomfort or inconvenience.
This type of cough is completely natural and does not require treatment! A physiological cough is needed to clear the airways of mucus and foreign particles that accumulate in the child's airways. The mechanism of physiological cough is as follows: air under high pressure leaves the respiratory tract, taking mucus and foreign bodies (dust, crumbs, etc.
) with it. Healthy children cough up to 20 times a day, and infants even more often.
Signs of physiological cough:
- The child is active and the cough does not interfere with his daily activities (continues to play active games when coughing is present)
- Short-term physiological cough - lasts a few seconds and does not recur soon
- Cough may recur throughout the day, but its timbre and duration remain unchanged
- Absence of lethargy, temperature, preservation of appetite (no well-known symptoms characteristic of the onset of the disease)
2. If the cough is pathological in nature, attacks cause a lot of inconvenience. There are additional unpleasant symptoms, including shortness of breath. Various factors can provoke the development of cough in children. Before proceeding with treatment, it is imperative to establish the cause of this symptom, this will help to prescribe therapy most competently.
Here are some of the most common causes of pathological cough:
- an infectious process or an allergic reaction that irritates the receptor apparatus of the mucous membrane of the respiratory system;
- development of broncho-obstructive syndrome;
- penetration of a foreign object into the respiratory tract;
- enlargement of regional lymph nodes that compress the airways;
- diseases of the digestive system, cardiac apparatus or vascular system, neurological pathologies.
Why does the cough appear?
1. The most common cause of coughing fits is an inflammatory process of viral or infectious etiology .
Cough can develop in the organs of the upper or lower respiratory system or affect the entire respiratory system. Depending on the localization, the type of this symptom is determined. It can be dry or wet. Also, the type of cough is determined by the type of pathogen.
Cough will be dry if it develops:
- parainfluenza;
- respiratory syncytial infection;
- whooping cough;
- cytomegalovirus infection.
With these diseases, there is a violation of the production of bronchial secretions. There is a dry cough. It is usually intense, hacking, painful. If an adenovirus infection develops, this is accompanied by swelling of the mucous membrane, its surface becomes loose. This causes an increase in the amount of sputum and mucous contents.
In this case, the cough is wet, productive, a large amount of sputum is separated.
With the development of rhinosinusitis, sinusitis, adenoiditis, a prolonged cough appears. The cause is postnasal syndrome, that is, mucus from the nasopharynx flows down the back wall of the larynx. In such a situation at night the cough is wet . In the morning, after the child wakes up, the cough is also wet, but sputum also leaves. During the examination of the patient, the doctor notes the flow of mucus along the back of the pharynx into the respiratory tract. It irritates the cough receptors.
If bronchitis or pneumonia develops, with proper treatment, dry cough becomes productive, wet, sputum begins to separate from the lower respiratory tract. In such cases, it is very important to carefully prescribe cough medicines or to thin sputum. Only a doctor can determine whether, in a particular case, an antitussive drug is needed to suppress the reflex or a mucolytic to reduce the viscosity of the mucus and more quickly discharge it.
Inhalation therapy should also only be prescribed by a doctor. Not in every case, with the help of inhalations, it is possible to reduce the manifestations of symptoms and alleviate the course of the disease. In some cases, after inhalation therapy, the child's condition worsens.
2. Broncho-obstructive syndrome
Another cause of coughing fits is broncho-obstructive syndrome. This is accompanied by lengthening of the exhalation, the appearance of whistling noisy breathing, attacks of severe suffocation. Cough is most often unproductive, hacking.
Broncho-obstructive syndrome develops due to the development of viral respiratory infections. Also, the cause of development is contact with an allergen, this is one of the signs of bronchial asthma.
To diagnose broncho-obstructive syndrome, doctors prescribe chest x-ray, spirometry. To exclude the allergic origin of the disease, an allergist's consultation is prescribed. An effective method of treatment is inhalation therapy.
3. Foreign object in the respiratory tract
A foreign object entering the respiratory tract can provoke the development of coughing attacks. In this case, the child has a strong anxiety. There is shortness of breath, the cough is painful, dry, reflex.
In this case, it is very important not to panic. It is necessary to calm the baby, so he will breathe more calmly. Further, it is imperative to call emergency care as soon as possible, since the effectiveness of treatment depends on how timely parents turn to specialists.
How to determine the cause of a cough in a child
If the cough is not associated with diseases of the respiratory system, additional symptoms appear. For example, pain in the abdomen, in the heart, headache. In this case, you will need to consult a neurologist, gastroenterologist, cardiologist. Only a doctor can determine why a child has a cough. You should not engage in self-treatment and use medications or use dubious methods of alternative medicine.
