How to ease stomach pain

Nov 07, 2012

For three months, Oscar has been in and out of hospital. The two-year-old has had recurrent stomach pain. “His stomach hurts whenever he eats anything,” Maria Mijumbi, his mother, says.

By Agnes Kyotalengerire

For three months, Oscar has been in and out of hospital. The two-year-old has had recurrent stomach pain. “His stomach hurts whenever he eats anything,” Maria Mijumbi, his mother, says. “Recently he diagnosed with a bacterial infection. He is on treatment and is responding well.” 

Abdominal pain is one of the reasons parents frequent health facilities. Dr. Catherine Nyangabyaki, a paediatrician at Nsambya Hospital, says: “With school-going children, abdominal pain is normally psychological and often children use it as an excuse not to go to school.” 

In infants, she says, abdominal pain may be caused by an infection, or it could be a symptom of an underlying complication.

Dr. Sabrina Kitaka, a senior paediatrician at Mulago Hospital, says much as some children may feign sickness, a sharp abdominal pain should be not be ignored. 

She says although abdominal pain in children usually eases quickly, evaluation can be challenging to parents and many times they may need a physician to help differentiate the real pain from the psychological one.

Robina Kiiza, a general practitioner at Child Health Centre in Masaka, says although most simple causes of abdominal pain do not last very long and will clear within 24 hours, any abdominal pain that continues longer than 24 hours should be evaluated by a doctor. 

Symptoms

Kiiza says a few signs may alert a parent or caregiver that the child is experiencing abdominal pain. Infants and toddlers may cry and curl up due to the pain. Other symptoms include; paleness and sweating or restlessness. 

“It becomes a concern when a child cannot be distracted from the pain with play, or refuses to drink or eat for several hours,” she cautions. 

The experts give the possible causes of abdominal pain and how to handle them:

Colic

Colic is one of the commonest causes of abdominal pain in babies. It starts in the second or third week after birth until the baby is about three months old. A baby experiencing colic will scream frequently with legs drawn up to the stomach. 

Though there are several remedies to colic, medical experts discourage giving gripe water to nursing babies interferes with exclusive breastfeeding. Experts advise holding the baby close, cuddling, comforting and soothing the child to sleep.

Infections

Bacterial infections are also a common cause of abdominal pain in children. Abdominal pain caused by bacteria infection is usually accompanied by a fever, vomiting and diarrhoea. A doctor may recommend an antibiotic.

Swallowing air 

Air swallowed during crying, feeding or prior to feeding can cause bloating, thus discomfort. Swallowing of air is more common among bottled-fed babies. To relieve the baby of air he may have swallowed, burp him especially after feeding.  

Constipation

Hard and infrequent passing stool (less than three times a day) may cause abdominal discomfort and pain. Constipation is common in older children, or those on complementary feeding as well as those not taking enough water.

 

Altering the child’s diet, adding roughage, giving fresh fruits and plenty of fluids like water or fresh fruit juice is the best way to soften stool.

Worms

Round, tape, thread and hook worms can trigger abdominal discomfort in children. 

Crawling babies have a tendency to put objects in the mouth, thus may get infections that cause stomach discomfort.

 Infants can also pick up hookworms from walking barefoot. A child with pinworms may scratch his rectal area and sometimes the worms can be seen around the anus. 

Ensure you take your child for regular check-up and deworm the child at least once every six months.

 

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