Parents learn sooner rather than later that when it comes to caring for children, their undivided attention is required.
A father in Singapore learns this the hard way when he was simultaneously playing a video game on his smartphone and feeding his daughter. Unbeknownst to him, his daughter started choking and then later died.
According to a Straits Times report, it began when Nurraishah Mahzan found her daughter Reyhana crying non-stop.
At KK Women's and Children's Hospital, she learned that Reyhana had a fractured skull. Staff at the hospital then notified the police of the case, requiring Reyhana to be supervised by at least two adults if she was under the family's care.
Later, her husband Mohamed Shiddiq admitted to accidentally dropping her daughter that day.
That was in late August. In September 9, Reyhana returned home from the hospital.
“On Oct 12, Ms Nurraishah left home at about 10.20am for a drug supervision test, having fed and burped her baby,” the same report said. “She passed Reyhana to Mr Shiddiq and told him to burp her properly.
“He later fed the infant, while seated with his legs crossed. But she did not want to drink and cried for about two minutes before becoming unresponsive.”
According to a report by the New Paper Online, Mohamed was playing a football game on his mobile phone while feeding Reyhana. Soon the child began to struggle.
“Investigation officer Tony Won testified saying Reyhana had started pushing the milk bottle away using her tongue,” it said. “Yet, her father continued to play the game and placed the milk bottle inside her mouth.”
Mohamed continued playing, but after two minutes his daughter grew silent.
Mohamed then placed his daughter on the bed, patting her back. When Nurraishah’s father arrived to check on them, he found Reyhana not breathing, but with a pulse. He started performing CPR until police and paramedics arrived.
The baby died an hour later in the hospital.
The New Paper Online report said that the exact cause of the infant’s death cannot be ascertained. However, the death report mentioned smothering or suffocation, and choking on milk may also be possible causes of death.
Read how to properly feed infants on the next page
How to properly feed infants
Because their bodies are yet to be fully developed, infants need to be in certain positions during feeding times to make sure that they’re comfortable and their food goes down smoothly.
Here are some things every parent must know when feeding their child, as compiled by Linda DiProperzio of Parents.
Cradle him. Placing the baby's head in the crook of one arm and the other around or underneath the baby, lift the arm with baby's head slightly so he's in a semi-upright position. Never feed babies lying down: formula can flow into their middle ear and cause an infection.
Sit him up. If your baby has gas or acid reflux, sit them upright on your lap and let his head rest on your chest or in the crook of your arm.
Place him in your lap. If your legs are propped up while lying or sitting down, place the baby on top of your lap. Resting their head on your knees with their feet on your stomach.
Tilt the bottle. Make sure that the bottle is tilted so the milk completely fills the nipple, decreasing the air your baby is taking in. This also lessens her chances of having gas.
*Above image only a representation
READ: Breastfeeding goes horribly wrong when newborn chokes on his mom’s milk
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