Why does baby spit up after feeding?

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Almost every mother faces the problem of regurgitation in an infant. This often overshadows the most touching and happy period of the first months of a baby's life. In addition to the banal household inconvenience, regurgitation also often causes concern for the parents of a newborn. Why is the baby spitting up? What am I doing wrong? How can I help my child? Why is spitting dangerous? Many such disturbing questions come to the mind of worried parents. To find the right answers, let's take a closer look at the concept of "regurgitation", the causes and factors that cause this process in newborns and infants. When to really worry, and when the process is acceptable and shouldn't be cause for undue concern.

What kind of thing is spitting up?

From the first days of life, the child adapts and gets used to the environment, and in his body there are many processes that contribute to adaptation to new conditions. In this regard, the gastrointestinal tract can alsorespond to a new environment and food for him. Regurgitation is such a “reaction” of the body of a newborn. Milk or formula that enters the baby's stomach after feeding is thrown back into the oral cavity - this is commonly called "regurgitation".

In simple terms, regurgitation is simply the exit from the body of a small amount of food that was poorly digested by the stomach and entered back into the esophagus, and then into the pharynx and oral cavity. We will not delve into the anatomy and explain everything on the fingers. When a baby spit up, the milk or mixture that is in the stomach after feeding is returned to the mouth. To put it simply, regurgitation is a slight vomiting, but it is worth noting that the products of vomiting in infants are already curdled milk, and after regurgitation, the consistency, smell, color of milk does not change. This process in the first months of life can be observed in almost all babies.

Why do babies spit up while feeding?

Regurgitation is a completely normal reaction of a young organism to environmental factors. Statistics show that this factor occurs in most he althy six-month-old children. The main issue is intensity and volume. So let's figure it out.

There are several main reasons why a baby spit up after a feed. The first of these is the swallowing of air during feeding. This is the main reason why regurgitation occurs. Air enters the digestive tract, which causes discomfort and pain in the baby's abdomen, thenair bubbles come out with a little milk.

Overeating is another reason for spitting up. The very process of sucking for a baby is not only a way to get enough, but also an opportunity to get pleasure, during which the baby, carried away, may well swallow an extra portion, after which excess milk or mixture will spit up.

Problems with the gastrointestinal tract or peculiarities of its structure in a newborn can also cause regurgitation after feeding, since the cardial part of the stomach of the newborn is not yet fully formed.

Why does baby spit up so much? Most likely, this is a spasm of the pylorus - a valve that blocks the exit from the stomach. In this case, regurgitation is more intense, it is thrown far and with force. If such regurgitation occurs often enough, several times a day or more, you should contact your pediatrician with this problem.

Other sources of harm to the child

Smoking in a child's room can also cause spitting up. Inhaling cigarette smoke, the baby experiences a spasm of the esophagus, which almost always leads to regurgitation. Smoking in a home with a small child is not allowed!

Why does baby spit up after formula feeding? There may be several reasons for this. Your child may have an intolerance to cow's milk protein. If regurgitation occurs after each feeding, it is definitely worth contacting a specialist. Probably, the baby has a violation of the intestinal microflora, dysbacteriosisor any intestinal infection. Properly prescribed tests will reveal the cause of the child's digestive disorders.

If a newborn receives poor quality formula, this can have a negative effect on digestion. Why does the child spit up water? As a rule, the baby spits up water already a couple of hours after feeding. During this time, the milk or mixture has already split into whey and curd, and the whey that comes out is often mistaken for water. Also, increased salivation can be the cause of regurgitation of water, that is, again, this is not water, but swallowed saliva.

Why does a newborn baby spit up after breastfeeding? Most likely, the reason is that the baby sucks hastily, and in the process of sucking swallows air, which later burps along with milk. Another likely reason is that mother's milk is high in fat. This leads to only partial absorption of the product in the child's digestive system. At the same time, regurgitation is curdled and has an unpleasant odor.

Why does baby spit up formula? There are several possible reasons, again. Malnutrition - in addition to breast milk, the baby is fed with a mixture, and the mixture is not absorbed. Or intolerance to cow protein. Possibly poor mix quality.

Incorrect breastfeeding or the wrong bottle nipple can also cause spitting up. An attentive mother who monitors the feeding of her baby will be able to determine the cause herself.

Why does baby spit up at 3 months? At the age of three or four months in infants, asusually begins teething. This rather painful process leads to profuse salivation. A large amount of saliva enters the stomach, and later regurgitates. In this case, the child spits up like a transparent "water". Also, it is at this age that babies are more likely to have problems with digestion. Violation of the microflora leads to gas formation, which, in turn, causes regurgitation.

How to deal with this situation?

Determining why a baby is spitting up, and whether to worry about it, is not easy enough. But it is necessary to identify whether this is a natural process or a symptom of a dangerous disease. You do not need to worry if, despite frequent and even profuse regurgitation, your baby is gaining weight well and the monthly increase meets standard developmental standards. Control the amount of regurgitation. The acceptable volume is considered to be 2-4 tablespoons. If your baby's stools and urination aren't a concern either, then you probably don't need to worry about spitting up.

Either way, spitting up is a little uncomfortable, and it's up to you to reduce the amount and frequency. To do this, be patient, adjust the daily routine and feeding, lead an active lifestyle, walk regularly. It is better to carry the baby in an upright position more often, also give him the opportunity to lie on his tummy, do daily exercises and tummy massage with him. In any case, this will improve his digestion and relieve gas formation. Be optimistic andenjoy every new day with your baby! Remember that the child is very connected with you emotionally and reacts to the mood of the mother. Your smile and calmness will only make his life better.

Types of regurgitation

It is equally important to determine the type of regurgitation in time, and for this, in turn, you should have some knowledge. Let's figure it out together!

There are several types of spitting up babies:

• Pathological.
• Physiological.

Physiological

A fairly common type that does not promise any serious problems for your baby's he alth. In most cases, the child's gastrointestinal tract simply does not have time to form, thereby complicating your baby's digestion. Physiological regurgitation is quite normal and does not indicate the presence of any pathologies.

Pathological

Pathological regurgitation is a cause for concern for young parents. This kind of problem suggests that the baby has at least an internal disease, and he needs a professional examination. Doctors may order necessary laboratory tests, which can then help determine the root of the problem.

As statistics show, in most cases, and this is about 80 percent, regurgitation in babies is a natural process, and only in the remaining 20 percent is the disease.

How to identify pathology?

The main signal for mom in the definitionabnormal regurgitation in a child is their frequency and volume. Sometimes the intensity of regurgitation is so great that food comes out of the baby's mouth like a fountain. Another equally important symptom is underweight, moody behavior and poor appetite against the background of this problem.

Nasal regurgitation: good or bad?

Often, young parents ask similar questions when their child has regurgitation through the nasal cavity. In vain it is not worth starting to sound the alarm, especially if the frequency of the phenomenon is not intense. But still, nasal regurgitation is not a very good phenomenon. A similar process can clog the baby's nasal cavity, thereby causing difficulty in breathing. In this case, it is still advisable to seek help from a pediatrician.

Hiccups when spitting up

Often the baby has hiccups when spitting up, in which case you also need to be careful about the situation. Usually hiccups appear an hour after feeding. Why does a child spit up, every mother should know. Therefore, it is important to monitor the behavior of your baby. If a child has hiccups with a long interval, then perhaps he simply swallowed air, but if your baby has a frequent hiccups, this is a reason to see a doctor. Such symptoms indicate a violation of the digestive system or any disease.

Rashes are considered no less a bad sign. In some children, against the background of frequent hiccups, skin irritations appear, causingconcern not only for babies, but also for their parents.

Alarm signs

If a rash appears on the background of such spitting up, then this may mean that he has lactose intolerance.

Why do babies often spit up after milk? If you see that after eating the baby spits up thick milk, then this most often means that he just overate.

If a baby spits up a lot, sleeps little, burps loudly, and is underweight, this may mean that he has some kind of disease. You should not wait for everything to go away on its own, you need to contact a pediatrician as soon as possible.

If the baby has green or yellow regurgitation, this is definitely not the norm. There is no need to joke with this, a doctor's consultation in this case is required.

Be sure to pay attention to such moments, and then your baby will grow up strong and he althy.