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Is Spitting Up in Infants Normal?
Spitting up is the mild vomiting of food, milk and saliva that can occur in infants. It usually occurs after feeding or burping. Spitting up is not forceful and is not a cause of worry. It is very common among normal infants. Although it is messy, Spitting up rarely signifies a serious problem. As long as your baby seems healthy and is gaining weight, there's little cause for concern. .
Breast-fed babies tend to spit up less often than bottle-fed babies, perhaps because they're less likely to over eat and swallow excess air during feedings. Most babies outgrow this problem by the time they begin to sit and eat solid foods, often within six months to a year. .
If you keep a burp cloth within reach at all times, it might be helpful. Almost 40 percent of infants spit up on a regular basis. Babies spit up for lots of reasons, including gagging when the milk lets down quickly and forcefully, oversupply of milk, immature muscle control, allergy, and disease. .
What you can do about it
Try these tips for minimizing spitting up: .
- Minimize distractions. Keep it calm. Make each feeding a peaceful and relaxed experience. Feed your baby before he / she becomes frantic.
- Handle him gently and burp him often.
- Sit up. Try to keep him in an upright position during and after feedings. Nurse frequently. Smaller, more frequent feedings are easier to digest.
- Take time to burp. Frequent burps during and after each feeding can keep air from building up in your baby's stomach.
- If your baby wants to nurse constantly, and seems to spit up every time he eats, try offering a pacifier -that may keep him from overfilling his stomach and spitting up the excess.
- If you are giving him supplemental vitamins, iron, or fluoride, try discontinuing them.
What is Reflux and Pyloric Stenosis:
Reflux: Apart from spitting up, the baby might suffer from a condition known as "reflux". Reflux occurs when the muscle at the opening of the stomach (which keeps milk in the stomach until it is empties into the small intestine) opens up at the wrong times, causing the milk to back up into the esophagus. The gastric juices are acidic, and can burn and irritate the throat and esophagus. .
Research has shown that breast-fed babies have fewer and less severe episodes of reflux than formula-fed babies. Breast milk is more easily digested than formula, and is emptied from the baby's stomach twice as quickly. .
Another advantage of breastfeeding the baby with reflux is that human milk is less irritating to the esophagus than formula, and has a lower acidity. .
Pyloric Stenosis: There is another condition that can cause symptoms of vomiting in infants, and is more severe than reflux. It is pyloric stenosis, and is seldom seen in breastfed babies. It is most common in male infants, and usually develops 4-6 weeks after birth. .
When to Call a Doctor
Contact your baby's doctor if your baby:
- Isn't gaining weight
- Spits up forcefully, so that the contents shoot out of the mouth
- Shows signs of dehydration
- Spits up excessively
- Seems hungry between feedings
- Has fewer wet diapers than normal
- A sunken soft spot on the top of the head
- Lack of tears when crying
- Shows lethargic behavior
- Stops breathing, becomes limp, or has any blue color change during a spitting up episode. With normal spitting up, the child may choke or gag briefly but does not stop breathing or turn blue.
- Has other signs of serious illness, such as fever or diarrhea
- Spits up green or brown fluid
- Is suffering from Reflux or Pyloric Stenosis
Treatment will depend on what's causing the problem. Careful feeding techniques are often helpful. In other cases, medication to treat reflux or Stenosis might be hel