Worried I was too rough burping baby
My baby is 10 weeks old. He had quite bad acid reflux to where he choked a few times. So we always make sure to get good burps as part of our way to help reduce the reflux. I was feeding him his night bottle at 2am and each time I tried for a burp (we do it 2-3 times throughout as well as at the end) he didn’t burp once. I got in my head that if I don’t get a burp he may choke on reflux again so I tried harder and harder by patting harder on his back and rubbing harder. I’m now lying in bed worrying myself that I was too rough and Iv hurt him in some way. He didn’t react to the burping like he was in pain or anything and is currently passed out in his crib. But his back is a bit more red than his front so now I want to cry 😭 is it possible I could have done a lot of damage ??
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Don't worry, if you pat or rub skin for a period of time it will go red naturally so it absolutely doesn't mean you have hurt him. If my little one has stubborn wind I find that if I lay him down to change his bum then pick him back up and put him over my shoulder, the burps happen.
Thank you both ❤️
I can’t imagine this would’ve caused any harm. Babies are a lot more resilient and it was probably harder but I’m sure not actually to the point of harmful. Try to give yourself some grace, it was out of panic. Though it’s worth noting that harder taps wont make burping more likely, better to change position or just move their body around which can help release air. And with regards to choking, it’s very unlikely that they will choke on reflux/milk. Gagging which is more likely is very possible and sounds awful and like they are ‘choking’ and they will still need some help (pick upright/turn to side) but the gag reflexes are doing what they are supposed to and you will hear it. Choking is a lot more silent. This is the same for weaning further down the line. Maybe a baby first aid course would give you some extra confidence around this too.