Worried About Child's tummy Issues, Know How To Prevent It
One of the most common problems in newborn babies is colic as they have plenty of chances to swallow air like when they breastfeed, bottle feed, cry or even suck a pacifier. The air gets trapped in their belly and they feel bloated, get cranky, burp, cry, fart and you can feel a hard tummy. The other common tummy problems that cause discomfort to the kids are diarrhea, colic, digestion issues, constipation, infection, etc. However, as the baby’s digestive tract grows, the tummy problem becomes less of a problem.
Keeping a few things in mind can help soothe the tummy like:
- Keep the baby’s head higher than her stomach while feeding him/her. Ensure there are no air bubbles in the nipple of the bottle in case you bottle feed. Use a nursing pillow for support.
- Burp the baby during and after every feed as it helps ease the gastric pain.
- Massage the baby's belly gently, cycling exercise by pumping her legs back and forth also helps in gastric pain.
- Giving a warm bath works well to getting rid of the gas.
- Feed your baby in regular intervals to avoid bloating.
- Maintaining a healthy gut.
How to maintain a healthy gut:
Gut health and gastric problem go hand in hand. A healthy gut promotes immunity. So, developing a healthy gut is of foremost importance. Gastrointestinal infections are usually caused by a virus or bacteria resulting in an unhealthy gut. Breast milk is the richest in prebiotics (prebiotic oligosaccharide is the 3rd largest component of the breast milk) which play a very crucial role in gut health. Prebiotics are non-digestible carbohydrates that have been shown to have properties that can help alleviate gastrointestinal problems and improve general health and wellbeing.
Following are the few proven benefits of prebiotics:
- Reduces colic
- Promotes softer stools
- Increases solubility of minerals such as Calcium
- Lowers instances of gastrointestinal infections
- Decreases incidents of respiratory infection
- Improves gut health
Various studies have proved that the scientifically-created prebiotics Galactooligosaccharides (GOS),Fructooligosaccharides(FOS), inulin, polydextrose also provide similar effects.
The first 1000 days in a child's life are crucial as this is the developmental phase and lays the foundation of the child's life. Hence the early age diet and nutrients are of vital importance. Prebiotics, abundantly found in breast milk ensures healthy bacteria to grow in the gut.
Post-birth, the child may face different problems that include diarrhea, inflammation, colic etc. but keeping the above-mentioned points in mind, we can help them grow happily.
A strong gut lays a healthy foundation of life and is one of the most prominent factors to keep in mind. What better gift we can give to our child than a strong and resilient immunity and digestive system. All we need is a little mindful parenting.
