It is believed that children of the first year of life rarely get sick, especially for babies who are breastfed. However, even a newborn can get a cough. Often, pediatricians recommend massage for babies to help get rid of phlegm. While the child cannot clear his throat himself, the task of the parents is to help him.
Baby
Causes of cough in infants
The cough occurs reflexively when breathing is difficult. In infants, this is usually due to excess accumulated mucus. For example, babies may have a physiological runny nose. Copious, clear discharge runs down the back of the throat, provoking a cough. Snot increases with the growth of teeth, during this difficult period for the crumbs, profuse salivation is also observed. The baby is trying to clear the airways from the accumulated secretion. If he clears his throat, and his health does not suffer, nothing needs to be done. It is important to prevent the snot from changing color or consistency.
When a temperature appears, the appetite and sleep of the crumbs are disturbed, breathing becomes intermittent, and the voice is hoarse, the body is affected by infection or inflammation. Then a cough is a symptom of a disease, which can be eliminated only by eliminating the root cause.
Allergic cough is rare in infants. However, you can suspect it if you have symptoms:
- Red watery eyes;
- The baby is sneezing;
- A rash appears on the body;
- The chair gets upset.
It is necessary to exclude the possibility that the baby is coughing due to a foreign body trapped in his throat.
Note! There is no need to be afraid of a cough, it is a reflex that helps to remove viruses, bacteria, dust particles, mucus from the respiratory tract. It is important that he brings relief to the child.
Drainage massage to improve expectoration
When a child has a cough, it is the parent's job to improve his condition. Even if the baby is healthy, the humidity in the room should not be lower than 50 percent. During the period of illness, the baby is recommended to be in a cool, constantly ventilated room. Fresh air and moisture will help you cough productive. The massage will help to cough up the accumulated phlegm.
Operating principle
During illness, mucus accumulates in the bronchi. Under the influence of dry air, also with rapid breathing, it dries up. To liquefy it, it is necessary to water the crumbs, moisten the room and mucous membranes.
Moisturizing the mucous membrane
To get the phlegm out, massage is used. Thanks to tapping and tapping, it moves away from the walls of the bronchi, as a result, the baby can cough up it. If he starts to grunt his throat, you need to help him, lightly press on the chest while exhaling. This will provoke a productive cough.
When applied
Massage is recommended as an adjunct to drug therapy when a child is coughing. If the baby does not have serious inflammation and alarming additional symptoms, it is usually enough to give him plenty of fluids and drip saline into his nose to thin the accumulated mucus. In combination with these simple methods, massage has proven itself excellent. The main thing is to follow the execution technique and carry out the procedure no earlier than an hour after eating. After the massage, at least 30 minutes should pass before eating.
It is impossible to overheat the child during the illness, otherwise the sputum will become viscous, crusts will form on the mucous membrane of the throat and bronchi. A similar condition is fraught with the addition of a bacterial infection. Then it will not be possible to do without antibiotics.
When massage is not allowed
The procedure should not be carried out if the child has a fever and other symptoms of the disease, for example, nausea, vomiting. In this case, the baby should be shown to the doctor immediately.
Medical examination
Note! You should not massage your baby in the first month of life, it is so small that parents may not calculate the strength and only worsen the condition of the baby.
It is forbidden to carry out the procedure for laryngeal edema. The airway lumen is then so narrow that sputum cannot escape. This will make it even more difficult for the baby to breathe.
How to do massage correctly
It is difficult for a baby to cope with a large amount of sputum, to cough up. The massage helps the mucus to separate from the bronchial walls. In order not to harm the baby, you need to follow the recommendations:
- Do not touch the area below the ribs, do not tap on the baby's kidneys;
- Do not massage the child's spine and shoulder blades;
- If at the end of the session it is planned to stroke the baby's chest, then you must not touch the place where the heart is.
You should not carry out the procedure before bedtime, otherwise sputum discharge will disrupt the baby's night rest.
In order not to doubt the correctness of the actions, you can take a couple of lessons from the masseurs at the clinic or ask the pediatrician to show the basic movements.
Massage the child for sputum discharge is performed as follows:
- The baby is placed on his stomach. It is necessary to make sure that his butt is above his back, his head is lowered. The arms of the crumbs must be pulled forward;
- Stroke the back above the ribs to the sides of the spine. This will help warm up the skin of the crumbs, it should turn slightly red. This usually happens after 1-2 minutes;
- Tap the intercostal muscles with your fingertips, gradually moving up. You can perform chopping massage movements with the back of the little finger. Such manipulations do not cause pain to the child and other unpleasant sensations. You can also pat with your palm, after having folded your fingers in the shape of a boat. This will create a vacuum effect, which stimulates the work of blood vessels. If the procedure is carried out for a very young child, then it is recommended to put one hand on his back, and already tap on it. In any case, you need to walk along all the spaces between the ribs, starting with the lower parts of the lungs;
- Place the baby or pick it up in an upright position. To speed up the process, lightly squeeze the crumbs' chest at the moment when he exhales.
Recommendations and precautions
You should not massage if the baby is overexcited, he does not like to lie on his stomach. Perhaps this is not just a whim, but the baby is experiencing discomfort or discomfort associated with the disease. In this case, massage will not be beneficial.
For a child, the procedure should not exceed 15 minutes. If the baby is not yet 6 months old, then it is better to limit yourself to 10 minutes. To enhance the effect, after the massage, the baby is wrapped in a warm blanket or diaper. Every 20 minutes, the baby is turned over from one side to the other so that the mucus does not stagnate.
Massage in the treatment of bronchitis
If the doctor hears wheezing in the child's bronchi, he prescribes medication. When the baby does not have a temperature, massage can also be performed. You can not do it in the acute stage of bronchitis. Children's doctor Komarovsky advises to put the baby on a pillow or knee, lifting the ass. It remains to tap your fingers on the back, moving from the bottom up, pushing out the accumulated mucus. At the end, you need to ask the baby to cough.
Correct massage position
Note! Drainage massage will not help dry coughs. It is effective when wet, when the phlegm is diluted, which is ensured by drinking plenty of water and hydration.
When to call a doctor
You should not self-medicate and postpone a visit to the doctor in the following cases:
- The child has a fever;
- It is difficult for the baby to breathe, he wheezes, whistles, shortness of breath begins;
- The baby does not have enough air, the skin around the lips and nose turned blue, the mucous membranes became pale;
- A rash appeared on the body;
- The baby is nauseous, vomits, and upset stool is observed.
Small children cannot sit and walk yet. They spend most of their time in a supine position. Therefore, the infection rapidly descends through the respiratory system. In order to prevent complications, at the first alarming symptoms, you need to call an ambulance.
Prevention
To reduce the risk of diseases, including those accompanied by a cough, you need to take care of the child's immunity. It is necessary to walk with the baby every day, always dressing for the weather. Overheating is more dangerous for a baby than hypothermia. You can navigate by yourself by adding one layer of clothing, because the baby practically does not move until a year.
Proper nutrition and daily routine have a beneficial effect on the growth of the baby, its development, strengthen the body's defenses. It is recommended to feed babies with breast milk for up to six months. It is best to avoid public places during the cold season.
Note! In hot weather and the heating season, you can additionally moisturize the nasal mucosa of the crumbs by digging in saline solutions. This is not only part of therapy for a runny nose and cough, but also an effective prophylactic agent.
Increasing blood circulation in the nasopharynx will help increase resistance to viruses and bacteria. This can be achieved by massaging the feet and palms. The child will be interested if you accompany the procedure with various nursery rhymes.
Foot massage
Massage for sputum discharge will help the baby when he has no temperature, the baby's condition cannot be called difficult. Newborns are not recommended to carry it out; for grown-up crumbs, the procedure is allowed at the stage of recovery. It is better to coordinate the necessity and duration of the massage with the pediatrician.
