Features and the volume of the stomach of a newborn

In the first days after the birth of the baby, mothers have many questions. With the start of breastfeeding anxiety appears: is there enough nutrition for the baby? The volume of the stomach of a newborn baby is very small. This explains a small amount of breast milk, which is enough for good nutrition in the first days after birth.

Bookmark of the digestive system is still in utero. During pregnancy, all nutrients come to the baby through the mother’s blood vessels. By the time of birth, babies already have a certain size of the stomach, which begins to function after the first food intake.

The structure of the oral apparatus in a newborn baby provides for a good development of the facial muscles. This is laid down by nature in order to implement the proper act of sucking. The sucking reflex is present in all babies from birth. It allows the passage of food from the mouth to the esophagus.

The stomach of a newborn baby is located in the horizontal plane. At the entrance to it and at the exit, two muscle sphincters function. Their well-coordinated work leads to a normal digestive process. The input muscle pulp in newborns is poorly developed. This can explain the frequent regurgitation in babies after eating.

The stomach can hold a different amount of content.

This process varies by day. On the first day after birth, the volume of the stomach is only 20-25 ml. By the first month of life, it increases to 100 ml, and by the year - to 240-260. On average, the volume of the stomach to 5-6 months old baby is about 200 ml. These values ​​are decisive in calculating the amount of food injected during feedings.

It is important to note that by the time of birth and in the first year of life, the glands that are involved in the digestive process and are located in the gastric mucosa are not active enough, as in adults. This must be taken into account when drawing up the correct diet for the child and during the introduction of new foods.

In the first days after birth, the baby feeds on colostrum. It is released within 3 days of the lactating woman after giving birth. After a few days, breast milk begins to stand out. Both products are different in composition. Babies with a small volume of the stomach in the first days after birth are well saturated with even a small amount of food.

Colostrum has several differences from breast milk:

• It has a higher calorie and nutritional value. The composition of colostrum contains less water. The proportion of nutrient content increases. This leads to rapid saturability of the baby, even with the arrival of a small amount of food.

• Contains some ingredients that have a laxative effect. This property is especially necessary for the baby in the first days after birth. It helps to remove the rest of meconium or amniotic fluid from the digestive system, which the baby could swallow during labor.

• Includes biologically active components, which have a positive effect on liver function and reduce the initially elevated bilirubin level in newborn babies.

• Contains all the necessary antibodies, which form passive immunity. Such protection is vital in the first days after birth, as the baby can easily become infected with any bacterial flora from the external environment.

• Stimulates appetite and promotes normal digestion. Colostrum has an attractive taste for the baby. A small sweetness in the child creates a desire for food and appetite. This has a positive effect on the lactation process.

Nature uniquely created the entire period of lactation.

As the volume of the stomach increases in the newborn, the amount of breast milk in the mother increases. This natural process leads to good nutrition of the baby and has a positive effect on its growth and development. The introduction of the first lure capacity of the stomach allows you to enter an additional amount of new products.

Newborn babies often form various pathologies. Most often they occur during intrauterine development under the influence of any provoking factors that lead to a violation of the correct laying of the organs of the digestive system.

In case of congenital defects in the structure of the sphincters, obstruction may occur. In this case, after the birth of the baby, an urgent operation is required, since such a situation can be extremely dangerous for the life of the child. When a narrowing of the stomach or the presence of various adhesions may cause digestive disorders that lead to the development of adverse complications.

In pyloric spasm or contraction of the muscle sphincter, numerous dyspeptic symptoms are often observed. Babies develop vomiting after each breastfeeding, the abdomen is strongly swollen, the chair is disturbed. In this condition, consultation of the surgeon, as well as a pediatric gastroenterologist, is required. In most cases of pylorospasm, babies are prescribed medication. With congenital structural pathologies that led to this condition, they have already resorted to surgical treatment.

In case of marked developmental defects, various pathological conditions can be observed, which lead to necrosis of the gastric wall sections.

This occurs in violation of the laying of the blood vessels supplying the stomach during the prenatal development of the baby. In these cases, surgical treatment is carried out.

You will learn more about the stomach of a newborn baby in the following video.