Spitting up All the Time

Dear Leah,

Well, firstly take her to the pediatrician and get serious with him or her, do not go away from that appointment with any lingering questions. then get some really solid advice of what type of formula to give her. You may have to go through several. Projectile vomiting may be a symptom you would like to talk with the doctor about.
C. N.

She may have acid reflux or something else, and you should take her in to the doctor. It is not good to sit on this kind of problem. Consult the doctor.

Sounds like reflux. This is beyond spitting up if it involves projectile. Take her to the doctor ASAP.

My 3 month old son spits up a lot too. My pediatrician said that as long as he is gaining weight it is nothing to worry about. Their digestive systems are just immature and with time it improves. Make sure you talk to your pediatrician though and make sure it isn't GERD. I don't know anything bout formula beyond what they put on the packaging. Be careful of Soy because my nephew is allergic to it.I'm not saying don't try it but watch carefully because allergy is a possibility as with any new food you introduce. I got a formula that was supposed to be easier on my son's stomach but he doesn't seem to like it as much as the regular stuff. He still spits it up too. Good luck...

I haven't seen the other responses yet, but this could be an issue with your child's Pyloric Valve. Our friends son constatnly spit up and had projectile vomit. He had to have a small prodedure done to fix his Pyloric Valve. God Luck!

Hello, Leah,

Look into Sunrider foods.

My very best,

T.

I would consult the pediatrician. It may be GERT, a kind of reflux in infants.

Have you consulted your pediatrician? It sounds as if your daughter might be suffering from reflux. Try feeding her smaller amounts more often, burp her several times over the shoulder while feeding, allow her to sit at about a 30 degree angle for about 20 - 30 minutes after her feedings (try avoiding compressing the stomach). Also, you can try propping up her crib mattress at a 30 degree angle while she sleeps.

Best of luck to you.

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.

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.

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!

My little bop had bad acid reflux / colic at that age. All the dr's told me to wait it out. Nicole Stone at Remember to Breathe Center (it's in Point Loma) helped our baby almost over night. She gave us some drops to help the digestion and she showed us very valuable infant massage techniques to ease our baby's pain / stop the spitting up.

It was like night and day, I can't recommend her enough. Her contact details are on her website: http://remembertobreathecenter.com

~A.

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.

I was there with my daughter and it is not fun. She cried all the time and was a very unhaapy baby. My MIL said she was colicky. I tried eliminating dairy from my diet. Harder than it seemed, dairy products were in so many things I didn't realize.

Finally one night I would feed her, she would throw it all up, I would cleaan it up and clean me up and she would be hungry again and it would start all over again. It was a miserable night. Her doctor said to try soy formula and that was it. Different baby, happy baby. She kept food down, her tummy wasn't hurting any more. Later she grew into being able to drink milk and loves it.

It does sound like she is allergic to something and I would work on figuring out what it is. Spit up is normal, vomiting is not. Talk to the doctor about allergies, or put yourself on an elimination diet and see if that helps.

Best of luck!

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

My oldest son Tom was breast fed and was a "spitter". In fact he even spitup after he learned to crawl. Unless it is the whole feeding or continuouly projectile, I think it is normal in some children (my other two did not spit up. Ask the doctor on the phone to make sure. It never hurts to call the doctor.
H.

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

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!

Sounds just like my son, reflux baby. Burp her in an upright position and then sit her up for about 30 minutes after she eats, in a chair or bouncee. I also switched to a large towel instead of a burp cloth and always carried a change of shirt & bra for me in the diaper bag in case mine got soaked as he got older. Talk to the pediatrition about it, depends on the severity but our son grew out of it and now only has a problem when he eats tomatoes (he's 9).

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-...
http://www.google.com/search?q=projectile+vomiting+in+new...

All the best and take care,
~Susan

There is a formula called enfamil (i believe) AR. It is a bit thicker than regular formula.. Sounds like reflux, which is pretty common in new babies! Both my girls were preemies and both suffered from reflux-- my first sounded more like yours!

After feeds try to keep her elevated about 30 degrees so she isn't lying flat.. Best would be if you hold her against you sitting up... You can try also to cut her feeding amount a little bit and feed her more often.. I know, its a drag, but it can be helpful!

Good luck

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!

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!

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).

G.

My son was the same way. Try sitting her up for like 20 to 30 minutes after eating. That always helped my son keep it down better. He still would spit up some, but not nearly as much. Try sitting her up in a boppy, bumbo, swing, bouncy seat, your lap, whatever you can find that will keep her up. It may even give you 30 minutes of time to do stuff! Good luck!

My daughter is the same way and she's 4 months. Some days are worse than others. It doesn't bother her, she just spits up and then is fine. Doctor said they call these babies "Happy Spitters" meaning that they spit up, not in pain or discomfort and still gaining weight...so it's fine and common. My niece did it for 9 months. I wouldn't worry unless you feel your baby is not gaining weight or is uncomfortable.

Hi Leah,
My now 10 month old was a frequent spitter-upper. Sometimes they, too, were projectile and came thru her nose. I tried Enfamil A.R. (the thicker version of Enfamil). I'm not sure if that's the one you tried. It didn't stop it completely but it helped. I think it's just a matter of time, unfortunately. The spitting up slowed around 5 months and stopped completely after 7 months. Good luck!
N. W.

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!

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."

I had the same problems with my second child. I lowered or cut out my dairy intake while I was breastfeeding. It helped, but once I started doing formula at around 4 months, it got better. I use Enfamil A.R. Lipil and it has reduced the spit up in half or more. At least now, he has somewhat dry burps. Good Luck

Try cutting out the lactose based foods you eat or try a lactose free formula. Both of my kids are lacose intolerant, hubby is too. It's a quick somewhat easy way to see if the vomiting stops. It was hard for me to cut the lactose, I love dairy, but once I did, a lot of my second son's colic-like symptoms disappeared. I was only able to nurse him for 6 1/2 months, but once I switched to formula, I did lactose free as well. It's easy to find, almost every grocery store I've seen carries it. My 3 y.o. actually drinks Soy milk as well. Oh, and the lactose free milk is sweet, so kids tend to really like it!! Best of luck to you! And maybe double check with your doctor. I'm not saying cut dairy all together, but try lactose free based products.

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.
K.

hello Leah, It sounds as though your daughter might have Reflux. I would ask your Dr. about it. My son had reflux until he was almost 2 and he also had surgery at 5 weeks old for something called Pyloric Stenosis, it would cause him to projectile vomit and not gain weight. If you baby is not gaining weight then I would take her to the Dr. right way but if she is gaining way then she probably has acid reflux and you can set her up for 30 minutes after she eats. My son slept in his boucy seat a lot when he was little, that way his reflux would not bother him. well, I hope this helps. Good Luck! God Bless you!

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.
-B.

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!

Hi Leah,
My son had the projectile and nose spit, etc. It was just really messy for several months. Once we were able to ascertain that he did not have a GI problems, we along with his Dr., decided not to put him on meds since he was gaining weight. Yes, it was very messy and we had a blanket over our couch for several months but as he got through the first year it gradually became less and less.

Sounds maybe like Reflux. I would ask your dr.

My first baby spit up a lot, too. It worried me and my husband a lot, but my mom had 7 babies and she told us that some babies spit up more than others. I would check with your doctor just to be sure, but our baby was fine, he just spit up a lot (about 3 times after each feeding). He was growing consistently and never had trouble with it when he was sleeping, it was just very messy after feedings. We put towels down on the couch and on the floor where we fed him each time. At 5 weeks, we would burp him pretty frequently throughout the feeding, then keep him upright for 20-30 minutes afterward. That helped a little, but he still spit up a lot. We had lots of 100% cotton "pre-fold" diapers around - those worked great for burp cloths.
Fortunately, our baby #2 didn't spit up at all. So we got one of each. Maybe your first baby was your non-spitter-uper? :)

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.

Hi Leah,

Try reading the book Colic Solved. The author's last name is long, but you can easily find it by the title. It's written by a pediatric gastroenterologist. It will at least let you know if your baby has reflux so you can work on getting help if that's the case. I just read it and it's a great resource! Good luck!

Y. :o)

My baby was the same and Babies magic tea helped us.

I know you've probably gotten a hundred responses on this so far, but I felt I should share my experience as well:)

My 6.5 month old daughter went through the same exact thing, and in fact still is, just not as much now. She saw 3 different doctors who all said she was simply overeating. There is really nothing you can do, but try to time your feedings and limit, or if you give formula, do not overfeed.

I swore she was projectile vomiting her entire day's worth every 30 minutes and she went through outfit after outfit (and so did I!) She is growing rapidly and never acted like she was in pain, in fact she even was very happy while spitting up.

I have a recent "Babytalk" magazine that says it's just a messy nuisance and not much more. The sphincter muscle between their stomach and esophasgus is immature and small amounts of food (seems large to us after being mixed with saliva) can escape. It recommends taking regular burping breaks during and after meals and try to keep upright for about half hour afterwards.

If she acts fussy while spitting up, it may be GERD (reflux) which can be painful so you may want to ask your pediatrician about the different medications for that.

Good luck and this too, shall pass!!

Leah,

I would recommend asking your doctor about reflux and then eliminating dairy from your diet. My son is intolerant to both dairy and soy proteins and he has reflux. Once I eliminated dairy and soy (including dairy and soy hidden in other foods), he completely quit spitting up. We treated him for reflux for a while also but it didn't do much good until we figured out which foods were fueling the reflux. If you want more info on food intolerances, let me know. But I would definitely try to identify if you've got a food intolerance going before you introduce formula. If you've got a dairy or soy intolerance going and you introduce formula, all that puking is going to get much worse. There are hypoallergenic formulas but they are really expensive. Dairy intolerances are probably the most common but there are other foods (like soy) that commonly cause problems. Good luck!

T.

I use the emfamil that says for babies that spit up frequently.