Vomiting and belly pain in children

A young child is likely to have cramping pain right before he or she vomits. This pain is usually not a cause for concern as long as it does not seem severe and goes away after your child vomits.

A baby or young child with severe belly pain may clutch at his or her stomach, scream in pain, or pull his or her legs to the chest. Severe belly pain that begins suddenly, doesn't let up, and is not relieved by vomiting may mean a serious problem, such as intussusception. Belly pain, vomiting, and dark red diarrhea may mean a blockage in the intestines (bowel obstruction).

Until a child is about 2 years old, it is difficult to determine whether abdominal pain is a generalized discomfort or whether it is localized to one section of the abdomen. Localized pain may be caused by a problem with a body organ, such as the appendix.

A bulge around your child's belly button or groin that gets worse when he or she cries or plays may be caused by a hernia. These are quite common. The only time that hernias need urgent treatment is if a segment of bowel becomes stuck in the hernia, and the bulge cannot be pushed back into the abdomen.

Colic is extreme crying behavior in a baby between 3 weeks and 3 months of age. During a crying episode, a colicky baby may cry loudly and continuously, be difficult to console, get red in the face, clench the fists, and arch his or her back or pull the legs up to the stomach.

Colic is usually diagnosed when an otherwise healthy baby cries for more than 3 hours a day, more than 3 days a week, for longer than 3 weeks. The crying is more intense than is typical for the age. The cause of colic is not known. It is considered a variant of normal.

Symptoms of colic occur most often in the late afternoon and evening hours. The amount of crying may vary from day to day. Colic sometimes is relieved by calming the baby's environment, talking or singing softly, or taking the baby for a walk or drive. Babies usually outgrow the colic by approximately 3 months of age.

Babies that have colic may spit up. Vomiting in babies should not be confused with spitting up. Vomiting is forceful and repeated. Spitting up may seem forceful, but it usually occurs shortly after feeding, is effortless, and causes no discomfort. A baby may spit up for no reason at all. Overfeeding, not burping your baby after feeding, and intolerance to milk or formula are other reasons why your baby may spit up.

Persistent or intermittent abdominal pain in a young child can have many causes. It is not uncommon for a child with chronic belly pain to vomit occasionally.