My 5 week old is always spitting up, right after feedings, and also hours after she will. I am breast feeding only. Sometimes it is projectile - she has vomited a few times also. This is my second baby and I think it does not hurt her, but it is really messy! Also it has come out her nose a few times. Any suggestions? I gave her Enfamil once too and that came back up pretty quickly. She is eating about 3 - 4 oz.
Also I will start doing formula here soon, any suggestions on what kind will help with spitting up less?
my son has reflux and seemed to have the same problem. He is on 2 meds for it. The Dr also recommended to us feed less ounces at a sitting and keep baby upright for 45 min after feeding. I would check with your Dr as well. Good Luck!
Hi Leah,
Your baby might be allergic to something that you're consuming while breastfeeding, maybe milk (since that's also in Enfamil). My son was the same way, but I only breastfed for 3 weeks and supplemented w/Enfamil since birth. He would vomit right after feedings, sometimes projectile, and sometimes hours later too. The dr. had us switch to Enfamil Gentlease (broken down proteins but still contains milk) and that seemed to help a little w/the vomiting but then he developed really bad eczema (started at 2 months). Long story short, he was allergic to milk, soy, corn, wheat, peanut, and egg that we found out through a blood test at 9.5 months (after months of suffering). We also eliminated rice from his diet, put him on a restricted diet, and supplemented w/Similac Alimentum and 95% of his eczema went away immediately and no spitting up at all. Hope this helps.
-Bonnie
You need to take her to the doctor... this kind of symptom could be due to many reasons. Don't second guess it...
Remember, "spit up" is about less than a tablespoon of "stuff." Whereas, "vomiting" is a bigger volume...and because she is also "projectile" vomiting... this is NOT spitting-up. And since she is also expelling stuff "hours" after feedings... I would think that this is not traditional "spit-up."
I used to baby sit a child from the time she was 6 months old, until she was about 2.5 years old. This girl did the exact same thing your baby is doing. -- sure, the baby was not bothered by it, it didn't hurt her... and she didn't even seem to notice her throwing up. And yes, it sure is messy. And yes (in response to the other poster)... she WAS breastfed by Mommy since birth, AND had bottles of breastmilk for her when I baby-sat her. This made no difference in this child. She had vomiting problems since she was a newborn, as I learned afterward from the Parents.
However, since this was not normal to me...nor to my "Doctor" friends... I constantly told her Parents to take her to the doctor, as this is not normal per say. BUT the parents always just shrugged it off and said "that's just the way she is... each baby is different..." It was SO frustrating. HOWEVER, under my eyes... this baby was also not developing well... she was also, per her well-baby check-ups, at only the 10th-5th percentile in weight and growth... and as an infant she suffered from dehydration & twice had to be taken to the ER because of it (this is per her Parents)....and her development was delayed as well throughout the time span that I cared for her. Her vomiting never stopped or lessened or subsided. But yet, her parents never did anything about her vomiting.
In her case, I consulted many of my Doctor friends.. .they said it could be anything from allergies, to internal digestive problems, to reflux, to Pyloric Stenosis, to GERD, to gastrointestinal problems, to
the opening of the esophagus and how the muscles there may not be coordinated thus it does not go into the stomach... etc. But without examining the girl... no one can really say what the EXACT problem is. But, her parents never did anything anyway.
Well this is just one example and experience of mine. Your baby is only 5 weeks old... I would not give her anything or Enfamil, or formula, without consulting your Pediatrician first.
Sometimes, it can just be due to a newborn's immature digestive system still...thus they "spit-up." And as the body matures, it subsides. But check with your Doctor.
Here is a link on "projectile vomiting in newborns:
http://www.thelaboroflove.com/articles/infant-projectile-vomiting-2/
http://www.google.com/search?q=projectile+vomiting+in+newborn&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a
All the best and take care,
~Susan
actually, breastmilk will probably contribute to the least spit up. you mentioned it being projectile. you might want to talk to you pediatrician about reflux.
while spitting up is normal until they start walking, it sounds like it's a little much since there's enough force to come out her nose too.
my suggestion is to hold off on formula since breastmilk is the softest on her tummy and see what her doctor says about how much and how she's spitting up. if it's too much, it could affect her weight gain.
if she has a reaction or sensitivity to formulas, you may be forced to use special formulas like nutramigen or alimentum (?). have you seen how much those are?! yikes. there are very few to no reasons that babies can't take breastmilk. hang in there.
My son's doc said all babies spit up, however I don't remember it with my first son.
Some things the doc said, a schedule might help (if and only if she has had good weight gain), babies w/weight gain who are spitting up are called, "happy spitters," I got one, it sucks! If she hasn't had significant weight gain and she's spitting up, well then she might be sensitive to your dairy intake & you should talk with the doc about an "elimination diet."
my only advise is to make sure you do not lie her down in a flat crib - prop her head up or hold her for a while after feeding her. She may just grow out of it as well - she's only five weeks.
Good luck!
Hello, Leah,
Look into Sunrider foods.
My very best,
Tina
Hi Leah :)
My son had the spitting up issue from birth until he was about or 7 months old. The doctors ran tests and things... even kept him in the hospital once... and they determined that he had reflux. His little stomach valve hadn't matured as it needed to at that point either... So yes, it's messy and it's a pain, and you wonder if your baby is even getting anything to eat because everything seems to come right back up again, but they are. I only ever breastfed my son; it wasn't until we introduced him to solid foods that this spitting up seemed to calm down. He just grew out of it. I wouldn't worry about your daughter too much unless your gut senses otherwise. Of course it is always good to have her checked out, however, this is common among babies :(.
Some advice my doctor gave me was to leave my son sitting up for 20-30 mins after eating and not to move them around too much. Make sure they're well burped. And you could just try to feed little bits at a time... take your time with the feedings... If you are engorged and your milk lets down very heavily (if you produce a lot) that may be too much too fast for your daughter as well. Are you sure you're not producing too much and that excess is what's coming up? Her little tummy can only hold so much ;)
Best of luck!
Jennifer
Hello...I have a 4 month old and she started spitting up more often too. I just started back to work and I am weaning her off my milk. She also started to teeth. The excessive saliva has given her an upset stomach which is reasons for the spit up. I know this because she only does it on the days she is battling with her teeth. Maybe its the same for your daughter!
Leah,
My oldest daughter was exactly the same way. It was very messy and the couch was covered (thank god it was a slipcover). It did stop after about 8-10 months? The funny thing is she has a real fear of throwing up now. I thought she'd be so relaxed with it after having spit up so much each and every time she fed! She was growing so the doctor wasn't concerned. And (this is disgusting) our dog loved it. We would try to clean it up but often the dog got it first. (Sorry. Gross.) I was also "diagnosed" with reflux when I was a baby so it wasn't surprising I guess. It'll stop. And the type of formula doesn't help (at least for us).
Gwen
You should check with her DR., it may be GER (ACID REFLUX)
Does she make any noises like it might be hard for her to breath? My daughter had it at 6 weeks, we had to put her on a special formula, and we had to have her sleep more upright.
This helped and she did grow out of it, when she started eating solid foods.
Mother of a sassy 7 yr old and a very mature 2 yr old.
both girls. Good luck!
Sounds like reflux. This is beyond spitting up if it involves projectile. Take her to the doctor ASAP.
Hi Leah,
Man i know what you are going through. My daughter just had a baby (first one) a year ago and her's was doing the same thing. She also nursed. It is just something they will grow out off. I also had a neice that did the same thing. This is something you don't want to hear but my daughters child did it until she was almost a year old. The doctor told her as long as she keeps gaining weight she is just fine. Well she is fine and growing like a weed. She did the same thing and man talk about projectile. It was like flying vomite all over every place. She also did the same with formula. It is just something they will out grow and at the same time a mess to always have to clean up. Just remember one thing: They are worth it and will go away soon.
Good luck.
A Grandma
Don't stop breast feeding, that's the perfect thing for her. Although I would go to the doc to be sure her tract is functioning correctly. Is she gaining weight ok? Then you know she's ok at least, but you do want to get her feeling better.
My sister-in-law has the same problem with her little boy. She kept calling the doctor and he said as long as he keeps gaining weight it is something he'll grow out of. After 4 months of him spitting up all the time and losing a pound the doctor put him on Zantac and he recommended they hold the baby upright for at least an hour after feeding. The doctor also recommended the baby suck on a pacifier for an hour after feeding to keep the sucking motion of the esophagus contracting, which helps keep the liquid down in his stomach.
This seems to be working for them and the baby has re-gained the weight he lost.
Hope it helps.
Have your daughter tested for allergies. We had a similar problem with vomiting after eating. Our daughter vomited so much she wasn't gaining weight. At 10 weeks, when she actually started loosing weight, our doctor did a blood test and it turned out she was (still is) allergic to milk. We switched from breast milk to a soy formula. The vomiting stopped and she gained a pound in 3 days. We've steered clear of milk products, even trace amounts, ever since.
Good luck.
Kelly
Leah,
we are going throught the same thing with my 7 week old. She is strictly breastfeeding too, and she was spitting up a lot and it came out her nose, it scared me! I talked to the her doc and she said not to worry, if it was reflux we would hear it and it would be a loud noise. I spoke with La Leche legue and they said not to worry. It has gotten better in the last 2 weeks and burping her often also helps.
Keep her propped up after feedings for a while and do not burp her for about 10 minutes. It will give her time for the milk to settle in her tummy. Also, you could try to feed less, but more frequently. You could also burp her every couple min during feedings so there is no gas built up. Good luck!
It sounds like acid reflux to me. My now 16 month old had that from birth until age 7 months when she outgrew it. It was so bad I could never keep up with the laundry. Not only were we changing her clothes all day long, I was changing my clothes, the sheets, etc. Talk to you Pediatrician about this. The problem is the opening from their stomach to the esophagus is not closing properly. It's basically a matter of developing as your baby grows and once it matures, the reflux will be gone, I promise! It happens around the time they start eating solids. Unfortunately, there really is no treatment that seemed to work. We tried every kind of formula, every antacid, etc. It's a matter of making her as comfortable as possible until she outgrows it. We used to have our daughter sleep in her carseat in her room because it was more upright. Babies with reflux are very uncomfortable on their back. My grandmother sent me a terrycloth adult bib (covered my whole front) and that saved me from having to change so much. I have more information and more advice if you want; feel free to write me. Do some research and see if you think this is it. Hang in there!