Regurgitation in newborns happens often enough. This problem is considered one of the most common in infants. Regurgitation is an involuntary ejection of the contents of a child's stomach through the mouth. According to statistics, about 70% of newborns are spewed at least once a day during the first four months. Most often, regurgitation in newborns occurs after feeding.
Young mothers should know that regurgitation in a newborn is a natural physiological process. Therefore, if the baby looks good, is active and normally gaining weight, then worry about it not worth it. However, in some cases, frequent and plentiful regurgitation in newborns can indicate the presence of the disease in the child's body. To understand whether you need to sound an alarm when the baby belches or not - parents should understand the types of regurgitation in newborns and the reasons that cause it.
Regurgitation in newborns is of two kinds - functional and organic. In most cases, babies experience functional regurgitation, which occurs due to the characteristics of the child's body during the first year of life. A short esophagus, the general immaturity of the body, a special form of the stomach - as a result, the child can regurgitate. Functional regurgitation in newborns becomes more rare as the body develops, and completely passes by the year.
The main causes of functional regurgitation in newborns:
- overfeeding of the child. Too frequent and erratic feeding leads to the fact that the baby's stomach is stretched. And this, in turn, leads to frequent regurgitation in newborns. When overfeeding, there is often a regurgitation in the newborn through the nose;
- ingestion of air during feeding. After feeding, the air leaves the baby's stomach when the baby is placed in a vertical position. The air outlet can push out, also, a small amount of milk. If the baby has swallowed a large amount of air, then often a neonate spews a fountain;
- intestinal colic. Intestinal colic and gas formation in the baby's body, as a rule, are observed from 3 weeks to 3 months. These unpleasant effects increase the pressure in the baby's stomach, causing, thereby, regurgitation in newborns.
Organic regurgitation in newborns is a consequence of abnormal development of the gastrointestinal tract. In most cases, organic regurgitation is observed in boys. Regurgitation is frequent and plentiful, the child badly gains in weight and behaves restlessly. Frequent organic regurgitation and vomiting in a newborn can indicate anomalies of the esophagus, stomach, and diaphragm. In these cases, the baby should be shown to the pediatrician.
To regurgitate the newborn has become rare and has completely passed, parents should adhere to the following rules:
- Do not overfeed the baby and make sure that during the feeding he does not swallow the air.
- The child should be fed in a semi-vertical position.
- A baby should not be fed if he cries.
- During feeding, it is necessary to take short breaks, changing the position of the baby.
- Before eating, the newborn should be spread on the tummy and do a light massage.
- After feeding for several minutes, the baby should be kept in an upright position to allow air to escape.
Most often, parents should not worry about regurgitation in their baby. However, if this phenomenon is accompanied by strong crying of the child, the baby does not sleep well and eats, it should be shown to the doctor. Also, medical intervention is necessary if newborns have regurgitation with blood.