What to give a newborn baby if the stomach hurts. What to do if a newborn has a tummy ache? Tips & Tricks

Our baby is 1.5 months old. During the last week, she has been constantly tormented by pain in her tummy: she often cries, pushes, twitches her legs. Yes, and the chair has changed, it has become frothy and with an unpleasant odor. How long can this go on? I don't have the strength to watch her suffer. Tell me, please, how can I help?

Such appeals are not uncommon on forums for moms who are worried about what to do if the tummy of a newborn baby hurts. Let's talk about the causes of such malaise in infants and, most importantly, about ways to eliminate these problems.

How does a child become aware of his body?

After nine months in utero, your baby is ready to be born. This means that its organs and systems are formed to a level that allows the baby to exist and function independently. But is the connection between mother and child interrupted after his birth?

The first weeks the newborn is still not at all aware that he is now a separate little man. He just has to understand what he is! In the meantime, the baby continues to feel like one with mommy. He needs to feel your presence at all times.

Getting used to life in the big world

By the time of birth, your baby's body is still far from perfect, and for the first six months it will gradually adapt to the conditions of the surrounding world. A huge role in this process is given to women's milk.

Everything that the child received during fetal development through the umbilical cord, after birth, he continues to receive from mother's breast milk. Its composition is unique and designed to meet all the needs of the newborn.

• Breast milk protein has a huge role in the development of the immune system and the nervous system of the child;
• The fats that make up its composition are the building material for nerve fibers and brain tissues. They also serve to supply the small organism with the necessary energy;
• Carbohydrates provide nutrition to the brain, normalize the intestinal flora;
• Breast milk contains a full range of vitamins and minerals that are completely absorbed by the baby's body;
• The composition contains enzymes that promote the breakdown of fats and improve digestion. Also, milk contains substances that protect the intestines from dysbacteriosis;
• Mother's milk is rich in hormones that regulate and contribute to the full formation of mechanisms for overcoming stressful situations;
• Milk contains components necessary for the final ripening of all functional systems.

Thus, mother's milk is designed to ensure the absolute health of the newborn. No even the highest quality infant formula or the most natural goat's milk can become a complete substitute for breast milk.

Child behavior

But not only proper nutrition will help you protect your child from tummy problems. Oddly enough, it sounds, but the appearance of colic, regurgitation, dysbacteriosis and constipation can be affected by improper handling of the newborn. How to deal with colic, see the course Soft tummy >>>

Many situations in which you think that a newborn has a tummy ache are actually related to other causes that cause changes in the infant's behavior. He may cry and act up from the fact that his mother is not around for a long time, or from the fact that you misunderstand his momentary needs, or from your inept actions when breastfeeding a newborn.

For example, if during the application of the child to the chest it will be uncomfortable for him to lie, he will not eat, but will begin to toss and turn and act up. The same can be observed if the mother does not help the baby to properly capture the nipple with her lips.

Know! Most often, the crying of a baby is not a sign that something hurts him, but indicates that he is unhappy with something!

Stomach ache: causes

How to understand that a newborn has a tummy ache? In the vast majority of cases, if abdominal pain is suspected, according to the results of the examination, no pathological abnormalities are detected.

Then why does a newborn have a tummy ache? There may be several reasons:

1. genetic pathologies;
2. a consequence of improper care for the baby; Important information in the article Caring for a newborn baby >>>
3. immaturity of the digestive system of the baby;
4. violation of the nursing mother's diet; The diet of a nursing mother is described in detail in our course Safe nutrition for a nursing mother >>>
5. imbalance of foremilk and hindmilk.

Many mothers do not know that breast milk is different:

• The portion of milk that a newborn drinks in the first 15 minutes is called "forward" milk. It is clear, watery and sweet. Such milk contains many carbohydrates (lactose), vitamins and minerals, immunoglobulins;
• the portion of milk that an infant receives when suckling for about 20 minutes or more is called "hind" milk. It is rich in fats and enzymes.

One of the most common reasons that your baby has a tummy ache may be a lack of hind milk. After all, most often a newborn suckles for a short time and does not have time to “get” to this portion. Thus, in his intestines there is a lack of enzymes that ensure the complete breakdown and assimilation of mother's milk.

Stomachache: what to do?

Establishing the exact reason why a newborn's tummy hurts makes it possible to figure out what to do in each case.

1. When a diagnosis is established, indicating that the infant has a disease of the digestive system, treatment is prescribed by a doctor;
2. If a newborn’s tummy hurts because the mother was tempted by some product prohibited for the period of breastfeeding, it is urgent to correct this error and exclude this product from the mother’s diet for at least 2 weeks;
3. To eliminate the imbalance between different types of breast milk, you should reconsider your approaches to feeding:

• in the first 3 months, you need to feed often (10 - 12 times a day) at the request of the baby;
• do not skip night feeding (3 times a night);
• if the newborn sucked milk for a short time and after a short period of time again asks for food, you need to apply it to the same breast that was given to him the previous time;
• do not express milk.

1. In other cases, when a newborn has a tummy ache, the main advice on how to help is to show attention and care. Need to:

• keep baby warm
• do not hamper his movements with tight swaddling;
• often carried in the arms, pressing the tummy to your body;
• arrange a warm bath; How to bathe a newborn is described in detail in the article How to bathe a newborn ?>>>
• do a light massage.

In general, you should use all kinds of relaxation and relaxation methods that will return the child to a sense of comfort and calm him down.

What should not be done?

In conclusion? I would like to warn against what should not be done in a situation where the newborn is seething in the tummy.

First of all, you should not rush to conduct a medical examination and switch to artificial feeding of a baby! The opinion that milk formulas enriched with all kinds of probiotics can get rid of tummy problems is just a myth. They will never replace mother's milk in their properties.

Also, you do not need to look for medicine from the tummy for newborns. In most cases, information about their effectiveness is nothing more than a publicity stunt, and there is no relief for the child from them. In addition, they have contraindications and side effects, and their frequent use slows down the natural formation of the digestive system and the formation of beneficial intestinal microflora.

You must remember that there is no better therapy than mother's care and love for a newborn baby. Your milk and attentive attitude to your baby is enough to ensure that the child does not get sick.

After the birth of a baby, his parents add not only joys, but also problems. After all, every mother wants to surround her child with warmth, care and love. And the most important desire of parents is to protect their child from all kinds of problems and diseases. Of course, this dream comes true extremely rarely, and in practice, mothers often have to deal with various ailments in a little man. One of the most common problems in the first year of life is abdominal pain in infants. This condition is usually accompanied by a strong prolonged crying of the child, which enhances the feelings of the parents. To cope with pain in the tummy, you first need to deal with the causes that caused them, and then eliminate them.

Why does the tummy hurt in babies?

From the moment the child was born, he gets acquainted with the new world around him. His first food is colostrum and mother's milk. Before this food enters the baby's body, his digestive tract is sterile. However, after birth, various microorganisms enter the baby's body. Some of them are useful and necessary, as they are involved in the digestive processes. So, together with mother's milk, the child receives bifidobacteria, which normally inhabit the intestines of the newborn, forming a natural microflora. Such microorganisms prevent the colonization of the digestive tract by pathogenic bacteria. The tummy of a baby, most often, hurts precisely during the period of colonization of its intestines, that is, during the formation of normal microflora. This period ends at about three months of a child's life.

The severity of abdominal pain in infants can be different: some babies have very strong and prolonged pain, while others have almost none at all. Pediatricians say that this may depend on some factors, such as caring for the baby and full feeding.

Artificial feeding

Manufacturers of mixtures intended for artificial feeding of newborns claim that their product is useful for the baby and is almost completely identical to mother's milk. However, this is not entirely true; breast milk for a small child is a unique and necessary product. At the moment, no technology is able to accurately recreate its composition. Breastfeeding a baby naturally is one factor that significantly reduces the likelihood of tummy pain in a baby. When feeding a newborn, whose age is less than six months, with a mixture, a violation of the normal composition of the intestinal microflora may occur. This leads to discomfort and pain in the tummy, and even a single use of the mixture can lead to such results. Infant formulas do not contain the necessary spectrum of vitamins and other substances required by the baby. In addition, breastfeeding contributes to the formation of full-fledged immunity.

Wrong care

Complete care for a small child includes a large number of different procedures. It is very important to establish a close relationship with the baby and provide him with psychological and physical comfort. With the right care, the baby feels better, and with the wrong care, the pain in the tummy can become stronger. In constantly crying children, this problem is more common.

The baby has a tummy ache, what should I do?

When colic occurs in a child, pediatricians are advised to carry out the following activities:

1. Tummy massage. It should be done in a clockwise direction. Thus, intestinal motility is activated, which leads to the promotion of gas bubbles, which are the cause of colic, and their removal.
2. Special exercises. If the baby has a tummy ache, he needs to do gymnastics regularly. It includes bending the legs at the knees and pressing them to the stomach. Such exercises should be repeated several times throughout the day if there is a tendency to develop colic.
3. Taking Espumizan, Sab Simplex and other similar drugs. Most of the medicines recommended for abdominal pain in infants have a carminative effect. Their use is relatively safe, since they are not absorbed, they have only a local effect. Allergic reactions after taking carminative drugs are not observed. The dosage of the drug is determined by the doctor. The course of treatment is usually quite long, until the complete disappearance of all symptoms. As a preventive measure, it is necessary to give the drug to the baby after the main feeding three times a day.
4. Dill water. It is prepared by steeping a small spoonful of dill seeds in a cup of boiling water for one hour. The resulting infusion is given to the child every day in the morning and evening before meals. Dill has a carminative and antispasmodic effect. A similar effect is provided by the drug Plantex, created on the basis of Chinese dill, or fennel. The action of this drug is the same as that of dill water, but it is much easier to prepare it.

In addition to the above methods for reducing abdominal pain in infants, there are several more care rules that help reduce the likelihood of colic. So, after the child has eaten, he needs to be vilified for some time in his arms in an upright position so that the air swallowed with the food can come out. The baby needs to be laid out more often on a hard surface with his tummy down, this improves peristalsis and helps to remove gas from the body.

Massage and gymnastics for a baby should be done every day, even if his tummy does not hurt. Colic is manifested by bloating, anxiety and strong crying of the child. If this condition occurs, use one of the following options:

1. They take the baby in their arms and begin to slowly rock and calm.
2. The baby is held in his arms, pressing to himself so as to slightly press on his tummy.
3. A heating pad or a warm diaper placed on the baby's stomach has a good effect.

In the event that none of these methods helped the baby, you should seek the advice of a doctor. Most often, in this case, a gas outlet tube is prescribed. The first time the procedure should be carried out by a qualified medical professional, so as not to harm the baby or cause injury to him.

The tube is first lubricated with vaseline oil. When inserting, do not press hard and make sharp and rough movements, as this can lead to injuries to the intestinal walls. It is possible to resort to this method of dealing with pain in the tummy in infants only in extreme cases.

With constantly recurring colic that persists for a long time, it is worth undergoing an examination. In some cases, special treatment is required to help the baby. However, most often, by the end of the third or fourth month of a child's life, such problems disappear by themselves. By this time, the digestive organs begin to work better, and the natural intestinal microflora is formed. All this leads to the fact that the accumulated gases come out on their own.

In this article:

Complaints that the stomach of a newborn hurts, pediatricians hear quite often. Almost half of the parents and their children are faced with such an ailment. Discomfort and painful spasms that disturb the sleep of the whole family are sometimes observed almost every night until 2-4 months of a baby's life.

In such a situation, the main thing is to remain calm. Remember that this will not continue indefinitely. It is important to realize that your baby is in pain and scared, he is also tired of exhausting pain and wants to sleep. Try to be patient and help the baby survive this difficult period in his life.

Why do newborns have stomach pains?

The most common cause of painful spasms in the baby's tummy is intestinal colic. Medical science cannot give an exact answer why some babies have these painful sensations, while others have never experienced them.

The intestines of a baby sometimes have a hard time accepting food other than mother's milk in the first months of life. However, breastfed babies sometimes have the problem of increased gas production.

The baby in the mother's womb is in sterile conditions. But after the birth of his gastrointestinal tract, it is freed from the original feces - meconium, and the colonization of the intestines with natural and pathogenic microflora begins. Since the baby's digestive function is not yet fully developed, there are problems with gas and colic.

Another factor that provokes abdominal pain in a baby is. There are many reasons for its appearance. One of them is the abrupt transition from breast milk to artificial formulas. The child cannot poop for two days or more, while his appetite decreases and discomfort occurs in the intestines.

How do you know if a child is in pain?

It is easy to guess that the baby has a tummy ache: you need to carefully look at his behavior and body movements.

Signs that a newborn has a stomachache:

• the baby cries inconsolably, cries out, while picking him up does not help, or only briefly stops the baby's suffering;
• the child strongly knocks with his feet, it is difficult to run somewhere;
• while crying, the newborn presses his knees to his tummy;
• when palpating, the hardness of the abdominal wall is determined, sometimes swelling is noticeable in the protruding tummy;
• painful sensations usually appear after feeding.

Do not wait for the child to scream and calm down on their own. These are not his whims, because the baby really hurts. A baby is born with a sterile intestine, and its digestive system is not yet fully formed. For 2 or 3 months, it is populated by microflora. Try to help your baby get through this difficult period as comfortably as possible.

How to help the baby?

If the baby has a stomach ache, first of all, seek help from the local pediatrician and tell in detail when the attacks occur, how long they last, and how the baby shows his anxiety. This information will help the doctor determine the cause of the baby's behavior and suggest methods to fix the problem.

There are ways by which you can reduce discomfort in an infant at home without resorting to medication:

1. If the child lies in the crib and cries angrily, take him in the arms, hug him tightly. So the baby will feel that he is not alone, that he is loved. Small children often calm down when they hear the beat of their mother's heart, feel the warmth of her hands and the smell of their own.
2. Press the baby's tummy against your chest or stomach. Tight contact between the bodies and slight pressure on the abdominal wall stimulates the passage of gases.
3. Warm the abdominal area with your hand or attach a flannel diaper well warmed up with an iron. Make sure the fabric is not too hot.
4. Massage the tummy by running your palm clockwise around the navel with minimal pressure. Due to this effect, the accumulation of gases moves smoothly along the intestinal loops and their release is facilitated.
5. If you have a gym ball, then place the child on it, tummy down, and roll it.
6. Get exercise with your baby. Alternately press the leg bent at the knee to the stomach, while keeping the second straight. This exercise is called "bicycle". Or place your palms on the child's hips and at the same time bring them closer to the tummy. Often, in the process of performing these exercises, the baby begins to let out gases, this leads to relief of his condition.
7. Invite your baby to drink a special children's herbal tea, which has a calming effect, and also regulates gas formation. Before giving your child this decoction, ask permission from your pediatrician.
8. Dill water is a well-known remedy for painful colic. You can buy it at a pharmacy or brew it yourself. Such a drink is allowed to be given in small portions several times a day.
9. If none of the above methods helps, you can put a gas outlet tube. This device will facilitate the removal of gas from the intestines. However, doctors do not recommend using this method, because the baby needs to learn to release accumulated gases on his own.
10. When there is a problem of constipation, and massage and nutritional correction do not help to cope with it, then it is permissible to do an enema.

Prevention

No child is immune from discomfort in the intestines, but thanks to preventive methods and simple tips, you can reduce the likelihood that your baby will get a stomach ache.

1. If a child feeds exclusively on mother's milk in the first months of life, this in itself is already a good prevention of intestinal colic. Mom should stick to a diet, excluding foods that lead to increased gas formation from her menu.
2. Proper latching on to the breast not only ensures proper nutrition, but also prevents air bubbles from being swallowed during suckling. Make sure that not only the nipple, but also the areola is in the baby's mouth.
3. Physical exercises will ensure the harmonious development of the child, as well as stimulate the intestines for regular removal of gases.
4. Before feeding, lay the crumbs on the tummy for 10-15 minutes, and after he has eaten, hold him upright for several minutes to release the swallowed air.
5. Create a friendly atmosphere in the house, because the baby feels the mood of the mother well.

Children often bring a lot of trouble to new mothers. If the baby suffers from painful gas formation, then the mother will have to learn simple methods to help her baby get rid of the pain. Seek help from a pediatrician to rule out various pathologies and give recommendations that will alleviate the suffering of the child.

Useful video about colic in newborns

Usually when newborn stomach ache, then the child cries and bends its legs. Abdominal pain in newborns is a fairly common problem. Although most often they are not caused by any serious cause, each case should be considered carefully. Do you know what can cause abdominal pain, how to eliminate it and help your child?

Symptoms of abdominal pain

Sometimes it is difficult to understand why the baby cries, worries and behaves differently than usual. Only careful observation and study of alarming symptoms can lead to the right track. What happens to a child when the tummy hurts?

• the baby is crying;
• becomes irritable, nervous;
• tightens the tummy, twists the legs;
• gurgling in the intestines is heard;
• there are changes in the consistency and regularity of the stool (constipation or diarrhea appears).

Why does a newborn have a tummy ache - reasons

Abdominal pain in babies can be caused by many factors. Most often it is:

Improper nutrition

The most common cause of abdominal pain is either too thick milk formula. You may suspect constipation in a baby if he walks more rarely than usual, this is accompanied by effort (the baby's face turns red, he cries, bends his legs), and the stool is very dense. Luckily, constipation in babies can be easily managed.

Reflux - reflux of stomach contents into the esophagus

That is, the reverse flow of the contents of the stomach into the esophagus, most often accompanied by belching, in young children this happens quite often. Undigested food, mixed with gastric juice, strongly irritates the mucous membrane of the esophagus, causing pain, screaming and crying. If you suspect reflux, be sure to talk to your pediatrician about it.

Powerful emotions

Children, especially older ones (just like adults) can experience strong emotions and stress. And the pain in the abdomen may well be provoked by the return of the mother to work or the change of the nanny.

Start with the simplest ways:

• Put a warm diaper or compress on your tummy. It's relaxing.
• . Gently press down on it (from top to bottom, from the sternum to the navel), putting the baby on his back, or make circular movements (direction: clockwise).
• Physical exercise can be helpful. Gently, holding the baby by the legs, bend them towards the chest, hold in this position for several seconds.
• Keep your baby upright, especially after eating - this will make it easier to get rid of air if the baby has swallowed it. In addition, this position helps to digest food.
• If you are breastfeeding, those foods that can later cause abdominal pain should be eliminated from your diet.
• You can give your baby tea from chamomile, fennel.
• Do not give your child any medicine without consulting a doctor.

An important role in the development of healthy digestion is played by the intestinal microflora. The formation of normal microflora in the gastrointestinal tract of a newborn is a complex process. It is greatly influenced by the method of childbirth (after all, the child, passing through the birth canal, receives the maternal microflora), the type of nutrition of the newborn and his environment at an early stage. In children born naturally and receiving mother's milk, this process takes place most harmoniously.

At risk for microflora imbalance are children of mothers who had various complications in pregnancy and childbirth, premature babies, as well as children who are bottle-fed. Colds, the rapid introduction of complementary foods can also lead to imbalances in the intestinal microflora, and as a result, the appearance of intestinal disorders, indigestion, discomfort, and decreased immunity. Many mothers cannot find an explanation for the baby's anxiety, nightly "concerts", colic and poor appetite, while the answer may be "on the surface."

Why does a newborn's tummy hurt?

The newborn cannot yet show where it hurts, and what exactly. Mom definitely needs to carefully look at the behavior of the crumbs and his condition in order to find out the reason. And the cause of abdominal pain can be:

• intestinal colic;
• bloating;
• constipation in a newborn.

With intestinal colic, the child twists his legs, often pulls them up to his stomach, and with bloating and constipation, the baby will have a tight tummy.

Causes of pain

Pain in the abdomen, i.e. between the chest and groin, can be both a symptom of digestive disorders and a manifestation of general malaise. In addition, often spasmodic pain in the abdomen is a manifestation of problems in the emotional sphere of the child: for example, pain occurs after the child is very worried or nervous. If the pain is not very strong and lasts no more than an hour, then there is no particular cause for concern: try to find out what, in addition to pain, still worries the baby, and take measures to eliminate these ailments. If the child complains of severe pain that does not go away within a few hours, then be sure to seek medical help. In addition, the following symptoms indicate the need to seek urgent medical attention:

• An increase in temperature: in a baby up to a year - gradually, in an older child - suddenly and very sharply.
• Change in the stool: the appearance of mucus in it, a streak of blood, a change in consistency.
• Dehydration of the body: it can be diagnosed by dry mucous membranes of the lips, mouth, nose.

Also, dehydration is indicated by a sharp increase in the number of urination. In the smallest, the fontanel sinks, and the eyes can tumble.

Waiting for the doctor

The first thing to do is to refrain from wanting to give your child painkillers! Until the doctor establishes an accurate diagnosis, such self-medication can bring irreparable harm! To really relieve the baby's pain, first of all, comfort him, caress and surround him with attention.

If the malaise is accompanied by frequent stools, in which a lot of salts and fluids leave the body, provide the child with plenty of fluids. However, this does not mean that you should force the patient to drink water in glasses. It is better to offer drinking a tablespoon at intervals of 10 minutes.

Diet for your baby's tummy

An important component of successful treatment is the adjustment of the baby's nutrition. Both during the illness and during the recovery period after it, it is necessary not to overload the stomach and include only easily digestible dishes in the baby's menu.

For the little ones, breast milk is, of course, the ideal restorative remedy. A bottle-fed baby should choose a mixture with probiotics - excellent helpers for restoring the digestive system.

The diet of older children should include rice and buckwheat porridge cooked in water, vegetable soups and mashed potatoes, lean steamed meat. But from whole milk, white bread, pickles, raw vegetables, sour berries and fruits should be abandoned for several weeks. As a rule, during the recovery period after an illness, especially after the use of antibiotics, the body needs to normalize the intestinal microflora. This can be achieved both as a result of a balanced diet, and after taking special preparations that help restore beneficial microflora. But in pursuit of a quick result, you should not be guided only by the loud statements of the manufacturers of such drugs. Each child is individual, so before introducing “healthy vitamins” into his diet, be sure to consult a doctor and your own common sense.

Getting rid of colic

When a newborn's tummy hurts, parents are very worried, because the baby's pain is accompanied by prolonged crying. From colic, a newborn has one proven folk remedy - dill water, which can either be ordered at a pharmacy or prepared at home. One tablespoon of dill seeds or fennel should be poured with a glass of boiling water and insisted until it cools down. It is necessary to give the baby a strained infusion to drink 10-20 ml every 2 hours.

You can help your child in other ways. The most effective of them are:

• Tummy massage. Lay the child on the back and massage his stomach in a clockwise direction with circular movements of the palm of your hand. Do not push, otherwise the baby may become even more painful. Thus, you will help the baby get rid of the gas.
• Holding a "column". Excess gases and air can be expelled by regurgitation when the baby is upright with his tummy against your chest.
• Warming up. Apply a warm diaper or heating pad to your baby's tummy. You can use the method mentioned above - lightly press the baby with your tummy to your body and carry him in your arms until he calms down.
• Charger. One simple exercise helps well from gaziki. Lay the child on the back, sit at his feet. Take the baby by the ankles and alternately press each leg lightly against the tummy. This exercise is called "cycling".
• Laying the baby on the stomach. Do this before every feed, but not at times when the baby has severe tummy pains.
• Gas tube. Before using it, you need to learn it from your pediatrician or nurse. The tube can damage the intestines, so it must be handled very carefully. This method of getting rid of gas is resorted to only in extreme cases and only with the permission of a doctor.