Spitting Up - Mokelumne Hill, CA

Hi A.,
Here's what worked for me - you may or may not want to try it but my second child (with whom I did this) spit up a lot less than my first (whom I fed every 2 hours).

You may be feeding her too often. So she's "snacking" but not getting a big, full meal. My advice is to start first thing in the morning and give her a big, full meal. Burp her in the middle of the feeding AND when you're done - critical or she will spit up. Then, try to go 3-4 hours until your next feeding. Let's say your baby has her first feeding at 6am. Around 8:30am, you might want to put her down for her morning nap. When she wakes up around 9-9:30, she'll be very hungry. Feed her as soon as she wakes up, burping her mid-feeding and after the feeding. Then, put her down for her next nap around noon or so. Again, don't feed her before her nap, feed her after. It is perfectly fine to put her down in her crib when she is sleepy - NOT exhausted, and awake. She may not sleep right away, and may need to fuss a bit to get herself settled, which is normal and ok.

So basically the routine is, feed her, have some awake/play time, then sleep, on a 3-4 hour schedule. Do not nurse her to sleep, as two things will happen: 1) she won't learn to get herself to sleep, which is CRITICAL as she gets older, and 2) she will never get a full meal, so she's only getting foremilk instead of the richer hindmilk, which means she'll be hungry and feeding every 2 hours around the clock. Exhausting for you, not ideal for her.

I think also that if you stick to an eat/play/sleep routine, you'll find that she'll start sleeping through the night pretty quickly as well. (A nice, full tummy, and being able to put herself back to sleep when she wakes = great sleep time for baby and mommy! =)

I hope this helps - when I figured this out with baby #2 it felt like a miracle to me. Good luck!!

A.,

I think you should call your pediatrician. My daughter (also breast-fed) spit up a lot when she was an infant and our pediatrician put her on Zantac for acid reflux. It helped! Also, it is always reassuring to hear from the pediatrician that there is not something more serious going on!

M.

All of my boys have been spit-up babies and tho it makes for a bit messier situations, it's not a biggie, really (as long as she's not in pain from something like acid reflux (and you'll KNOW if she is in pain...screaming while spitting up or turning red while spitting up or straightening legs and arms while spitting up...you get the point, I'm sure!). You lucky lady! If you're getting some sleep at night and she's ok, then don't worry about burping her. Some babies burp each time, some don't, they're all different and if it ain't broke don't fix it! (I wish I was in your position, my little guy needs to burp during each and every feeding, even if I'm half asleep!) Also, we've had some weird colored spit-up in the past; it could be discolored from mucous I suppose, though I know that the curdling means that it's been processed a bit more in her little body than straight-up liquidy milk that just went down and came straight up. Although the amount may look alarming, if you pour a teaspoon of milk on the counter, you can get an idea of what a small amount is that she is spitting up, but how it looks bigger than it is. My only advice is to bring a change of clothes always for the baby and if you can remember to bring one for yourself when you go places! Enjoy her and blessings to you!

Hi A.,
My son was the spit-up king (had reflux). He did not show any signs of pain early on, just spat up all the time. You should call your pediatrician, not because I think that something is horribly wrong, but because the docs and nurses deal with this stuff all the time. They will also know if what is happening is really spitting up or vomiting (there is a difference) I could tell you all the things we did, but your daughter's situation might be totally different. I will share a few things, though, just in case they help: if your daughter is spitting up/vomiting curdled liquid, it is unlikely that a simple air bubble is to blame. The breastmilk has made it to her tummy as opposed to being stuck above a bubble and burped out. For burping, it is usually important to do. Some kids do better with a mid-feeding burp and another one at the end of feeding. For others, the mid-feeding one causes more problems. I agree w/ the poster who said that feeding every two hours is perhaps too frequent. Try to space out feedings to every three hours. Also, watch what you are eating. For some, spicy foods, chocolate, dairy, legumes, and other various foods in mom's diet seem to affect the baby's digestion. Babies' digestive systems are generally underdeveloped to various extents. Some, such as my son's are more so. We found that meds that helped regulate the movement of milk through his system (so that the muscles worked together in a more rhythmic manner) helped significantly. Please call the pediatrician as there is no need to suffer through this without professional advice.