Spitting up a Problem

My first son had a spit up problem also. I found that adding some cereal to his bottle helped him keep his food down longer and stay full longer. I would suggest trying this before they try to put her on anything. I also found that the more often you pump the more you will build up milk. I also found that the more water you drink the more milk you will make also. Also I found that there is a product called Motherlove it is a n herbal supplement that helps you produce more milk. I hope that this helps you.

Have they ruled out a milk protein allergy or if she has reflux? Either of which can be resolved much easier and less toxic.
Milk protein allergy is an easy test. They just do a "dip stick" with her stool.

Hi D.,

I have a few suggestions for you as both of my boys have had similar issues. With my first son, the issues started when he was about 6 months old, and he was MISERABLE and screaming when he was laid down for more than 45 minutes, at ANY time of day or night. Which means I was waking every hour for overnight and struggling to get naps in appropriately for him AND me. When we would pick him up he would always burp and spit up, often projectile. They said he would outgrow it, until when he was 13 months old I finally said this was insane and I thought that we needed to try to help him, and my sanity b/c I was NOT sleeping from him waking so much. His regular pediatrician prescribed ZANTAC for him, for reflux. I wasn't comfortable giving it to him, so I decided to call a naturopathic pediatrician. She was AWESOME!! She had me describe to her what I ate - EVERYTHING, and what he ate, and then immediately told me to eliminate this list of foods for a time and see if there was any improvement. Oh my goodness there was MAJOR improvement!! Within 2 weeks of eliminating all of those foods (sure, it was tough, but SO worth it!) he was sleeping through the night, no more burping and projectile spitting episodes. Turns out the foods that we were eating a lot of (wheat, dairy, banana, potato, corn, refined sugar) are mucous forming foods, and it would increase the amount of mucous in his stomach, which would aggravate it and cause all of the problems. He's 2 now and can eat whatever he wants without issue. It was, for him, just a matter of waiting until his system matured a little bit more - it was more sensitive.

Then, with my 2nd son, at 3 months he started being puker in a MAJOR way (not your typical baby spit-up, but I would be SOAKED from puke after every feeding). When I asked my naturopathic pediatrician about it, she started with two suggestions for now (he's currently just 4 months this week). First, she told me to make sure that he was tummy to my tummy when nursing. She said sometimes after we get into a routine of nursing we don't always notice that their tummy is more facing up, instead of against ours, and that can cause a latching problem, which will in turn affect the air that they take in which can affect their digestion. So I pay attention to that more now, and also she recommended a wellness chiropracter. I was a little taken aback by that, since he's so little. She said that sometimes when they come through the birth canal their back can get out of whack, which will affect everything - digestion and all. I checked it out and it has made a HUGE improvement for him too. I brought him to this guy who goes to hospitals to do baby adjustments (who knew?!?!?!) and he holds Ben (my son) gently and makes light adjustments on his back (not like he would do for an adult). Ben smiles at me through the whole thing, and there is ALWAYS an improvement in his digestion after we go. Maybe you could find something like that where you are?

I don't know about the Barium tests, and I certainly am not going to say those doctors don't know what they are talking about. However, if you want a 2nd opinion, I highly recommend the naturopathic route, if you can find one in your area that deals with children. I would make sure its naturo, not homeo. I took my first son to a homoepathic doctor before the naturo, and all he did was give him a thousand pellets to take and it didn't make a difference, let alone make sense to me. The naturo took the approach that what we put in affects how we function, so lets investigate those options before we do anything invasive or harsh medicinally. It worked for us!! I was so pleased that I still take my kids to my regular pediatrician for their wellness visits,etc., but if they are sick, I call my naturopath. From seeing her, my kids are really so healthy and get over their little colds and such (if they even get them!) so much faster than their peers.

Good luck!! I'd love to hear how it works out for you, since I know exactly what you're going through!

wow that does sound a little bit invasive! I think you are exactly right with all of your observations and not to mention your instinct as her mommy! I know my 6 month old boy has a lot of issues digestively and also went through a similar phase...but that is all it was, a phase. a week or two later he was eating like a champ and put on a good amount of weight. He is still back and forth, we have to take it easy with certain things but if she is wetting and pooping, gaining weight and is not sending you any other red flags I would go with your instinct. That procedure sounds like a little much at this stage in the game. Good luck with whatever you decide to do!!

I would definately wait! As long as she seems healthy in every other way it doesn't sound too serious. She could just have a virus of some sort. Whenever my daughter isn't feeling well or is going through a growth spurt she nurses more frequently. Look at your diet as others have suggested if you are feeling concerned. I had to eliminate dairy and soy for some time because of digestion issues with my daughter. I would never let a three month old be subjected to radiation or prescription meds! Seems to me that some doctors are more concerned with making money off these procedures and medications than they are with helping people!

D.,

I agree, use the radioactive dye as a last resort. There are many natural ways to solve this problem. I am a Nutritional
Microscopist and Wellness educator based in Osterville, MA. I work with people on lifestyle and diet choices to reverse illness. I suggest taking a look at what you are eating fist. I love coaching moms to be and nursing mothers on nutrition for them and their baby. Usually I perform a live and dry blood analysis (just a prick of the finger) where we look together at your blood cells. We look at how your diet and lifestyle are effecting your overall health. We also look at organ imbalances that usually dont' show up on a normal lab test. From there I can coach you on holistic and natural ways to keep you and your baby happy and healty. For now, I suggest you drink plenty of water and stick to a diet high in raw, green vegetables and good fats. (cold-presed plant oils such as olive, hemp and flax).
My business is Cape Microscopy and my phone is ###-###-####. My email is ____@____.com

Best,
K.

Sounds like she can not tolerate something you are eating. My son was vomiting (projectile style). My pediatrician suggested to eliminate things from my diet starting with dairy. That helped a bit, but when I stopped eating wheat and soy, the vomiting stopped. I eat dairy now, but no wheat. He does not spit up at all unless I eat any wheat or too much soy. Also pay attention to your baby's stools. My boy's were very watery until I changed my diet.

Sounds like your daughter has acid reflux. Some doctors try medicine before doing a barium swallow (Zantac, Prevacid, etc.)- I know for my daughter they didn't suggest the barium swallow until she was 2 years old and still having reflux. Talk to your doctor about alternatives.

Hi D.,

Honestly, the barium test is really easy. I understand your concern about the radiation, but a doctor once told me that you are exposed to more radiation than that when you fly on an airplane. The technicians make the barium really sweet so that the baby just swills it down and they can see almost immediately if you are dealing with reflux or whatever. My older daughter went through this and I only wished that we had known earlier because it would have made for an extremely happy infant much sooner. When they know what is going on, it can be treated.

Hi,

I don't know anything about how many ozs a baby should be drinking or gaining at each stage. I have nursed all 3 of my kids without any pumping. I'd get a second opinion about your daughter.

But I also recall that most babies go through a growth spurt at about 3 months (the first at 10 days, then 3 weeks and I've forgotten the rest), so this may be a possibility for more frequent feedings.

Good luck to you and good health to your daughter.

Have you considered allergies? There may be something you are eating that your daughter is allergic to. Research the common allergens..milk, soy, eggs, nuts, fish ect..

sounds more like reflux than digestive problems.. try sitting her up after she eats for 1/2 hr and see if it helps. she may be underweight because she may not be getting enough from you so I would keep supplimenting to get her to gain weight, but that's a pretty big test for a tiny baby.. How far does it project?? My kids both had reflux, but it was all formula.. I don't know if breastmilk comes back out clear so maybe someone else can answer that one.. good luck, but I'd question the barium test.... second opinion from another dr maybe...

One thing they may look for with a barium test is pyloric stenosis, which is a blockage between the stomach and intestines. Kids are born with it, but it does not normally show up until 6 weeks or later, depending on the severity of the blockage. Projectile vomiting is one symptom of this. They can also check for this with an ultrasound, but some doctors still opt for barium. My son and husband both had this, but it is corrected with surgery very quickly. This may just be one thing for which the doctor wanted to check. It is not very common in girls, however. Only 1 or 5 cases are in girls.

Definately give it at least another week. It sounds as if she is doing better now. Alot of times pediatricians can be alarmists and send out for tests and specialists too quickly. Also doctors use a weight chart for formula fed babies when there is a separate one for breastfed babies. Formula fed babies are fatter. Stick with the breast milk especially if your baby is a little sick and may be fighting something. I stopped taking my son to the pediatrician when he was a year because they were constantly telling me he was underweight and he testicles were undescended and he might have cystic fibrosis because he was underweight. I took him to a specialist that told me the dr. was crazy and didn't know what she was talking about and the specialist also said that she sees this problem alot with drs. sending out for test for no reason. My son is 2 and in perfect health and very strong and I would only go to a pediatrician if there was some kind of medical emergency. I get my child adjusted by a chiropractor. Hope this helps

Both of my girls have done this. For them it was acid reflux. With my second it was also complications of extreme prematurity (she had cholastasis jaundice that caused extra gastrointestinal irritations).

I would ask your Dr if you could try supplementing with Nutramigen instead of regular formula, and ask if you could try a baby antiacid such as Zantac. That worked really well with both of my girls. My youngest also was on Pregestimil instead of Nutramigen for supplementing in the beggining ~ it helps babies gain weight.

If they are set on doing some sort of testing ask for allergy testing. Have them check Bovine protiens (soy, beef & cow's milk).

Find out why they want your daughter to have the barium testing done. Tell them you are willing to have the Barium testing done but after alternatives have been tried. If they feel that is the only testing they need, then be prepared to have it done.

Watching your child go through testing (of any kind) at such a young age can be difficult. I've had to see a lot of it with both of my girls. My oldest is doing great now. She actually started doing very well by the time she was 6 mo old. My youngest is 13 mo old, adjusted age of 9 mo (she was born very prematue). My youngest still has issues with projectile vomit and he weight is excessively low, but it seems that these issues are related to some of the treatments she received from being so premature.

It is good that your Doctor is monitoring her so well. Best wishes!

Did they indicate to you what they suspect is going on? What will they be looking for with the barium test? You could certainly get a second opinion, but I believe that the barium would have to be used for diagnosing what's going on. I really think you have to do the test in order to make sure that your baby is okay and thriving.

You can certainly be an advocate for your baby and question the doctor exactly what he's looking for and why he thinks the test needs to be done. You can also question him about possible adverse affects from the barium.

My daughter had heart surgery at 5 months old. She went through a lot of things that horrified me, because she was so little. But I had to put my trust in the doctors that they knew what needed to be done. She is 16 now and doesn't remember a thing about it.

Goodmorning D.
TOrespond to the spit up of your daughter it look like she has acid reflux, to absorb that try to gove her some baby cereal you probably think she to youung for that but that might help her start slowly by a teasp and increase little by little, see if it works, I'm not to proud to have a small child going thru to all those test that young,
GOOD LUCK AND MAY GOD BLESS

That can be a scary situation - but I completely understand why you are reluctant to put radiation into a 3 month old! If you would consider a safe alternative supplement, try Reliv children's nutritional product - it's patented nutrition, a highly rated company for 20 years with never a bad reaction or successful claim against it, and the products were formulated by the scientist who worked on ProSoBee and Enfamil. People have had incredible results with digestive problems, often in just a few weeks. Why not try it before doing something really drastic? If she is eating a lot and eliminating well, she's definitely getting some nutrition now. Maybe a fair amount. Her body will divert all of the nutrition she's getting now to her brain - so key development will not be hurt. Reliv contains DHA which is brain food! And it's perfectly balanced, giving her everything in the same mouthful that she needs. I can put you in touch with other parents whose kids have benefited particularly with digestive health. Let me know.

Hi D.~
It could just be something you are eating/drinking that was making her spit up. Take a look at your diet over the last few weeks. Babies have a growth spurt at around 3 months and nurse more frequently until your milk supply increases. Some kids just spit up more than others. Even breast fed ones. If it continues to be a problem try cutting back on wheat and dairy and any other "gassy" types of foods in your diet to see if that helps. As a Mom, if you feel like you want to give it another week then you shouldn't feel intimidated by the doctor.

When reading your post I thought it sounded like symptoms my son had when he was diagnosed with GERD (reflux). He would scream when he was laying flat and seemed in pain. His pediatrician put him on a liquid reflux medicine that stopped the pain, but not the spitting up. I had to have him stay calm and upright for an hour after eating. When we picked him up we had to make sure not to put pressure on his stomach, but to pick him up under his armpits. He didn't have any weight issues though. I found more tips when I googled GERD in kids. This didn't go away until about 12 months old.

I am surprised that your pediatrician didn't mention ruling out GERD or anything about it and just wants to go to something more invasive, has the pediatrician been more invasive in other treatments? Do you trust the pediatrician?

I hope you can easily and quickly find what the root of the issue it in a way that you feel comfortable with.

I've never heard of using barium just because a baby is projectile vomiting. Is your daughter dropping in weight percentiles, or is she just smaller than average? Some kids are just thin by nature - I have two children, one is consistently 4th percentile for weight and one is 93rd, their pediatrician says both are very healthy, they just have very different builds (there was nearly a 3lb difference between them at birth, so it's been this way from the beginning). Projectile spitup is pretty common and all the pediatricians I've worked with as a parent haven't considered it a huge problem so long as the baby isn't dropping weight (pediatricians in MA, England, and Scotland - international consensus). If the baby is dropping weight, my understanding was that doctors looked for reflux problems, which can be treated without using barium dye. Sometimes if you're breastfeeding you can change diet to make them spit up less and I think you could probably do the same by switching to one of the more sensitive formulas. If gassiness is a problem, giving her mylicon (you can get it from CVS and most grocery stores) might make her spit up less - and could also make her less fussy at the breast.

If your pediatrician is really pushing the barium, really press them to know why and see if you can't try seeing an allergist first. Normally a barium test is performed in infants to look for pyloric stenosis - is this what your doctor is looking for? This site describes the symptoms well, so you can see if you think your daughter might have it:

http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/medical/digestive/pylori...

They can usually identify this condition through ultrasounds; I think you could request this to prevent exposing your daughter to radiation unnecessarily.

Good luck!