You find yourself hunched over a pillow during the night because of stomach discomfort. Then you’re able to get some shut-eye again. In the morning, though, the ache is still there. You scream, “Ouch, I have a stomach ache!” to your parents.
Some belly pain happens when the muscles in your stomach and intestines get sore and stretch out. When these tissues get stretched out, the pain comes. It is called an “abdominal strain.”
An abdominal strain is common in young kids, especially if they push, climb, or run around a lot. It can happen if a kid has a bowel movement while playing and doesn’t wipe very well.
Here are the most common types of tummy troubles experienced by kids:
1. Constipation and Diarrhea
Constipation happens when your bowels are not moving your stools out as often as usual. Kids can be constipated for many reasons, like when they don’t drink enough fluids, move around much, or eat lots of foods that don’t “move their bowels,” like milk and other dairy products.
When a youngster has constipation, he may have fewer or more difficult bowel motions, but he can still urinate. He may not be able to make it at all.
Diarrhea happens when your bowels move stools out of your body faster than they should. It can occur when a child is sick with a viral illness or eats certain foods and drinks. Sometimes a child can have trouble controlling when it’s time to have a bowel movement.
2. Something You Eat
Sometimes when a child eats something, he might have belly pain. It can happen when he eats foods like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, or other foods high in “gas-causing” indigestible carbs.
If your child has belly pain after eating, try not to give her the same food right away. If you do, you could be making the problem worse.
If your child has a bellyache after eating one of these foods, you can try offering her something else to eat. Then later, you can give her the same food, but give her a different kind of food at the same meal.
3. Food Intolerance/Food Allergy
Sometimes a child can have belly pain caused by a food allergy. Food allergies occur when the immune system overreacts to a certain food in children.
Food allergies cause a child’s immune system to make the body believe that the food is dangerous and toxic. As a result, allergen-inducing substances are released. The body is stressed; it would not ordinarily stir up an allergic reaction.
Food allergies can affect children’s digestive systems and cause belly pain. Common food allergies that cause belly pain are milk, soy, eggs, and peanuts.
4. Appendicitis
Sometimes a child can have belly pain caused by something wrong in his belly. It is called appendicitis. When the appendix gets swollen, it blocks the passage out of the stomach.
The appendix is a tiny tube that’s attached to the large intestine. The appendix helps with digestion, but it can get infected. The infection causes it to get swollen, and the swollen appendix can block the passage out of the belly. That can cause belly pain.
Sometimes an illness or something else can cause this blockage and swelling. The swelling can make the appendix push against the belly muscles, but the doctors can’t always tell what caused it.
5. Stress
Belly pain can happen if a child has too much stress, and it can be one more thing that causes anxiety. Sometimes parents and kids can have belly pain caused by stress. Stress can happen when a child is tense or worried about something.
Conclusion
Don’t wait to see if the bellyache goes away on its own. If your child has a stomachache, you want to ensure that they are okay and not in any danger. It is better to be proactive whenever children feel any discomfort before it’s too late,
At Your Kids Urgent Care, we offer superior and convenient children’s urgent care in Vestavia, AL. We act as a go-between for a child’s primary care physician and the Emergency Room. When their children become ill after hours or on holidays, parents should not have to face the difficult option of going to the Emergency Room or doing nothing.
