Doctor instructs on how to pat phlegm away for children with pneumonia

According to Dr. Tran Thu Thuy, children with pneumonia often have difficulty removing secretions from the respiratory tract using normal cleaning mechanisms. The mucus blockage makes it difficult for children to breathe, creating an environment for bacteria to grow, making the disease more and more serious.

Mothers can support their children by patting the chest combined with postural drainage to help secretions stagnant in the lungs escape, clear the lungs and help the child recover quickly from pneumonia.

The most standard hand image when performing phlegm percussion for babies.

The correct way to perform chest percussion is as follows:

Give your baby chest pats on an empty stomach, preferably before meals or at the earliest 1 hour after meals to avoid vomiting. You can do chest pats several times a day.

Before and after chest percussion, you must suction mucus from the baby's nose and throat.

Before patting the chest, remove tight clothing from the baby and place the baby in a suitable position. The baby can lie face down on the mother's chest, lie face down on the mother's lap with the face turned to one side, or lie face up on the mother's lap with the head slightly tilted back.

Parents, please remove your rings, watches and bracelets. Cover your baby with a thin cloth if he is naked. You must do this because when patting the chest, you need to avoid patting directly on the skin.

Next, bend your hand at the wrist and cup it. Keep your thumb pressed against your index finger. When you clap on the chest, you should hear a hollow, popping sound caused by air trapped between your cupped palm and the chest. If the sound is flat, like when you clap, check again because your hand may not be curved enough. Clapping properly does not hurt your baby.

Patting to loosen phlegm will help cure pneumonia faster.

To perform chest percussion, you only need to move your wrists, not your arms and shoulders. Percuss from the left side, then to the right side. Be careful not to percuss on the stomach, sternum or spine. When performing chest percussion, you need to do it firmly and regularly, but not too hard, for about 3-5 minutes in each area.

How to teach children to cough:

According to Dr. Thuy, during the process of patting the chest, the child will cough. The cough reflex clears the airways, pushing secretions out of the lungs. For older children, ask them to cough after being patted in each area. Do not continue patting until the child has stopped coughing.

If your child is old enough to follow your instructions, teach him to cough by having him sit up with his head tilted slightly forward.

Ask your child to inhale. Then open his mouth and pull in his stomach muscles to cough deeply, not in his throat. Ask your child to inhale again and cough until the phlegm comes out.