Emergency! What to do if a pregnant woman chokes

It may not be something you’ve thought about, but how do you help a woman who is pregnant if she is choking?

To perform the Heimlich maneuver, you must stand behind the choking person, brace yourself, and with your hands in a fist, one over the other, you make a jerking J-motion just under the rib cage. This forces air up and, hopefully, dislodges the blockage. But, what do you do if the person is obviously pregnant?

In the case of pregnant women or anyone who is obese, you need to use a chest thrust. This is the same as the regular maneuver, but you put your arms around the middle of the chest, between the breasts, instead.

People are often worried that they may harm the mother or baby. When I taught first aid, I would tell them. If the mother is choking, truly choking, they will both die. There really isn’t an option not to do it.

Here is a quick video on how to do the Heimlich maneuver on a non-obviously pregnant person: Choking Adult Video Demonstration.

To see an image of what to do with a pregnant woman, you can go to the third image here: First Aid for a Choking Conscious Adult

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