Dill water for colic - tips for using the best remedy for newborns
From the first days of birth, the baby begins to go through its own path of adaptation to the environment. He faces many difficulties and one of them is infant colic. The child feels sharp pains caused by stretched and swollen intestinal loops. The anxiety usually begins in the evening.
Symptoms of colic
- Bloating and enlargement of the abdomen
- Tucking up the legs
- Crying for no other apparent reason
An attack can be caused by intestinal spasms, insufficient production of enzymes, improper attachment to the breast, overfeeding, swallowing air during feeding, etc. Discomfort reaches its peak at the age of six weeks and stops at 3-4 months.
How to relieve your baby's condition
Every mother wants to help her baby. The attack of pain goes away after defecation and passing of gas. Therefore, in order to save the baby from suffering, it is necessary to facilitate these processes as much as possible: massage the abdomen clockwise, you can warm up the area of spasm, lay the child on his stomach more often, and, if necessary, use a gas tube.
In addition to mechanical effects, there are also pharmaceutical preparations and herbal remedies. The most popular remedy for colic is dill water.
Properties of dill water
The basis for making dill water is fennel. In ancient times, people noticed its beneficial properties and found use for them.
Fennel is known to:
- normalizes intestinal microflora
- suppresses gas formation, flatulence, bloating
- relaxes muscles and reduces pressure on the intestinal walls
- improves heart and kidney function
- Helps cleanse the body and secrete bile
- has a moderate laxative effect
- improves sleep and strengthens the nervous system
The healing properties will have a beneficial effect not only on the child’s body, but also on the health of the mother. Regular consumption of dill water stimulates lactation and improves digestion. Remember that before using any product you should consult your doctor.
Where to buy or how to prepare dill water
When introducing dill water to a baby for the first time, it is better to give preference to purchasing it in pharmacies. On sale you can find fennel seeds, emulsions and powdered preparations based on it. Pay attention to the composition of the pharmaceutical drug, because it may contain extracts of additional herbs.
After the first month of life, the baby can be offered special bagged fennel tea. It is available in the baby food section of almost every store.
At home, you can prepare dill water for colic in a newborn using the following recipe:
Ingredients needed: fennel seeds (1 teaspoon), hot water (250 ml.)
Method of preparation: pour boiled hot water over the seeds and let steep for 40-45 minutes. We filter the finished water through a strainer, bandage or gauze. Shelf life is no more than 24 hours.
You can replace fennel seeds with regular dill seeds in similar proportions, but leave them for an hour before use.
If you bought fennel essential oil, then to prepare dill water for colic you will need to dissolve 0.05 g.
oil in 1 liter of water. This solution will be stored much longer in a cool place.
Are you going to give your baby the pure solution? – then after cooling, bring it to body temperature.
Method of use and dosage of dill water for colic
How much dill water for colic should a newborn drink and how often should it be given per day? – every mother will ask the question.
It is enough to take 1 teaspoon of solution or 15 drops 3 times a day. Allergy to fennel is a rare occurrence, but the possibility of its occurrence cannot be ruled out. Please pay attention to any changes. In the absence of a negative reaction, you can increase the number of doses up to 5-6 times.
Water can be given to the baby in its pure form, or with the addition of mother’s milk or formula. The best time to take it is before feeding.
Dill water helps with colic
The pain begins to subside after about 15 minutes and then goes away completely. To achieve a greater effect, try to place the baby on the tummy before drinking dill water for colic and keep it in an upright position after feeding until you hear the characteristic sounds of air escaping.
Photo of dill water for colic
Dill for colic in newborns
Colic in infants is one of the most popular problems for parents of a baby. The symptom may appear due to the swallowing of air during feeding, due to overfeeding, weak intestinal microflora or imperfection of the enzymatic system.
Be that as it may, it is necessary to fight against gas traffickers, because they harass the baby and make parents worry. Dill water for newborns may be the only remedy that can help a child during this difficult period of his development.
The problem of colic in babies in the modern world is very acute. This phenomenon occurs in 90% of infants. Until now, doctors and scientists have not reached a unanimous opinion about the cause of spasms in the gastrointestinal tract in children.
What it is
Dill water is a solution of fennel or fennel oil. It is popularly called “pharmacy dill”, so the finished mixture is called dill water. The use of a decoction can help a baby with colic, bloating and gas from the first days of life.
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To prepare medicinal water, dried fennel fruits are used. The pharmacy also sells sets of filter bags for brewing or ready-made decoction in bottles.
Composition of the product
The main components of the infusion are fennel seeds and plain water in a ratio of 1:10.
Depending on the manufacturer, the product composition may differ in additional ingredients. For greater benefits, medicinal herbs and essential oils are sometimes added.
Is it possible to give water to a newborn?
As a rule, mothers are faced with the problem of bloating in the baby’s tummy at 2-3 weeks of his life.
By three months, the child’s intestines will learn to work correctly, and the use of traditional medicine will no longer be relevant.
For a baby aged two weeks, dill water is the only approved remedy that can relieve pain and improve well-being.
In what cases to use
indications for taking dill water are symptoms of improper functioning of the gastrointestinal tract: painful colic in a newborn, flatulence. additional infusion:
- helps against inflammatory processes;
- has a calming effect;
- normalizes intestinal microflora during constipation;
- relieves accumulated gases;
- improves digestion;
- relieves stomach pain.
In addition to its undeniable benefits in the fight against gas and colic, dill water also has other valuable properties:
- cleanses the body of toxins;
- increases the newborn's immunity;
- treats cough;
- prevents the risk of developing cancer;
- improves metabolism;
- helps improve the functioning of the cardiovascular system;
- is a diuretic;
- improves kidney function;
- increases appetite.
effect of dill water
a folk remedy for spasms and infant colic has a mild effect on the body and has virtually no contraindications.
Dill water helps produce food enzymes, start and adjust the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. It also relieves pain from spasms. The fennel essential oil contained in the water prevents the accumulation of gas bubbles and removes them through the intestines.
when to expect the effect
The mother of a newborn has to completely adapt to the rhythm of the baby’s life. and literally every minute counts when the baby experiences acute pain.
After drinking medicinal water, you need to wait 10-15 minutes. After this time, the intensity of the spasms should decrease.
contraindications for use
Dill water for colic has no contraindications. However, a newborn may have an allergic reaction to the substance or develop individual intolerance.
In this case, it is better to replace the finished medicine with an analogue - fennel tea. It is sold at the pharmacy.
Side effects
In the first months of life, a baby is very susceptible to everything. Therefore, any careless actions of young parents can be dangerous.
If you follow the dosage and preparation rules, dill water has no side effects. But in exceptional cases, even this safe remedy can cause a negative reaction from the body:
- allergies (usually manifested through skin rashes, most often redness appears on the face);
- diarrhea.
Instructions for use
If you buy the drug at the pharmacy, it comes with an individual dosage regimen for the mother and newborn baby. The dosage depends on the concentration of the drug.
- Usually the pharmaceutical drug is given to a baby over three months old, one teaspoon. It must first be diluted in a small amount of breast milk or a special formula. This method will not cause rejection in the baby.
- For a child up to three months of age, a few drops of infusion are dripped under the tongue before each feeding.
How much dill water to give to a newborn
As the child grows, the dosage of the medicine changes.
In babies under three weeks of age, colic is a rare occurrence; maternal enzymes are still contained in the body and help with digestion.
- If the baby's tummy is bloated, immediately after birth, dill water is prescribed, fifteen drops using a pipette, three times a day before feeding.
- If the baby tolerates the drug well, then the dosage is increased to half a teaspoon before meals.
- After a week of taking the anti-colic remedy, you need to add the same amount.
- For painful symptoms in a one-month-old baby, dill water is first given half a teaspoon for prevention, and after one week the dosage is doubled.
The treatment procedure depends on the method of feeding. For a newborn baby, for whom breast milk is the only food, the decoction is given from a spoon. If the child is bottle-fed, then dill water can be given from a bottle, mixed with the main food product.
Dill infusion + drink
Children do not like the specific taste of fennel. They may not take the decoction at all, reacting by regurgitating. Then experienced mothers combine dill water with the child’s drink.
The infusion must be brought to room temperature before use. The drug should not be given cold or hot.
Can a nursing mother drink dill water?
If the baby is exclusively breastfed and does not always have enough milk, dill water will help improve lactation.
You can prepare a healing decoction according to the following recipe:
- Grind a tablespoon of seeds in a coffee grinder and place in a large cup.
- Pour one glass of boiling water.
- Cover with a lid or saucer and let sit for a few minutes.
- Drink the drink throughout the day before feeding your baby.
Dill water is a real find for use by the nursing mother herself, since fennel has a beneficial effect on lactation, improving the quality of milk and increasing its calorie content. By drinking a decoction of dill water, you can be sure that the newborn’s gas production will become weaker and colic will not be as pronounced.
In addition, tea helps relieve nervous tension. Having a mild hypnotic effect, the infusion will have a positive effect on the quality of your rest.
How to prepare the product at home
Making your own dill water for a newborn is easy. The main thing is to stock up on ingredients. If you have grown fennel in your garden, then you do not need to worry about the quality of the product; it will not harm the baby.
The pharmaceutical preparation for colic contains fennel essential oil. In terms of beneficial properties, the plant is similar to ordinary dill. You can use any of these ingredients at home.
- Before brewing a healing drink for a newborn, clean and dry the raw materials. Ready-made seeds can be bought at the pharmacy.
- Pour a tablespoon of chopped fennel fruit into 250 ml of boiling water.
- Cover with a lid and set aside the container for one hour.
- Then strain the drink.
The cooled water can stand in the refrigerator for no more than a day. An hour before taking the medicine, pour out the required amount of the drink so that it warms to room temperature.
Fennel or dill
The difference between two plants with many similar properties is not noticeable to everyone.
Fennel is a perennial herb whose seeds have a characteristic aniseed scent with hints of mint and tarragon.
The plant contains a lot of useful vitamins and microelements:
- essential oils;
- amino acids;
- B vitamins;
- provitamin A;
- calcium;
- manganese;
- iron.
Fragrant dill is a common inhabitant of vegetable gardens and summer cottages. It contains the following valuable substances:
- phosphorus;
- potassium;
- iron;
- B vitamins;
- essential oils.
In the treatment of infant colic, a decoction of fennel seeds is usually used. They act as an antispasmodic. Dill is often used as a diuretic. The two plants have similar properties, but they also have many differences.
Collection and storage of raw materials
Fennel seeds are collected in two stages:
- When do the middle umbrellas ripen?
- After 3-4 days, remove the remaining parts of the plant.
The material is then dried in a well-ventilated area. The fruits must be stirred frequently to prevent mold from forming on them.
Raw materials are stored in closed bags or boxes for 3 years.
Cooking methods
It’s easy to make dill water for newborns at home. There are two ways:
For each method, take the same proportions of ingredients:
- crushed seeds - 1 tbsp. l.;
- boiled water - 1 tbsp.
Recipe for cooking in a water bath
- Pour boiling water over whole or ground fennel seeds.
- Bring to a boil in a water bath and continue cooking for 20 minutes.
- Leave the broth to infuse for 40 minutes.
- Strain.
Source: https://shokomania.ru/ukrop-ot-kolikov-u-novorozhdennyh/