Vomiting in a child: causes, first aid and when to sound the alarm
Appeared vomiting and nausea in a child always causes concern and anxiety of parents. This is quite natural, because sudden bouts of vomiting are the result of some kind of malfunction of the gastrointestinal tract or an extremely unpleasant symptom of a dangerous disease. That is why parents should understand what may be the cause of this condition, how to help the baby and when it is necessary to urgently consult a doctor.
Often, involuntary emptying of the stomach, in other words, vomiting, is accompanied by a number of other symptoms, including chills, fever, diarrhea, fever, etc. But sometimes it happens that the child vomits without fever, it happens that once. An ambiguous situation, agree. Could this be the result of some pathological process in the body, or is it just a random “failure”?
Causes and manifestations
If we consider the physiology of this process, then vomiting is a reflex process of emptying the contents of the stomach and (rarely) the duodenum through the mouth (sometimes the nose with profuse vomiting). Those. the outgoing mass is nothing but undigested food with impurities of gastric juice, sometimes bile.
Very rarely, this condition occurs suddenly. Usually the baby complains of feeling unwell, mainly nausea. The stomach may hurt, the child experiences an unpleasant sensation of "sucking in the pit of the stomach", he is sick.
Among the reasons why the child is sick and vomits, but there is no temperature, several conditions can be identified.
Binge eating
Yes, a child can vomit from an excess of food in the stomach (usually once and without deterioration of health). In this case, this is a normal reaction of the body. How does this happen? Now jokes about grandmothers trying to fatten their grandchildren don't seem so unrealistic, do they?
Very often, such a condition can occur at children's parties, during a feast or celebration of an event. A sweet table, an abundance of food, sweet carbonated drinks, fatty cream and other "sweets" in combination with active competitions or just running around the room can lead to such incidents.
Indigestion
Heavy fatty foods are not the best food for a child of any age. Vomiting may be repeated several times. Often this condition is accompanied by diarrhea, abdominal pain. The child may complain of discomfort in the stomach, refuse food. Characterized by belching with an unpleasant rotten odor.
Food poisoning
The most common cause of vomiting in a child. At the same time, an increase in temperature may not be observed, but almost always the baby's malaise is accompanied by loose stools. In this case, the body tries to naturally get rid of toxins. The child is usually lethargic, refuses to eat, vomits once or several times, usually 1.5-2 hours after eating.
motion sickness
With long shaking in a car, long-term riding on carousels, the vestibular apparatus may fail, and vomiting in this case is a natural reaction.
neurotic vomiting
A phenomenon in which a child (often under 3 years old) has bouts of nausea or the release of stomach contents due to some kind of strong shock: fright, stress, excitement, etc.
Vomiting as a result of a head injury
If the baby fell and hit his head, then dizziness, nausea and vomiting can be symptoms of a traumatic brain injury.
Allergic reaction to food and complementary foods
It can also be expressed in this way. Often a similar manifestation is noted in babies up to a year old and is often accompanied by a rash and loose stools.
CNS diseases (hydrocephalus, increased intracranial pressure, etc.)
In addition to vomiting, the child is diagnosed with a sharp change in activity: from a sluggish half-asleep state to an excited, hyperactive one. An older child may complain of headaches and dizziness; in babies up to a year old, a fontanel often protrudes.
Foreign body in the esophagus
For example, it can irritate its walls, and the gag reflex is a normal reaction of the body, an attempt to get rid of a foreign object. Attacks can be repeated repeatedly, and the child looks restless, may complain of an interfering object, pain, shortness of breath.
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Reaction to or overdose of inappropriate medications
An attack of vomiting occurs shortly after taking the drug, may be single or repeated several times.
Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, liver, gallbladder and pancreas
Often, repeated bouts of vomiting are accompanied by sharp pains in the abdomen, the mass is characterized by impurities of bile and blood. The child is weak, refuses to eat.
Infection
Infectious-inflammatory processes rarely go away without an increase in body temperature, but they can also be latent. Nausea and discharge of stomach contents are often unrelated to food intake, vomiting can occur suddenly and long after a meal, for example, at night. A characteristic sign of an intestinal infection is foamy, frequent and liquid feces with a sharp unpleasant odor, possible streaks of blood and mucus in the mass. At the same time, the baby is lethargic, refuses to eat and drink.
Pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract and congenital intolerance to certain substances
Often diagnosed in the first year of life and characterized by systematic vomiting, underweight, flatulence and diarrhea. Many pathologies are treated surgically, and intolerance to certain substances, such as lactose or gluten, is corrected by an appropriate diet.
Acute appendicitis
It usually occurs in children older than 3 years due to anatomical features and is rarely accompanied by fever. However, with inflammation, the temperature may rise slightly, which may not be noticed. An alarming symptom for the mother will be constant complaints of abdominal pain, anxiety when changing positions in the supine and sitting position, vomiting and diarrhea.
Bowel obstruction and prolonged constipation
May cause vomit to be released.
As you can see, there are many reasons for the reflex ejection of stomach contents. It is important to understand whether sudden vomiting is a symptom of a serious illness or does not pose a danger to the child.
The situation in children of the first year of life
Often, inexperienced parents confuse vomiting and regurgitation in a baby of the first year of life (usually disappears after 6 months), they are seriously scared and panicking. How is the situation really?
The fact is that regurgitation in infants is a variant of the norm. The physiology of the process is also slightly different: regurgitation occurs voluntarily, while vomiting occurs due to reflex tension of the abdominal muscles.
The baby usually spits up after eating, the mass contains recently swallowed food and exits through the mouth with air. The volume usually does not exceed 1-2 tablespoons, and the process itself occurs several times a day. It is enough just to hold the baby who has just had a bite vertically, lightly patting on the back.
But it is important not to confuse ordinary regurgitation with vomiting, since the options described a little above are not excluded. Just watch your baby's well-being: if he is cheerful and cheerful, does not act up and does not refuse food, then most likely everything is in order.
First aid for vomiting
The main task of parents is to provide all possible assistance to alleviate the condition of the child. Assess the child's condition and proceed from the situation.
If the attack of nausea was single, evaluate the nature of the vomit. Mucus inclusions can indicate an inflammatory process, a disease of the central nervous system. The presence of bile indicates nausea with an empty stomach. Those. with repeated vomiting, the spasm of the stomach persists, and since it is empty, a secret and bile may be secreted. If the baby vomited water, then he probably drank a lot of liquid, trying to drown out the urge. Blood clots may indicate a rupture of small capillaries in the larynx and esophagus. In any case, if you are concerned, call the doctor at home.
Pay attention to the well-being of the child. A single attack of nausea if, on the whole, the child feels normal, he is alert, does not complain of pain and malaise, does not refuse food, should not cause you concern. There is no need to call an ambulance or rush to call the pediatrician. Komarovsky also speaks about this. The doctor believes that a single attack of vomiting in a child should not cause concern, especially if this incident was preceded by a feast, an active game, and so on.
But in other cases, recurring gagging requires intervention. Why? The fact is that this is a rather energy-consuming process, which is also accompanied by a loss of fluid. It is extremely important to prevent dehydration of the body, which in a child's body can occur quite quickly.
What to do in case of repeated vomiting?
- ✓ If the child is lethargic, then it is better to put him to bed and let him rest. It is important that he lies on his side with his head slightly raised up. In the case of repeated urges, the vomit will come out unhindered and will not allow you to choke.
- ✓ Abundant and frequent drinking of slightly cool water. It is important to drink often and in small portions, literally a tablespoon. Large volumes of drinking can provoke repeated vomiting.
- ✓ With periodic urges and diarrhea, it is highly desirable to give a solution to maintain water and electrolyte balance. Regidron and its analogues should be in every first aid kit.
- ✓ In case of pronounced poisoning, sorbents can be given: Smecta, activated carbon or Eneterosgel. The drugs will allow you to quickly remove toxins from the body and alleviate the condition.
It is important in such situations to follow an appropriate diet. The child's body is experiencing real stress, the baby's digestive system is now not able to take the usual food. Especially when it comes to poisoning. Don't get angry if your child refuses to eat, even if he hasn't eaten all day. You need to give your body time to recover.
In the early days, try to keep the child on a diet: eat in small portions, do not eat to satiety, do not eat fatty, spicy foods, rich pastries and sweets. It is desirable in the diet of chicken broth, low-fat yogurt, boiled vegetables or steamed.
If the baby is breastfed, then do not stop breastfeeding, because breast milk is now the best medicine for him and the best food for him. The only recommendation: give the breast often and in small portions, so as not to provoke new urges.
What not to do
What definitely should not be done is to self-medicate. When the condition worsens, you should not wait for a convenient moment - immediately call an ambulance. Do not give your child painkillers or antiemetics before the doctor's visit, as this can distort the overall picture and prevent the pediatrician from making a correct diagnosis. This also applies to the self-administration of antiseptic drugs, antibiotics.
Your first priority is to keep your body hydrated. Drinking plenty of water in small portions is best now. You should not even try to feed the baby, even if he has not yet eaten anything and is hungry in your opinion. The child's digestive system is now weakened, there is no appetite. Therefore, feeding “through I don’t want to” will only aggravate the situation and provoke new bouts of nausea.
When to call an ambulance immediately
✓ shortness of breath in a child, unclear consciousness, fever;
✓ severe pain syndrome, dizziness;
✓ there are suspicions that the child could swallow a foreign object, drink a poisonous substance, etc.
Only a doctor can establish the causes of such a condition, provide qualified assistance if necessary, and prescribe appropriate treatment. The specialist will definitely answer your questions, explain the causes of the disease, tell you why the child vomits without fever and diarrhea.
If, fortunately, nothing serious happened and you were left with the baby at home, then strictly follow the doctor's recommendations and do not ignore the second appointment with the local pediatrician after the treatment is completed.
Conclusion
Vomiting in a child is not such a rare phenomenon and is always the result of some process inside the body. A single attack without deterioration should not be mistaken for a serious illness. It is enough to assess the situation, think about what could be the reason, observe the well-being of the child. If nothing raises suspicions, then most likely everything is in order.
Systematic nausea, profuse salivation, abdominal pain, diarrhea and lethargy should alert and require action. Keep your child calm, drink plenty of fluids, give dehydration medications, and monitor their condition. In any situation that worries you, call an ambulance or a local doctor.
The article is advisory and informational in nature, does not call for self-treatment and self-diagnosis. The exact cause of this condition in a child can only be called a doctor. Health to you and your children!
