Suddenly Spitting Up

Hi A.,
We pay good money to doctors and that is what they are there for. There is nothing wrong with calling them just to ask or show concern. Doesnt mean you have to make an appointment. Someone once said that if a mother worries enough to ask others, then its important enough to bring up to a doctor no matter what it is.
I went through the spit up phase with both my kids. Its looks and smelled so yummy! yeah right! The projectile ones are the best! I hope all is going well with that little guy and you! I would love to see him soon. Take care. S.

Could it be from some dietary changes you've made? My youngest broke out in rashes and eczema and spit up some whenever I ate anything dairy. I've cut it from my diet while I'm breastfeeding (helps with the weightloss, too!).
Good luck!

Take a tablespoon and fill it with milk, water. Pour it onto a counter or table. That is 15 ML of fluid. Which is 1/2 an oz. If it looks like the baby is spitting up more than that ask the doctor. Maybe it's just a little reflux. It is hard to judge how much they spit up from what you fed them once it is on a onesie and down your arm :) My doctor taught me this and then I get a good idea of what and oz looks like. If it's less probably nothing to worry about. Babies spit up normally.

The bottle nipple opening is probably too large so he's getting too much too fast. Make sure you bought the right size nipple.

As a new Mom, it is easy to become worried. Every child does spit up. What you need to watch is how frequently and how much he is spitting up. A little bit of spit up is normal. Spitting up after every feeding is also normal. Spitting up large quantities (most of the feeding) would warrant a call to your doctor. If he spits up forcefully (like projectile vomiting) and the spit up contains little particles that look like coffee grounds, it could be a sign of Pyloric Stenosis and he would need to be seen right away. This condition typically shows up around 4-8 weeks of age but could show up at your son's age, depending on his gestational age. My son was diagnosed with Pyloric Stenosis at around your son's age. The condition is only correctable with surgery, but once the surgery is performed (it includes a couple of days in the hospital) the child can eat normally with only the "typical" baby spit up (as opposed to entire feedings-worth). It is not a very common condition, so I wouldn't worry about it unless your child exhibits the signs. The most important thing is follow your instincts. If you are uncomfortable with how much your son is spitting up after eating, call your doctor. Doctors know new Moms are going to have questions because everything is a new experience. Good luck! Welcome to motherhood!

Hi A.,
My 11 month old son started spitting up around that time as well. My doctor said as long he is gaining weight I shouldn't worry about it but diagnosed him with Acid Reflux. I finally tried medication (Zantac) that she perscribed when he was 5 months old but it did not work, so we just decided to wait. Couple of my friends kids spit up as well so I stoped stressing aboout it so much. He spit up all the way till he was 9 months old :-(
We went through tons of bibs, changed his clothes pretty often and it did one day just disappear. Good Luck-A.

I wouldn't worry. Maybe now that he is a little older and stronger he's getting more air in feedings. It could also be reflux which I think may develop around that time. My oldest had it and it started right around 5 or 6 weeks. Reflux doesn't seem to bother some babies, but if necessary, can be easily treated with medication. (my daughter was on meds for 4 months) Now my second daughter spit up CONSTANTLY from day one. We would go through a stack of bibs every day. But as my doc told me, it's a laundry problem...not a medical one. I know it's hard with your first and everything is so new and you worry about everything but your little guy will be just fine. :)

Hi,

My daughter, who is now 16 mo., spit up with every feeding and in between from the time she was born, until she was about 11 mo. old. I tried many different types of bottles and also brought it to the doctors' attention on various occasions. They always said it was normal and long as it isn't frequent projectile vomiting. From my own experience, I was frustrated, thinking that it shouldn't be normal, and having to clean up a million times a day (we had to have the carpets professionally cleaned-the breastmilk did not come up from us cleaning it up right away). In the end, I guess it was just something that my daughter did. She has always been healthy and happy, so all in all, it was just an inconvenience to me I guess. I hope your son's spitting up doesn't last as long as my daughter, and I hope he is fine as well.
Good luck.

Hi A., My middle child could not handle me drinking milk & then it was all dairy had to be removed. No more ice cream, grilled cheese, very little butter. If it originated from a cow I couldn't have it because she couldn't tolerate it. Maybe try writing down what you eat & then when the spit up happens. Follow your instincts you will figure it out what is bothering him. Spit up does happen when they gulp too quickly too, so it may be nothing. At 5 weeks his sucking ability is gaining strength too. Writing it down so you can refer back will help a bunch.

The nipple might be too fast or he might be getting too much air. Make sure he is always being held when feeding and hold in an upright position for about 20 minutes after ( you can place him in a bouncy seat too). Make sure he is burping in between such as after every 2 ounces or so try to burp. Have you changed something you are eating? That can have a reaction too. Just be calm as they can pick up on anxiety and cause a reaction too. He will be okay. If it becomes so severe seek a Dr's help sometimes drops are prescribed.

Something to think about "could" be acid reflux. I diagnosed my daughter about 5 weeks as she was miserable, arching her back, colicky and what took me over the top was that her breathe smelled very sour indicating the reflux. Check the other symptoms that can come along with it. Can he lay down w/o any problems in addition to the spitting up? Keep him upright after feedings and see if that helps. Drop ins should be good b/c it reduces the amt. of air he is getting. Good luck. So hard not knowing isn't it?

Sounds like reflux. Is he fussing while eating (crying, turning head away)? Does he fuss 1/2 hr. to an hr after eating? It's possible this is why. Try keeping him at 45 degree angle for approx. 30 minutes during the feeding, and especially after eating. Try eliminating dairy from your diet and all other things that may cause excessive gas. If it continues, call dr. May be something else.

Hi I can understand why you might be worried.#1 if you are giving the baby bottle fed breast milk you should warm in in tap water so that the baby is not getting cold milk to drink #2 burp baby between the feeding #3hold the baby up for at least 10 minnutes after each feeding so that the milk is digested properly #4 if you do not have the DR Brown Bottles you should get some IT IS THE BEST BOTTLE ON THE MARKET for Babies.Good luck with these recommendation.
FR.D. M

I am not a medical doctor, but these symptoms sound similar to pyloric stenosis. My brother developed it and was spitting up across the room and had surgery to correct it at 10 days old. It can develop later and is easily correctable. Read up on it and take him to the doctor.

Hi A.,

I think spitting up patterns change as babies develop (at least that was my experience). We've had very good luck with Born Free bottles, but they're expensive (they have a system that supposedly makes babies less gassy). It may be worth putting in a call to the pediatrician's office just to assuage your worries, though. Best of luck!

R.

I would recommend keeping a journal of your diet and see if there is a food he disagrees with. Otherwise babies often spit up because there tummys are to full. Keep him sitting up for 20 min after feeding, cut back 1/2 an oz and see if that helps. Good luck!

As others have said, you could just have a spitter-upper. Our baby started spitting up at about 4 weeks and was a spitter all the way until about 1 year, long after she was sitting up, crawling and even walking. It was after every feeding until she was on solids at 4 mo., then it started decreasing very gradually until about 10 mo. when it was down to about once a day. She still spit up occasionally until about 13 months.

Talk to your doctor -- if you have a happy spitter (never seems uncomfortable during/after spitting up) and your baby is gaining weight and sleeping appropriately you DO NOT need reflux medication. As our doctor said, spit up is a laundry problem, not a medical problem.

For us, things we did to alleviate the problem: burping every few ounces, slowing down (she was a slurper!!) her eating as much as we could by taking the bottle out of her mouth for a rest every few minutes, keep her upright for 20 or 30 minutes after the bottle's done. We never, never, never held her without a burp cloth handy and warned everyone who held her to watch out! She frequently would spit up with a smile on her face so we knew it wasn't a problem.

We also switched to using a portion of Enfamil's A.R. formula which is a heavier weight and intended to reduce spitting up. We could not use it 100% because it led to constipation, so we gradually tried different proportions mixed with regular formula until we settled on one that worked. The proportion changed over time as she spit up less. So for a 6 oz. bottle, we started with 2 scoops A.R. to 1 scoop regular. By 8 mo. for an 8 oz. bottle we were doing 3 scoops regular to 1 scoop A.R. We kept trying to eliminate the A.R., but her spitting up would always increase. Once she was on mainly baby food, we added rice cereal to everything and moved ahead to the Stage 2 or 3 foods very quickly because they were thicker. We tried anything to keep the food down.

Point being -- try whatever might work, but don't worry about it after you confirm with your doctor that your baby is just a spitter. It will end!

p.s.: we just got our carpets and sofas professionally cleaned to clean up all the spots she left behind! It took everything out, no problem!

A., maybe he is eating to quickly. I know my boys would spit up alot if they drank there bottle really fast. Try burbing him after a couple of ouces and then give him more of his bottle. Hopefully he won't go asleep before he finishes it. If he continues tell the Doctor. As long as he is not bringing up the whole bottle everytime it is propaply not much tot worry about but check with your Doctor. Good Luck.

My son vomited a lot in the beginning and I finally realized that when I ate eggs, Mayo or Ranch dressing he would spit up so I just took eggs out of my diet and he was fine. Took a long time of taking things out of my diet and putting stuff back in to realize it was the eggs but it was worth it to get him to stop vomiting. Hope that helps.

After having 3 babies...spit up is just a part of life!

Hello A.,
My sister's son also started spitting up after every feeding. It started when he was about 4 weeks old. He was not gaining weight and would seldom have a bowel movement. When I mean spitting up, he started vomiting across the room. He was diagnosed with Pyloric Stenosis. It is more common in boys than girls.

http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/digestive/pyloric_st...

My son started spitting up at about 4 weeks. He would drink and then lose it all. When I called the doctor's office the nurse said I must be a first time mom. (thanks a lot) When we went in for a wellness check up, the doc said it is normal for some babies. I had to let him have an ounce, then burp, an ounce and burp. It lasted about 2 months and then he was fine. There are reactions if they have problems with milk products but it could be the way he drinks. the doc has said to try this first and then we would start to remove things if they didn't get better. Now he is a very active 9 yr old and has never had problems with types of food--that I can get him to eat anyway. : )

Hi A.,
I wouldn't worry. It just sounds like he is getting too much milk too fast. I would give him a chance to burp every ounce or so.