coughing/choking/wheezing while eating

morganore · November 2010

DD is still coughing/choking while eating, and everyone kept telling me it will get better closer to full term or shortly after and it's just a coordination issue, but she is still doing it and it seems worse. She starts wheezing almost

Any experience/thoughts?

FisMom · November 2010

How is your flow? If it's fast it could explain the choking and coughing. One of my boobs has a higher flow than the other. DD sputters a lot when she's on that one.

inlovewithMike · November 2010

My son still chokes and coughs when he eats. He is one week adjusted. I am also concerned about this. Y son seems to be still congested from having the feeding tube. Is your DD congested?

lexismom1008 · November 2010

It took my DS a long time to get that coordination. He was probably around 4 weeks adjusted, but now he does just fine. You can check LO's temp after feedings. If there is any aspiration going on, LO will spike a temp like 30 min after the feeding is finished. I would have sworn DS was aspirating as much as he was choking, but he only aspirated once and that was 2 days after he came home.

ArvadaBride · November 2010

In some aspects, that sounds like classic Reflux symptoms to me. Reflux totally sucks and I'm sorry you have to go thru this. My DD still does this from time to time while eating.

luvdv8 · November 2010

DD would choke until about 2 months adjusted- we changed nipples and it helped. I think it just takes them a while to get the co-ordination. Also, I felt like DD was always sooooo hungry and that she would get over excited and start choking- it was usually worse when she was having a growth spurt.

lexismom1008 · November 2010

luvdv8:
Also, I felt like DD was always sooooo hungry and that she would get over excited and start choking- it was usually worse when she was having a growth spurt.

This is also very true. We always had to make sure we started DS's feeding before he got really hungry or else he would try to eat so fast that he choked and gagged.

witt0198 · November 2010

Is she laying flat on her back when eating? I'd try a slower flow nipple, and side lying while feeding with the head up to about 30-40% angle, it should help LO control the liquids.

Nasal congestion can come from the milk getting up to the back of the nose while coughing, eating, or reflux-ing. If you can get the eatings to flow better, I bet the nasal congestion clears at least some.

morganore · November 2010

Thanks ladies....I will have to try some of these methods...I just feel so awful for DD, she can't even eat in peace

....so what happens if I take her temp after she eats and it's a little higher and that means she's aspirating?? I'm going to try that next time, just to check and make sure.

lexismom1008 · November 2010

morganore:
Thanks ladies....I will have to try some of these methods...I just feel so awful for DD, she can't even eat in peace
....so what happens if I take her temp after she eats and it's a little higher and that means she's aspirating?? I'm going to try that next time, just to check and make sure.

It would be notably higher. Probably >100.4. That's what DS speech therapist told us anyways.

king_family · November 2010

Well, let me start this off by explaining that I am new to this site and have been lurking the different boards for about a week. My husband and I are currently TTC #1 - so I'm not a mommy yet - but I do have experience in this area. I am a speech pathologist in the NICU and also do outpatient swallow studies at a children's hospital, so I see this/hear about this all of the time.

First, you are right on the fact that your daughter (who is precious, by your picures, BTW) may still be having some suck-swallow-breathe coordination issues when eating. How old is she now and is she out of the NICU?

However, these can also be signs/symptoms of aspiration/swallowing problems (dysphagia). Have you talked to your doctor about her feeding difficulties? This is very common with premature babies. When babies aspirate, some liquid is actually going down the wrong "pipe" in their throats - down their airway which leads to their lungs. If she is wheezing, she may be having some problems with aspiration - is the wheezing from her throat/airway? Do you ever notice her chest to feel/sound rattly after eating? Is there red around her eyes/blotchiness?

Coughing/choking is a protective mechinism to prevent/react to liquid going "the wrong way" AKA in their airway. Some babies get so used to the sensation that liquid is going in the wrong way that they have silent aspiration which means that they show no outward signs/symptoms that they are aspirating.

If this does not get better as the baby grows and coordinates liquid flow there are a couple of things you can do: Talk to your doctor about thickening liquids (temporary). This helps slow down liquid flow, helps babies form and control a liquid bolus, and helps swallowing function until the baby grows (or until other issues are resolved, such a reflux-which can impact swallowing). Thickening can also help babies control the liquid they are trying to swallow (even if it is a coordination-not aspiration-issue) until they grow/get older. There is also the option of a formal swallow study which is basically an x-ray that observes your baby swallowing to see what's happening/where the liquid is going. This especially helps discover silent aspiration which often causes respiratory illnesses (like RSV, pneumonia, recurrent respiratory infections) since liquid is going down the airway to the lungs. Many doctors like to clinically try thickening first before exposing the baby to radiation in a swallow study. If thickening helps, it's likely you can wean your baby off of the thickening in 2-3 months and see if she is better.

I want to reinerate that this is so common in preemie babies. I just felt like I needed to put that out there, since I am so used to dealing with this in my job/profession. I hope this helps and please ask if you have questions.

king_family · November 2010

And as Lexismom mentioned - raise in temperature after eating is also a sign of aspiration

morganore · November 2010

king_family:
Well, let me start this off by explaining that I am new to this site and have been lurking the different boards for about a week. My husband and I are currently TTC #1 - so I'm not a mommy yet - but I do have experience in this area. I am a speech pathologist in the NICU and also do outpatient swallow studies at a children's hospital, so I see this/hear about this all of the time.
First, you are right on the fact that your daughter (who is precious, by your picures, BTW) may still be having some suck-swallow-breathe coordination issues when eating. How old is she now and is she out of the NICU?
However, these can also be signs/symptoms of aspiration/swallowing problems (dysphagia). Have you talked to your doctor about her feeding difficulties? This is very common with premature babies. When babies aspirate, some liquid is actually going down the wrong "pipe" in their throats - down their airway which leads to their lungs. If she is wheezing, she may be having some problems with aspiration - is the wheezing from her throat/airway? Do you ever notice her chest to feel/sound rattly after eating? Is there red around her eyes/blotchiness?
Coughing/choking is a protective mechinism to prevent/react to liquid going "the wrong way" AKA in their airway. Some babies get so used to the sensation that liquid is going in the wrong way that they have silent aspiration which means that they show no outward signs/symptoms that they are aspirating.
If this does not get better as the baby grows and coordinates liquid flow there are a couple of things you can do: Talk to your doctor about thickening liquids (temporary). This helps slow down liquid flow, helps babies form and control a liquid bolus, and helps swallowing function until the baby grows (or until other issues are resolved, such a reflux-which can impact swallowing). Thickening can also help babies control the liquid they are trying to swallow (even if it is a coordination-not aspiration-issue) until they grow/get older. There is also the option of a formal swallow study which is basically an x-ray that observes your baby swallowing to see what's happening/where the liquid is going. This especially helps discover silent aspiration which often causes respiratory illnesses (like RSV, pneumonia, recurrent respiratory infections) since liquid is going down the airway to the lungs. Many doctors like to clinically try thickening first before exposing the baby to radiation in a swallow study. If thickening helps, it's likely you can wean your baby off of the thickening in 2-3 months and see if she is better.
I want to reinerate that this is so common in preemie babies. I just felt like I needed to put that out there, since I am so used to dealing with this in my job/profession. I hope this helps and please ask if you have questions.

Thank you so much. This is good stuff to know. DD is 4 mos, 6 wks adjusted, and has been out of the nicu for 2 mos. This has been happening ever since she started oral feeds and happens with slow flow nipples and breastfeeding.

mharts05 · November 2010

My DS has reflux and sometimes coughs and chokes during feedings. He is 8 weeks old (5 weeks adjusted) and is just now getting his feeding/eating coordination right.

Want a personalized experience?

coughing/choking/wheezing while eating

Re: coughing/choking/wheezing while eating

Choose Another Board

Search Boards