In many parents' experience, when a child complains of stomach pain, they often immediately pick them up to rub their tummy or apply a hot water bottle... These approaches are actually incorrect. Today, we summarize common mistakes parents make when their child has abdominal pain.
Common Mistakes Parents Make When Their Baby Has Stomach Pain (Public Health Network)
Blindly Rubbing and Massaging
When a child complains of stomach pain, parents often instinctively rub their abdomen to relieve discomfort. However, in certain situations, this approach may worsen the condition.Abdominal pain has many causes. While rubbing may help with growth pains in the gastrointestinal tract, certain types of pain can be worsened by massage—ranging from mild discomfort to life-threatening complications. For example: Rubbing an appendix inflamed by appendicitis won't relieve pain but may accelerate the infection. Blindly massaging pain caused by intussusception could push the affected section deeper, worsening the condition.
Furthermore, indiscriminate abdominal massage during pain episodes may alter the original pain location, disrupt normal intestinal motility patterns, and cause changes in bowel sounds, complicating medical diagnosis.While heat therapy promotes local blood circulation and may alleviate discomfort caused by cold exposure or overeating, it can worsen certain conditions or even pose risks. For instance, in cases of ascariasis (a common cause of abdominal pain in young children), heat application may exacerbate symptoms.When certain factors stimulate the worms, they may wriggle up and down, irritating the intestines and causing more severe cramping pain. Rubbing the baby's stomach at this time will only further stimulate the worms and may even lead to biliary ascariasis.
Careless Medication Use
1. Indiscriminate Use of Painkillers
While giving children painkillers may temporarily calm them and stop crying, it does not address the underlying illness, which continues to progress. Painkillers mask the pain, obscuring the true nature of the disease. This can lead to misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis, resulting in serious consequences.For example: Abdominal pain caused by appendicitis can become life-threatening if not promptly diagnosed and treated, potentially leading to perforation.
2. Indiscriminate use of deworming medication
Many parents assume stomach pain means intestinal worms and that deworming medication will solve it. However, deworming drugs should not be taken lightly, as they carry potential side effects. Blindly administering deworming medication can cause parasites to develop or strengthen drug resistance, making future deworming more difficult.
What to Do When Your Baby Has Stomach Pain?
Superficial stomach pain may mask underlying causes. In children under 3, it could stem from intussusception, infantile colic, or intestinal infections. For children over 3, it's often growth-related gastrointestinal pain (physiological abdominal pain), though it may also indicate intestinal worms, appendicitis, or gastroenteritis.Additionally, abdominal pain in children is often caused by improper feeding or psychological factors. When a child experiences unexplained abdominal pain, the safest and most effective approach is to seek prompt medical attention. Doctors will employ appropriate treatment methods to address the pain and prevent further deterioration of the condition.