Diet for colic in a newborn: nutritional rules, allowed and prohibited foods

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

There is a connection between mother and child, which manifests itself not only during pregnancy. And after the birth of a baby, it does not stop, because women most often feed their children with breast milk. In connection with the period of adaptation of the digestive system of the child, the mother needs to adjust her diet. What is the diet for colic in a newborn? The article will discuss the peculiarities of a woman's nutrition, as well as allowed and prohibited foods.

Colic in newborns

This term is called increased gas formation in the intestines. As a result, the baby's tummy swells, and when a large amount of gas accumulates, he feels pain and fullness. The child begins to experience discomfort, so it cries loudly.

Reasons for discomfort:

1. The formation of gases and colic is a natural physiological process. After allin a child up to 3 months, the formation of the digestive tract is underway. In this situation, the pain is relieved with the help of special medicines.
2. Sometimes colic occurs when the baby is not properly attached to the breast. He grasps the nipple incorrectly, thereby swallowing a lot of air. To get rid of it, the child must be reviled after feeding a column so that he burps the air.
3. Pediatricians recommend that parents watch their baby. After all, they are restless by nature. Overexcitation, screaming and crying can cause the baby to swallow air, which leads to colic.
4. Causes of problems with the tummy, if the baby is breastfeeding, may be the mother's malnutrition. There are a number of products to which he may experience negative reactions in the form of increased gas formation, especially if a woman reacts to them in exactly the same way. In such a situation, you need a diet for mom with colic in newborns.
5. In some cases, unpleasant symptoms can occur when overeating. Newborns have little control over the degree of their saturation, therefore, when hungry, they hastily swallow air along with milk. A mother should not force-feed her baby or deliberately wait 3 hours to satisfy her hunger.

There are many causes of tummy problems in babies. However, a diet for colic in newborns will alleviate his condition. Only permitted foods should be included in the diet, and prohibited foods are recommended to be excluded.

How to know if your baby has colic

Understand that the child has problems with the stomach, you can by the following signs:

• with colic, the baby, while crying, tightens his toes and hands, while pulling his knees to the tummy;
• baby crying becomes strong, his face turns red;
• sometimes parents can hear rumbling in the stomach, and sometimes bloating is noticeable;
• after passing gas, the baby immediately calms down;
• stool with colic does not change its consistency and color;
• babies who gain weight quickly are more prone to colic.

Beginning of stomach problems in babies around the 10th day of birth and continues until 3-4 months.

Basic principles of nutrition

It is necessary to observe a diet for nursing with colic in a newborn, especially if there are problems with the stomach. The basic principles of nutrition are:

1. So that the baby does not have a feeling of oversaturation and there are no problems with the digestion of milk, mom needs to count calories. The nutritional value of the diet should be 3,500 kcal. The menu should not be overloaded with fatty, s alty, spicy dishes.
2. There should be enough liquid in the diet. It is best to drink water, unsweetened and weak green or black tea, juices, compotes. Milk will not be able to make up for the lack of liquid.
3. The menu should include lean meat. It should be steamed or baked.
4. Foods that contribute to increased gas formation should not be present in the diet.

Over time, the menu can be supplemented with a variety of dishes, but up to 3 months it is best to follow a diet for nursing mothers with colic in newborns. In the subsequent period, with the introduction of a new product, it is necessary to monitor the child's condition. If it does not change, you can continue to use it.

General recommendations

Diet for colic in a newborn is designed in such a way that the baby does not experience any discomfort. The menu should be varied and rich in useful substances. As noted, the calorie content of the diet should not exceed 3500 kcal, but this amount should be divided into 5-6 doses.

It is recommended to drink up to 2 liters of water per day. It is allowed to drink weak tea with milk.

Vegetables, fruits, meat, fish, cereals should be present in the daily diet.

What foods should not be included in the diet

Any food that a nursing mother eats and processes the body must pass into breast milk. A woman should be especially careful about nutrition in the first 3 months of a child's life, when he is adapting the gastrointestinal tract to new conditions. During this period, the diet for colic in a newborn must be treated with full responsibility.

Foods that can cause stomach problems in a baby include:

• condensed milk, milk and ice cream;
• wheat, oats, barley and rye due to their gluten content;
• citrus fruits and juices;
• soy, eggs, peanuts andseafood in abundance.

The nutrition of a nursing mother should be correct and balanced. Foods that cause increased gas formation are excluded from the diet. These include raw vegetables, legumes, fresh baked goods, raisins and grapes. They can lead to colic, cramps and bloating.

Also completely exclude coffee, chocolate, spices, black bread, smoked meats, spicy dishes and vegetables (pumpkin, tomatoes) from the diet.

What is allowed for a nursing mother

A mother's diet for colic in a newborn should include the following foods: cottage cheese, cheese, fermented baked milk, natural yogurt. Vegetables, fruits, meat and fish are allowed to stew, bake or steam. Sweets can be replaced with dried fruits and jam.

A woman's diet should be made up of foods that are safe and he althy. They should not overload the baby's digestive organs. So for example:

• Vegetables (potatoes, carrots) can enrich the diet with vitamins, micro and macro elements. They are included in the menu in baked or boiled form. Tomatoes and cabbage can increase gas formation, so they should not be abused.
• From fruits, apples, bananas, cherries and plums can be included in the diet.
• The most useful are the following types of meat: veal, rabbit, turkey and chicken. The most gentle types of processing include baking and stewing.
• Preferred cereals are buckwheat, rice, millet.
• To allowed fermented milk productsinclude kefir and yogurt.
• Butter and vegetable oil can be added to dishes, but in limited quantities.
• Proper drinking regime improves the process of lactation. Permitted drinks include: tea, compote, jelly and fruit drink. Coffee and cocoa are completely excluded from the menu.

If a baby has constipation, then foods such as dried apricots, prunes, apricots, boiled beets, apples and pumpkin will help to make his intestines work. Dried fruits should be soaked before consumption. A woman needs to drink enough fluids to dilute her breast milk if it is too fatty.

What should be on the menu

The diet menu for colic in newborns should look like this:

1. For breakfast, a nursing mother can cook herself an omelet, porridge from permitted cereals or cottage cheese with fruit. As a drink, you can drink weak tea with milk. Bread is allowed to be included in the diet only yesterday, and you can also make a sandwich with cheese.
2. Second breakfast can consist of cottage cheese with dried fruits or cottage cheese casserole.
3. For lunch, a woman can cook potato, vegetable or cereal soup. For garnish - mashed potatoes with steam cutlets or meatballs, stewed vegetables with boiled fish. As drinks: compote, jelly.
4. For an afternoon snack, you can eat yogurt with biscuit cookies or a bun, cottage cheese with jam or any of the allowed cereals.
5. Dinner should be varied with the following dishes: boiled fish or meat, stew,stewed cabbage rolls, vinaigrette. Banana as fruit.
6. Before going to bed you need to drink kefir or yogurt. This is especially helpful for constipated babies.

By the age of 3 months, a woman can gradually include prohibited foods in her diet. For example, pasta, cauliflower and broccoli. By the fourth month, a woman is allowed to gradually taste onions, honey, barley porridge, and fruit or vegetable juices.

The opinion of a famous pediatrician

As Dr. Komarovsky says: "Mom's diet for colic in newborns is not always effective." He believes that the main cause of colic is not the nutrition of the mother, but overfeeding the baby. For example, if a child ate 100 g of food, and there was only enough digestive enzymes for 90 g, then the remaining 10 g would provoke a lot of gas and colic.

The pediatrician believes that it is necessary to monitor the nutrition of the child, and the woman should not breastfeed every time he cries. Otherwise, there is a vicious circle. The baby is crying from colic caused by overfeeding, and the mother also feeds him extra.

As for the diet for colic in newborns, Komarovsky believes that products must be selected individually. There are general prohibitions: chocolate, citrus fruits, smoked meats, etc. As for the rest of the dishes, it is necessary to proceed from the reaction of a particular child.

If mom wants to eat any product, then let it be a small amount of it. If there are no pronounced reactions in the baby at thatthe same day or the next is not detected (no rash, stool changes, etc.), then mom can include this dish in the menu.

Prevention

The prevention of constipation and colic in a baby includes not only the diet of a nursing mother, but also the observance of certain rules:

1. Be sure to follow the feeding technique. The baby is placed on the breast in a comfortable position so that he captures the entire halo of the nipple.
2. Women are advised to massage the baby's belly in a clockwise direction. Carry out the procedure after eating or 1 hour after it.
3. The baby should be laid out on the tummy as often as possible.
4. After feeding the baby must be worn upright. This is done in order to rid him of excess air.
5. Camomile baths are also good for colic.

All these actions, together with the proper nutrition of a nursing mother, will help the baby absorb food faster and without unpleasant symptoms.

Conclusion

A mother's diet for colic in a newborn is important in relieving the baby of discomfort. However, in addition to proper nutrition, a woman should follow the feeding schedule, put the baby on her tummy and give him a massage. Only in combination, the efforts made will give a positive result and save the baby from colic.