Sometimes there are situations in which even experienced parents are lost. One of such cases is when a child vomits, more than once and not twice, but repeatedly. What's happening? What is the reason? And what can be done immediately to help the baby?
Vomiting in children is not a disease - it is a symptom. She can talk about problems with the gastrointestinal tract or metabolism, and also sometimes indicates the following diseases:
- Infectious: rotaviruses, enteritis, meningitis;
- occurring with a temperature above 39 degrees (the child vomits precisely from hyperthermia): influenza, acute respiratory viral infections, purulent infections, for example, tonsillitis, pneumonia, purulent otitis media, etc .;
- acute appendicitis;
- disorders in the central nervous system, especially in infants of the first half of life who have had injuries at the time of birth (asphyxia);
- neurotic reactions;
- poisoning;
- dysbiosis.
Sometimes a child vomits after taking certain medications. Typically, such a reaction to them is described in the side effects section. Of course, when it appears, the medication is immediately stopped and they are looking for a replacement.
What is vomiting?
Vomiting refers to the very rapid ejection of all that is contained in the digestive tract due to active contraction of the muscles of the stomach, the anterior abdominal wall, and also the diaphragm.
In infants who are less than three months old, often regurgitate 50-30 ml of food. This does not mean that the child is vomiting, and does not pose any danger to his health. To avoid this phenomenon, it is enough to hold the baby upright for ten to fifteen minutes after feeding to free the stomach of accumulated air.
If the child vomits a fountain, and regularly and from an early age (2-4 weeks of life), it is necessary to exclude such functional disorders as pyloric stenosis or pylorospasm. The first is a congenital malformation of the stomach, and the second is the pyloric spasm. Both of these diseases require medical correction.
A common cause of vomiting is acute gastritis. The infection enters the body with poor quality or stale food and acts directly on the gastric mucosa. The most common pathogens are salmonella, E. coli, staphylococci. Shigella and Klebsiella are also found, causing dysentery. For any reason, there is only one consequence - dehydration and intoxication of the child's body, which occur very quickly. The condition requires immediate treatment.
Before the doctor arrives, parents can take such measures: rinse the patient’s stomach to clean water with a 0.5-1% solution of baking soda, give more drink, but in small portions. It is best to drink the child with a rehydron, table mineral water, oralite or a solution of salt and glucose.
Sometimes everything is all right with the gastrointestinal tract, and in general it is not clear why the baby is vomiting. This happens more often with older children. In such a situation, you should think about migraines. This disease can give a similar reaction.
It also sometimes happens that older children vomit to undesirable actions of others around them: punishment, forced feeding, psychological pressure and coercion. Usually, symptoms are accompanied by a refusal of food or a high selectivity in it, stubbornness and other changes in behavior. Affected by such disorders are emotional, excitable children with vulnerable psyche. With neurotic reactions, there is no abdominal pain, intoxication, nausea, or upset stool. The health of the child remains normal. Psychotherapists treat this condition, sometimes prescribing antidepressants or sedatives.
In addition, vomiting can indicate diabetes mellitus, helminthic invasions, etc. therefore, calling a doctor with such a symptom is necessary, at least in order to conduct an ultrasound of the abdominal cavity and KLA, and calm down if everything is in order.