With the appearance of a newborn in the house, a set of questions arises related to the structural features of an immature organism: why is he crying, is he full, is he sleeping too long. Over time, parents will figure it out, but the question of digestion will remain open for a long time.
Baby tummy
Features of the microflora of the stomach in infants
The mucous membranes of the baby in the womb are absolutely sterile. It has no bacteria in the intestines, stomach or nasal passages. The microflora is colonized gradually, starting from the very moment of childbirth. Passing through the birth canal, the baby licks off the maternal flora, which through the mouth enters the stomach and intestines, growing there. There are other sources of bacteria that populate the gastrointestinal tract and mucous membranes:
- through the mother's nipple, which the baby will take in the mouth in the first hour after birth;
- through the tools of the medical staff, if they are not properly processed;
- if you inhale ambient air.
Important! Children born by cesarean section are deprived of the opportunity to receive a large "portion" of microorganisms, because they do not enter the birth canal of the mother.
Causes of a rumbling stomach in a newborn
The belly of a small child learns to process food in the first three months. There may be several reasons why a baby is rumbling in the stomach. Some of them are natural, others are the result of disturbances in the work of the gastrointestinal tract.
Colic
Infant colic is a problem that most babies face between three weeks and three months of age. The colic attack itself can last from several minutes to three hours, at the moment of which a child's cry is significantly different from crying for other reasons - it is piercing, not capricious, but sharp. Another distinctive feature of colic is the characteristic twitching of the legs - twisting.
Infant colic
This problem is more common in boys than girls. Medicine cannot fully explain the exact reasons for the origin of these pains, however, several factors have been noted that contribute to the development of infant colic:
- overfeeding of the child, due to which the intestines receive too much food, he does not have enough enzymes to digest everything, as a result of which the food is not absorbed, but decomposes, forming products of decay and gas formation, stretching the intestinal walls, leading to pain;
- overheating of the child, which also contributes to gas formation in the abdomen, which causes stabbing pains;
- mother in her diet has a large amount of cabbage and legumes, which is why her milk becomes a provocateur of bloating in the baby.
Attention! If, during colic, a child is taken in his arms or offered a breast (bottle), he will not calm down and will continue to scream violently, because neither a hug nor an additional portion of food will save him from severe pain. Therefore, if the child cried, and after being picked up, calmed down, this is not colic.
Lactose deficiency
Often, babies boil in the abdomen due to lactose deficiency. This means that his body lacks an enzyme that processes milk sugar. When dairy products enter the body, substances that cannot be processed are in the digestive system, which leads to allergic reactions and upset stomach. For such children, the food should not contain traces of milk. Modern industry has taken care of the babies and has developed special lactose-free milk formulas based on soy protein, which are no worse than usual to cope with saturating a small body with the necessary substances.
Violation of microflora
There are situations when a child has to be assisted immediately after birth using antibiotics. Then the intestine, already inhabited by the first bacteria, loses the balance of pathogenic and beneficial flora, which is why the newborn boils in the tummy, he cries and cannot calmly digest food. It takes at least 7 days to restore the balance.
Interesting. Popular pediatrician, E.O. Komarovsky says that it is not in vain that it is recommended to take all drugs that supposedly populate the human intestines with beneficial bacteria - during this time no one will think about the uselessness of the medicine, because without it the balance of bacteria will be restored, which is used by pharmaceutical companies.
Improper nutrition
In post-Soviet times, it became fashionable among young mothers to feed their children on demand, rather than by the hour. Allegedly, rude Soviet midwives and pediatricians, driven into the system, prevented women from knowing the happiness of motherhood through free feeding. This is a big delusion that makes the child and the mother herself suffer from the baby's tummy rumbling. The thing is that feeding every 2.5-3 hours provides the gastrointestinal tract with enough time to process the food received.
Child and watch
Feeding on demand means latching on to the baby's breast every time the baby starts crying without understanding the reasons for crying. This leads to the fact that the baby receives excessive doses of food, delivering pain, leading to bloating and cramping.
Could stomach gurgling be the norm?
It happens that a newborn's tummy growls, but this does not give him unpleasant sensations:
- the child is cheerful
- he's in a great mood
- he doesn't cry.
This is one of the variants of the norm that should not be paid attention to. The walls of the abdominal cavity in babies are so thin that people can hear the process of digesting food.
During feeding
Boiling in the belly of a baby can be observed during a meal, if the baby is in a hurry, or the stream of mother's milk hits hard itself. In this case, together with the milk, air can enter the esophagus, which the baby swallows on HV. Artificials also run the risk of swallowing air during feeding. In order to avoid this, you can buy special bottles with an air vent ring, which prevents air from entering the esophagus.
Important! In almost all babies who are bottle-fed, intestinal motility is activated at the time of feeding, which causes a rumbling in the belly of the newborn, which is associated with simultaneous emptying of the intestines.
After feeding
A newborn can boil in the stomach even after feeding. All the same air often becomes the main reason. Most often, immediately after the next seething, the baby spits up. This is not a pathology, the esophagus gets rid of excess milk in this way. If the baby is spitting up too much food, you need to keep him "soldier" longer after eating than other children, waiting until the air comes out in the form of belching.
Upright position after feeding
How long
As a rule, three-month-old babies already stop spitting up or do it much less often, which indicates the formation of gastric sphincters. If even after this age the baby continues to gurgle in the stomach, but the child does not react to this with negative emotions, parents should not worry either.
Attention! Until the moment when complementary foods are introduced to the baby, the child's stool will always be liquid. This does not mean that a month-old baby has diarrhea, but only indicates that the incoming milk is a liquid, after passing through the entire gastrointestinal tract, it does not become a solid substance.
Factors that trigger bloating
In addition to the aforementioned overfeeding and overheating, there may be other reasons leading to the formation of gas in the intestines:
- lack of moisture, which is formed in babies who do not receive water in between feedings (for a month-old baby this is important if he is in a hot and dry environment);
- the selected milk mixture is not suitable for the baby, in this case you will have to try another one;
- The introduction of complementary foods began with a large number of vegetables that can produce gases.
What to do if your child's stomach growls
The baby, whose belly does not stop gurgling, should be examined by a pediatrician for pathologies. In the absence of specific complaints about well-being, loud digestion of food can be a feature of the digestive system.
Nutrition Tips
If the baby who is worried about the stomach is breastfeeding, The following conditions should be provided to significantly reduce the risk of painful bloating and spasms in the intestines:
- each next feeding should not be earlier than 2 hours after the previous one - a child who has thrown a nipple on his own during feeding cannot be hungry in an hour;
- the air temperature in the room should not rise above 22˚C, optimally 19-20˚C;
- it is undesirable for a nursing mother to eat a large amount of cabbage and legumes;
- children who are bottle-fed should not prepare mixtures for future use - only a freshly prepared portion can be given to the child, and the bottle should be thoroughly washed after each use using a brush or a sponge with coarse fiber.
Attention! Often, women who do not have the strength to get up three times a night to prepare a fresh mixture for the baby mix a large volume at once, which is enough until the morning. This cannot be done, since after 2 hours dairy products turn into an environment rich in multiplying bacteria, most of which are pathogenic. To facilitate work, it is better to prepare a thermos with water of the required temperature and have it on the bedside table along with a jar of milk powder.
Exercises
You can help your baby to digest food with the help of constantly repeated exercises:
- lay the child on his stomach 15 minutes before meals;
- massage the tummy in a clockwise direction half an hour after feeding, without pressing on it;
- half an hour before eating, bend and unbend your knees, pressing them to the tummy.
Gurgling symptoms requiring diagnosis
If each meal, without exception, leads to the fact that the baby's belly makes sounds, and the baby cries at the same time, you should contact a pediatrician who will help identify or exclude lactose deficiency, protein intolerance, intestinal development pathologies and allergic reactions to some other components ...
Children's crying does not leave anyone indifferent, especially young and inexperienced parents. Unfortunately, every baby is faced with the problem of digesting food. In this situation, only sensible parents and a local pediatrician can help him.
