Flatulence in newborns and infants: treatment in infants

Flatulence in newborns is considered normal, since this condition occurs in many children of this age and is caused by the accumulation of gas in the intestines.

Flatulence in an infant can be accompanied by pain, cramps, and other symptoms and you need to be prepared for such manifestations in order to help the baby and know what to do.

Causes of flatulence

There are quite a few reasons why infants develop flatulence, but they are divided into two groups:

1. In the first case, gases enter the stomach in large quantities, after which they pass into the intestines. This happens when newborns are feeding when they swallow air. The reason for this may be the wrong position of the baby at the breast or the wrong selection of the nipple on the bottle.
2. In the second case, gases appear directly in the intestines. This happens due to the unformed intestine, which at first adapts, and the necessary bacteria enter it, although pathogenic organisms may also appear.

A similar condition refers to physiological dysbiosis, when flatulence appears in any case.

A possible cause is the mother's inappropriate diet or the wrong formula for feeding babies.

In some cases, flatulence in newborns appears as a result of fright, stress, and other emotional factors. In this state, intestinal activity decreases and gases accumulate in large quantities.

It is recommended to carry the baby in an upright position after each feeding, otherwise gases move slowly and accumulate in the intestines, flatulence occurs.

Prevention and treatment

To understand the question of what and how to treat flatulence, it is necessary to find out the reason for the appearance of such a condition and eliminate it initially.

One of the possible reasons is the inability to digest lactose, in medicine this is called lactase deficiency.

Milk itself is the main food for newborns, it is healthy because it contains lactose.

Under the influence of a certain enzyme (lactase) in the body, this product breaks down into glucose and galactose, after which it begins to be absorbed in the intestine.

If the enzyme in the body of newborns is not enough, then such feeding turns into discomfort. Newborns may experience the following symptoms:

1. Colic.
2. Bloating.
3. Foam is produced instead of normal stool.

In this situation, the mother will have to give up breastfeeding in order to get rid of such a problem.

In this case, the child can lose a lot of nutrients from breast milk, and in rare cases, a sharp decrease in body weight can occur.

It is strictly forbidden to ignore such a state:

1. Without lactose, iron, calcium and some other elements cannot be absorbed.
2. The intestinal microflora is disturbed.
3. The immune system decreases.
4. Possible delayed development of the brain and nervous system.

A pediatrician can confirm the diagnosis using laboratory diagnostic methods. As a result of the study, there may be:

1. Congenital failure that appears at the genetic level.
2. Disadvantage as a result of undermaturity of the child before the required date.
3. Acquired deficiency, which is provoked by infections, allergies or the use of drugs.

In practice, it may not be full or partial enough. It is possible to live and fight with such a diagnosis, but initially therapy includes dietary correction:

1. If the mother can breastfeed, then there is no need to rid the child of this, the main thing is not to give the child the first milk. Before feeding, you need to express it a little, since such nutrition is more difficult for the child's body to absorb.
2. The mother will need to follow the rules of nutrition in order to exclude flatulence in the child. The main thing is to exclude milk and dairy products from the menu.
3. You can alternate between breastfeeding and lactose-free formulas.
4. The child can start introducing complementary foods ahead of time in order to quickly transfer it to a full-fledged menu.
5. With a complete rejection of milk, newborns need to be fed foods that are high in calcium.
6. If necessary, then use drugs that are prescribed by doctors, as a rule, "Lactase Enzyme", "Mamalak".

When the intestinal flora begins to form in newborns, dysbiosis often appears. In this state, bacteria are recruited and changed, which are necessary for the normal functioning of the digestive tract.

The process is natural and after a while beneficial, and not pathogenic, bacteria begin to dominate. As a rule, dysbiosis and flatulence always appear together.

For therapy, it will be necessary to provide the most comfortable conditions for beneficial bacteria and their development.

In this case, the main thing will be the nutrition of the baby, which directly depends on the mother's menu, if it is breastfeeding or from mixtures, with artificial feeding:

1. Breastfeeding should be maintained as long as possible.
2. A nursing woman needs to eat well, balanced. Allergens are removed from the diet, and natural probiotics are included, for example, fresh kefir, yogurt. From vegetables it is recommended to eat garlic, strawberries, wheat bran.
3. It is forbidden to use products in the menu that cause flatulence, for example, apples with peels, black bread, baked goods.
4. If artificial nutrition is used, then it should contain probiotics and prebiotics.

If the mother decides to use a mixed diet, then complementary foods should be introduced only from sorbent ingredients that contain vegetable fiber:

1. Buckwheat.
2. Apple.
3. Carrot.

To normalize the intestines and maintain its flora, homemade fermented milk products are used.

Complementary foods are introduced gradually, in small portions and only with one product. For 5-7 days, you need to monitor the condition of the baby and record everything in a notebook.

Flatulence can also be treated with medication, but for infants, the appointment of drugs is carried out only by a doctor.

Of those allowed, there are:

1. "Bifiform Baby".
2. "Acidolak Baby".
3. "Bifidumbacterin".
4. Linex.
5. "Normobakt".
6. "Florok Baby"

In order for flatulence in infants to appear less often, it is necessary to temper the immune system, for this, walks in the air are used, which can alleviate the condition with dysbiosis.

There are general rules for what can be done when a baby has flatulence:

1. Adjust the nutrition of the child and mother, as well as introduce complementary foods correctly and in a timely manner.
2. Feed your baby in small portions, at short intervals.
3. Use traditional medicine to alleviate the condition, namely water from dill, fennel or cumin.
4. If necessary, use medications, as well as glycerin suppositories, if flatulence is accompanied by constipation.
5. After each feeding, the baby should be worn on the hands in an upright position, which facilitates the release of gases. The child should spit up, only then can he be placed in the crib.
6. If pain and flatulence appear, then you can make warm compresses for the abdomen. For this, a heating pad or warm towel is used.
7. Before eating, the newborns should be turned over for 5-10 minutes on their stomach.
8. If necessary, an enema or a venting tube is used, but these measures should be used very rarely and only in critical situations.
9. You need to create a good atmosphere in your home that is both psychologically and emotionally pleasant.
10. The newborn should be unclothed and left in this state for a couple of minutes.
11. You can bathe children not just in water, but in baths with the addition of herbs, for example, chamomile, mint.
12. To calm down the child, you can read a fairy tale or turn on the recording of the surf, birds singing.

For colic, flatulence and bloating in newborns, abdominal massage is very helpful.

It is easy and quick to carry out, and it is recommended to do it for about 5 minutes before each feeding. Before the massage, the abdomen should be slightly warmed up with a heating pad or towel.

Massage is not used if the baby's abdomen is blowing and hard, which is often the case with constipation.

To carry out the massage, you just need to stroke the tummy clockwise, gradually increasing the speed. It helps to alternate stroking up and down with different hands.

To remove gases, you can use the exercise "bicycle" or simply raise the legs of the baby, bend them at the knees and press them to the chest. In this position, you need to stop for 20 seconds so that the excess gases come out.

It is useful to lay newborns with their bare belly on their stomach and exercise with breaths that resemble a wave.

If you approach the problem comprehensively and study the cause of flatulence, then you can easily and quickly get rid of gas in the baby's abdomen.

Useful video