One-time vomiting in a child. Frequent vomiting in a child. What parents need to do

When a child vomits bile, parents panic because from the outside it looks scary. Foul green-yellow masses come out of the mouth in large volumes. The baby himself is exhausted, and the whites of his eyes may turn yellow. Parents should know why a child may vomit bile in order to avoid repeated manifestations of this.

Why does a child vomit bile?

The main reason is the entry of bile into the stomach, which is trying to get rid of the liquid that irritates it naturally. There may be several explanations for how this biological substance, which should be in the gallbladder, ends up in a completely different organ:

intestinal infection;
exacerbation of appendicitis;
biliary or renal colic;
severe poisoning;
thrombosis of intestinal vessels;
narrowing of the upper gastrointestinal tract.

In infancy

All of the above pathologies are rare in infants. Mothers of newborns can also sometimes observe yellow mucus in regurgitated sputum or full-blown vomiting.

Vomiting in infants indicates a congenital pathology of the bile ducts or that the baby, while moving along the birth canal, could have swallowed amniotic fluid or experienced a lack of oxygen.

In children from one year old and teenagers

Yellow or green vomiting in a child frightens parents no matter how old he is, and this unpleasant and dangerous phenomenon can occur at any age. A teenager may burp once or vomit bile due to overeating fatty foods. When vomiting recurs systematically, the child should be examined for pancreatitis, intestinal obstruction and diverticulosis. This will allow you to accurately diagnose the disease.

Sometimes bile in the vomit is a reaction to drinking alcohol or cigarettes for the first time in your life.. This is how the gallbladder reacts to unfamiliar toxins, throwing part of the mass it produces into the stomach.

Additional symptoms

Rarely does a child suffer from vomiting alone. Usually it is accompanied by accompanying symptoms, by which you can try to determine the cause of the problem:

Diarrhea, fever and weakness. It looks like poisoning.
Diarrhea, fever and stomach pain. A clear picture of pancreatitis.
Fever and pain in the right hypochondrium. This is an attack of cholecystitis.
Fever, weakness, yellowish complexion. Perhaps the child caught hepatitis somewhere.

First aid

When a child vomits bile with a fever or other accompanying symptoms, you should immediately call an ambulance. While she is driving, first aid measures should be taken to ease the baby’s suffering and prevent the development of complications.

First, place the child in such a way that he cannot choke on the vomit. This should be a semi-medical position with several pillows under your head. The baby must be held in your arms or not leave the crib so that during the next attack you can immediately turn him over, allowing the vomit to come out.

As soon as your child vomits bile, rinse his mouth and then give him water, otherwise he may become dehydrated. Additionally, you can give enterosorbents (activated carbon, children's Enterosgel) so that they absorb the toxins remaining in the stomach. At very high temperatures, a children's antipyretic drug is allowed. There is no need to give any other medications before the ambulance arrives, because it is not yet known exactly what kind of disease this is.

Important! Do not try to stop vomiting with antiemetic drugs. Retention of bile in the stomach can lead to intoxication and loss of consciousness.

Treatment methods

The condition of a child who has vomited bile once, without diarrhea and without fever, will stabilize within an hour. The arriving ambulance diagnoses food poisoning and leaves the little patient at home, giving the parents recommendations and a list of medications to normalize well-being (Rehydron to restore water-salt balance, Smecta for a mild adsorbing effect). Having discovered a hard abdomen in a child, girdle pain or incessant vomiting with diarrhea, he is hospitalized for a full examination and treatment of the identified disease.

Conservative treatment

A child who is vomiting bile may be treated differently depending on the diagnosis:

If functional gastrointestinal disorders are detected, choleretic agents will be prescribed: Flamin, Berberine.
To improve the functioning of the digestive system, Cerucal and Motilium are prescribed.
Antispasmodics will help reduce the frequency of contractions of the muscles of the gastrointestinal tract: Noshpa, Spasmol.
You can get rid of an intestinal infection with the help of antibiotics (strictly as prescribed by your doctor).
Some babies require a mild sedative to reduce anxiety: Persen, Tenoten.

Traditional methods

Some herbs have choleretic properties, from which you can make decoctions and add them to your child’s tea. We offer several recipes, which are recommended to be used with the permission of a doctor.

Mix immortelle or angelica leaves with chamomile flowers. Take 1 tsp. mixture, pour 200 ml of boiling water, leave for 15 minutes. The child should drink this during the day before meals, so it can be divided into 3 doses.

Squeeze the juice of one lime and 100 g of cranberries. Dilute the resulting mixture (1 tbsp 100 ml of water) and give it to the child before meals.

Brew rosehip flowers and fruits (200 g) in a liter thermos and add to your child’s tea in a 50/50 ratio. Drink between meals.

Advice! Do not tell your child that you are giving him a medicinal drink, otherwise he will reject it at the subconscious level without even trying it. It's better to disguise it as regular tea by adding sugar or jam.

The duration of use of the listed folk recipes is 10 days. Remember that this is an auxiliary treatment that does not cancel the main one prescribed by the doctor.

The first few days after vomiting bile should be as gentle as possible on the stomach. The child will have to adhere to a diet that excludes fatty, smoked, fried and canned foods. All food is at room temperature, and soda (especially colored soda: Pepsi, Fanta, Tarragon) should be temporarily prohibited from drinks.

It is not difficult to comply with the diet requirements: various side dishes (cereals, potatoes, pasta), light soups, porridges, and salads are allowed. The cutlets must be steamed. You can give boiled lean fish. Sweets are allowed if they are low-fat (cakes with cream are not allowed).

What should a child not do if he is vomiting bile?

When this happens to children, they are too weak and defenseless to make decisions. Usually the poor things lie down, periodically vomit and follow the instructions of their parents, who should not:

leaving the child alone;
give untested medications without a doctor’s prescription;
refuse hospitalization if emergency doctors recommend doing so;
forcefully stuff the little victim with food, believing that this will help gain strength;
scream at the child, blaming him for what happened.

Prevention

To minimize the risk of vomiting bile in a child, you should feed him properly. It is unlikely that it will be possible to ban fast food, because fast food cafes are everywhere, but the consumption of harmful foods should be limited. Personal example is the first step on the path to success.

To avoid emergency conditions that manifest as vomiting of bile, you need to regularly undergo medical examination with your child and not ignore his complaints of abdominal pain. All symptoms should be taken into account and analyzed.

Vomiting with bile is not only dangerous, but also unpleasant, so parents should do everything to prevent this from happening to their child. Seeing a doctor and proper nutrition are two principles that will help reduce the risks of such a symptom and associated pathologies.

Video

Vomiting is a protective reaction of the body. Together with vomit, poisons and toxins that come with poor-quality food and water are removed from the intestines. The mechanism of vomiting is as follows: when toxins enter the stomach, the vomiting center leads to compression of the walls of the organ, resulting in food particles being thrown out. Frequent vomiting in a child can occur for various reasons, but if such a symptom is present, consultation with a pediatrician or therapist is necessary.

What causes vomiting

There are a number of reasons why repeated vomiting is observed in childhood:

Abdominal diseases that require surgical treatment(eg appendicitis). Such pathologies are accompanied by severe nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. In addition, intestinal functions are disrupted, food stagnates in the gastrointestinal tract, the stomach swells, and its walls become very tense.
Viral hepatitis, which affects the child’s liver, is accompanied by frequent vomiting, which does not bring any relief. Usually in this case the vomit is green.
Acetone syndrome, which occurs in diabetes mellitus, due to poor nutrition and other reasons. Vomit has a strong, unpleasant odor of acetone.
Rotavirus infection is often accompanied by repeated vomiting.

If vomiting appears once, then the cause may be harmless factors. For example, with a cold or diseases of the nasopharynx, expectorated sputum can compress the root of the tongue, which will provoke a gag reflex. At night, a child may vomit due to severe fright, overeating, coughing.

To alleviate the child’s condition, they give him a glass of warm water and calm him down. Then he is laid on his side and monitored until he falls asleep. If vomiting occurs several times before morning, you should consult a doctor.

Causes of vomiting in babies

Constant vomiting in a child under one year old (repeated up to 10-15 times a day) may indicate congenital defects of the gastrointestinal tract, as well as disorders of the central nervous system. Sometimes vomiting in a small child is caused by less dangerous reasons. For example, this can be caused during feeding, when the mother gives the baby age-inappropriate formulas. In any case, urgent hospitalization is required.

After all Due to frequent vomiting, very rapid dehydration occurs in the baby. As a result, convulsions appear and internal organs begin to fail, which can lead to death.

Until about three months of age, all babies regurgitate food. This condition does not harm the baby’s health and is a natural process. To prevent regurgitation, the baby is picked up, the head is pressed to the chest and the back is stroked from top to bottom. But if such a process is observed constantly, you should consult a doctor to exclude pylorospasm.

If vomiting in children under 7 years of age

Periodic vomiting in a preschool child (up to 7 years old) often indicates infectious diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. In addition, night vomiting can be caused by severe intoxication of the body or helminthic infections.

For preventive purposes, children are given antihelminthic drugs twice a year. Most often, cases of worm infection are observed in autumn and spring, so it is recommended to give medications at this time. For children over 7 years old, it is enough to give antihelminthic drugs once a year.

Types of vomiting in children

Repeated vomiting in children can be caused by a number of reasons. But to determine it, it is necessary to pay special attention to the color and contents of the vomit.. They come in several varieties:

Vomiting with mucus. This symptom is typical for infants and is considered normal. This reflex is caused by overeating, and mucus appears due to the entry of sputum from the lungs and bronchi into the vomit. In older people, this pathology occurs after taking irritating components (painkillers or antipyretics). In addition, it is a symptom of chronic gastritis.
Vomiting with bile has a greenish tint. Sometimes the color of the vomit is yellow or light green. This symptom is provoked by overeating, eating too fatty/spicy foods, and intoxication of the body.
Vomiting blood in a child is considered a very dangerous condition. If such a symptom appears, the child must be hospitalized urgently. After all, this sign often indicates internal bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract. It can be caused by a stomach ulcer or foreign bodies entering food. In infants, this phenomenon is sometimes caused by the mother's blood getting from the nipples into the baby's mouth along with milk.

When blood impurities are scarlet, there is a high probability of damage in the oral cavity. And vomiting in this case occurs as a result of swallowing blood. But when the impurities are dark brown in color, this indicates that the blood has already coagulated under the influence of hydrochloric acid. This means that the stomach or duodenum is affected.

First aid

If repeated vomiting is caused by food poisoning (when the mother knows what the child could have been poisoned with), then the sequence of actions should be as follows:

Perform gastric lavage to cleanse it of toxin. To do this, dilute 2 tsp in 2 liters of warm water. salt and soda. This solution must be given to the child to drink - he should drink about 2 glasses.
After this, the baby lies on his right side, after about 5-10 minutes a vomiting spasm should occur, due to which vomiting will begin. If this does not happen, the procedure is repeated.
You can also induce vomiting artificially - by putting 2 fingers in your mouth. However, the child must do this on his own, so if he is small, then this procedure is not suitable for him.

If vomiting occurs periodically in a baby up to 7 months, he needs to be constantly monitored. He must not lie on his back, as this may cause him to choke.- vomit is thrown into the respiratory tract, and due to lack of air the baby dies. The child is placed on his right side and his head is raised high. It's better to hold him in your arms. One way or another, you definitely need to see a doctor.

After another vomiting, the mouth is washed with boiled water. In children, the mucous membrane of the mouth is still very weak, so under the influence of hydrochloric acid from the stomach, ulcers may appear on its surface. You can rinse the oral cavity with a syringe or a large syringe without a needle.

When vomiting every 30 minutes, you need to urgently call an ambulance. Such a symptom may indicate serious gastrointestinal pathologies. But until the doctors arrive, the child should be given as much fluid as possible. Otherwise, there is a high probability of dehydration. As a result, vital internal organs may fail, which sometimes even leads to death. You should not give your baby sweet drinks. Under the influence of sugar, gas formation increases. Fermented milk products are also not recommended, since milk is an excellent environment for the development of microorganisms, including pathogenic ones.

Treatment of vomiting in a child

Children should not be given medications without a doctor's prescription. Some age-inappropriate medications may cause side effects or cause acute intoxication. Although in most cases the doctor prescribes the following medications:

Motilium. It is an effective remedy for vomiting and is suitable for children over three years of age. The product blocks the vomiting center, so the urge stops.
Cerucal. The drug is suitable for infants and older children. Indications for its use are disorders of intestinal motility, as well as pyloric stenosis. The product eliminates vomiting, regardless of the cause of its occurrence. However, the medicine has a number of contraindications, so it is not released without a doctor’s prescription.
Phosphalugel. This is a fairly popular remedy used to relieve inflammation on the stomach walls.. Suitable for children over 6 years old.
Smecta. It is used to relieve vomiting. This is a sorbent that combines and removes poisons and toxins from the body. Under its influence, irritated intestines calm down and gas formation decreases. Activated carbon has a similar effect on the body.

No-spa is also suitable for the treatment of intoxication, as well as its symptoms, in particular vomiting. The product is indicated for children whose weight exceeds 40 kg. The drug relieves spasms of smooth muscles.

The use of folk remedies

Frequent vomiting can be eliminated with the help of traditional medicine. However, they should be used with caution. It is recommended to consult a doctor before taking them. The following methods are effective:

Dill water helps a lot. To prepare it, take 1 tsp. seeds of the plant and pour 250 ml of boiling water. Then the container is placed in a water bath and cooked for 20 minutes. Leave the product until it cools completely, and then filter. The child is given 1 tsp. drug every 15 minutes. After an attack of vomiting, the baby should drink 2 tbsp. l. facilities. This folk medicine is not only effective, but also safe. It has no side effects, so it is suitable for children of any age.
Strong green tea also helps. However, you should not add sugar to it. To improve the taste, you can add honey, although tea without taste is most gentle on the stomach, but not all children want to drink this. You can brew bagged green tea or herbal tea (linden, chamomile and other medicinal plants).
Quince is a very tasty and useful remedy for vomiting. It is effective both fresh and cooked. You can simply grate it or bake it in the oven.
Incessant vomiting in a child with bile impurities is treated with peppermint. To do this, take 2 tbsp. l. crushed leaves of the plant, which are poured with a glass of boiling water. Infuse the product for 2 hours, and then filter. The baby is given 1 tsp. medications every hour, repeating the procedure 5-6 times. The plant is characterized by a choleretic effect on the body and neutralizes spasms.

If vomiting does not stop for more than a day, be sure to give your baby plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration. At home, you can also prepare a remedy that helps restore water-salt balance. In its effect on the body, it resembles rehydron. To prepare the product, take 0.5 tsp. soda and salt and fill them with a liter of water. Several crystals of potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate) and 4 tbsp are added to the resulting solution. l. Sahara. You can take the product immediately after preparation in small sips throughout the day.

When to see a doctor

As a rule, vomiting from food poisoning stops immediately after gastric lavage. If even after the procedure the baby’s condition worsens, a doctor’s consultation is necessary.. It is recommended to show the baby to a surgeon, who will rule out diseases that can be removed by surgery. You should also check the child with a gastroenterologist, who should rule out ulcers, liver and duodenal diseases. It is necessary to call emergency help in the following situations:

The vomit contains blood particles, which indicates serious damage to the gastrointestinal tract.
Vomiting attacks occur too often, once every 30-40 minutes. This condition can lead to complete dehydration of the child’s body, which is fraught with serious consequences.
The body temperature rises, the child becomes very lethargic and weak, he may become delirious.
If, before the onset of vomiting, the child fell from a high distance, which caused a head injury. The symptom may indicate a concussion or closed intracranial injury. In such cases, treatment of the baby can only be carried out in a hospital setting.

You cannot treat a child at home without consulting a doctor. This can lead to very serious consequences, including the death of the baby.

One of the most frightening symptoms in a child, which always worries young and even experienced parents, is vomiting. A lot of questions immediately arise - what to do, how and how to help the child, do you need a doctor or can you cope on your own? In order to provide assistance correctly, it is necessary to know at least in general terms the main causes of vomiting, be able to distinguish them and correctly provide first aid.

Causes of vomiting in children.
Vomiting can occur in children of any age, from infants to teenagers, but the younger the child, the more likely it is to occur. In babies of the first year of life, vomiting must be distinguished from regurgitation, a physiological phenomenon in the digestive system that occurs due to the anatomical and physiological immaturity of the digestive system.

So, let’s talk about the main causes of regurgitation and vomiting in normal and pathological conditions.

Regurgitation.
The norm for infants and artificial babies is infrequent regurgitation, approximately 2-3 times a day, up to 2 tablespoons of contents, lasting up to approximately 6-9 months.

Excessive regurgitation or even vomiting can occur during overfeeding, even in healthy babies; this usually happens with artificial babies, for whom the formula is diluted not according to the calculated volume based on actual weight, but according to the numbers indicated on the cans of the mixture (often greatly inflated). Then regurgitation or vomiting occurs without the participation of the abdominal muscles, there are no disturbances in well-being, and the process is not preceded by nausea and vomiting. This process is not dangerous and only requires recalculation of the amount of food with the pediatrician - with their correction, regurgitation is reduced or disappears completely.

In infants, the cause of regurgitation or even vomiting (sometimes even a fountain) is an improper latch on the breast with swallowing a large amount of air, or infrequent feedings with excessively greedy sucking. As a result, bloating occurs with the occurrence of colic and, as a result, overstimulation of the digestive system with regurgitation. This condition is also not dangerous for the child, but it requires consultation with a breastfeeding specialist and correction of attachment.

Frequent and persistent regurgitation can be symptoms of a neurological pathology, therefore, it is necessary to consult a pediatrician to clarify the volume of feeding, and then a neurologist.

Vomit.
Vomiting is a conditioned reflex act with the release of contents from the stomach and esophagus into the oral cavity. Vomiting is accompanied by nausea, pallor of the child, restless behavior, increased heart rate, decreased blood pressure, cold hands and feet, and sweating. When vomiting, a characteristic sound occurs due to contraction of the abdominal muscles with the participation of the muscles of the neck and pharynx. In most cases, vomiting brings discomfort to the child (unlike regurgitation).

Causes of vomiting in newborns.

In young children, parents should be alerted to a fountain of vomiting in a volume exceeding the volume of what was eaten in the first 2-4 weeks of life. Vomiting appears immediately after feeding, profusely, with an admixture of bile, the child does not gain weight, and is restless. The child urinates very rarely, he rarely has stool. This is a symptom of a dangerous surgical pathology - pyloric stenosis, a defect in the outlet of the stomach, a very narrow opening between the stomach and the small intestine, which practically does not allow food to pass into the intestines.
Measures to help such a child include hospitalization in a hospital for reconstructive surgery with pyloric plastic surgery. After discharge from the hospital, the child leads a normal life.

Another cause of vomiting can be pyloric spasm (pylorospasm); this disease occurs due to immaturity of neuromuscular connections and untimely relaxation of the muscle after feeding. Girls are more often affected; it is characterized by periodic vomiting from the first days of life, of small volume and not constantly. Vomit usually contains food mixed with bile. Children do not lose weight, although weight gain may be slow. Helpful measures include more frequent feedings of a smaller volume, and observation by a neurologist and pediatrician.

Another cause of vomiting in young children with a lack of stool or blood discharge from the anus is intussusception or intestinal obstruction. With such vomiting, the stomach is mute, peristalsis cannot be heard, the child is pale, screams and does not allow the stomach to be touched. He must be immediately taken by ambulance to a surgical hospital and operated on.
Attention! Persistent vomiting in newborns and children in the first months of life is not harmless. This is always either a surgical or neurological pathology. They require immediate medical attention.

Vomiting in older children.
In children from about 6 months of age, vomiting is divided into organic or associated with pathology, which means dangerous to health, and functional, associated with the influence of external factors and not dangerous for the child.

Vomiting as a sign of danger.
- the most common cause of vomiting is. These are viral or microbial infections of the digestive system that affect the stomach and various parts of the intestines, most of which manifest themselves in addition to vomiting and a set of other specific symptoms. Usually this is fever, abdominal pain, diarrhea, loss of appetite and varying degrees of dehydration. Vomiting occurs due to irritation of the mucous membranes and is a protective mechanism, an attempt by the body to get rid of viruses or microbes, as well as part of the food. To give your digestion a rest.
Measures to help with intestinal infections include calling a doctor and strictly following all recommendations, if necessary, hospitalization in a hospital, taking medications and fighting dehydration. General recommendations on vomiting will be given below.

One of the causes of vomiting in children under 3-5 years of age is a high temperature that accompanies ARVI, influenza, sore throat, otitis media or pneumonia. Vomiting occurs as a result of toxins entering the blood and affecting the brain's vomiting center, which are formed in tissues as a result of the activity of viruses or microbes. Typically, vomiting occurs at the height of the fever and goes away quickly after the temperature drops, even without treatment.

Vomiting can be one of the symptoms of damage to the central nervous system, if it is a birth injury - then it mainly manifests itself in the first few months of life. Vomiting occurs as a result of irritation of the area of the vomiting center - compression by a tumor or hemorrhage, exposure to increased intracranial pressure, development of an abscess. Another cause of “cerebral” vomiting is exposure to toxins (for example, bilirubin in jaundice) or irritation of the meninges as a result of inflammation in tuberculosis, meningococcal meningitis, encephalitis, and concussions.
Neurological vomiting is persistent and does not bring relief to the child, weakening his strength, usually occurs at a height of increased intracranial pressure, is accompanied by headaches and sharp “brain” cries of the child, decreased pulse, impaired consciousness and even delirium.
Measures to help the child will be to immediately call an ambulance and hospitalize him in a hospital.

Vomiting without fever or signs of infection, but in connection with food intake, can be a symptom of digestive diseases - gastritis, ulcers, disorders of the liver, pancreas and gall bladder. Such vomiting occurs due to errors in nutrition, spicy, fatty or sweet foods; impurities in the vomit of mucus, bile or streaks of blood are especially dangerous.
Helpful measures include consultation with a doctor and strict adherence to all dietary and therapeutic measures prescribed by a specialist.

Sudden vomiting with pain in the stomach or right side may be a sign of acute appendicitis. Vomiting usually does not bring relief, occurs repeatedly, and the temperature may rise. Helpful measures include urgent referral of the baby to a surgical hospital and surgery.

In children who do not know how to cough effectively, vomiting may occur during coughing attacks - for example, with whooping cough, cystic fibrosis, bronchitis. In addition, vomiting can occur as a result of thick, viscous mucus flowing into the oropharynx and irritation of the root of the tongue, where the reflexogenic zone of vomiting is located.

Vomiting can occur as a result of exposure to toxins in the body - “toxic vomiting syndrome.” This occurs as a result of the action of toxic substances directly on the vomiting center of the brain, or due to irritation of internal organs and the receipt of impulses in the brain. This happens with metabolic disorders due to renal failure (ammonia intoxication), liver pathology and diabetes, and with disruption of the adrenal glands. Toxic vomiting occurs due to poisoning with alcohol, drugs, plant poisons, etc.
One of the common variants of the development of toxic vomiting is acetonemic syndrome. The child’s body is still imperfect and with some dietary errors (lots of fat and few carbohydrates), acetone may accumulate in the body, which results in vomiting, abdominal pain, and dehydration.
Measures to help with toxic vomiting include desoldering and rapid removal of metabolic products; in case of severe poisoning, hospitalization and detoxification.

Parents' actions when vomiting.
1. Call a doctor at home; in case of a serious condition, call an ambulance.
2. Pull yourself together and calm the child.
3. Place or sit the child in a comfortable position so that if vomiting occurs, the masses do not enter the respiratory tract.
4. After vomiting, wipe the child’s face with a damp towel, give him a drink or rinse his mouth, and change clothes.
5. To prevent dehydration in case of frequent vomiting, give the child a tablespoon of liquid every 5-10 minutes. You can give special solutions Oralit, Regidron, Glucosolan, or still mineral water, alternating it with weak sweet tea.
6. If vomiting does not recur and the child asks to eat, give him some porridge or applesauce.
7. If you suspect that you have taken a toxic substance, rinse your stomach before the ambulance arrives - give 2-3 glasses of warm water to drink, then press on the root of the tongue, inducing vomiting. Remember, vomiting should not be caused if poisoning with acids or alkalis, phenols, or gasoline is suspected.

Benign vomiting.
These types of vomiting occur in emotional children and are associated with excessive excitability of the nervous system. With the help of vomiting, children attract the attention of their parents when they consider themselves deprived. Vomiting can occur as a manifestation of “bear sickness” when visiting a kindergarten, school, or before a performance or exam.

To actions that the child does not want to perform - force feeding, coercion to do something, punishment for wrongdoing. Typically, such children are capricious and selective in food. They do not have abdominal pain, intoxication, fever, or problems with stool.
- often vomiting can occur as a result of hysteria, due to the child’s severe overexcitation. Especially if he was punished or cried for a long time.
- in particularly sensitive children, vomiting may occur due to unpleasant pictures, exposure to unpleasant tastes or smells, or feelings of disgust.
- another option for functional vomiting is motion sickness in transport, irritation of the vestibular apparatus during a trip by car or train, bus, or flight on an airplane. Measures to help with this type of vomiting are not to feed the baby tightly or irritating foods before the trip, find a comfortable place where there is less shaking, and use special medications for motion sickness from the age of 2.

In any case, parents should remember that vomiting itself is a protective reaction of the body to pathological external and internal influences. Its appearance is a signal of a problem in the body and you need to approach it carefully, but without undue panic.

Vomiting is not considered an independent disease, but is only a manifestation of some pathological process in the body or even intoxication. The causes of this condition may be different, as well as the consequences, especially for a child, but only a doctor can correctly determine its source. For some children, vomiting goes away without a trace, and sometimes contributes to the development of dehydration due to the life-threatening loss of large amounts of fluid. Preventing serious consequences is the main goal of parents, so it is important to know what to do if a child is vomiting.

What is vomiting?

A condition in which the stomach contents suddenly empty through the mouth is called vomiting. It begins after receiving a signal from the vomiting center located in the medulla oblongata. Such a command can also come from the stomach, intestines, liver, vestibular apparatus or uterus in women. The development of vomiting is often facilitated by an unpleasant odor, which is felt by the vestibular apparatus, or toxic substances and medications. Before a vomiting attack, a person first feels nauseous, develops increased salivation, and experiences rapid breathing.

During vomiting, the following processes occur:

The diaphragm goes down;
The glottis closes;
Vomit is released into the respiratory tract;
A spasm develops in the lower part of the stomach, and the upper part, on the contrary, relaxes;
The contents of the stomach come out due to the rapid contraction of the diaphragm.

Vomiting may be accompanied by a fever if it is a symptom of a viral or intestinal infection. In addition to this, people often experience diarrhea. These signs signal the presence of toxoinfection in the body, which is caused, for example, by staphylococci. The incubation period of such a disease ranges from 1 to 7 hours. If a child has a disease of non-infectious origin, then the temperature does not rise.

Manifestations of intoxication during vomiting with fever:

Pale skin;
Lethargy;
Tearfulness;
Chills;
Refusal to drink and eat;
Loose stools;
Pain in head and stomach.

Regurgitation is common in infants. This condition is due to the structural features of the esophagus. If regurgitation occurs up to 4 times a day and the baby is gaining weight at a good rate, parents should not worry. If a child is constantly vomiting, only a doctor knows what to do in such situations. The need to contact a pediatrician is explained by the likelihood of developing serious diseases in children, including intestinal lesions, gastritis, and pancreatitis.

Vomiting in newborns: causes

In infants, it is important to be able to distinguish attacks of vomiting from natural regurgitation, which is observed after feeding, by the following signs:

No anxiety;
The discharge is odorless, characteristic of vomiting.

Causes of vomiting attacks:

Overfeeding.
Overheating or prolonged exposure to the sun, in a stuffy room.
Incorrect introduction of complementary foods (new foods, large volumes, early start).
Failure of a woman to comply with the rules of personal care, as well as with the utensils used for feeding.
Unbalanced nutrition of the mother during breastfeeding periods.
Switching to a new nutritional formula.
Poisoning from low quality food products.
Consequences of previous diseases (most often meningitis, ARVI).
Intestinal infections.
Appendicitis (exacerbation).
Cholestasis, strangulated hernia.
Head injuries leading to concussion.

What to do if a child’s vomiting is caused by reasons that are unclear at first glance, only a specialist can decide. Before the doctor arrives, parents should constantly and carefully monitor the baby, measure the temperature and be prepared for possible hospitalization.

Vomiting in a child over 1 year old: causes

The main reasons why vomiting develops when children reach one year of age or older include:

Intestinal infections. While at sea, the risk of infection by these bacteria increases when children swallow seawater containing a large number of dangerous strains of microorganisms.
Food poisoning. We can talk about poorly washed fruits, poor-quality baked goods.
Rotavirus infections caused by children's failure to comply with hygiene standards (unwashed hands).
Bruises or injuries that lead to concussions in children.
Acute conditions resulting from appendicitis, strangulated hernia, acute respiratory viral infection, or a disease such as meningitis.
A severe cough that can irritate the receptors in the throat and vomiting center located in the brain.
Intoxication that developed due to the influence of toxic substances.
Unbalanced diet due to consumption of fatty foods, fried foods, sweets.
Taking medications in violation of the dosage recommended by the doctor.
Fears, stressful situations, as well as other psychoneurological factors.
Endocrine pathologies.

What you should pay attention to before a specialist arrives:

Frequency of vomiting attacks, amount of released masses.
Mass color and consistency. If there is blood in them, this may indicate the development of internal bleeding, poisoning by any poisons, or the presence of a foreign body in the stomach. Bile in the contents of vomiting indicates food poisoning and dietary errors.
Did the child fall before vomiting?
Is the child crying or hugging his legs?
If there is tension in the abdomen, complaints of pain.
Does the baby refuse food?
Does drinking cause vomiting?
The presence of drowsiness, lack of desire to answer questions and talk.

Signs of dehydration:

Dry skin;
Reducing the frequency of urination;
Dry mouth;
Plaque on the surface of the tongue;
Cracks that appear on the lips;
Dry eyelids;
Sunken eyes.

If a child is vomiting: what to do?

Any condition accompanied by vomiting in the baby should be assessed by a doctor. A specialist can not only determine the cause of the development of such a process, but also prescribe appropriate therapy in a timely manner. The main task of parents in such situations is to provide adequate care for the child and try to make every effort to save him from attacks that may recur.

A step-by-step algorithm for parents if a child is vomiting - what should be done first:

Call a doctor immediately in cases where vomiting is accompanied by pain, high fever, diarrhea, or loss of consciousness.
Place the baby in bed, turning his head to one side and placing a towel under it to prevent the contents of the masses from entering the respiratory tract during a second attack.
Stop feeding until the doctor arrives.
If possible, sit the child on your knees so that the body is tilted forward.
Rinse the child's mouth after vomiting and change into clean clothes.
Parents should not panic in the presence of a child, support the patient and act calmly.
After rinsing, give your baby a few sips of water (room temperature). To avoid dehydration, the child should be fed with saline solutions (Regidron, Oralit, Gastrolit). The listed drugs are sold in pharmacies. They are diluted strictly according to the recipe and taken in small quantities (up to 3 spoons at an interval of 10 minutes). If the child is sleeping, the solution should be administered with a pipette (a drop per cheek, with the head positioned to one side).
If diarrhea is observed, the child should be washed after each bowel movement and the underwear should be changed.

Treatment of vomiting

Parents should take a serious approach to eliminating vomiting and not take any action without receiving doctor’s advice, since this condition may signal the onset of dangerous pathological processes in the baby’s body.

Vomiting that occurs less than three times and does not have associated symptoms may resolve on its own. It is important to provide peace to the baby, not to feed him and to watch him. To the question: “What should I do if the child’s vomiting caused a deterioration in his condition?” Only a specialist can give an answer, so you shouldn’t delay calling a doctor. The arrival of an ambulance should be ensured even after a single vomiting, if we are talking about an infant.

The main methods of treating vomiting:

Gastric lavage, restorative therapy for food poisoning.
The use of antibiotics for diseases of infectious origin.
Surgical treatment for exacerbation of appendicitis, strangulated hernia.
Ensuring rest and bed rest, anticonvulsant therapy for concussions.
Psychotherapy for neuroses that cause physiological vomiting.
Taking probiotics after the exacerbation period has subsided.
Organization of nutrition after vomiting. When you develop an appetite, you should include rice-water porridge, lean soups, bananas, and baked apples in your diet. Portions for a child should be small. During the treatment period, all dairy products should be excluded, and the consumption of vegetables and fresh fruits should be temporarily limited.

Prohibited actions:

Gastric lavage if a child loses consciousness.
Taking medications that affect the intestines (Cerucal, Motilium).
Giving the child alcohol tinctures or manganese solution.
Refusal to see a doctor even if the child’s condition improves.

Self-medication can harm the child’s health and is life-threatening.