What is the cause of neonatal bowel sounds?

Every baby comes into this world with the expectation of the mothers, and every mother hopes that her baby can be particularly healthy. However, many newborns often encounter various problems. Among them, neonatal bowel sounds are a relatively common phenomenon. Generally, such a phenomenon will always be heard as the baby's stomach gurgling, and it is always accompanied by abdominal pain or constipation and diarrhea. If not treated in time, it will have a certain impact on the growth and development of the newborn. Let's understand what neonatal bowel sounds are.

What is the cause of neonatal bowel sounds?

1. Bowel sounds exist alone without any accompanying symptoms, are especially obvious after meals, and occur more than 5 times per minute. This is most likely indigestion. Indigestion can cause excessive intestinal gas production, which cannot be discharged smoothly, resulting in intestinal rumbling. Generally speaking, intestinal rumbling caused by indigestion is not harmful. Just eat less difficult-to-digest food and take gastrointestinal motility drugs.

2. If bowel sounds are active and accompanied by symptoms such as diarrhea and abdominal pain, you should be alert to gastrointestinal problems such as acute gastroenteritis, bacillary dysentery, amoebic dysentery, accidental ingestion of laxatives, and massive gastrointestinal bleeding.

3. Hyperactive bowel sounds and abdominal distension without tenderness should alert you to mechanical intestinal obstruction. What are hyperactive bowel sounds? The frequency of bowel sounds is more than 10 times per minute, and the sounds are loud and high-pitched, and may even sound like clinking or metallic sounds. Experts point out that patients with mechanical intestinal obstruction have an enlarged intestinal cavity, increased gas accumulation, and an enlarged and thinned intestinal wall that is extremely tense, which resonates with the hyperactive bowel sounds. Therefore, a high-pitched metallic tone can be heard in the abdomen, accompanied by abdominal distension, empty rectum, etc. There is no tenderness when pressing the abdomen. If mechanical intestinal obstruction persists, the intestinal wall muscles are strained, and the intestinal wall peristalsis weakens, the bowel sounds will weaken accordingly.

4. If bowel sounds are weakened or even inaudible, it may be due to constipation, low gastrointestinal motility, peritonitis, electrolyte imbalance (hypokalemia), etc. What are diminished bowel sounds? Bowel sounds are significantly less than normal, low in volume, only heard once a minute or even not heard at all.

5. If accompanied by abdominal pain, bloating, abnormal bowel movements, and the symptoms persist or recur for more than 3 months, it is best to see a gastroenterologist in time. Colorectal cancer is prevalent in my country. Patients with symptoms lasting for a long time are advised to undergo colonoscopy to rule out organic diseases such as intestinal polyps and tumors. After exclusion, patients who still have frequent bowel sounds, abdominal bloating, frequent farts, and unformed stools should be alert to irritable bowel syndrome caused by imbalance of intestinal bacteria.

The above is an introduction to what causes bowel sounds in newborns. After understanding it, we know that there are many reasons for this phenomenon. When mothers make adjustments for their babies, they must also make adjustments based on the baby’s physical condition. After all, newborns are relatively small and may not be able to absorb some drugs better, so mothers must consult a doctor in time and do not blindly give their babies drugs.