The newborn is not eating very well. Breastfeeding mistakes. Medical causes of poor appetite in infants

Hold the long-awaited miracle in your hands... Gently stroke his cheeks while the baby is sleeping... Every mother is very happy these moments! She tries to invest only the best in her child from birth! Warm socks, affection and warmth, a beautiful stroller, a kind smile, healthy food ... But what if the baby refuses to eat of his own free will? What if you realize that you need to feed the child, but you can’t? After all, the little one must eat steadily in order to grow and develop properly. It would seem that here is just the place and time for panic. But no! A young mother should pull herself together, remove confusion and begin to thoughtfully sort through the options for such behavior of the newborn. And in no case do not worry, and even more so do not fuss, especially if such a situation occurs with the firstborn.

Let's look at the reasons for this behavior.

First reason. Perhaps your child is sick. Touch your forehead. Take your temperature. In infants, a temperature of up to thirty-seven or up to thirty-seven and four is considered normal. But at the same time, the condition of the baby must also be taken into account. Whether he is calm or not. Also try to touch the base of the ears - the baby may have inflammation. In the latter case, it is necessary to consult a specialist doctor or call an ambulance at home.

The second reason. It is likely that the newborn baby has a clogged nose. While eating, it is difficult for the baby to breathe and he cannot calmly get enough. When a child is born and in the following months, it is difficult for him to breathe, because the mucous membranes are not sufficiently adapted. And this happens because in the womb of the mother the child was in a humid space, and the airways were not given the opportunity to get used to the air. Therefore, try to humidify the air in the room where the baby is. Or put two or three drops of breast milk in each nostril.

Third reason. The most common. Your baby has colic. Watch your baby's behavior. If he screams all the time, his face turns red, he bends his legs, then this is colic. They happen to all babies and last three to four months from their birth. Try a massage if this is the case. Perform circular movements on the baby's tummy. After that, take him in your arms, scold him, caress him, and then try to feed him again, placing him in a comfortable position. Next time you can try to make a dill solution and give the baby a drink. Since allergies are possible, try giving one or two teaspoons of dill water first. For the solution, you need to take two grams of dill and pour a glass of boiling water. Leave for about an hour. Then it is recommended to strain.

Fourth reason. Your newborn baby has stomatitis or thrush. Look into the baby's mouth. If you find a white cheesy coating on the tongue and inner sides of the cheeks, then you need to take up the elimination of this cause. The best thing is to see a doctor. You can try to cure stomatitis and thrush at home. To do this, it is recommended to dissolve one teaspoon of soda in a universal glass of boiled water at room temperature. Take the gauze and wrap it around your finger. Then you should moisten your finger in the resulting solution. And start processing the mouth. If the baby is stubborn and does not give, try to lure him with an interesting toy or press his chin. The baby will reflexively open his mouth.

Fifth reason. Teeth are cut. Look at your baby's gums. If they look reddened and swollen, then teeth will appear soon! This phenomenon will bring discomfort to the baby, and therefore, to speed up the process, it is necessary to buy a baby teether.

Sixth reason. Changes in the composition of breast milk. Due to unpleasant and unusual taste sensations, the baby may also begin to eat poorly. Eliminate acidic, spicy and salty foods from your diet. Sweet foods should also be kept to a minimum. In addition, the condition of the mother can affect the taste of milk. If you are upset, angry, very worried, breast milk becomes tasteless. Try to give your baby peace, joy, a sense of reliability along with milk. Oddly enough, the taste of milk is affected by your next pregnancy. The taste becomes bitter and the baby will not take breast food.

Seventh reason. Your small child's appetite is influenced by the atmosphere in the house and the change of scenery. In such a situation, you need to take great care of the newborn. It is better to walk more.

Eighth reason. Do you smoke? Do you drink alcoholic beverages? Here is the answer to the question why your baby is not eating well. All harmful components are absorbed into the body and are part of breast milk. And the taste to match. In this case, you can understand the baby. Quit your bad habits immediately. Do not spoil the health of yourself or your newborn miracle. After all, he or she is powerless and not to blame for this.

Ninth reason. You may have naturally flat or inverted nipples. It is inconvenient for the baby to grab and take milk. In this case, you need to use a special technique with which the nipples will be pulled out. Or it may be that the baby does not eat well due to the fact that there are cracks in the nipple area. In this case, it is recommended to treat the chest for the disappearance of cracks.

You see, there are many things that cause a newborn to eat poorly or refuse to eat at all ... If they are not eliminated, this will not lead to good things. There will be problems. Well, if you have not found any of the above reasons, then you should pay attention to the following factors:

• baby's physical development
• season
• weather outside the window
• child's temperament
• uncomfortable posture when feeding
• noisy surroundings

The list of possible factors does not end here. Sometimes it is necessary to intuitively select and eradicate the reason why things are not going the way you want or not the way you would like.

Finally, it is advisable to leave a list of tips for breastfeeding your baby or baby.

Tip one. It is necessary to apply the newborn to the breast more often. It is best to do this at night.

Tip two. It will be wonderful for you and especially for your child if you follow the right diet.

Tip three. It is strongly recommended to walk with the baby as often as possible in the fresh air. Do not forget about the air, the sun. And try so that your baby does not catch a cold and does not get sick. So that later it would not be necessary to identify and eliminate the first reason why your child does not eat well.

Tip Four. Be attentive, show care, give tenderness and affection to your little one. Try to be as close to you as possible. And strive to ensure healthy sleep for your beloved newborn.

If you can't figure out the reason why baby is not eating well, it is recommended to consult a specialist doctor as a matter of urgency. The pediatrician will be able to detect and help restore the correct and hourly feeding of the baby with professional ease. Be healthy and don't get sick!

Newborns and infants almost immediately after birth acquire a sucking reflex and, accordingly, feeling hungry, require it to be satisfied. Mother's breast milk is the most useful and necessary food for the growth and development of the baby. Therefore, if suddenly the baby loses his appetite, does not gain weight, refuses breast or bottles, there are a number of reasons for this, which you need to figure out and understand what is wrong. If the refusal of food occurred once, there is no need to sound the alarm. But in the case of a regular repetition of the situation, it is better to contact pediatrician, which can help the little man and mother to establish nutrition.

So, what are the causes of poor appetite in a newborn? Why isn't he gaining weight? crying throws mother's breast or a bottle?

• The special structure of the mother's nipple. Because of the inverted or flat nipple, feeding is difficult for the baby, he needs to make a lot of effort to get milk. If the baby does not eat for this very reason, then his smacking of his lips, anxiety and crying as soon as he is at the mother's breast will be indicative. In such a situation, the mother will have to express milk or feed in a certain position that is comfortable for the baby so that the baby can get enough milk.
• Intestinal colic. Such cramping pains in the tummy most often occur in the first weeks after birth, when the not yet fully formed gastrointestinal tract can not cope with the incoming milk or formula. As a result, the child suffers from increased gas formation, and his appetite is sharply reduced. If the baby twists his legs during feeding, pulls them up to his stomach, starts crying abruptly and interrupts feeding, most likely it is colic.
• Dysbacteriosis. The baby often burps, he has skin rashes, he is gaining weight poorly and eats very little for feeding? Most likely, this is a dysbacteriosis that causes a loss of the baby's appetite. Probiotics and a diet for the mother, prescribed by a pediatric specialist, will help in this case and normalize the process in the child's gastrointestinal tract.
• lactase deficiency. The reason for the refusal of a newborn to eat may be lactose intolerance, which is contained in milk. No need to be upset if the child does not eat due to the lack of the necessary enzyme in the body. Lactase deficiency is treated, and this is not at all a reason to wean a child from the breast. A good pediatrician will prescribe treatment for the baby and help to cope with such difficulties.
• Runny nose. If the baby has a stuffy nose, most likely he does not eat well or refuses to eat at all. Eliminating congestion of the respiratory tract, you normalize the process of feeding.
• Thrush and/or inflammation in the mouth is a common ailment in infants. Small white sores, plaque and redness of the mucosa indicate an inflammatory process in the oral cavity that prevents the baby from receiving milk normally.
• Teething. If the baby's first teeth began to cut, then this painful and unpleasant moment can greatly affect the child's appetite.
• The taste of mother's milk. If a nursing mother ate some kind of spicy or strong-smelling product, then this immediately affects the taste of milk. Garlic, various spices can change the taste of food familiar to the child and lead to loss of appetite in the baby.
• lactation mastitis in a nursing mother. Inflammation of the mammary gland, pain and induration, fever can be symptoms of this disease. The child in this case loses its appetite and refuses to breastfeed. At the first symptoms of mastitis, the mother should definitely consult a doctor.
• Hypothyroidism in newborns. Reduced thyroid function in infants leads to mental and physical retardation, as well as loss of appetite. Pediatric endocrinologist will be able to determine the presence or absence of this disease in the baby.
• Otitis. If the baby begins to eat, and immediately throws a bottle or breast with a cry, raises his hands to his ears, turns his head - this may indicate inflammation in the ears, in which it is painful for the child to swallow. Otitis media must be treated pediatric ENT doctor.

It is quite difficult to spontaneously get an appointment with a pediatric specialist in St. Petersburg. If you urgently need to show your baby to a doctor, you can make an appointment with a pediatrician at the Medicenter Medical Center, where in a calm and friendly atmosphere the baby will be carefully examined and the mother will be asked in detail by a sensitive pediatric specialist with many years of experience working with children. If necessary, he can send the baby for additional examinations, tests and cultures, which can also be taken at our center or call the children's specialists of our center at home.

Why does appetite decrease?

Children of all ages, from newborns to teenagers, may gradually lose their appetite. And each age hides its reasons for the decrease or lack of appetite.

Poor appetite in the first year of life in children, the main causes

Usually newborn children, if they feel hungry, then they only eat, and they have a good appetite. After all, the developing body of a small child requires more nutrients than older children, so one-year-old children rarely refuse food. But if a newborn is breastfed for a short period or refuses mother's milk altogether, then there are reasons to wonder what could have caused this.

Poor appetite in newborns - what is caused and what to do?

One of the most common causes of poor appetite in infants is a feature of the structure of the mother's nipple (for example, an inverted or flat nipple). Such an irregular shape of the nipple interferes with the feeding of the child. The child will be hungry and show it in every possible way: constant anxiety, crying, smacking lips, sometimes protruding lips. Mom will have to find a way out of the situation: either express milk and bottle feed, or feed in a suitable, not always comfortable, position so that the child can receive food and the appetite returns to normal.

Another reason for the lack of appetite in newborns is a runny nose, nasal congestion in a child. Since the baby breathes through the nose when sucking on the mother's breast, it is important that the airways are not blocked. Otherwise, the feeding process becomes impossible, since the baby has to breathe through the mouth. It is possible to normalize appetite after eliminating the causes of the common cold.

Pain in the tummy of a child is another reason

Colic in the baby's abdomen occurs due to lactose deficiency (when a child has intolerance to milk carbohydrates). Pain can also occur due to dysbacteriosis and due to the fact that during breast sucking, the child could swallow air.

You should wait for an audible eructation in the child after each feeding, holding him for about fifteen to twenty minutes in an upright position. You can hold him in this position (or put the baby on his shoulder with his tummy) for five to ten minutes if suddenly the baby begins to refuse breast milk as soon as you start feeding.

You can normalize the appetite with special mixtures devoid of milk protein if the child is lactose intolerant.

Poor appetite of a newborn can be caused by inflammation of the mucous membrane in the oral cavity. It is also called thrush of the oral cavity, which is characterized by the appearance of ulcers and white plaque on the cavity, as well as a noticeable reddening of the mucosa. It is necessary to get rid of the infection in order to normalize the appetite.

The appearance of the first teeth

And even such a natural process brings very uncomfortable sensations in the child and affects the decrease in appetite. This process resolves on its own, and the inconvenience passes with time. But at this time, the child needs special care and attention from you.

A change in the taste of breast milk can affect the change in the appetite of a newborn baby. Suddenly, if you want to try some product that you haven’t eaten for a long time, think about whether it will change the taste of your milk. For example, after eating garlic, the baby may refuse your breast. Therefore, you should be careful when you decide to diversify your diet. Also, failure can be caused if the mammary glands are inflamed (lactational mastitis).

With inflammation of the breast, the mother feels seals and pain in the mammary gland, the temperature may rise. With mastitis and its first symptoms, you should consult a doctor immediately.

With a decrease in thyroid function, there may be no or only a decrease in appetite. In other words, a decrease in thyroid function is called congenital hypothyroidism. Its main symptoms are: retardation in mental and physical development (children sit down later, start holding their heads later), lethargy, endocrine disruption - hair loss and dry skin. If you suddenly develop these symptoms, you should immediately consult a doctor. Only a doctor can make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe treatment.

The state of appetite in newborns can also be affected by an unusual environment - a new place or too noisy. Try to change the situation to a more calm one - turn off the radio or TV, or feed the baby in the absence of strangers.

Often, parents are faced with a problem when the baby eats little and sleeps a lot. A similar lifestyle of a newborn baby should worry parents, because normally a child from the first days of life should eat often, waking up every 2-3 hours.

A newborn baby sleeps a lot, because he only adapts to other living conditions, which takes a lot of energy from him. At this time, he is gaining strength and growing. The duration of sleep for a small child depends on the characteristics of his body. However, other factors can also affect sleep. These include:

1. Difficult childbirth. The birth process is a big stress for the child. And difficult childbirth weakens the body of a newborn so much that in the first days he can sleep around the clock, waking up only for feeding. Often, when complications occur, a woman in labor takes medications. The components of pharmacological agents enter the blood of the newborn and are removed from there rather slowly, which also affects the baby's drowsiness.

2. Malnutrition. There are several reasons why an infant is malnourished. But all of them lead to the fact that the baby does not receive the required amount of milk and weakens from this. Malnutrition entails lethargy and drowsiness.

3. Noise and bright light. Interestingly, newborns sleep best in bright light or noisy environments. These factors act on children as irritants against which they protect themselves by deep sleep.

4. Vaccination. Vaccinations begin to be given to children from birth. Often, during the vaccination period, newborns are prescribed antiallergic and antipyretic drugs that have a calming effect. Therefore, a long sleep for several days after vaccination is normal for babies.

5. Diseases. Breastfed babies have strong immune systems. However, this applies only to those newborns who are breastfed, artificial feeding does not protect the child from disease. They are more likely to suffer from colds, colic, or abdominal pain. And in infancy, any illness is a stress for the body. Sleep also helps restore strength.

The baby sleeps a lot and eats little, is it worth worrying

The fact that a newborn sleeps a lot, eats little and is not interested in the environment is the norm in the first weeks after birth. During this period, the baby sleeps almost all the time, spending up to 20 hours a day in sleep. Only by the first year of life, the total sleep time is reduced to 12-13 hours a day.

However, sleep norms, as well as, are changeable and depend on the characteristics of the baby's body. In the first month, up to 700 ml of milk per day is enough for an infant. By the first feeding of the baby, this figure increases to 1000 ml. But sometimes the newborn eats little and does not feel hunger. If a newborn child is cheerful, healthy, gains weight well, then there are no problems. It is worth worrying if newborn children sleep constantly, do not ask for food at all, and often cry during wakefulness.

What determines the baby's appetite

In the first days of life, the stomach of a newborn child can hold no more than 10 ml of milk. Every month, the amount of food consumed by the baby increases. However, some newborn babies eat a lot and constantly ask for a breast, while others often refuse to feed. For one child, a small amount of milk is the norm, while for another, the appetite could disappear due to any reason.

Most often, refusal to eat is caused by the following reasons:

1. Violation of lactation. Often, young mothers simply do not know how to accustom a newborn to the breast. If the child cannot take the breast, then this is fraught with problems with lactation. Milk is produced in insufficient quantities, so the child after each feeding remains either hungry, or begins to suck the formula from a bottle as supplementary food, switching to artificial feeding.

2. Excess milk. Often the mother produces too much milk. During feeding, milk spurts into the baby's mouth. The baby begins to choke and refuses to breastfeed.

3. Milk has changed the taste. When a mother eats something bitter or sour, the milk acquires an unpleasant taste for the baby. This also happens if a woman becomes pregnant again during the period of breastfeeding.

4. Choice. An improperly selected mixture is the cause of poor appetite in artificial babies. The composition of the food should correspond to the age of the baby, not cause allergies and discomfort in the digestive system.

5. Illness. Any violations (from a short frenulum to pathologies of the digestive system) can cause a newborn to eat little.

But not always poor appetite is associated with negative factors. Breast milk, like artificial mixtures, has a different composition. If the milk is fatty and nutritious, then the baby will be satisfied with a small amount, so it will not require feeding for a long time.

An infant's desire to eat depends on many factors: mood, energy expenditure, the taste of breast milk, and even how comfortable the mother's nipples are, the size of the orifice, and the softness of the breast.

The baby's appetite appears when the mother manages to establish the correct one. With an excess of milk, one breast is decanted before feeding, then the other, and the baby receives the amount of food that he needs without any problems. Appetite also depends on the lifestyle of the newborn. If you walk with your child more often, play, bathe him, then the baby will spend more energy and eat more often.

How to feed a baby if he does not wake up

Pediatricians advise feeding a newborn on demand, not on a schedule. But what if the newborn does not eat well and does not ask for milk due to a long sleep? If more than 3-4 hours have passed since the last feeding, and the newborn does not require food, then it must be awakened.

The best time to wake up your baby is during REM sleep. You can determine the stage by the behavior of the child. During the deep sleep phase, he is completely relaxed and does not respond to touch. If the sleep is superficial, then when you touch the child, his muscles tense up.

The newborn has a well-developed sucking reflex. He will begin to suck even in a dream if you bring a breast or a bottle of formula to his lips. Therefore, it is not necessary to fully wake up the baby for feeding. And in order for the feeding procedure to take place in conditions comfortable for the newborn, you need to remove the diaper from him, and then change the diaper.

When to sound the alarm

A newborn baby sleeps continuously for 2-3 hours. From 2 months, the duration of uninterrupted daytime sleep increases to 3-4 hours, and at night the baby can sleep up to 5 hours. However, much depends on the body of the child. For some children, the norm may deviate by 30-60 minutes. If the health and illnesses of the newborn are not disturbed, then there is nothing to worry about.

Too much sleep should alert if a newborn baby sleeps a lot, eats little and at the same time slowly gains weight, lags behind other children of his age in growth and development. Do not confuse the drowsiness of the newborn with lethargy. Continuous sleep, which lasts more than 4-5 hours, and the inactive behavior of the baby during wakefulness should alert. If a child is malnourished or suddenly becomes, becomes less eating, almost not awake, even if he sleeps normally without whims, then this is a reason to contact a pediatrician.

When do you need a doctor

Prolonged sleep can be a signal of illness. You should immediately consult a doctor if during sleep the newborn breathes heavily, sweats heavily, practically does not move, does not respond to touch and attempts to wake up.

The help of a breastfeeding specialist is needed if the newborn is not gaining weight well. Insufficient or improper feeding affects the health of the baby. If for some reason the mother did not normalize the feeding process, then it is better to contact a specialist. A doctor is also needed if the child himself refuses to eat.

He eats poorly if he drinks less milk. But the child's body independently determines its needs for food. Therefore, overfeeding a child does not make any sense.

Often this happens when the baby is offered a new food, for example, at the beginning of complementary foods. Remember that the baby needs time to get used to the new taste. If you force him to eat by force, then later an aversion to this food may develop.

Often, babies lose their appetite, teething, they just hurt. The profuse salivation that appears at this time only exacerbates the situation. Also maybe a head or something else. The most common runny nose can discourage appetite. The body throws all the forces to fight the disease, and food requires additional energy costs for processing. During recovery, the desire to eat may also disappear, at this time it is not worth forcing the child to eat by force. It happens that children do not eat well due to stress, worries or worries, persuasion and requests at this time will lead to the resistance of the baby. Often, weather conditions also affect a child's appetite, for example, if it is too hot outside. Also, pressure drops, magnetic storms, etc. can serve as a cause.

Many babies start eating less by twelve months, simply because they no longer need to put on as much weight as they did in the first months of life. The lack of a feeding regimen also adversely affects appetite, and sweet snacks will lead to the same result.

Why does a newborn eat poorly

If he does not refuse food, and in the process of eating food he begins to act up and becomes restless, then this may already indicate some problems. The reason for this may be that the mother does not have enough milk or, in the case of artificial feeding, the hole in the bottle nipple may be too small. Painful sensations when swallowing can be caused by thrush, stomatitis, etc. There may be problems with the intestines, its peristalsis increases during meals, gas formation, constipation. If the baby has a clogged nose, then the sucking process is also very difficult.

The reason for refusing to eat can be the unpleasant taste of milk if the mother ate something spicy, salty or bitter. With artificial feeding, the formula you choose may not be suitable for the child, in addition, it may be too hot or cold.