REGURGITATION
Seeing your baby spit up or regurgitate small amount of milk after the course of feeding is quite normal. Clinically, an uncomplicated regurgitation in an otherwise healthy infant is a developmental concern and not termed as disease.
Babies as young as three weeks old regurgitate three or more times a day for three or more weeks. This is usually observed as a result of an immature valve mechanism. The diaphragm in an adult that serves as a valve prevents the re-entry of food in to the oesophagus, a pipe that connects the mouth to the stomach. In babies, this mechanism is still developing so small amount of stomach contents tend to retrograde. This regurgitation however decreases gradually and your baby almost outgrows this habit by the time she is about ten to twelve months old.
Helping Your Baby
Nursing your baby frequently at times can leave her having an overfilled stomach. This might make your baby bring up more milk and being continually hungry quite often. Thus, resort to feeding her small amounts that are spaced with a gap of an average 2- 3 hours. Make sure that you always have baby napkins or bibs handy to clear up the spilled mess.
Burping your baby quite often during and after the feeds is equally important. Hold the baby in an upright position against your shoulder for about 20- 30 min after a feeding. Gently pat their back and abdomen. As your baby grows older and is about seven to eight months old, she begins to take up solid foods. Using a high raise chair or walker that is not supported by wheels, would help in maintaining the upright position.
Baby’s clothing should also be comfortable. A tight covering over the stomach can add to her discomfort while being fed. Avoid rocking your baby vigorously or playing immediately after a feed.
See Your Baby’s Doctor
It becomes important on your part to discuss the following observations with the baby’s doctor. | - If you notice excessive crying after feeds.
- You observe your baby bringing up milk more than five to six times a day. This is often followed by vomiting and bouts of coughing during the process.
- Frequent regurgitation accompanied with Eczema or wheezing sound may indicate a milk allergy. So this shouldn’t be ignored.
- Persistent regurgitation post the first year of your child’s life could also indicate an anatomic abnormality. This needs detailed and serious medical attention.
CONSTIPATION
It adds much to the dismay of a mother to see her baby cry out of anxiety and abdominal pain, when experiencing difficulties having smooth bowel movements. A baby is said to be constipated if she has not been able to have even one stooling for a day. It is often marked by the passage of hard and dry bowel movement, often accompanied with strains of blood on the stools.
Usually, a healthy well fed breastfed baby will have multiple stools per day. The consistency and frequency of stools will vary as your baby grows older and complementary foods are introduced. You would then observe your baby defecating for about only one to two times a day. Constipation problems can also be observed in breastfed babies who due to some reasons are made to ingest formula milk.
Ways to Ease Her Discomfort
For a newborn baby who has been suffering from constipation, it’s wise to consult her doctor for medical advice. But for an infant who is as old as 7 to 8 months old, initially you could try working out with few dietary modifications. See, if it brings about a difference in his stooling pattern. | - Increase the daily serving of water for your baby, apart from the usual cup of water that is served with meals. Encourage her to sip in about 60ml to 120 ml initially. You could slowly increase the amount as per her needs and offer her to drink those additional sips quite frequently throughout the day.
- Besides water, you could also opt for fruit juices e.g. apple and pear in addition to the usual foods that your baby is eating.
- Increasing the fiber content of the solid foods to some extent would also lend some help. Barley cereal, ragi porridge, thin layers of roti soaked in dal, cubes of stewed apple and pear etc can be amongst the varied options.
However, if your infant’s Constipation hasn’t budge to resolve and is increasing her distress; see for urgent medical support. Cystic fibrosis seldom occurs because of infant Constipation. But her doctor would only be able to rule out presence of any such serious illnesses, if any.
|
DIARRHOEA
The watery menace can result in playing great havoc in your baby’s life. Large numbers of watery smelly mucus streaked stools often don’t tend to decrease in number, during a diarrhoea episode. It can be detrimental to your baby’s health, making her severely dehydrated. A Low birth weight baby stands a major risk of being severely dehydrated as a result of diarrhoea.
Watch out for these alarming signs and seek immediate medical support from the baby’s doctor:- |  | - Unusually drowsy and irritable.
- Refusing feeds.
- Vomiting that lasts for more than 5 to 6 hours.
- Prominent signs of dehydration such as dry lips, dry tongue, sunken fontanelles i.e. soft spots on baby’s head, sunken eyes.
- Less than 5 to 6 wet diapers in a day.
- Very high fever that persists for more than12 hours.
| Diarrhoea persistent for more than 2 weeks is termed chronic. It could underline the presence of a longterm illness like Gluten sensitivity or lactose intolerance.
Management
The first and the most prime aspect of diarrhoea management should be replacing the lost fluids. Make the baby sip in small amounts of boiled and cooled water that would work to replenish the body fluids. Begin with offering a tsp i.e.5ml of the liquid with the help of a syringe or dropper. Even oral electrolyte solutions can be started off after a period of 24 hours. Read the instructions on the pack carefully and mix the powder in appropriate quantity of water. Offer this salt and sugar solution after every watery diarrhoea.
Breastfeeding should be continued as usual. Breast milk contains protective substances that prevent entry of many disease causing pathogens. So, it is considered the ideal food even when the infant is ill. If your baby is on a formula feed, then the milk be diluted with an equal amount of water and should be given along with ORS solutions till the diarrhoea ceases. Initially, you would observe a temporary increase in her motions but then eventually it will subside leading to better recovery, if he is continued to be fed.
It’s sad. But fact, that innumerable lives are lost due to unnecessary starvation in diarrhoea.
An older infant might refuse to take in solid foods, if he is also been vomiting since quite some time. Continue to breastfeed although, but resume feeding your baby solid foods after a period of 7-12 hours. Begin with offering smaller quantities of easily digestible foods at frequent intervals. A soft cooked gruel of rice and lentil, dal soup, mashed bananas is better tolerated. As her condition improves, small amounts of minced chicken, meat, mashed potatoes could also be given. Keep away from introducing high fiber foods like whole grain cereals and dairy products as they may aggravate the digestive system of the baby. Sweetened fruit juices should also be strictly avoided during diarrhoea.
Maintaining good hygiene standards is also equally important. Make sure you wash your hands well after changing nappies. Change her soiled diapers frequently. Keep the baby’s bottom clean by using soap and water solution and avoid cleansing through baby wipes. Be careful in handling baby’s foods. Keep the kitchen surfaces thoroughly clean. Make sure that foods are kept covered and served in clean baby’s bowls. |
|