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Flatulence in the baby
contents
- causes
- symptoms
- General Tips
- Help with nursing children
- Help with bottle children
- Massage the tummy
- A spoonful of tea before feeding
- Help from naturopathy
- Acute pain
- Three-month colic or flatulence?
causes
When babies drink too fast and too greedy, or the nipple's hole is too big to drink, the little ones swallow too much air. This air gets into the little baby belly and inflates it. That hurts and causes flatulence. Not infrequently, mothers also find a connection between their own diet and flatulence in the offspring. Certain foods such as garlic are suspected to cause increased bloating in the child. Another cause of bloating in babies is the not yet mature digestive system.
Many babies suffer from flatulence, which can cause them significant abdominal pain and are often triggers of seemingly inexplicable screaming cries. (Image: lisalucia / fotolia.com) It is also believed that the bloating in the baby can be due to the childish lack of movement, since the intestine generally requires movement for its peristalsis. Frequently, flatulence diminishes when the little ones are over three months old - from that age, they move more.
symptoms
In flatulence, babies suffer from spasmodic abdominal pain. They pull their legs tightly to the body and then quickly stretch them out or overstretch, trying to get rid of the air from their stomach. The babies get a bright red head or become very pale. You may even notice a few beads of sweat between the eyes or on the forehead. In addition, the babies cry heartbreaking and are difficult to calm down. Other symptoms include loud rumbling in the abdomen and touch sensitivity.
General Tips
If flatulence occurs in the baby, the so-called aviator's grip is recommended. The babies are lying on the forearm of mom or dad. Also helpful is the storage on the Pezziball. This is a big inflated exercise ball, on which the little ones are laid and held while the ball is gently rolled back and forth.
The aviator's grip, where babies are carried around on their arms, can often help relieve bloating and calm the little ones. (Image: lisalucia / fotolia.com) Another option is sitting on the exercise ball. This should have a diameter of about 60 centimeters. The child is placed over his own thighs on his stomach and then slightly tilted on the ball or even made a circular movement. This can also give the little ones relief.
Of course, the famous little burp after drinking should not go unmentioned - also in terms of prevention. This is essential and should not be forgotten by the babies.
Heat can help as well. For example, warmed up spelled pillows (be careful, check the heat before - best on your own inner wrist) placed on the stomach.
Help with nursing children
To prevent the babies' bloating or to do something about it, a certain breastfeeding rhythm is important. This means that lactation should be kept and the child between them should not be put in if possible. If the breast milk is not properly digested, then each additional sip leads to digestive problems. The nursing mother should avoid any foods that are not good for her. Also, flatulent foods are banished from the diet. What can cause bloating on the little ones is also cow's milk. Even if the mother tolerates this milk, this does not mean that the little baby will not get bloated.
Help with bottle children
In order to avoid the bloating in babies who get the bottle, the right nipple hole is important. If the hole is too big, the little one drinks too greedy and swallows too much air. After shaking the vial, this should also remain for a while, until the bubbles have completely dissolved. These could lead to bloating.
With children, there are a few things to keep in mind to avoid bloating in babies. (Image: PhotographyByMK / fotolia.com) Massage the tummy
When bloating helps to massage the baby's tummy and this best with a suitable oil mixture. The pharmacies keep ready oil preparations so-called "four-winds oils". These contain a carrier oil, enriched with four essential oils, namely anise, fennel, caraway and coriander. Important: When buying the oil, pay attention to purity. The tummy is thus gently and always massaged clockwise. The best time for this is the winding time and / or before the actual "blowing time" begins. But massaging is also helpful during this phase.
Tummy massages are generally quite effective against baby flatulence. (Image: juan_aunion / fotolia.com) A moist warm pad or even a relaxing bath can help as well. For the edition a tea made from anise and fennel or from cumin and fennel is prepared. One tablespoon of the seeds, which should have been pushed something before (that can do the pharmacy), is brewed with a pint of boiling water. The whole thing should then draw about 10 minutes. Then it is soaked in a cotton cloth and if the temperature is suitable for the baby, this is placed on the small tummy. There is another cotton cloth on top and a little woolen cloth over it. As soon as the pad is no longer warm enough, it will be removed.
Helpful is also a relaxation bath with the mentioned essential oils. So a tablespoon of cream with two drops of essential oil (for example, anise and cumin or fennel and cumin) mixed and stirred into the bath water.
A spoonful of tea before feeding
Flatulence in the baby can be avoided by the gift of some tea. A thin tea infusion of fennel and caraway - one teaspoon in each case before meals does the baby's stomach well. In nursing mothers, the mother can drink two to three cups a day of this tea mixture.
Help from naturopathy
The remedy of choice from homeopathy for flatulence in babies is Chamomilla, which is German chamomile. Chamomilla is used when the baby cries a lot, is whining and wants to be carried all the time. Often these babies cry one cheek red and the other white.
If a baby needs Belladonna, the head is crimson during the screaming attacks, there is sweat on the forehead and the child prefers to be in bed rather than being in his arms (unlike Chamomilla).
Lycopodium can help if the baby has problems with belching, often hiccups and greedily drinking, even though the amount of drink is low. The baby's stomach is bloated and the baby feels most comfortable when it's unpacked. The main period of bloating is between 4:00 pm and 8:00 pm.
If magnesium phosphoricum is the right remedy, the bloating will be colicky and quite sudden. Cold makes it worse and the child feels a bit better in heat and with a massage.
Warmth is very important for babies who suffer from flatulence. One of the remedies of anthroposophic medicine is mallow oil, which warmly envelops the body. This oil gets oiled once or twice a day - preferably over a period of two to three weeks. Also helpful is the oiling of stomach and feet with pure sesame oil. Anthroposophic medicine has other resources ready to help the little children.
Abdominal massages with mallow oil are often used in anthroposophic medicine for flatulence in babies. (Image: 13smile / fotolia.com) The Schüßler salt therapy uses the Schüßler salt number 8, magnesium phosphoricum in flatulence in babies but also in older children and adults. For the babies, a few tablets are poured with boiling water and stirred with a plastic spoon. The little ones get a teaspoon of this mixture before each meal, but also in between when needed.
Acute pain
Acute, sudden onset of pain in babies should always be taken seriously. This is especially true if the symptoms persist for several hours and the little ones can not calm down at all. If the babies refuse food, have a fever, blood in the stool or the child's stomach is very hard, do not hesitate and the pediatrician must be consulted immediately.
Three-month colic or flatulence?
Flatulence in the baby also occurs together with the so-called three-month colic. This term stands for a massive, hardly influenceable screaming, along with restlessness and possible abdominal pain, or flatulence. The babies who suffer from it are also often called writing babies. Most of the complaints occur in the first three months of life and can, as they have begun, pass away on their own. The cause of the three-month colic is not yet clearly known. (Sw)