Today's success was courgette. By success I mean Goosey picked it up and gummed it a bit. He seemed to have broken a piece off as the next thing he was gagging something back up, which he promptly began to chew. Wow less than a week at this and he was chewing - I was inordinately proud of this great leap.
Then I realised that something in me had changed. While not squeamish about food I certainly would have had reservations about letting a baby gag & I'm sure in a previous life (pre-BLW) I would have jumped in and fished the piece of courgette out of his mouth. Goosey's big brother (2) had a more conventional weaning, starting off with purees so I know the number of times I intervened when I thought he was struggling.
Before I started BLW I read up on gagging versus choking. Gill Rapley's book Baby-Led Weaning was the basis, supplemented by whatever info I could find on the net. I got educated about the difference between gagging and choking and how to recognise what was going on. I was very sceptical that I'd be able to sit back and let Goosey resolve a gagging issue himself and it was such a leap of faith the first time he gagged (yep on his very first taste test). But he did. He wasn't phased by it but I was absolutely having kittens. That's when Goosey started to teach me - chill out mummy, this is how I learn how far back I can shove something in my mouth.
So far there have been two major gagging sessions. By major I mean that he's accompanied the gagging with vomiting - to me it seemed that there was rather a lot of it but maybe that's just my dislike of seeing my milk all over the high chair tray. Strangely it was also pretty mucusy rather than normal puke (sorry if TMI) which is probably nature's way of easing or lubricating the throat. Anyway you can picture the scene and while I was busy trying to wipe everything up Goosey picked up another piece of carrot and proceeded to try again. So now I try to remain calm (at least on the outside) and remain on standby just in case.
Just to clarify - choking is a very dangerous situation which requires immediate action which can happen to any baby/child not just those doing BLW. Signs to look out for are that the baby is unable to cry, ineffective coughing, having difficulty breathing and turning blue. I'd recommend to every parent to do an infant CPR class or to learn about how to deal with choking just in case.
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ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about gagging and vomiting. Amelia did that for months - and I found it rather hard to get used to. I now think it is part and parcel of the learning process, so you are doing the right thing. Eventually I relaxed about the vomiting when I realised that it has to be the easiest way to remove all obstructions from the throat and start again. Amelia has never been put off food by the vomiting, and has never choked. She is now 10 months old and has at last learned to manoeuvre the food and spit out what she doesn't want, which is a great improvement for those watching!
ReplyDeleteGreat to read your blog - I will try to keep up with it and see how you get on.
Thanks Suzanna - it's very reassuring to know that others have been through it too and that it's a normal reaction which doesn't last forever. I'm hoping he'll get over it before either grandmother sees him as I don't think it will endear them to the BLW approach :-)
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