If you are giving care to a responsive choking person who is pregnant, you use back blows and chest thrusts , not abdominal thrusts (no “classic Heimlich” on the belly).

What to do first

  • Make sure they are actually choking and cannot speak, cough effectively, or breathe; if they can cough forcefully, encourage them to keep coughing.
  • Call emergency services immediately or have someone else call while you start care, because choking in pregnancy endangers both parent and baby.

Back blows

  • Stand to the side and slightly behind the person, supporting their chest with one hand and leaning them slightly forward.
  • Deliver up to 5 firm back blows between the shoulder blades with the heel of your other hand, checking after each blow to see if the object comes out.

Chest thrusts (modified Heimlich)

  • If back blows do not clear the obstruction and the person is still choking, give 5 chest thrusts instead of abdominal thrusts.
  • Place your fist in the center of the breastbone (mid-chest), grasp it with your other hand, and give quick inward thrusts, avoiding pressure on the abdomen and uterus.

Keep repeating and when to switch

  • Alternate sets of up to 5 back blows and 5 chest thrusts until the object is expelled or the person becomes unresponsive.
  • If they become unresponsive, start CPR with standard chest compressions and call or keep emergency services on the way; this is a critical emergency in pregnancy.

This information is for general first-aid education and does not replace certified training or professional medical advice. If someone is choking, activate emergency medical help immediately.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.