Teething diarrhea in children

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Parents, seeing clear signs of the appearance of the first tooth, at first rejoice, but, I must say, not for long. Yes, this is definitely a joyful event. However, it can bring a lot of suffering to the baby, such as diarrhea during teething.

Teething in children: symptoms

The appearance of the first baby tooth falls on about 5-6 months of a child's life. However, parents may notice strange symptoms as early as 3 months after the birth of the baby. In terms of eruption of milk teeth, everything is purely individual, so you should not focus only on the standard time frame for this phenomenon.

Symptoms:

• swelling and swelling of the gums;
• high body temperature;
• diarrhea;
• vomit;
• refusal of food, lack of appetite;
• constipation;
• increased saliva production;
• anxiety, tearfulness;
• desire to try all the items "on the tooth".

The appearance of each milk tooth is accompanied by a decrease in the immune defense of the child. Therefore, it is during this period that childrenmost susceptible to the penetration of foreign bacteria and viruses into the body, which ultimately causes diarrhea during teething. However, before writing off this unpleasant symptom as "teeth", you need to make sure that there is no more serious reason.

What else can cause diarrhea in babies?

In newborns, due to the peculiarities of their digestion and nutrition, in principle, there cannot be a hard stool. But when the frequency of bowel movements exceeds the normal amount (more than 7 times a day) and the stool has a watery consistency, we can talk about diarrhea. When teething, this is a fairly common occurrence. But, unfortunately, this is not the only thing that can cause loose stools in a newborn.

Reasons:

• bacterial or viral infection;
• malnutrition;
• taking antibiotics;
• surgical pathologies.

Before you look for how to treat teething diarrhea, you need to contact your local pediatrician for an accurate diagnosis. Attributing everything to the appearance of milk teeth, you can lose sight of the penetration of a serious infection into the child's body, which will lead to no less serious complications.

Causes of teething diarrhea

Because the newborn cannot yet put into words what exactly worries him, parents have to monitor his physical condition on their own. Noticing loose stools in a baby, not everyone associates this with the appearance of milk teeth. Although suchThe reaction of the child's body is quite natural. And there are several reasons for this:

Increased saliva production

During teething, the salivary glands work in an enhanced mode. This is necessary for the natural processing of the baby's oral cavity from harmful bacteria, to which the body is most vulnerable during this period. Saliva in large quantities, entering the intestines, increases its peristalsis, which, in turn, is the cause of diarrhea during teething in children.

Weak immunity

During the formation and exit of a new tooth, all the forces of the child's body are directed to passing it through the gum, so the protection of the immune system weakens. Viruses, infections and pathogenic bacteria, taking advantage of this, penetrate the baby's body, becoming the root cause of diarrhea, vomiting and other unpleasant symptoms.

Wrong diet

If the baby is fully breastfed, teething diarrhea in babies can be caused by a laxative product the baby's mother has eaten. With artificial feeding, we can talk about an incorrectly selected mixture that stimulates malfunctions in the enzymatic apparatus of the pancreas.

Heredity

The human body is distinguished by an individual reaction to certain changes occurring in it. Therefore, the answer to the question of whether there can be diarrhea during teething in a child can be found if you delve into the past of his parents. When mom and dad, as babies, had similarsymptoms, the conclusion suggests itself about the individual characteristics of the body that cause malfunctions in the intestines.

Associated symptoms

Unfortunately, loose stools are not the only symptom that may accompany the appearance of milk teeth. In addition to behavioral factors (capriciousness, nervousness, anxiety), there are a number of physiological ones that harass the baby the most and worsen his well-being.

The combination of some accompanying symptoms may indicate an infection, which requires immediate medical attention, and possibly even hospitalization. Therefore, during this period it is very important to monitor the general condition of the baby.

Diarrhea and fever

Diarrhea and temperature during teething in children are quite serious signs of an infection. It is considered normal to increase the thermometer mark to no more than 38 degrees. Moreover, the temperature should be kept no more than 3 days.

If the temperature does not go astray, and loose stools persist for a longer time, you need to contact a pediatrician or call an ambulance. The fact is that fever and diarrhea can cause rapid dehydration of the newborn's body, up to death.

Diarrhea and vomiting

Vomiting is another ailment that often makes parents wary. Teething diarrhea and vomiting are dangerous at the same time, because they quickly remove fluid from the baby's body, dehydrating him.

If vomiting in a child is an isolated case, andthe general condition of the baby looks normal, do not immediately panic. Perhaps while crying, the child took in a lot of air, which compressed the diaphragm. This condition causes the ingested milk or formula to burst out like a fountain.

Vomiting can also be a concomitant symptom of a disease such as rotavirus. Therefore, if the baby is simultaneously tormented by both diarrhea and nausea, it is necessary to monitor the condition of his skin (it should not be dry), the amount and color of urine, the behavior and activity of the baby. And it's best to play it safe and take tests prescribed by a pediatrician.

How many days of teething diarrhea?

If an infection has not entered the child's body, and its appearance is associated with physiological characteristics, diarrhea lasts no more than 3 days. At the same time, the stool should not contain impurities, mucus and fetid odor.

When it comes to rotavirus infection, diarrhea as a symptom can persist for 4-7 days. Moreover, during this time it can cause irreparable harm to the he alth of the baby, which will affect the further development. A clear sign of an intestinal infection is the green color of the stool. Therefore, with each bowel movement of the child, it is important to monitor the color and consistency of the filling of the diaper.

Treatment

The doctor decides on the appointment of medications, based on a visual assessment of the condition of the newborn and, of course, on the results of the tests. The main goal in the treatment of diarrhea is to prevent the possibility of dehydration.organism.

If we talk about teething diarrhea in children, how much and what drugs the doctor will prescribe depends on the severity of the disease. Antibiotics are prescribed only as a last resort, when the infection has managed to penetrate the body of the newborn.

Otherwise, the body will deal with diarrhea on its own as soon as the tooth erupts. Therefore, usually in the treatment of diarrhea, only drugs are prescribed that compensate for the deficiency of s alts and fluids in the body.

Diarrhea drug management

When diarrhea persists for a long time, not having a viral nature of origin, children are prescribed a list of drugs that help make them feel better. This list includes:

• drugs that slow down intestinal motility ("Smectite E");
• prebiotics ("Linex", "Hilak Forte", etc.);
• drugs with absorbent action ("Smecta", "Polysorb");
• plant immunomodulators and vitamins;
• drugs to restore water-electrolyte balance ("Humana Electrolyte", "Oralit", "Hydrovit").

Antipyretics are prescribed to treat associated symptoms such as fever. For children, they are available in the form of syrups. As a rule, the active substance in them is ibuprofen or paracetamol. You may also need vasoconstrictor drugs to combat rhinitis, panthenol-based creams to eliminate redness and irritation on the skin, dental gels to relieve pain andgum disease.

This drug regimen is provided for informational purposes only. Only a doctor can prescribe this or that drug, based on the results of the diagnosis. Because diarrhea is a serious enough symptom that it should be seen by a qualified professional.

Prevention

If diarrhea appeared during the eruption of the first tooth, then, most likely, in the future this unpleasant phenomenon cannot be avoided either. Therefore, after detecting the first symptoms of the appearance of the next tooth, it is necessary to carry out the prevention of indigestion.

Experts recommend:

• Strict personal hygiene, wash hands often and keep things around baby clean.
• Stop introducing new foods to complementary foods and breastfeeding mothers.
• Buy teethers and, if necessary, give to the child, having previously disinfected them.
• Don't insist on solid food. It is better to feed your baby with breast milk or formula.
• During periods of acute pain, apply special gels to the child's gums.

After consulting with a pediatrician, you can also use traditional medicine. For example, decoctions of chamomile and sage flowers can soothe the digestive system. In addition, they also have an antibacterial effect, which creates an additional barrier to infection in the child's body.