The situation when a person emits gases is quite normal and even very necessary from the point of view of physiology. Up to fifteen times a day, an adult farts. Children are no exception. A newborn baby can fart, but not poop, from birth, since its digestive system begins to work in a new mode, the first stool leaves. The baby can fart a lot until his body gets used to the new food.
Because of what gases are formed
First you need to understand what contributes to the formation of gases in the intestine and what is the mechanism of their occurrence:
- In a small amount, the baby can swallow air while feeding from a bottle or while sucking. Passing through the esophagus and beyond, the air will want to go outside.
- In the intestines of the baby there are many bacteria that help digest food. Various chemical reactions occur during their life, in which gases are released, such as methane, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, ammonia and others.
- When the digestive juices interact with each other, carbon dioxide is released.
In this situation, parents should not be alarmed why the newborn farts, but does not poop. The volume and fart will depend on the composition and amount of accumulated gases.
Many parents get scared when a child farts at night. But this is also okay, because the baby ate before bedtime, which made the digestive system work hard.
Other factors
But there are other situations when a newborn is pushing, farts, but does not poop, while behaving uneasily, crying, the smell of the emitted air is very sharp. In this case, it is worthwhile to find out what was the reason, and then, depending on the situation, act.
The following factors lead to excess gas production:
- addiction to a new type of nutrition;
- the transition from breastfeeding to artificial;
- lure is difficult to digest or give a new product in too large portions;
- a nursing mother violates the rules of diet.
Some reasons why the newborn farts a lot, but does not poop, should be considered in more detail.
Flatulence
The development of flatulence (increased accumulation of gases) can be the reason why the baby farts, but does not poop. If the mother eats some foods that cause the fermentation process, this can lead to excessive gas formation.
Such products include: cabbage (colored or white), brown bread, legumes or flour products, consumed in large quantities. Flatulence leads to pain, bloating and a desire to let out gas.
It is not recommended to change the mixture too often for children who are on artificial feeding. Such experiments overload the intestines. When there is a transition to adapted mixtures from breast milk, the stool itself changes its texture, color and smell.
The baby may suffer from a lack of fluid, especially in the summer. This leads to constipation, due to which the newborn farts, but does not poop for days.
Many babies can suffer from intolerance to cow's milk. Therefore, taking any product containing milk can cause cramping in the intestines, diarrhea and excessive gas formation. In the presence of lactose intolerance or insufficiency, it is necessary, together with the children's gastroenterologist and dietitian, to choose the appropriate diet.
Colic
Well, where without them? It is the intestinal colic that is meant when it comes to gazyks in an infant who is not even three months old. It is difficult to confuse their symptoms with something, although the causes of the occurrence are not completely clear. It looks like a completely healthy child, when intestinal cramps appear in the stomach after a certain amount of time after feeding, begins to writhe in pain, brings the legs to the tummy, behaves uneasily, cries. At the same time, his tummy is tense, the crumb cannot crawl.
Reason for pungent odor
The most common reason that a baby farts with a very strong smelly odor is an intestinal imbalance (disruption of the intestinal microflora) and a deficiency of digestive enzymes. The result of which is the untimely processing of food, leading to putrefactive processes. Sulfur compounds, such as mercaptan and hydrogen sulfide, are formed, which in most cases are the cause of an unpleasant odor (rotten eggs smell like this).
It is especially necessary to be careful about the digestion of the baby during the introduction of complementary foods, since many products that are new to the baby can affect the stool and its smell.
Bad smell is possible after eating foods such as eggs, cauliflower, meat. It is interesting that although legumes are the cause of the development of increased gas formation, they do not have a strong odor during processing.
In such cases, the nursing mother needs to review her and her baby's diet, which began to receive complementary foods.
Constipation
The situation when a newborn farts, but does not poop, often occurs with constipation. The kid begins to push, blush, his general condition suggests that he is in pain, his stomach is tense, he cannot go to the toilet, or his chair has a solid consistency.
Causes of Infant Constipation
Stool problems can be caused by several reasons.
Children who eat breast milk may not go to the toilet for more than four days. The reason for this is that mother’s milk is completely absorbed by the baby’s body, so he has nothing to poop.
Due to a violation of the diet of the nursing mother, problems with the stool of the newborn also occur. In this case, she just needs to adjust it and refuse such foods as rice, bananas, white flour bread, black tea and coffee.
Premature transfer of a baby from breastfeeding to artificial can complicate the situation with a chair. When the baby is breast-fed, it may not be enough liquid (water) consumed in addition to mixtures.
Until six months, the baby is quite enough breast milk, which is the only option of nutrition, and premature introduction of complementary foods will affect his digestion.
Psychological reasons cannot be excluded.
If the newborn farts a lot, this indicates an excessive accumulation of gases in the intestine, which must be helped to go out.
With the help of drugs containing lactulose, you can correct the problem. They have a mild laxative effect and do not harm the health of the baby at all. A gas vent is also used. Pharmacy teas with fennel, dill water also contribute to the removal of gases from the baby's body. Together with the pediatrician, it is necessary to resolve the issue of the need to adjust the nutrition of the child or replace the mixture.
Dysbacteriosis
It often happens that a newborn farts a lot, strains and almost every time a little poop. The problem in this case is no longer in the frequent emission of gases, but in the fact that an imbalance occurred in the intestine, which could be caused by improper nutrition, taking certain medications, and more.
If the baby often poops, he must constantly be washed, and this adversely affects his delicate skin.
In pediatrics, many drugs are used to solve problems with colic and digestion. Most often, these are drugs with lactobacilli and bifidobacteria, which can normalize the intestinal microflora. If after this the stool does not return to normal, a feces analysis is prescribed.
The fight against gas
To summarize what to do if the child suffers from excessive gas formation:
- The baby needs to be given plenty of fluids. Also, dill water, chamomile tea, “Plantex”, raisin water will help the baby (raisins are thoroughly washed, poured with hot water - 1 tsp for 1 tbsp of water - they are insisted for 20 minutes, filtered).
- It is necessary to give the baby a clockwise massage of the tummy, applying a warm diaper to it. This will help get rid of colic and pain.
- Gymnastics is also effective. Its essence is as follows: the baby must be put on the back, and the legs brought to the tummy, so you should hold it for a couple of seconds, and then let it go. 5 to 7 times you need to repeat the exercise. Care must be taken to ensure that such movements do not hurt the child.
- Mother should monitor her diet and correctly introduce complementary foods.
If the newborn farts, but does not poop, while behaving absolutely calmly, does not cry and does not writhe in pain, then you can be sure that everything is fine with him. This means that the digestive system begins to work.