A mother has taken to social media this week to warn breastfeeding mums to be vigilant, after her son choked on her milk.
The unnamed mother shared her story with Breastfeeding Mama Talk, recalling the details of what was the ‘scariest day of her life’.
She revealed that she was nursing her tot when he got into difficulty. He was rushed to hospital after turning blue, required a chest x-ray, and needed emergency treatment. Frighteningly, this mum had never been told that her baby could choke on her milk.
“Did you know that babies could choke on breastmilk? Like, seriously ‘can’t catch their breath, call an ambulance, trip to the emergency room’ choke? Well, I definitely did not,” she wrote.
“Watching my teeny-tiny new baby get hooked up to an oxygen mask with all sorts of tubes and codes being called out is one of the worst things a parent could ever witness. They’re just so small and helpless, but most importantly, irreplaceable.”
Thankfully, the tot is now OK, although his mother has been told to monitor him for aspiration pneumonia. Now, she has chosen to share her story – both in a bid to warn other mothers about something she had never even heard of, and to get advice for her own situation.
While a lactation consultant had told her that she had a ‘strong let-down and maybe an over-supply’ of milk, and that she should ‘maybe feed her son lying down’, she didn’t understand the ins and outs of the process.
“The point is, apparently this ‘freak’ accident can actually happen to babies, and it’s more common than I thought – especially when you have an over-active let-down and produce too much milk. Sure wish I would have known that and been more prepared for something so insanely scary,” she admitted.
“Thank you for taking the time and reading my novel. I could really use some help. I have no one to talk to about breastfeeding or issues that come with it, and the advice here [on the Facebook page] has always helped.”
This mum’s post has naturally struck a chord online, with many fellow mums and medical professionals taking to the comment section to share their advice and support.
