Rumbling in the baby's stomach, what should parents do?

After a couple has a baby, parents begin to worry greatly about his health. A young family is worried about abdominal pain in a newborn, a lack of milk in a nursing mother, and many other problems. During the first days of life, infants exhibit pathologies associated with the process of digesting food. This phenomenon is explained by the inferiority of the digestive system, which provokes colic, gas and rumbling in the child’s stomach.

Symptoms of rumbling in the stomach in a newborn

In most cases, the baby's stomach growls after eating. Intestinal cacophony may be accompanied by side symptoms such as:

• discomfort when pressing on the abdomen;
• moody behavior and crying;
• baby's refusal to feed;
• sleep problems;
• tucking your legs to your stomach;
• flatulence;
• greenish liquid stool.

To exclude the possibility of gastrointestinal diseases, if such disorders are detected, it is necessary to consult a pediatrician.

Disease prevention

The child should eat in a calm environment. While eating, you should not turn on the TV, because it is distracting and encourages the swallowing of air with food. Meals should be spaced throughout the day and always be at the same time. You can’t eat hastily and on the go. It is recommended to place the baby on his stomach for 5 minutes before feeding. After eating, place it in an upright position for a few minutes.

Sources:

1. P.L. Shcherbakov. Flatulence in children // Difficult Patient, 2006, vol. 4, no. 9, pp. 66-72.
2. N.L. Pakhomovskaya, M.M. Venediktova. Flatulence: causes and ways of correction // Consillium Medicum. Pediatrics, 2022, No. 2, pp. 32-36.
3. A.N. Surkov, V.V. Chernikov. Symptom of flatulence in young children: causes and ways of correction // Pediatric pharmacology, 2013, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 78-82.

Grek Elena Anatolyevna Clinic

Author of the article

Grek Elena Anatolyevna

Doctor of the highest qualification category

Specialty: gastroenterologist

Experience: 24 years

The information in this article is provided for reference purposes and does not replace advice from a qualified professional. Don't self-medicate! At the first signs of illness, you should consult a doctor.

Main causes of rumbling

To understand why a baby’s stomach is rumbling, you need to know the main reasons that can provoke such a condition. The most common cause is swallowing air during feeding. This happens due to improper attachment of the baby to the breast or due to the fact that the milk flows very strongly and the baby simply does not have time to swallow it. In addition, the baby's tummy may growl due to the accumulation of gases in the intestines. Accumulation of gases can occur:

• if the mother consumes foods that increase gas formation;
• if there is not enough fluid in the newborn’s body;
• if there is lactase deficiency.

If a newborn has dysbacteriosis, this means that the composition of the intestinal microflora is disturbed. When breastfeeding, a woman needs to adhere to a certain diet, avoid sweet, fatty, salty and smoked foods. In addition, rumbling in the stomach can be caused by incorrectly selected or prepared formula for breastfeeding.

Given the weakness of the intestinal muscles, the movement of food becomes difficult and the process of defecation becomes more complicated. The situation is aggravated by the baby being in a lying position for a long time and poor physical activity.

After feeding, the body begins the active stage of digestion. Due to fragile peristalsis, which is not 100% prepared to digest food, rumbling and painful sensations appear.

Rumbling due to hunger

If a baby's stomach growls loudly, it may be due to hunger. If a child wants to eat, the stomach begins to secrete juice, the digestive tract requires adequate nutrition, and as a result, a rumbling sound appears. To get rid of this condition, you need to feed the child. It is important to remember that breast milk is considered the best and healthiest food for a baby. If it is not possible to normalize lactation, then it is important to choose the best adapted formula for the baby. In addition to the strong rumbling, the child’s hunger is indicated by his piercing and demanding loud cry.

What does lactase deficiency depend on?

The formation of the intestinal mucosa in each child is completed at different times. The sensitivity of the small intestine, absorption activity and the amount of lactose that has to be processed with mother's milk also affect. If a baby is transferred to artificial nutrition, then pain and rumbling in the abdomen may increase due to the fact that the mixtures contain cow's or goat's milk, and these are completely different enzymes that are more difficult for the child's body.

The baby's stool may deteriorate, it will become foamy, with a sour smell, the tummy will be constantly swollen, which will cause the behavior of the newborn to change - he will become capricious, his sleep will be restless.

Table 1. Difference between lactase and lactose

Lactase deficiency or lactose intolerance is a condition in which lactase ceases to perform its functions and the body cannot digest milk sugar. One of the manifestations is rumbling in the abdominal area.

Similar violations often occur with infants. By 3 months, most babies forget about these problems. However, if the pain does not go away, doctors diagnose lactase deficiency.

Colic is the cause of baby's anxiety

Since there are few causes of colic in a newborn, you need to decide how to relieve the child of discomfort. Let's start with nutrition. If the problem is lactase deficiency, then pediatricians advise mothers to express the first milk before feeding, since it is the fattest: this will make it easier for the child to digest food. It is better to reduce the interval between feedings than to feed one breast and the other at the same time.

If the stomach of a newborn who has been transferred to partial artificial nutrition is seething, this may be a reaction to a new product, in particular, to a foreign protein. Non-food related causes of colic include air entering the stomach during prolonged crying or improper bottle feeding.

Microflora disturbance

The formation of intestinal microflora requires 2 components. Lactobacilli and bifidobacteria in the right quantities maintain a healthy climate in the gastrointestinal tract. In addition, elements are needed that not only break down food, but also prevent the development of pathogenic bacteria.

After leaving the sterile womb, the intestinal walls need 3 to 6 months to form “good” bacteria. If the balance is disturbed and the number of pathogenic organisms goes off scale, the baby’s stomach begins to rumble. Side effects such as dysbiosis or intestinal infections also occur. A microflora disorder can be diagnosed only after undergoing appropriate tests and consulting a doctor.

Symptoms of the disease in children of different ages

For children under one year old

• Restlessness, frequent crying.
• Visually noticeable bloating.
• Stool disorders - diarrhea or constipation, which is especially typical for lactase deficiency.
• Belching, hiccups.
• Lack of appetite - breast refusal.
• A few minutes after feeding, the baby tries to pull his legs towards his chest.

For children of older age groups

• Rumbling in the stomach, pain, feeling of fullness.
• Nausea, vomiting.
• Increased volume of gases that may escape uncontrollably.
• Bloating, which is visually noticeable in a child during flatulence.
• Feeling of a full stomach, lack of appetite.
• Dyspnea.
• Constipation and diarrhea, alternating with each other.

A characteristic feature of the disease is the disappearance or significant weakening of symptoms after the release of gases.

What to do if your newborn’s stomach is rumbling?

If your baby's stomach grumbles for a long time, it is advisable to go to the doctor who will make an accurate diagnosis. For minor sound manifestations, you can use the recommendations below.

Abdominal massage

If the problems relate to peristalsis, the best help for the baby will be massage. Daily exercises will relieve pain that occurs after feeding and improve the functioning of the intestinal muscles. List of recommended exercises:

• lying on the ball, smoothly roll over it with your stomach;
• bend your legs one by one,
• Use gentle circular movements clockwise to stroke the tummy.

In between feedings, it is advisable to place the baby on his stomach.

Proper feeding

Early latching of the baby to the breast and breastfeeding until 6 months is considered the best way to protect the baby from problems with the gastrointestinal tract. Basic Rules:

1. After feeding, it is important to help the baby get rid of excess air. To do this, you need to place the baby in an upright position and gently press on the tummy.
2. Feed often, but in small portions.
3. Avoid overeating. If your baby spits up frequently, this is a sign of excessive milk consumption.
4. Periodically express milk so that the baby has the opportunity to feed not only with fore milk, but also with higher-calorie hind milk.
5. When switching to artificial mixtures, carefully study the composition.
6. Introduce complementary foods gradually, preferably in the morning. This will make it possible to monitor your baby’s reaction to a new product throughout the day.

When breastfeeding, you need to follow a diet, eliminating from the diet foods that contribute to increased gas formation, such as legumes and cabbage. The prohibited list also includes foods that can cause an allergic reaction in a child: oranges, honey and chocolate. It is advisable to limit the consumption of foods high in starch in the form of potatoes and baked goods.

Lactase deficiency

If lactase deficiency is not primary or secondary, treated only under the supervision of an experienced pediatrician, lactose overload can be stated. This happens when the baby receives a lot of “foremilk”, which quickly moves through the intestines and causes signs of lactose intolerance. Expressing milk is the best way to prevent unpleasant symptoms. In mild forms of LN, it is possible to use drugs containing a lactase substitute:

1. " Mamalak"
   . Should be used at every feeding until the baby is 3 months old. This will allow you to continue breastfeeding without the risk of causing discomfort to the baby;
2. "Lacydocap"
   . Probiotic containing strains of lactobacilli. They can break down lactose and reduce the intensity of colic. Approved for use from the first day of a baby's life.

Using lactose-free milk is also effective. During its production, the beneficial properties of the product are preserved, but milk sugar is removed.

Intestinal colic

In most cases, colic is an inevitable process. To make your baby's life easier, you should follow feeding technology.

Breastfeeding technique:

1. In order for the baby to latch onto the breast correctly, it is necessary to allow his lips to press tightly against the breast. In this position, the mouth covers not only the nipple, but also the areola, preventing air from entering during swallowing. You can check the correctness of feeding by the absence of cracks in the nipples.
2. It is advisable to express some of the milk before feeding. If the breast is overfilled with nutrient fluid, it is difficult for the baby to cope with the large flow. He will choke and swallow air.
3. You can put your baby on the second breast only after he has emptied the first. This will make it possible to get enough of the hindmilk.

In addition to following feeding techniques, it is useful to stroke the baby’s tummy or use a warm heating pad.

Microflora disorders

If the balance of intestinal microflora leaves much to be desired, the baby becomes restless. Intestinal dysbiosis, characterized by a violation of the microflora, is a secondary process. It occurs against the background of another disease. Most often these are intestinal infections or the consequences of taking antibiotics. Breastfeeding is considered the best protection against dysbiosis. If this is not possible, it is necessary to use mixtures saturated with protective elements.

After diagnosis, microflora correction should be carried out:

1. Neutralize the growth of pathogenic bacteria. Immunotherapy drugs have an amazing ability to dissolve the cells of pathogenic organisms. Intestinal antiseptics have also proven themselves well.
2. Populate the intestinal walls with healthy microflora. This requires probiotics containing bifidobacteria and lactobacilli.

The treatment regimen and names of drugs must be prescribed by a doctor.

Treatment of children of different age groups

Treatment methods for the disease depend on age. Diet, medication, and lifestyle changes may be indicated.

What help can be provided for intestinal flatulence in an infant?

First aid for flatulence in children involves alleviating the condition. A decoction of chamomile and “No-spa” (drotaverine hydrochloride) will help relieve intestinal spasms and ease colic. You can stimulate the passage of gases with the help of Espumisan.

Important! Children under three years of age should not be given medications that have not been approved by the supervising pediatrician.

can be placed on the baby's stomach . Massage is also used to relieve discomfort: circular movements without pressure in a clockwise direction. The child's condition can be alleviated by placing him on his back and bending his legs several times, each time bending them towards his stomach and straightening them. Source: A.N. Surkov, V.V. Chernikov Symptom of flatulence in young children: causes and ways of correction // Pediatric pharmacology, 2013, v. 10, no. 1, pp. 78-82

If these measures do not help, a special gas outlet catheter can be used.

A nursing mother should be careful when consuming gas-forming foods - legumes, cocoa, coffee, chocolate, sauerkraut, baked goods, muffins, grapes, fresh vegetables and fruits.

After each feeding, you need to hold the baby upright so that excess air comes out with a burp.

You can use any medications only as prescribed by a doctor. This could be Espumisan, enterosorbents, eubiotics.

Treatment of older children

In some cases, digestive enzymes are prescribed in tablets. Changes are made to the diet, from which harmful foods are excluded: carbonated drinks, chips, legumes, potatoes, raw vegetables and fruits, chocolate, cocoa. It is important that the child does not overeat. To relieve spasms, improve motility and increase the tone of the intestinal walls, the doctor may prescribe a special drug, for example Iberogast.

It is imperative to observe what the child eats to determine what food causes bloating. Food should be steamed or boiled, and its temperature when served should be moderate. It is recommended to drink more - still water, herbal decoctions. You need to eat 4-6 times a day in small portions and chew your food thoroughly.

Authorized products:

• low fat cheeses;
• dairy products;
• lean fish;
• porridge without milk;
• rabbit meat, poultry;
• pumpkin, beets;
• egg dishes (not fried).

The child should move more, walk, play with peers. It is important to protect him from stress.

Review of popular remedies for rumbling stomach

If massage and adherence to feeding rules and technology do not give the desired result, it is possible to use medications aimed at improving digestive processes. The following products have proven themselves to be effective:

• "Espumizan L";
• "Plantex";
• "Bobotik".

Dill water is also effective in combating a rumbling stomach.

Espumisan L and Bobotik

Simethicone, which is part of this drug, reduces the density of gas formations and removes them from the body. This drug is contraindicated in case of intestinal obstruction. "Espumizan L" does not contain sugar, which makes it possible to use for diabetes. No side effects were found. The main active element of Bobotik is simethicone, which is the basis of Espumisan L. The product can be used when the child reaches 1 month.

Dill water

To relieve colic and eliminate excessive gas formation, you can prepare dill water for your child or purchase ready-made water at the pharmacy. To prepare dill water, you need to take a teaspoon of crushed fennel seeds, put them in a glass jar, pour boiling water over them and simmer a little for 20 minutes in a water bath. You can also make dill tea from fresh herbs, which must be finely chopped and pour half a glass of boiling water. You need to steep the tea for an hour.

Gas in newborns

This is a manifestation of flatulence. Excessive gas formation in the intestines usually leads to bloating and intense expulsion of air. And in this matter there is an understanding of the reasons, the mechanism of development and tactics of action. The reasons for increased gas formation most often lie in nutrition: either in the diet of a nursing mother, or in improper feeding of the baby himself.

How to prevent bloating

In order not to wonder why a child’s stomach rumbles during feeding, you should know the measures to prevent pathology. They are:

1. A nursing mother should ensure that the baby latches onto the nipple correctly.
2. To feed your baby with formula, you should buy a special anti-colic bottle.
3. When the baby has eaten, you need to hold him in an upright position for a while. This solution will help the child burp excess air.
4. In the summer heat, it is recommended to give your child boiled water.
5. If the child’s stomach often rumbles, then the mother should always have medications in her medicine cabinet that reduce gas formation and help remove them from the body.

If all the specified rules of behavior with an infant are observed, parents do not have to worry about pain and colic in his stomach. But you need to remember that the child should be regularly examined by a qualified pediatrician. If your baby has any pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract, you need to promptly examine his body and follow the doctor’s recommendations regarding the prescribed treatment. You should not turn a blind eye to the problem, because it can become chronic and bring a lot of suffering to the child in the future.

Preparations for normalizing intestinal microflora

Currently, TV screens encourage people to take medications to normalize the body's microflora. There are several dozen different names of such medicines. Doctors like to prescribe them, even when it is not required. As a matter of principle, it won’t hurt! The opinions of pediatricians were divided. Some prescribe medications like Linex and others for toddlers with colic, others are strongly against it.

This category of doctors believes that each person’s microflora is individual, and it is almost impossible to populate it with beneficial bacteria from the outside. In addition, the baby should develop its own unique set of useful and not so useful microorganisms. Therefore, do not rush to give your little one drugs with bifidobacteria and lactobacilli. Indications for taking such drugs can only be the results of an analysis for dysbiosis or bacterial content of the intestinal contents. So, dear adults, experiment on yourself! And it’s better to entrust the baby’s health to an experienced pediatrician!

How to provide first aid to a baby?

The first step is to establish the reasons why the stomach rumbles during feeding and after. If the problem is colic, apply a warm cloth to the baby's tummy, ironed. Press your legs to your chest. After the manipulations, the baby will begin to calm down and fall asleep.

Walking around the room with the baby in your arms, singing songs to him, the mother’s voice has a calming effect on the nervous system. Place the baby on his tummy and do therapeutic exercises. Before going to bed, massage with smooth movements in a clockwise direction. Movements should be gentle in the navel area.

The famous pediatrician Komarovsky recommends doing the “bicycle” exercise with your child, this will help food pass better into the intestines. The doctor also advises placing the baby on his stomach more often and applying a warm heating pad. If the described remedies do not help, it is permissible to prepare dill water, chamomile solution, or a weak infusion of fennel.

Preventive actions

Taking simple preventive actions will help avoid colic and rumbling in your baby’s tummy.

1. Get a massage. Simple massage movements will help remove gases and improve bowel function.
2. Gymnastics. Start doing gymnastics with your child. Exercise “bicycle”, pulling the legs to the chest, exercise “birch tree” in a lightweight version. This will help normalize abdominal function and strengthen the immune system. The child will be accustomed to physical education from the cradle.
3. Feed when you're hungry. The time when children were fed by the hour is over. Pediatricians advise starting feeding on demand. Observe how the baby eats and takes the breast, do not allow air to be swallowed. The newborn should burp air after each feeding procedure. Feed without haste.

Don't be afraid to ask your pediatrician about your concerns. The more you learn and ask questions, the more answers you will receive. Forewarned is forearmed.