Why does the belly of a newborn swell. What should parents do if the baby has a hard tummy? In what cases it is necessary to consult a doctor

In newborns, it has always been a very common phenomenon that occurs in all children. Often this becomes a serious very first problem for young parents. The main cause of bloating is the underdevelopment of the intestines when a child is born. With the growing up of the crumbs, the intestines “grow up”, respectively, such a problem as bloating in newborns simply ceases to exist. Treatment consists of the use of appropriate drugs and correction of the diet of the child and mother.

Symptoms

This problem is characterized by large gas formation in the intestines. There is bloating in newborns much more often than in adults, and in crumbs it can cause the appearance. When colic begins, a spasm of the intestinal walls occurs, which occurs due to bloating and is accompanied by quite severe pain in the abdomen. The kid at this time often twists his legs, cries, worries. Intestinal colic develops most often in the afternoon and lasts no more than half an hour. As a rule, attacks stop after three months of crumbs. Bloating in newborns occurs both in the presence of diseases and problems with the digestive organs, and in healthy children. Therefore, in case of severe swelling, you should consult a doctor. Flatulence most often occurs due to the fact that the nervous system and intestines at the time of birth were not fully formed.

Causes of bloating

1. Swallowing during air feeding. While sucking, the baby sometimes swallows a lot of air, which can subsequently manifest itself in the form of regurgitation. To prevent this, after some time after feeding, it is enough to hold the baby in an upright position, the air that was swallowed, thus, will come out without food. If regurgitation is persistent, then you need to make sure that he is latching on correctly and discuss this problem with the pediatrician. Also, bloating in a newborn may appear due to artificial feeding with illiterate dilution of mixtures or feeding with milk mixtures that are unusual for a child.

2. Lactose intolerance

This is the absence in the body of an enzyme that breaks down lactose, which is the main component of breast milk and most of the milk mixtures. Symptoms of this disease include bloating, severe diarrhea, or constipation. If this problem is confirmed, a transition to artificial feeding with specialized lactose-free mixtures is required. Bloating in newborns is less likely to occur due to intestinal dysbacteriosis, with intestinal infections and allergies to milk protein.

Treatment of bloating in newborns

First, it is recommended to do without drugs. Every time after feeding, the baby must be kept upright so that the swallowed air comes out on its own. If an attack of abdominal pain has begun, you need to prepare a warm bath or put a heating pad. It is also worth carefully monitoring the nutrition of the child and the proper preparation of mixtures. If the child is breastfed, then the mother should not eat black bread, pickled vegetables, cabbage.

Joy, happiness from the appearance of a baby in the family is replaced by anxiety because he starts to cry. One of the reasons for the tears of the baby is a hard tummy. This phenomenon has its own reasons and ways to get rid of them.

Why is this happening?

The baby's body continues to develop after birth. The nutrition of the newborn must now be rebuilt, this is not easy. By about 6 months, the intestines will be sufficiently developed to digest food without problems, cope with emptying, intestinal gases. And now you have to be patient, using special measures to help the baby.

In the mother's tummy, everything was different, after childbirth, all systems of a small organism must learn to work in a new way. It is difficult for the intestines to push through processed food. Even small lumps can get stuck, blocking the passage of intestinal gases. In a one-month-old baby, everything is so miniature that even a small bubble of gas will put a lot of pressure on the intestinal wall, the baby will be in pain.

Symptoms

Most of the time, babies feel good, the tummy tenses up, becomes hard after feeding, if this is related to nutrition. We must be attentive to the mood and behavior of children. When worried, untie the baby, examine his posture, follow the behavior, evaluate the symptoms.

Most often, the causes of a hard abdomen in infants are intestinal colic, bloating.

Colic symptoms:

• the baby is naughty;
• blushes;
• pushing;
• pulls the legs to the tummy;
• the area near the navel tenses, becomes hard.

Colic begins 15-20 minutes after feeding, lasts about half an hour, resumes at the next feeding. By the evening such spasms usually amplify.

The kid can twist his legs. This means that he will raise, lower them alternately, pulling them to the stomach. At the same time, he can express dissatisfaction, concern by crying, groaning. This is how bloating is manifested in a child.

See a doctor immediately

Intestinal colic, bloating are normal processes during digestion. They bring discomfort, but over time they will pass. They can be eased. But there are situations that are associated with painful changes in the child's body. You need to know the signs in order to consult a doctor in a timely manner. At home, you can’t try to treat this with a little man on your own.

Dangerous symptoms:

• crying when touching the stomach;
• crying for more than an hour due to diarrhea or constipation;
• temperature 38o and more;
• there are streaks of blood in the feces;
• yellow-green vomit.

It is necessary to call an ambulance, before her arrival, do not give the child medication, so as not to change the symptoms.

How to help a child?

If it is precisely established that this is not a disease, but a hard tummy is a symptom of food digestion, you can help the crying baby with your own methods.

1. We must try to calm the baby. Nervousness further increases muscle spasm. But for this, a mother must be calm. Children, especially babies, are very sensitive to maternal mood. You should gently talk to the baby, stroke him, hug him.
2. Lightweight helps a lot. It is necessary to stroke it clockwise so that it is easier for gases to descend through the intestines. You can start around the navel, then increasing the diameter, go over the entire surface of the tummy.
3. A warm diaper, heated with a hot iron, will relax the muscles of the abdomen, restore patency, and intestinal gases will easily leave. The diaper is applied to the baby's tummy.
4. It is easier for a baby to poop while lying on its side or stomach. If the baby is crying, pushing, probably wants to poop, change his position - put him on the side, press his knees to the tummy, he will feel better.
5. Experts recommend laying the baby on the tummy on a hard surface before feeding. A few minutes will be enough to ease the passage of gases.
6. You can do special exercises - bring the bent knees of the child to the stomach, hold for a few seconds. Alternate left and right foot, then both feet together. It is desirable to do exercises regularly, but only when the baby is in a good mood.
7. copes well with intestinal gases. Before using it, you should consult a pediatrician. 2 large spoons of dill (seeds) pour 2 cups of boiling water. After cooling the straining, let the baby drink during the day.
8. If the above methods do not help. That breast. It is installed in the anus, lubricating the anus with a greasy baby cream. The tube is carefully inserted no more than 2 cm. It is better if the pediatric nurse teaches the young mother how to do this procedure.

Over time, an attentive mother will follow and remember what exactly helps to calm the tummy of a newborn. Someone has this tight swaddling, someone is helped by a walk around the room, sometimes a warm bath helps.

Causes of a hard tummy

Knowing the causes of this phenomenon, it is easier to understand what to do to eliminate them.

It is necessary to consult a pediatrician on digestive problems in a baby, follow the advice of a doctor.

Preventive measures

So that the tummies of babies are not so hard, so that it is easier for them to digest food, mothers can take care in advance. Nursing mothers should include in their diet foods that stimulate the motor ability of the intestines.

Healthy foods:

• pumpkin;
• carrot;
• beet;
• dried apricots;
• figs;
• prunes.

Moms should drink enough fluids, namely ordinary water without gas. Tea, juices, compotes are useful, but simple water is needed for the digestive system to work.

There is no need to wait until the child is very hungry, because at the same time he will eagerly suck, swallowing air. Start feeding by the hour, or when the baby shows a desire to eat. At the same time, he begins to suck his finger, lip, act up.

Conclusion

Difficulties with digestion in the first year of a baby's life are experienced by almost everyone. We must treat this with patience, because a small child is even harder. Knowing the information on the problem of a hard tummy, it will be easier to help the baby, prevent the development of such a phenomenon, and prepare for it.

It has been noticed that babies who are surrounded by caring, loving parents and relatives experience less pain, develop faster, get sick less.

Bloating in newborns and older children is quite common. It brings discomfort to the child, makes him restless, capricious.

To begin treatment, you need to understand the causes of the disease.

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general information

How to understand that a child has bloating? Most often there is bloating in newborns, infants.

Baby still can't tell what's bothering him. However, despite this, it is quite possible to understand that a child has bloating.

First of all, the child becomes restless after eating. He can't sleep, pulls his legs up to his tummy. The baby is crying the stomach becomes elastic, firm to the touch, visually it swells a little.

What symptoms can be accompanied?

Bloating in children is accompanied by the following symptoms:

1. The abdomen becomes elastic, slightly increases in size. May remind inflated balloon.
2. Capriciousness. The child cries, cannot find a comfortable position for sleeping. Because of this, there are problems with falling asleep.
3. Abdominal pain. The baby has accumulated gases in the intestines, so his stomach hurts a lot.
4. hiccup. The child has hiccups after eating, which may be accompanied by belching.
5. Increased sweating. Even if the room is not hot, the baby can sweat a lot.
6. Leg twitching. The kid pulls them up to the tummy, moves them restlessly. He is very restless.

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Causes

The main causes of swelling are:

• immaturity of digestion. In babies, the gastrointestinal tract is only learning to digest food, get rid of gases. The first months of life colic in the intestines are normal;
• malnutrition of a nursing breasts of a woman. If she consumes pastries, milk, fatty foods, it is quite possible for the child to bloat;
• child anxiety, immaturity of his nervous system. An unstable emotional state, frequent crying can lead to bloating;
• improper feeding. The child swallows a lot of air during meals, which leads to bloating;
• milk protein allergy. It is possible that the baby;
• intestinal infections. The first manifestation of such diseases is bloating.

In artificial babies, the disease occurs due to intolerance to certain nutritional components. The baby's body may not be ready to receive such food, so bloating occurs.

If the baby is breastfed, the causes of bloating are more varied. It is possible that the mother's diet is wrong. She consumes a lot of baking, milk, fatty foods, which leads to unpleasant consequences for the baby.

However, swelling may occur due to improper feeding child.

He presses his lips to the nipples loosely, swallowing a lot of air. Lactose intolerance also leads to bloating.

In older children, bloating occurs due to consumption of carbonated drinks, baking.

The use of chewing gum also leads to ailment. If the child overeats, moves little, does not engage in physical education, bloating is quite possible.

Often lead to bloating intestinal diseases. If the causative agents of the infection penetrated into the body of the child along with food, they begin to actively affect digestion.

The walls of the intestines can contract, leading to pain and gas buildup. The abdomen increases in size almost instantly. The swelling may last for several hours.

In this case, it will be possible to eliminate it only with the help of certain medications.

Treatment

What to do if the baby has bloating and colic in the abdomen? Specialists have developed many ways to treat bloating in children.

Non-drug methods

A gas outlet tube is also used to treat a child, it is sold in a pharmacy. Removes gases that have accumulated in the intestines.

The tube is made of plastic or rubber. Her insert into baby's anus after washing your hands.

The product causes intestinal contractions that remove gases. The baby is placed on a changing table covered with a diaper.

anal passage lubricate with petroleum jelly, oil, or cream. The edge of the tube also needs to be lubricated.

This will make it easier to insert the tube. For a child under 6 months old, the tube is inserted while he is lying on his back.

If the baby is older than 6 months, it is rotated on the left side. In this case, the baby's knees are raised to the tummy, the procedure is performed carefully.

The child should not be in pain. Very carefully, the tip of the tube is inserted into the anus by 1-2 cm. otherwise, you can injure the intestines of the baby. The tube to facilitate the introduction is rotated in one direction, then in the other direction.

The tube is left for 5-10 minutes. During this time, gases will come out, accompanied by characteristic sounds. All this time it is necessary to keep the baby's legs raised to the tummy. Next, the product is removed very slowly, the child is washed away.

The tube should be washed and boiled for five minutes for the next use.

Preparations

It is enough to mix 15 drops of the solution and 200 ml of liquid. The resulting medicine is given to drink not completely, but in the amount of 1/3 cup. It is necessary to take the medicine 2-3 times a day.

Experts advise the use of medication Bobotic, which is made in the form of drops.

Before use, eight drops of the medicine are mixed with a small amount of water and given to the child to take. The remedy is used 2-3 times a day after meals.

A very effective remedy is Plantex, which is made in powder form. It helps the baby to recover pretty quickly.

To prepare the medicine, mix half a sachet of powder and 100 ml of warm boiled water. The finished solution should be given to the child to drink. It is allowed to use the drug 1-2 times a day.

Folk remedies

Prevention measures

How to prevent bloating in children? Prevention measures for swelling include:

1. A breastfeeding woman needs exclude from food products that cause strong gas formation.
2. With a child walk regularly outdoors. Oxygen helps the body work properly.
3. For older children do not consume sugary carbonated drinks, pastries. A healthy diet will help you avoid bloating.
4. You can not feed child. Overeating has a negative effect on the child's body.
5. Needed by children on a regular basis do physical education. An active lifestyle contributes to the proper functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.
6. It is necessary to ensure that during feeding the baby did not swallow a lot of air.
7. Baby after eating good for massage, stroking the tummy clockwise. This will help the intestines to work properly.

Also prevent bloating water treatments. It is useful for the baby to take a bath at least three times a week.

To do this, decoctions of medicinal herbs are added to the water: chamomile, a string. To prepare a decoction, mix a glass of boiling water and a tablespoon of the plant.

The solution is infused for at least thirty minutes, then filtered. The resulting broth is added to the water collected in the bathroom. The child must take a bath at least twenty minutes.

Medicinal herbs, water have a positive effect on the baby's gastrointestinal tract and prevent bloating.

Bloating in children occurs for a variety of reasons. To eliminate the disease, it is recommended to start treating the child immediately, for this there is many effective methods.

You can learn about remedies for colic and bloating for newborns from the video:

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Colic and bloating often disturb babies, especially in the first months of life. The main reason for such an illness is that the body of the newborn has not yet adapted and is only getting used to new conditions and new food, elements that enter through breast milk.

In addition, the child's well-being is affected by improper feeding and attachment techniques, overfeeding and inappropriate milk formula. also increases colic and abdominal disorders in infants.

If you identify and eliminate the cause, the disease quickly passes. According to statistics, 90% of newborns have colic. During this period, the baby often cries and is naughty after feeding, bends the legs to the tummy. Violation of the stool and increased gas formation are considered true signs of colic or bloating.

Colic is normal for babies during the first weeks of life. No need to worry that something is wrong with the child or think that the baby is sick. The problem goes away by 3-5 months, in rare cases - by six months. However, you can relieve and even relieve pain by using medicines and folk remedies. Let's find out what will help get rid of colic without harming the baby.

10 ways to relieve pain from colic in babies

• Before feeding, lay the newborn on a hard surface, tummy down, for 2-4 minutes. And after feeding, hold the baby for 10-15 minutes in an upright position and wait for the baby.
• Massage your baby's tummy in circular motions in a clockwise direction. Regular massage is the best remedy for pain and cramps in the tummy;
• With strong crying, take the child in your arms, rock with one hand, and place the other with a warm palm on your tummy;
• During colic, put the newborn to the chest or lay it on your stomach. It calms and relaxes the child, relieves tension, fear and pain;
• The best tool that has been used since ancient times is a warm diaper. Put the diaper in two or three layers, iron it and attach it to the tummy. Don't put on a diaper that is too hot!

• Special gymnastics will help get rid of colic. Pull your legs to your stomach, then connect your left knee to your right elbow and vice versa. So the gaziki will immediately depart on their own;
• Place your baby in your arms with your tummy down and gently rock your baby to the right and left. This exercise is “airplane”. It distracts from pain and calms the child, he stops being capricious and even begins to laugh;
• Bathe the child in a warm bath with the addition of a decoction of chamomile. To prepare a decoction, brew three tablespoons of pharmacy chamomile in 0.5 liters of boiled water. How to properly organize bathing and swimming for babies, read;
• If the baby calms down for hours, you can use special medicines and folk remedies for colic, in rare cases - a vent tube. However, such methods can only worsen the situation, so before resorting to them in extreme cases and be sure to consult a doctor before using them!;
• It is important for a nursing mother to establish breastfeeding and nutrition. It is important that he receives the required amount of milk and swallows air when feeding. Follow the correct diet during lactation.

Folk methods

Today, there are various folk remedies for colic. Be careful when applying, as some plants and herbs cause. As a result, colic and bloating in a child will only intensify, in addition, there is a high risk of rashes, redness and itching. To avoid this, use only proven ingredients that the child is not allergic to.

Warm infusions of fennel and lemon balm, chamomile and immortelle, ginger and carrot seeds will also help. But you can not give the baby more than a quarter cup of broth per day! Do not forget about relaxing baths with chamomile.

Pharmacy preparations

If folk remedies have not helped and colic is only getting worse, you can turn to medication for help. Before using any, even the most harmless, medicine, be sure to consult a doctor! Carefully study the instructions, see the composition and expiration date of the drug, contraindications and side effects, methods of application and dosage.

Today, the market offers a lot of different pharmaceutical preparations to eliminate colic and relieve bloating in newborns. These are drops and capsules, suspensions and powders, ready-made solutions and other types. But how to choose the best means? Let's review and compare the most popular and effective medicines for babies.

Don't forget that every child is different. Determining which medicine is right for your baby is quite difficult. A consultation with a doctor will help you choose the best remedy, taking into account the characteristics of the development of the baby, the degree of exacerbation of the problem. And remember that doctors recommend taking medication only when absolutely necessary.

If the baby is on mixed or artificial feeding, it is possible that colic and indigestion are caused by improperly selected milk formula. Today, manufacturers offer various types of formula, including hypoallergenic, lactose-free, soy-based, and goat milk-based. If the baby has severe colic, increased gas and bloating, try changing the mixture.

Intestinal flatulence in children occurs due to the accumulation of gases, the discharge of which is difficult, accompanied by rumbling, pain. Why does bloating occur? Gases in a newborn are frequent companions of the most complex processes of adaptation of the body to life outside the womb.

Flatulence in an infant occurs when its intestines are full of foamy masses. This substance bursts the intestines from the inside, covers its walls and fills the intestinal lumen, preventing the absorption of food and disrupting the digestive process. All this causes pain and discomfort in the abdomen, which hardens and swells. At the same time, the baby becomes restless, begins to jerk his legs sharply, trying to press them to himself. Bloating in newborns may appear in the first month of life and continue to torment them for up to three to four months. The reasons may be different.

• Food that is not appropriate for the age and maturity of the child's gastrointestinal tract can cause flatulence - changing the milk formula, overfeeding, premature introduction of complementary foods, unbalanced nutrition;
• However, often the causes of bloating in newborns do not lie in the food they eat, but in the fact that gases enter the intestines due to screaming, crying, improper feeding, in which air is swallowed along with milk or formula.
• Another important cause of bloating is the overexcitation of the child, restless behavior, his unstable emotional state for any reason.
• It should be borne in mind that for a child who is breastfed, what his mother eats is very important, since the use of certain foods can cause flatulence in a 1-year-old child, not to mention newborns. Foods such as fresh fruits, juices, legumes (peas, beans), white cabbage, walnuts, condensed milk, brown bread, kvass, sweet pastries often cause flatulence in children.
• It has been noticed that premature babies suffer from flatulence more often, which is due to the immaturity of their digestive system, which has not yet finished forming: the stomach of a newborn is located slightly higher and more horizontal than in adults, the muscles of the walls of the stomach and intestines are less developed, which makes it difficult to move food.
• Flatulence in a newborn can also occur due to lactase deficiency, dysbacteriosis, and allergies to cow's milk proteins.

Flatulence: symptoms in children

Flatulence manifests itself in a month-old child in the form of belching, gas discharge, loud crying due to pain. As a rule, the child begins to cry sharply and pull his legs up to his chest just a few minutes after feeding. Most often, these attacks occur in the late afternoon, it even happens that at the same time. The child's belly swells, outwardly it seems more round, and to the touch it is firm.

Treatment of flatulence in children

To relieve bloating in newborns, treatment is carried out by various methods.

There are a number of medicines based on decoctions of herbs (cumin, fennel, dill, coriander), designed to help get rid of gases in one way or another, as well as carminatives, antispasmodics to relieve intestinal spasm, drugs that activate intestinal motility, drugs against dysbacteriosis containing lacto- and bifidobacteria. In order to decide on drug treatment, it is necessary to consult a doctor.

To somehow alleviate flatulence treatment in newborns, you can also try using folk methods:

• warm the child's tummy: by placing a hot hand on the bare stomach, or by placing the child on his stomach, or by covering his tummy with a warm diaper or heating pad;
• massage the abdomen with circular strokes around the navel, slightly pressing;
• do gymnastics - the child's legs bent at the knees are pressed alternately against his stomach and straighten again;
• give the child a warm bath with a decoction of chamomile and string;
• try tight swaddling of the abdomen.

You can also use a rectal catheter, which is a thin gas outlet tube. It is gently inserted into the child's anus pre-lubricated with cream by 1-2 cm.

• It is advisable to lay the baby on the stomach for 5 minutes before each feeding. This can be done at any other time during the day - this is how the stomach is massaged, the abdominal muscles are trained.
• Clockwise stroking of the abdomen should also become a regular ritual.
• After each feeding, hold the baby in a “column”, in an upright position, for 10-15 minutes, until he burps air and the food reaches the stomach.
• In everyday life, give up tight swaddling to allow the child to move freely with his legs.
• Attach the baby to the chest correctly so that air does not get inside with food. Watch your diet when breastfeeding. The general rule is that those foods that cause bloating and soft stools in mom provoke flatulence in the baby.
• When formula-feeding, try to immediately select a mixture containing prebiotics so as not to injure the immature gastrointestinal tract of the child with frequent changes in mixtures.