Why Does My Baby Have a Big Belly?

Babies' large abdomen is mostly caused by pathological abdominal distension, rickets caused by vitamin D deficiency, underdeveloped abdominal muscles, or abdominal breathing. If the baby's abdomen is large without any abnormalities, keep observing it. If the baby's abdomen is large and there are abnormalities such as crying or restless sleep, it is recommended to go to the hospital for examination and effective treatment after confirming the cause. There are several reasons for babies' large abdomen: 1. Babies breathe abdominally, relying on the up-and-down movement of the diaphragm to drive breathing, so the abdomen will bulge and appear larger. 2. The baby's abdominal muscles are not fully developed and are relatively loose, so they also appear larger. 3. Babies are prone to rickets caused by vitamin D deficiency, which leads to a decrease in muscle and nerve excitability, resulting in a large abdomen. Severe rickets may also present with frog-belly. 4. Babies may have pathological abdominal distension, which is often caused by infective diarrhea, intestinal obstruction, or perforation of the digestive tract. At this time, the child may be agitated, spit up milk, and have abdominal tenderness and disappearance of bowel sounds during physical examination. Timely treatment is required. If the child's abdomen is large but their eating, drinking, defecating, and sleeping are normal, it can be observed. However, if the child has a large abdomen, restless sleep, night terrors, excessive sweating, and crying, attention should be paid to the possibility of vitamin D deficiency and rickets.