The natural movement may be different for everyone, and being mindful could help prevent, or resolve, dysphagia
Share your stories of caregiving for your parents with your siblings
People often assume swallowing is automatic and infallible, but I’ve learned it isn’t.
When my daughter was two months old, she caught RSV and stopped gaining weight. When she tried to feed, she coughed and sputtered, sometimes arching her back. She was soon diagnosed with dysphagia – a swallowing disorder.
“You’re lucky we caught this early,” the speech-language pathologist (SLP) said, after we watched a live X-ray of my baby swallowing. When she fed, her airway didn’t close entirely, causing a bit of formula to go down the wrong tube. The SLP explained that even a tiny amount of food or liquid entering the lungs can cause pneumonia.
