Vomiting blood in a child
Such an unpleasant symptom, like vomiting, occurs in various diseases, for example, in case of an intestinal infection, influenza, gastritis, poisoning, concussion of the brain, and others. And if parents notice blood in their vomit, it is very scary. Why can blood enter the stomach contents secreted by vomiting, what should parents do and how to quickly help the child?
What does it look like?
About the admixture of blood in the vomit can suggest not only the red color, but also other changes.
Blood that has entered the stomach may look like:
- Pink shade of vomit or rare blood veins. Such vomiting is characteristic of slight bleeding from the gastric mucosa.
- Scarlet blood in large quantities. This is an extremely dangerous situation of vomiting of blood from large vessels, for example, in case of injury.
- Brown or black shade of vomitus. This color appears due to the oxidation of iron in the blood under the influence of gastric juice. This variant of blood impurity is characteristic of rather dangerous internal bleeding.
Possible reasons
The appearance of blood in the contents of the child's stomach may be due to:
- Damage to the mucous membrane of the esophagus or stomach with inflammation, severe cough, hiccups, emetic urge.
- Peptic ulcer of the digestive tract.
- Trauma to the esophagus or throat.
- Nose bleeding.
- Liver disease.
- Tumors of the stomach or esophagus.
In an infant, blood may enter the stomach when mother's nipples crack, when the baby swallows some blood along with the milk.
Should I call a doctor?
Seeing signs of blood in the vomit, the only correct solution would be to call a doctor immediately. Even if the cause of blood in the stomach is nosebleeds, the child should be shown to the doctor.
First aid
- Since vomiting is always a very frightening condition for the child and parents, you need to calm down yourself and calm the baby.
- After vomiting, you need to wash the baby, and then allow him to rinse his mouth with clean water.
- Bed rest is recommended, but it is better for the child to lie so that his head is slightly raised and turned on its side.
- To prevent dehydration immediately after vomiting, you should give your child to drink in small portions (so as not to provoke further bouts of vomiting) saline solutions, rosehip decoction, non-carbonated mineral water.
- You should not give your child medicines, including antiemetics or antibiotics, until the doctor examines the baby and determines the cause of the disease.
Tips
You can make sure that the child’s vomiting was really with blood can only be done through tests, because parents can confuse her with the remnants of food. So it is desirable to save part of the vomit and transfer it to the doctor who will come to the challenge.
Food for several hours after vomiting should not be given to the child. Only breastfeeding and feeding with a mixture do not stop, but at the same time any complementary foods are canceled. After 5-6 hours after an attack of vomiting, if the child has an appetite, he can offer warm liquid dishes, such as rice porridge, jelly, slimy soup, vegetable puree. Read more in our article about what can you eat a child with vomiting.
