How to understand that the baby has passed the gas. Symptoms and causes of swelling of the tummy in a baby. Colic in infants. Solution

03.07.2019

After the birth of a baby, his mother has to face many problems, one of the most common is gas in a baby. This phenomenon does not pose a danger to the health of the child, but it causes many troubles and worries. A newborn who is tormented by gas screams, cries, is capricious, eats and sleeps poorly.

Causes of gas in infants

The formation of gas in a baby, like in an adult, is a natural process that accompanies the act of digestion. If too much gas is released, it builds up in the intestines, disrupting the normal functioning of the digestive system. The result is colic, severe sharp bouts of pain in the abdomen. Outwardly, it is not difficult to determine such a condition in a baby. The child begins to writhe, grimace, jerk his legs, becomes restless. The belly of the baby is inflated, to the touch it is dense, firm. Colic is manifested by a loud, piercing cry of a child. Other symptoms of gas in infants include indigestion, causing diarrhea or constipation, frequent regurgitation, flatulence, colic and pain in the tummy.

In most cases, the main cause of gas in infants is the malnutrition of the nursing mother. It is expressed in the use of certain foods that provoke increased gas formation. These include dairy products, legumes, grapes, coffee and others. It is better to exclude all such food from the diet of a nursing mother, at least in the first few months of a baby's life. The volume of milk eaten by the child at one time also affects. If it is too large, then the baby may also start bloating and flatulence. In this case, you should increase the number of feedings, while simultaneously reducing the one-time volume of each.

Swallowing air by a baby during feeding can also lead to gaziks in infants. The reason for this, most often, lies in the wrong attachment to the breast or the wrong position of the bottle. A nipple that does not match his age can also cause bloating in a child.

Prolonged, strong crying can be another reason for the baby to swallow air. Air entering the digestive system causes the formation of gas in the baby and all the consequences associated with this.

Gas in a baby - what to do

The digestive system of a newborn baby is not yet fully formed, and its work differs from that of an adult. So, the child has not yet produced in the proper amount many enzymes that ensure the full functioning of the digestive system. The baby's body is not yet able to cope with the problem of increased gas production on its own, so parents should come to the aid of the child.

There are several ways to solve this problem, which have been known since ancient times. One of them is to warm the baby's tummy. Under the influence of heat, the intestinal muscles relax, therefore, spasms are reduced or completely relieved. The permeability of the digestive tract is restored, and gases in the baby come out naturally. In order to warm the baby's tummy, you can use a regular diaper, well warmed up with a hot iron. But the diaper should not be overheated too much, it should not be hot, but warm. Another method of warming up the tummy is a warm bath. In this case, it is better to lower the child into it with his tummy down. In this case, the stomach will warm up better, and the cramps will disappear. After feeding the baby, after a certain period of time, it is also worth putting it on the tummy, this will help to remove the accumulated gases.

Another equally effective way to treat gas in a baby is to massage the tummy. You need to carry out such a massage with light stroking movements, moving clockwise around the baby's navel. This helps the air accumulated in the intestines to escape, thereby relieving spasm, relieving pain and making the child feel better.

Used to relieve gas in infants and drugs taken by mouth. The most famous of them are dill water and fennel decoction. Means based on mint and chamomile also have a similar effect. All of them help to cope with the problem of increased gas production, while not posing a danger to the health of the child. Modern pharmacies offer other herbal teas for eliminating gas in infants.

In cases where none of the above methods helped, a more traumatic method can be used - a gas outlet tube. Special tubes for this procedure are sold in pharmacies. It's easy to use. The child should be placed on the left side, the legs should be bent at the hip and knee joints. A position is also allowed when the child lies on his back, and his legs are raised up. The rounded end of the tube, carefully pretreated with petroleum jelly, is inserted into the child's anus by about 1-1.5 cm. The baby's buttocks should be slightly spread apart by hand. The free end of the tube is lowered into a prepared container. It should be borne in mind that along with gases, the baby can also pass feces. The tube should not be left on for more than 20-25 minutes. It is better to combine such a procedure with a tummy massage, this will help remove all gases accumulated in the intestines. After the tube has been removed, the baby's anus should be rinsed and lubricated with oil or baby cream. It is not possible to resort to this method of getting rid of gas too often, as it can lead to rectal injury.

If the problem of gas in the baby arises constantly, and other methods do not help, then you can resort to medications that reduce gas production in the child. Drugs with such an effect include espumisan, plantex, smecta, bobotik and others. Such funds are practically harmless and safe for the baby. The main active ingredient of most of them is simethicone, which is not broken down in the stomach and is not absorbed into the bloodstream. It is he who reduces the formation of gases and promotes their removal. However, the action of such drugs is not aimed at solving the problem of excessive gas formation, but only at removing the accumulated gases in the baby in the intestines.

As a preventive measure, in order to prevent the accumulation of gas in the baby, it is recommended to hold the baby upright for a while after feeding, while you can slightly press his tummy. Excess air trapped in the stomach while eating will come out in the form of belching.

By about 4-6 months of a child's life, the digestive processes improve, which is reflected in a significant decrease in the number and intensity of colic and bloating. If this does not happen, and the unpleasant phenomena continue to torment the baby, you should consult a doctor, as this is most likely a symptom of dysbiosis.

Odorless gases in babies

Parents are especially worried about the appearance of gas in the baby, which has a pronounced unpleasant odor. Many in such a situation immediately go to the doctor. However, this phenomenon is not pathological. In fact, the causes of bad odor are natural. It's just that at this age, the child has not yet had time to form the correct microflora, and the mechanisms of its regulation and suppression of growth do not function in full force. Due to this, in the lower parts of the digestive tract, the processes of decay and fermentation sometimes begin to occur, which is why an unpleasant odor appears. As the baby grows and develops, and his organs and systems improve, the smell will disappear.

Gas-causing foods in babies

As already mentioned, the main cause of gas in an infant is the use of certain foods by his mother. Often, one has only to exclude them from the diet and the problem disappears completely.

The diet of a woman who is breastfeeding should not include foods made from legumes. They cause strong gas formation even in adults. It is also worth excluding black bread, since fermentation processes are used in its production. Therefore, bread can cause flatulence and bloating in your baby.

The reason for the appearance of gas in infants can be an individual reaction to lactose. If such a problem is identified in a baby, a nursing mother will have to stop drinking milk or, at least, significantly reduce its amount in the diet. It should be replaced with kefir, sour cream, yogurt or other fermented milk products, the use of which is not prohibited.

Fruits and vegetables can also cause gas in babies due to their high fiber content. However, you should not give up these products. Just cut down on raw fruits and vegetables. It is better to pre-cook them, for example, bake, boil or steam them.

If the baby has gas (video)

If your baby has gas in his tummy, if it bothers the baby greatly, then there is an excellent, effective remedy against flatulence in babies - Sub Simplex. The drug prevents gas bubbles from forming in the baby's digestive tract, thereby contributing to a painless outflow of gases.

Gaziks in a newborn appear from the very first days of life, often while still in the hospital. Parents need to be aware of the causes of gas and how to get rid of them. After all, the health and well-being of an infant in the first months of life in everything depends on the correct actions of the parents. The good mood of the baby and his mother is closely related.

Causes of the appearance of gas workers

Gas formation in the intestines of a newborn causes severe pain and cramps in the tummy. The child may suddenly and loudly start screaming and jerking his legs. Sometimes it presses them to the tummy and shows nervousness and anxiety. All this can continue periodically, at small intervals. These are the main symptoms of excessive gas accumulation in babies. To alleviate the suffering of the child and reassure the parents, it is necessary to understand the cause of the gas. There may be several of them:

Improper nutrition of a nursing mother

A breastfeeding woman should be aware that there are foods that cause gas. It is passed on to the baby with the mother's milk. Therefore, a nursing mother should not eat some foods:

Yeast-based baked goods and homemade cakes
Peas, beans
Cabbage
Various carbonated drinks
High amount of sugar
Condensed milk and fermented milk products

From the first days of the baby's life, the mother should be on a strict diet for at least the first few weeks. You can eat various soups, cereals, stewed vegetables, boiled meat and fish, various teas. From the second month, you can gradually introduce new products for the baby and monitor the reaction of the baby's body.

Incorrect attachment to the chest

In the process of attaching the baby to the breast, you need to make sure that he immediately clasps the nipple and does not swallow a lot of air. During this procedure, the child's head should be slightly higher than the torso.

Bottle feeding

When feeding a baby with formula milk from a bottle, it is necessary to ensure that the nipple is completely filled with milk, otherwise the child will swallow air instead of the formula.

Other reasons

Gas formation can occur due to long crying and screaming of the baby, due to the wrong size of the diaper, which will squeeze the tummy with a tight elastic band. And also swaddling too tight will displease the baby.

There are several ways to get rid of a newborn's accumulation of gas and relieve unpleasant symptoms.

Prevents gas formation by laying the baby on the tummy. You can put it on the changing table, in the crib, or just on your lap. It is advisable to carry out this procedure before feeding or a couple of hours after it.
After feeding the baby, you need to hold it in a column for some time, until the eructation appears.
After feeding, you can take the baby in your arms and wear it in an upright position, slightly pressing it with your tummy to you.
About an hour after feeding, you can give the baby light abdominal strokes and pull the legs up to the tummy for a few seconds. Such a light massage will help to relax the muscles of the intestines, after which the gaziks will go away painlessly.
If the previous methods have not calmed the child, then a gas tube can come to the rescue. It is sold freely in every pharmacy and is cheap. The baby should be put on a barrel on a prepared oilcloth. The edge of the tube should be lubricated with baby oil or cream and inserted into the baby's anus. This method is not addictive, but you shouldn't use it all the time.
The most extreme measure may be the use of an enema. It is used for prolonged constipation (more than two days) and active anxiety of the child. If the child behaves calmly, is not capricious, sleeps and eats well, his temperature does not rise, then the enema is applied only after four days of constipation.
For the procedure, you will need the smallest enema and warm (about 40 degrees) boiled water. The tip of a rubber pear is lubricated with cream and inserted into the ass, squeezing out the water.
A regular warm heating pad will help relieve pain in the baby's tummy. It is enough to put it on the baby's tummy for a few minutes and this will help the gaziks get out painlessly. The warmth of the heating pad will relax the tense intestines and relieve the baby from unpleasant sensations.
One of the most effective ways to get rid of gaziks is dill (or fennel) water, as well as a decoction of chamomile flowers. You can cook them yourself. Pharmacies offer various medications to help with gas formation in infants.

Gaziki in a baby is a period of getting used to his digestive system for breastfeeding or artificial feeding. After three months, the child will learn to cope with bloating on his own, this process will cease to be painful and no medication will be needed.

So that the joy of motherhood is not overshadowed by minor difficulties, it is necessary to approach the process of caring for a baby with all the necessary information. In particular, parents are advised to find out in advance what gaziks are in newborns, why they happen and what to do if the child has signs of an unpleasant condition. Colic, in combination with a characteristic symptom, can appear even in the postpartum ward, in the third week of a baby's life and even later.

By the age of three months, the frequency of occurrence of the phenomenon should be noticeably reduced and completely disappear. True, sometimes gaziks accompany the development process of infants for much longer. The ability to determine the condition and provide the baby with first aid will not only improve the well-being of the child, but also save the parents a lot of nerves.

The reasons for the development of flatulence in infants

It is difficult to say for certain why, in one case or another, gas occurs in a newborn, but experts have managed to establish the factors that provoke the development of the condition:

The presence in the diet of a nursing mother of legumes, white cabbage, spices, hot seasonings, caffeine, flour products and other gas-forming products.
Swallowing air while feeding the baby due to a violation of the manipulation technique.
Incorrectly matched nipple or poor-quality formula when artificial feeding.

Tip: Contrary to popular belief, breastfeeding too often only stimulates digestive problems. If you do not take breaks of 2, and, if possible, 3 hours between feedings, the food will not have time to digest, activating the fermentation processes and provoking colic.

Overheating of the baby. In some cases, gas in newborns occurs as a result of a slowdown in metabolic processes and an increased ambient temperature only contributes to this. Too caring mothers try to wrap up the baby warmly, despite the fact that pediatricians insist on observing specific temperature conditions. This leads to overheating of the baby and stimulates the development of the wrong microflora in his intestines.

Statistics show that gas and colic are slightly more common in premature babies, children of mothers who smoke, with an unfavorable emotional situation in the family, with a reduced digestibility of lactose.

Unfortunately, even if all of the above points are eliminated, this will still not insure 100% against the appearance of gas vehicles in a newborn. An immature digestive system, a liver that is only gaining functional momentum and a low level of enzymes in gastric juice can always start fermentation processes. The resulting gases will begin to stretch the intestinal walls, causing painful sensations in the child and provoking the consequences so well known to all parents.

Symptoms of gas in a child

Before you help the baby, you need to make sure that the deterioration of his condition is caused precisely by flatulence. Usually, colic and intestinal discomfort are accompanied by the following symptoms:

The baby is trying to express his unpleasant sensations by crying, clenching his fists, fingering his legs. He tries to take a position that will ease his condition and behaves very restlessly.
Often, negative changes appear immediately after feeding.
The baby's tummy puffs up, becomes tight. With light pressure, you can hear the rumbling or feel the bubbles collapse.
Flatulence and colic are often accompanied by loose stools or obvious constipation.
Some babies blush and squeeze, press their hands to the body. After a bowel movement or passing gas, the baby is clearly relieved.

In cases where fever, vomiting, refusal to eat, apathy, lack of weight gain join the listed symptoms, you should immediately consult a doctor. In some cases, gases can be a harbinger of serious illness.

Methods for relieving a child's condition with gas

Attacks of gas workers most often torment the child immediately after a meal or in the evening. If it is established that the problem lies precisely in flatulence, parents should not panic. There are several methods that will help get rid of colic as soon as possible and without risking the baby's health:

We provoke a burp. After feeding, we hold the baby in an upright position for some time or put it on the shoulder, stroking it on the back to induce an eructation. Excess air will come out of the stomach and colic will not occur.
We adhere to the technique and feeding regimen. Overfeeding the baby is categorically not recommended, especially if he is bottle-fed. We pay special attention to the quality of the nipples, pacifiers, and the condition of the nipples.
We are doing a massage.

We do exercises. We put the baby on the back and stroke the tummy until the discomfort is eliminated. Movements should be done lightly, strictly clockwise.
We put the baby on the stomach. This technique can help a baby with severe pain, severe bloating, or prevent the development of a symptom.
We take a warm bath. A warm environment relieves spasm by facilitating the passage of gases through the intestines and stimulating their release. In this case, the manipulation should be pleasant for the baby. If he is on the verge of hysteria, it is better to choose another method.
We do exercises. We put the child on the back, take it by the ankles and begin to make gentle movements with the legs, imitating riding a bicycle. This should help peristalsis and quickly bring relief to the baby.
We use a gas outlet pipe. The quickest way the baby will feel better is to release the gas accumulated in the intestines. For this purpose, you can use a gas outlet tube. Having picked up the instrument that is optimal in diameter, we sterilize it, grease the tip with petroleum jelly and insert the baby into the anus to a depth of no more than 2-4 cm.Everything must be done very carefully so as not to cause additional harm to the little one.

We drink dill water. An infusion of fennel seeds, prepared according to a specific recipe (in the pharmacy you can find ready-made tea bags that you just need to fill with water), relieves spasm of intestinal smooth muscles, eliminating unpleasant symptoms.
We use a heating pad. When signs of acute pain appear, the spasm can be relieved by heating the problem area. To do this, we use a diaper soaked in warm water or a baby heating pad wrapped in a cloth.
We put an enema from warm water. As a result of manipulation, the intestines are freed from the accumulated air and feces. This technique can be used on its own only after consulting a doctor and subject to the availability of the appropriate skills.

We use medications only as directed by a pediatrician and only as a last resort. They rarely act on the cause of the condition, providing only temporary relief. It is impossible to get rid of the problem without introducing appropriate changes in the care of the baby. And the regular use of drugs will only slow down the establishment of metabolic processes in the intestines, causing the baby to have a habitual response to their use.

EFFECTIVE FIGHT AGAINST GASKINS for a baby

Today our baby screamed at night from 2 to 7.00. Moreover, practically without interruption (though I fell asleep for 10 minutes a couple of times) and very much. I cannot say that we have strong problems with gas companies. Of course, we will cry out 2 times today, more tomorrow, it happened both day and night. But not so much and with long interruptions. Indeed, a lot depends on the nutrition of the mother. Already checked. This time, I obviously ate the wrong product and here is the result. All these three hours, my mother selflessly fought with the gas workers. If earlier carrying a child upright helped, now wearing it with a motion sickness did not work at all. Massage the abdomen did not help us before, although I still massaged it for quite a long time, and pressed my legs to my stomach. The hair dryer helped for a while and even more in terms of distraction (after all, noise). The warm stream was directed to the tummy in the scarf. By the way, a soft woolen scarf wrapped around his tummy 3 times warmed his little boy's tummy and always helped us a lot in the fight against gaziks. Knowing that at night the baby will be tormented by gas, I always wore this scarf before going to bed. Sometimes we slept all night and morning without any problems at all. Also, when the peak of the cry passed, I put the baby to my chest and he gradually calmed down (they say, it helps psychologically). Today, all these methods of relief have not brought. I went to have a warm bath. The noise of the water soothes the kids. But warm water, at least, did not bring the effect in a timely manner. Then we walked, we could say flew: I turned the baby down with her tummy, horizontally, I put one hand under my stomach, thereby creating pressure on him, and the other held my son under my arms. This position helped us for quite a long time. The last was the exit to the street, to the balcony. We did not stay there for long, as they could wake up the whole house with a cry.

Then dad could not resist and woke up. He took my son-in-law from me and put it on his chest. I must say that we often put the little one in this way and he quickly warms up, calms down and falls asleep. True, when there are no gas workers. And then my dad stopped talking and fell asleep for 12 minutes. I even took offense at Sasha for that. And dad said with an efficient air that mom needed to be calmer, otherwise the child reacts to the emotional state of mom. Like gaziki all garbage, I didn’t do it. Then I was already offended by my dad. I can't say that at 5.00 I was especially excited. In short, I was sent to bed. Then my husband said that he sat there for another 2 hours and Sasha still shouted a couple of times.

Somewhere in the morning they brought my son to me for feeding and everyone fell asleep with relief.

The next day I drank only fennel tea and nothing else. Result: there were gaziks, but much weaker and fewer. Further (next day) I plan to eat only buckwheat porridge ...

As the days passed, I gradually became an ass in the fight against gaziks. The child now did not have time to scream: it rocked him, then distracted, etc. All this was also done for dad, who must get enough sleep - he went to work in the morning. I also learned to relate differently to the hours of the night vigil: first of all, you need to make yourself understand that at night you will definitely not sleep for a certain number of hours, then you get up calmly, as if you were going to work), and then this is still communication with the child , though on a different level. And in general, in my opinion, it's nice that you can help a person, especially such a loved one.

Colic and gas is undoubtedly a difficult period for both the child and the parents. But, it seems to me that this period can give you and your child a lot. You learn to understand the child, help him, support him, and he learns to trust you. Difficulties bring you closer ...

P.S. Severe colic (for me, this is such colic when Sashka screamed) we had the second and third weeks. Then the gaziks torture us now (we are 1 month and 10 days old), but the son no longer shouts (it happens occasionally): he jerks his legs, puffs up, but silently. It seems to me that our son just grew up, got stronger physically, and in the stomach, apparently, more enzymes for milk processing began to be produced.

I must say that dieting is very difficult for me, so after a few days of abstinence I ate almost everything. The exceptions were foods that someone or had ever clearly contributed to colic or poor milk quality, and if you eat them a little, they may not affect the occurrence of gas.

Most dairy products: milk, yoghurts, sour cream, ice cream, etc.

Chocolate
Kefir
Peas and other legumes
Apples, cucumbers
Kvass, beer and cooler drinks (alcohol)
Cabbage in any form (gas-forming, impairs the taste of milk);
Onions, garlic, spices (harsh for all kinds of dishes, mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise, etc.)
Black bread (they say nothing else when croutons)
Marinades
Smoked meats
Soda
All flour products, baked goods, pastries, cakes, etc.

And further:

Potatoes (can lead to constipation)
Oranges (strong allergens), although lemons and grapes can be eaten (though they say they can thin the stool)
Do not eat greens in the first week
Boiled meat is best, but it is best not to eat it.
Try not to get carried away with nuts

And, in general, try to eat, if possible, without mixing incompatible foods.

Tip: Try drinking fennel tea instead of regular tea, take a course of bifidum.

See for yourself, if everything is good from what you eaten, then, perhaps, the child will be fine.

And they also say that what you ate the child will receive in milk in the first two to three hours. And you will see the result of this in one or two days. The more milk the baby has eaten, the stronger the gaziki (lack of enzymes for milk processing) will be.

Briefly about what has ever helped anyone to fight with gas workers:

Mom's dietary restrictions
Tummy massage
Carrying the baby around the apartment (motion sickness, “dancing”, “flying”, tummy down, etc.)
Vodicka, herbs
Medicines prescribed by a doctor
Warm bath, heating pad, woolen scarf
Dynamic gymnastics
Diving
Travel by car
Cold air (take a walk with a child in cold weather)
Noises (hairdryer, vacuum cleaner)
Swing
Gas outlet tube

Mom Sveta

When choosing a suitable drug, one should not rely on the basic composition, which is almost the same for drugs of the same group. It is better in this case to consider additional components: percentage of alcohol, sugar, form of release, price category, country of manufacture.

For relief use:

EspumisanL;
Sub Simplex;
Bobotik.

Any drug will be effective if there are no contraindications, especially in combination with massage manipulations.

Preparations for gas in newborns

The basis of prophylactic agents is dill extract. It is endowed with beneficial properties that can reduce pain. Fennel is considered a pharmacy version of ordinary dill.

A series of pain relieving agents applied at the time of discomfort. It is based on Simethicone. It removes the tension of the intestinal walls, breaks down gaziki. The resulting small bubbles reduce the discomfort in the tummy.

It is strictly forbidden to give a drug to a child without first consulting a doctor!

Practice shows that it is advisable to keep in the first-aid kit at home drugs from gaziks in newborns of both groups. Let's take a closer look at what they are.

Plantex. The basis is the fruit of fennel. This remedy for gaziks in newborns is sold in granules in sachets. Dissolves quickly in liquid. Dilute one sachet in one hundred grams of warm water.