Have you ever had to use the Heimlich maneuver on your dc?

[Mere]

Ds is 1, has 6 teeth, and wants to eat everything his big sister is eating. Lately he is particularly fond of large apple pieces, which dd eats all the time. She gives him the pieces, or he takes it from her when she's not looking. Ds does great with taking little nibbles using his top and bottom front teeth, and spits out pieces that are too big. I still worry about choking though.

In theory of course I know how to do the Heimlich maneuver, plus I've lately been studying the pictures in my baby book. If I actually had to do it though, I don't know! Would it work? WOuld I do it right? Does it come to you in moments of panic?

[Lucky Charm]

I have done it on two of my three kids. My oldest i only did it once, and it was successful...she choked on a Jolly Rancher.

My youngest however has choked several times, in fact, i had to do it on him 3 times in a four week period (culminating with a swallow study, which was negative). He chokes mostly on red meat, steak in particular.

I most certainly think you will be able to do it in a panic, because really, you have no choice. your child is depending on you. Even if you call 911, there might be irreparable damage done if you wait for them to get there in a true choking emergency.

Take a child CPR class where they will go over the Heimlich.

[EMT-Mom]

Abdomal thrust for baby !!!

Try Back blows first between the shoulder blades for childern 1 and under (this method works very well) and should be preformed in this manner. 1) position the patient prone (face down ) on your forearm in a head down position supporting the infants head with your hand and supporting your arm on your thigh . 2) deliver 5 sharp back blows between the shoulder blades. 3)transfer the patient to a supine (face up) head down position on your other forearm and deliver 5 abdominal thrust using 2 fingertips positioned one finger width beneath the nipple line 4)perform a tounge-jaw lift and assess by looking in the oral cavity for the foreign body. Should it become disloged and visible pluck or sweep the foreign body out with a finger (make a hook with your pinkey finger in small childern) If not visible DO NOT PERFORM A BLIND FINGER SWEEP.5) attempt to ventilate. if ventilation is unsucceful repeat steps 1-4 . I got the steps out of my text book (prehospital emergency care seventh edition by brady)

[DebraBaker]

Joseph was almost one year when he choked on a marble.

I did the heimlich maneuver on him and the marble popped out of his mouth textbook style.

Oh, thank G-d!!!!

Debra Baker

[Embee]

Originally Posted by EMT-Mom

Try Back blows first between the shoulder blades for childern 1 and under (this method works very well) and should be preformed in this manner. 1) position the patient prone (face down ) on your forearm in a head down position supporting the infants head with your hand and supporting your arm on your thigh . 2) deliver 5 sharp back blows between the shoulder blades. 3)transfer the patient to a supine (face up) head down position on your other forearm and deliver 5 abdominal thrust using 2 fingertips positioned one finger width beneath the nipple line 4)perform a tounge-jaw lift and assess by looking in the oral cavity for the foreign body. Should it become disloged and visible pluck or sweep the foreign body out with a finger (make a hook with your pinkey finger in small childern) If not visible DO NOT PERFORM A BLIND FINGER SWEEP.5) attempt to ventilate. if ventilation is unsucceful repeat steps 1-4 . I got the steps out of my text book (prehospital emergency care seventh edition by brady)

Excellent advice, but what else to expect from EMT-mom.

To date, the most scary experience of motherhood:

DH and I were never so thankful for the baby CPR course we took when I was pregnant when at age 11 1/2 months, DS was choking. DS was about 22 pounds at that time and while DH was calling 911, I started the back blow/chest thrust combo. At that moment, holding 22 pounds on a single forearm was a piece of cake... can you say adrenaline? At any rate, DS actually ended up swallowing whatever it was--we think it was a pebble picked up from the door way were we all keep our shoes, but we were never sure and the ER x-ray didn't pick it up.

There was a never a better feeling then hearing a big GULP (it finally went down during the third round of chest thrusts), and the happiest (as if nothing ever happened) baby babble of all time. The paramedics showed up about 1 minute later.

Whew.

[A&A]

Yes, my dd was about 3 and choked on a piece of bagel. It only took a little thrust to get it to pop right out!

[delicious]

i did it on my first twice. YES YES YES you can do it in an emergency. i did it without thinking. it just comes to you.

and, YES, the dog caught it as it came out both times.

[sincitymama]

Somehow we've made it to 16 months wihtout having to use it yet. I need to take another class though, it's been a long time. I remember the infant stuff(the back blows described above) and feel sure I could handle that, and remember the adult procedures also-if dh choked, I'm sure I could handle it. But isn't there a gentler version for younger kids? When they're too old for infant blows but so much smalle rthan a grown-up? I've got to call my aunt who's a nurse and certified to teach this stuff, maybe have her give a class to all of our family.

I've pulled stuff out of his mouth befor ehtough. Like when he has a bigger peice of something and is so nicely taking proper bites, chewing(he has about 10 teeth now) but suddenly decided, out of hte blue, that today he felt like pushing in the entire chunk of toast or whatever to see what happens I'll tell him to take it out of his mouth and if he doesn't I do it for him. Makes me so nervous to see a little guy with a mouth so full his cheeks are bulging, you know? Why the heck do they do that? It's only occasionally. Oy.

[famousmockngbrd]

This was one of my worst fears when DS was learning to eat solid food. I used to mash everything to a pulp, then I graduated to mincing it up into microscopic pieces - I still worry about him choking on a Cheerio or something in the back seat while I am driving, when I can't get to him immediately. (Fortunately Cheerios have those little holes in the middle for built-in ventilation, lol.)

I have never had to do it and I dread the day when I may. But I remember once my mom had to do it on me - I was about 8 and I choked on an olive pit. It was pretty scary for me, and probably was for her too, but it came right out.

[Medusa]

Yep, ds got a hold of a piece of hard candy when we were alone at gramma's house when he was about 11 months old. I did it without even thinking about it while dialing 911 at the same time.
The one piece of advice I have is KEEP TRYING! I did what seemed like dozens of rounds of back blows and chest thrusts and finally modified the adult version by turning him arround (back to belly) and letting him hang with my fingers under his sternum using his own wieght, with NO THRUST to get the evil candy to pop out.