Many adults treat stomach problems as frivolously as migraines - “it will hurt and pass away.” But if a daughter or son complains of such a malaise, it is simply necessary to pay attention, and do not even think of attributing such behavior to whims and the desire to draw attention to yourself. How to cope with this problem, with abdominal pain what to give the child from the medicine? A detailed description of the symptoms of common diseases and the answer to the question of when you can not postpone a visit to the doctor - especially for you in our article.
Will it hurt and pass?
Pain in the abdomen in children can occur for a variety of reasons. So, if the child did not fall and hit, but complains of malaise, you should quickly analyze his nutrition in the last days. Sharp abdominal pains can occur with banal overeating, eating incompatible products together, harmful or poor-quality / spoiled food.
In this case, a digestive system disorder can be manifested not only by unpleasant sensations, but also be accompanied by symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, bloating and flatulence. If the baby ate something new for itself or frankly harmful before the deterioration of well-being, you can not panic. Also, do not worry if you have doubts about the freshness / quality of the products or if the child simply overeats - which often happens during the holidays.
The treatment in this case is simple - do not feed the baby for a while, but do not limit it to drink and wait until the sharp abdominal pains disappear. You can give plain water or sweet black tea. It is especially important to prevent dehydration with loose stools. Offer your child drinks, even if he doesn’t ask, and remind you to drink.
With diarrhea, activated charcoal or Smecta can be given in a dosage appropriate for age. However, if the child's condition worsens or remains unchanged after 6 hours after the onset of the first symptoms, you should consult a doctor.
When is a specialist consultation necessary?
Three types of pain are distinguished: aching, acute and colic (usually observed in newborn babies). Ask your child to describe your malaise as accurately as possible. The most dangerous is acute or dagger pain. This is a strong and ongoing discomfort that can also give off to neighboring areas and parts of the body. Will the usual remedies for abdominal pain be suitable in this case, what should I give the child to alleviate his condition? Each parent must remember that stomach discomfort can cause serious illness.
If the pain is acute, you should immediately consult a doctor or even call an ambulance. Prior to the arrival of a specialist, do not give medicine, try to distract the child and improve his condition - gently stroke his stomach, talk with the baby or show him a cartoon.
So, the indications for urgent hospitalization or calling a doctor is a prolonged intense pain. In this case, the child cannot find a place for himself, rushing around and screaming. If any pain lasts more than three hours, and there are no improvements, it is better not to delay the appeal for qualified help. Blood in the stool or vomiting is a definite reason to call an ambulance.
A quick reaction is required from the parents if the child has eaten / drank some medicine, a household chemical product or other dangerous and harmful substance. Before the arrival of the doctor, it is not recommended to give drugs that eliminate the symptoms, and to use traditional medicine. Lay the child down and help him take the most comfortable position.
Tummy problems in the smallest
Young parents find it difficult to care for a newborn, not only because of a lack of experience. The baby cannot explain his feelings and complain to the parents. How to understand that a baby has a stomachache? Kids express their dissatisfaction with the only available means - crying. If the child does not sleep well, eats little or does not eat at all - most likely, the reason is colic.
Also, with problems with the tummy, the baby bangs its legs and pulls the knees to the chest. Many babies have colic and usually stop at the age of 4-6 months; they do not require special treatment. If the child’s anxiety is accompanied by fever, vomiting, the appearance of blood in the feces, an urgent consultation with a doctor is necessary. The symptoms described above may indicate food allergies or bowel obstruction.
Preschooler's stomach hurts
To assess the condition and well-being of a child under the age of 2 years is possible only by his behavior and mood. If the child is inactive, cries and refuses to eat - it is likely that the problem is in the stomach. Moreover, at the age of over one year, the causes of digestive problems are most often “adults”: food poisoning and allergies, overeating, infectious diseases.
At the age of more than 2 years, many children can consciously explain what exactly hurts them or show them with their hands. After listening to the complaints of the child, parents should compare and analyze all the symptoms. If the abdominal pain in a child of 5 years is irregular and has appeared recently, and the general condition of the baby is good, you can try to cope with the problem at home. Invite your child to sleep or just lie quietly. Give the right medicine for better digestion.
Similarly, you can do with diarrhea or vomiting (if symptoms are observed separately). Remember that loose stools (over a short period of time) are just a sign of a simple digestive upset, and one-time vomiting can occur due to coughing or overeating.
My stomach hurts, but not my stomach ...
Systematic discomfort in any part of the body is an occasion to go to the hospital. An interesting fact is that abdominal pain and nausea in a child can occur without any physiological reasons. In this case, most likely, the whole matter is in the patient's psycho-emotional state. This phenomenon is called functional pain. Moreover, examinations of internal organs do not show any deviations from the norm. The reason most often lies in overwork, overload of the nervous system, unrest and stress. This may seem strange, but you should consult a psychologist to treat such pain. However, in any case, starting with a visit to a gastroenterologist and examination is worth starting. Remember that regular abdominal pain in the navel in a child can also indicate pathologies of the internal organs.
How to treat functional pain?
If the child regularly complains of discomfort, the most important thing for parents is to keep calm. You can’t ignore these complaints and frankly “not hear” the child, but it’s also not worth it to make a fuss every time a little stomach hurts. Visit a specialist is necessary. And once it is confirmed that the pains are truly functional, treatment can begin.
Start keeping a special "diary of the abdomen." It should be written down all bouts of pain, indicating in which situations they appear, and that helps to feel better. An analysis of these notes by a doctor will help establish the specific causes of the problem and help reduce the intensity of discomfort, and then completely forget about them. Parents should try to create a favorable atmosphere at home and somehow captivate the baby. You can offer him to start visiting sections and hobby groups, or come up with some kind of home-grown hobby for the child.
What medications can be given to relieve stitching pains in the abdomen? If you are sure that the discomfort appears against the background of psychological problems, you can give “Ibuprofen” or another universal pain medication suitable for the child's age. After a quiet rest and sleep, the functional pain also recedes - offer the child a good rest.
We collect a first-aid kit for a child: medicines for stomach pain, which should be in every home
Self-medication is undesirable, and sometimes completely unsafe. But we all know that situations are different. How to choose a suitable
drug for abdominal pain, what to give the child to eliminate unpleasant symptoms? In order to normalize digestion when overeating or eating poorly combined foods, you can try to take such drugs as: Mezim, Festal, Creon. With diarrhea and nausea, you can take "Gastrolit" or "Regidron."
Heartburn in children is treated with "Maalox", "Rennie", "Almagel".
What medicine from an adult first-aid kit will help with stomach pain, what should I give my child if there are no special medicines for children at hand? A universal remedy for discomfort in the abdominal cavity is considered to be "No-spa". This drug relieves attacks of urolithiasis and allows you to feel better with spastic constipation. If all the symptoms of food poisoning (vomiting, diarrhea and stomach pain) are observed at the same time, you can try to give your child activated charcoal, Enterodes or Smecta. Caution: before giving the child any medicine, carefully read the annotation and accurately calculate the dosage according to the age or weight of the baby. If possible, even with home treatment, it is recommended to consult a doctor.
Attention infection!
Infectious diseases are what many parents are most afraid of. Do not panic, as with any other illness, the most important thing is to make a diagnosis on time and correctly. Pain in the left abdomen, in the right or near the navel - all these symptoms can be a manifestation of an infection. It is important to understand that diseases of this category can affect various organs and differ in the type of pathogen by: viral, bacterial and mixed.
With infections of the genitourinary system, a change in urination is observed. In this case, the child complains of abdominal pain and often goes to the toilet. Elevated body temperature, diarrhea and vomiting are signs of most infectious diseases. Remember that any infection is quite dangerous. Accordingly, at the first suspicion that the disease is caused by viruses or bacteria, you must contact the clinic.
Symptoms of Appendicitis
Appendicitis is often considered a disease of a purely adult, and this is a big mistake. In fact, this pathology is often observed in children older than 1.5 years. In infants, appendicitis is indeed very rare. But schoolchildren of 10-12 years old are often given this diagnosis, it is believed that boys are most susceptible to it.
Appendicitis is especially dangerous at a young age. The sooner the correct diagnosis is made and treatment is started, the more effective it will be and the risk of developing dangerous complications will be less. By what signs can this pathology be recognized?
If the child complains of abdominal pain constantly, and he does not feel better after sleep, a visit to the doctor is required! Moreover, the localization of unpleasant sensations can be different. The classic version of pain is not always observed - on the right, below the stomach. Discomfort can also be felt near the navel or in the epigastrium. Parents should also be warned by the fact that abdominal pain in the navel in a child occurs when the body position is changed, coughing or crying. Vomiting or diarrhea may sometimes occur. With appendicitis, body temperature usually rises, the child himself becomes lethargic and drowsy, may refuse to eat. It is impossible to give painkillers or other medications for such symptoms - you should immediately consult a doctor.
Other common causes of abdominal pain
There is no child who does not accidentally fall or participate in a fight. Even the calmest and most peaceful baby can be pushed by peers or from time to time he stumbles on his own. What should I do if, after getting injured, complaints of abdominal pain begin?
Damage to the abdominal cavity is open and closed. In the first case, it is necessary to call an ambulance, which hospitalizes the patient. In the second - you should try to assess the general condition of the child. If there are complaints of pain, but the baby is still active, does not refuse food and sleeps normally - most likely, nothing serious has happened, but in this case, specialist advice will not be superfluous.
If vomiting occurs, increased heart rate, and general weakness after receiving an injury, you should go to the hospital immediately. Pay special attention if the child complains of pain in the left abdomen. In this case, damage to the spleen is possible.
A lot of anxiety is delivered to children and hernias. They can be internal and superficial, sometimes felt on the stomach. Unpleasant sensations arise when the hernia is pinched, self-medication in this case is impossible - you need to visit a doctor and prescribe a suitable treatment option.
Do not forget about diseases such as ulcers and gastritis. It was once believed that only adults are affected. But today, increasingly, these diagnoses are made to adolescents and even younger students. What is curious - the reason is not always lies in malnutrition, at risk are children taking certain drugs with courses and suffering from some chronic diseases.
Special attention should be paid to the child’s complaints of stitching pains in the abdomen if the baby underwent surgical treatment not too long ago. And this is another case when a doctor should be consulted immediately for diagnosis and treatment.