Soothing tummy ache in
infants and young children
TUMMY ACHE means different things for various age
groups. For infants, it could be colic. For older kids, it could be
indigestion. Here are remedies according to Dr. Dante Roldan, that
you can apply when your baby or young child has a tummy ache.
Infantile Colic
Nothing can be more nerve-wracking for a mother than a baby's
nonstop wailing, even after she has changed his nappy, fed him,
burped him and cuddled him. Your baby may have colic.
Merriam-Webster says colic is "an attack of acute abdominal pain"
and "a condition marked by recurrent episodes of prolonged and
uncontrollable crying in a healthy infant". Most pediatricians agree
more with the second definition, but colic is diagnosed only after
an inconsolable baby has already undergone a comprehensive clinical
exam and the pediatrician finds nothing physically wrong with him.
For example, how often is frequent crying? According to pediatrician
Dr. Morris Wessel, the classic definition of colic is: Crying for
three hours or more per day, three times or more per week, for at
least three weeks.
Besides having no uniform definition, colic in infants has no clear
cause. The usual suspect is abdominal pain as a result of trapped
gas in the digestive tract. Some cases of colic may be attributed to
astroesophageal reflux (acid from the stomach going back up to the
throat) and lactose intolerance.
A pediatrician may prescribe an antacid for a baby with reflux.
Lactose-intolerant babies should be given lactose-free milk
formulations (e.g., soy, whey protein). Here's what you can do for
baby:
• Soothe your child by cuddling, swaddling, rocking or massaging
him.
• Give diluted apple juice or whitegrape juice.
• Herbal teas like chamomile and fennel may also work.
But the best remedy is time:
• 90 percent of colic stops by 3 to 4 months of age. At present, no
one knows exactly how or why this happens; it just does.
• Babies with persistent crying episodes beyond 4 months should be
reexamined for other problems that may have been undetected in the
past.
Indigestion in Children
When older kids get tummy ache you'll know. They'll readily point to
their tummy. The most common cause is overeating.
When young kids overeat, they load their gut with too much food and
some will be left undigested. These "leftovers" will be eaten by
bacteria in the lower gut, releasing gas that causes abdominal pain
and a bloated feeling.
Indigestion may then lead to loss of appetite, weight loss,
decreased energy, constipation, diarrhea or gastroesophageal reflux.
Here's what you can do for your child:
• Avoid trigger foods such as legumes, spicy dishes, sour foods and
oily foods (these delay transit of food through the gut, giving
bacteria more time to act on the food). Load up on foods that
promote intestinal motility such as papaya and green, leafy
vegetables.
• Regulate food intake by monitoring portion sizes.
• Make sure your kid takes at least 20 minutes to finish a meal.
That's how long it takes before the brain registers that the stomach
is full.
• If your child is still hungry after 20 minutes, offer extra
helpings; otherwise, just tell him that food will be ready when he
gets hungry again.
• Do not allow your child to engage in vigorous activities
immediately after eating as this shunts blood away from the
digestive tract.
• If you suspect a more serious condition, bring your child to a
pediatrician for checkup.
When do you bring your crying child to the doctor?
Do so when he:
• Has fever or vomiting
• Seems to be in pain
• Doesn't want to be held
• Has diarrhea, or bloody or hard stools
• Has disturbed sleep
• Isn't gaining weight
• Has signs of physical injury (bruises, cuts, fractures or swelling
on any part of the body)
• Has frequent nightmares or seems to be fearful of adults or one
adult in particular
• Has this behavior beyond 4 months of age
Finally, if you feel that you are becoming very angry or irritated
because of your child's crying fits, bring him to a doctor or the
emergency room. Remember that it is quite easy for an irritable
parent to shake or hit her child more than intended to when
comforting a crying child. Shaking a baby can lead to serious brain
injury, so your child to the attention of a doctor before the crying
leads to bigger issues.
Article copyright © 2007 CMPMedica."