Should the baby spit up. The child spits up - what should parents do? Is it normal for a baby to spit up?

regurgitation

regurgitation is a kind of vomiting, but occurs easily, without effort. When spitting up, a small amount (5 - 30 ml) of milk is released in a child after a short period of time after feeding in the form of runoff or a weak eruption of semi-digested milk. Do not be alarmed, in most cases, spitting up in a child is a natural process. Spitting up in a baby can occur when he is changed, turned over, and even during feeding: he sucks, turns away, spit up and takes the breast again. Spitting up is the result of immaturity nervous system baby and weakness of the muscular valve, which is located in the upper part of the stomach. Regurgitation does not lead to a significant change in the general condition of the child.

Reasons for spitting up:

overfeeding, which leads to distension of the stomach;
swallowing air (aerophagia) during feeding, which occurs when the baby is not properly attached to the breast or if the baby has a short frenulum of the tongue or upper lip. The air bubble, standing out from the stomach, pushes the milk out. This is accompanied by belching of air and regurgitation of a small amount of milk. Due to the distension of the stomach, the child may spit up, scream, or be restless;
flatulence (accumulation of gases in the intestines of a child);
a quick change in the horizontal position of the child's body after feeding to a vertical one;
inhibition of the child immediately after feeding;
tight swaddling.

Noticeable regurgitation in a child appears after the arrival of mature milk - by about 14 - 30 days after birth. Regurgitation becomes more abundant and frequent from the 20th to the 30th day of the child's life. As a rule, by 6 months regurgitation stops or greatly decreases.

When a child often spit up, count how many times a day he pees. If 12 or more times, then the baby has enough milk and he spits up the excess. The norm for the age of 1-4 months is spitting up after each feeding up to 2 tablespoons of milk or spitting up once a day more than 3 tablespoons. It is not dangerous for the child. To check how much milk your baby has spit up, pour 1 tablespoon of water onto a diaper and compare the water stain to the size of the spit up stain.

Too much and frequent regurgitation can be a sign of improperly organized breastfeeding (incorrect attachment to the breast; rare feedings - agree that everything will be absorbed better if you eat little and often; any others that do not coincide with the basic rules of breastfeeding - see above) .

An increase in the volume and frequency of regurgitation is directly affected by increased stress on the baby’s psyche, such as: early swimming, prolonged crying, frequent trips to the city, visits by a large number of people to your home, family quarrels and other gross shortcomings in caring for the baby.“

A baby who catches air during feeding should be held upright after feeding so that he burps the swallowed air. If your baby is properly attached to the breast, does not make any sounds when sucking and does not capture air, you can not put it in a "column" after each feeding. If your baby is spitting up while in your arms, just turn him over onto his stomach. It is better to put such a baby on the side in the bed.

It is not necessary to hold the child upright after each application, especially if the child has fallen asleep. Most of the time the baby lies on its side. If he burps a little, then the diaper just changes under his cheek. It is necessary to hold the artificial man vertically so that he does not spill the 120g poured into him. And we are talking about babies who are fed on demand and receive small portions of mother's milk. In addition, the cardiac sphincter of the stomach needs training, which it can only receive if the child is lying down.

If your baby is spitting up frequently, with poor weight gain and infrequent urination, or if every spitting up is a gushing vomit, get your child to the doctor right away.

Is the first year of a baby's life compatible with the absence of stress and worries? Perhaps this is the blue dream of every mom, which was never destined to come true. But if you immediately find the necessary information on various issues, then all worries will be minimized. Almost every mother doubts whether it is normal if a newborn baby does not spit up after feeding? And if on the contrary, spit up?

Spitting up after a meal breast milk or a mixture - the phenomenon in most cases is completely normal, because it is caused natural causes. But still, sometimes mom should pay attention to this process, because it can serve as a pretext for some children's problems. Now that a feeding surprise comes with spitting up, you'll know what it means and if you need to do something about it.

Where do regurgitations come from

The statistics on this issue are quite categorical: 70% of mothers face regurgitation in a baby after feeding. Moreover, such a surprise visits them at least once a day. And if you fall into the category of moms who panic at the sight of how the baby spit up, these statistics should reassure you. This phenomenon has several reasons:

Breastfeeding is probably the most popular topic among mothers. And the basis of the basics in this matter is the correct attachment of the baby to the chest. There are many manuals and brochures to help mom learn how to do this. The baby should cover the entire nipple and most of the areola with his small mouth. If this does not happen, air will enter the children's stomach, which provokes regurgitation.
To swaddle or not to swaddle is the personal decision of each mother. Today, there are many theories that either "preach" swaddling, or call for doing without it. But there are parents who go to extremes and swaddle the baby too tight, turning him into a tin soldier. The child often reacts to such squeezing by spitting up and as if declaring: “Mom, loosen your grip!”.
There are children who eat too greedily and breastfeed too intensively. It's one thing when this happens rarely and means that the baby is very hungry. But sometimes this approach to food in a baby becomes a habit. Then he eats more than he should and simply spit up excess food. In this case, we advise you to slightly reduce the feeding time or take breaks in it.
If you are formula feeding your baby and he reacts to it by spitting up, then the type of product may simply not be suitable for him. Carefully study the composition of the mixture: the cause of whims is sometimes a high content of lactose.
Incorrectly selected can be not only a mixture, but also a bottle. To date, the market for children's goods is very diverse, and this is wonderful. You can purchase a bottle with a special valve that prevents air from entering.
Every mother knows the importance of nutrition during breastfeeding. But if she forgot about it (or seemed to forget) and ate something forbidden, then this may be the cause of the formation of gases in the children's stomach, and hence regurgitation.
Excessive activity after a feed is another common cause of a reaction.

These are the most common causes of spitting up and do not pose a threat to your baby. But there are other situations when a mother should, if not worry, then pay attention so precisely.

When is it not normal?

Perhaps the most important rule in raising a child is to take into account his individuality. If a woman does not adjust her child to general standards, does not blindly follow all advice indiscriminately and does not worry if her baby is somehow different from the neighbor's - she is a wonderful mother! This principle also works in matters of regurgitation. Below we have listed the symptoms that often indicate the presence of a problem, but they do not require any independent solution measures, and even more so the mother’s initiative in establishing a diagnosis. The first and only measure here is a consultation with a pediatrician.

If regurgitation occurs after each feeding and its volume gradually increases, this is often a signal to the baby that his digestion does not like something.
Pay attention to what your baby is spitting up. If the consistency is suspicious yellowish or greenish in color with blood or mucus, then it makes sense to consult a doctor to find out the cause and take action.
If the baby's tummy is soft after feeding, then there is no reason to worry. But bloating can sometimes be a bad sign.
Sensitive parents may notice that the process of regurgitation is accompanied by a disgruntled grimace in a child, which quite often symbolizes pain and discomfort in the abdomen.
In the event that the baby is weak, apathetic, not gaining weight, this is a reason for consulting a doctor. Pay attention to the general age norms for your crumbs. Although we are talking about the individual development of each baby, a strong lag is still unacceptable.
At breastfeeding look at what the child vomited up. If everything is normal, the mass will resemble cottage cheese or curdled milk. It is easy to check the amount of mass without overly complicated measurements. Just pour a teaspoon of water next to the "surprise" that the baby left after feeding. When all natural, the patches will be about the same in size.

Most often, regurgitation is an absolutely normal process, because it is characteristic of many children. But sometimes it can be an indicator of pathology. In any case, it never hurts to consult a pediatrician to eliminate all doubts and guesses.

Main measures

Often, the simplest measures help to get rid of spitting up, or at least reduce their recurrence. Here is a universal memo with actions that can be very handy:

Do not feed your baby in a horizontal position, an inclination angle of about 60 degrees is ideal.
After feeding, hold the baby upright in a column so that the air can escape.
Watch your diet to avoid foods that cause gas.
Try to reduce the portions of feeding and the frequency of meals.
After eating, let the baby rest a little.
If the baby eats the mixture, offer it only in the form of heat.
Before eating, put the baby on his stomach for a couple of minutes.
If you are bottle feeding, position the bottle at an angle so that the nipple is filled with formula.

Spitting up is a process when, after feeding, the baby backs up a small amount (5-30 ml) of milk or formula, if the baby is on a mixed or artificial feeding. Usually this does not affect the behavior and general well-being of the child.

What causes spitting up?

To answer this question, you need to know some anatomical and physiological features gastrointestinal tract in infants.

First of all, regurgitation in newborn babies is associated with the immaturity of the sphincter between the esophagus and stomach (the sphincter is called a circular muscle, which, by contracting, closes one or another hole in the body). Normally, after the passage of food from the esophagus to the stomach, it closes. This is what prevents stomach contents from returning back into the esophagus. By the time the baby is born, this sphincter is still very weak, and therefore there is a reflux of milk or milk mixture into the baby's esophagus and mouth. Very young children have another important feature - the angle of entry of the esophagus into the stomach is often blunt or approaches 90 °, while in older children and adults it decreases to acute. This also creates conditions for the reflux of gastric contents into the esophagus, which leads to regurgitation in newborns.

Causes of regurgitation

But not only these features contribute to regurgitation. They can also occur in a number of other cases:

with general immaturity of the body, which is most often found in premature babies;
when overfeeding a baby - if the amount of food eaten exceeds the volume of the stomach. This happens in newborns when feeding on demand, if the mother has a lot of milk, or in artisans with an incorrectly calculated volume of the milk mixture;
when a large amount of food (milk or milk formula) is consumed, the stomach is overdistended, the sphincter cannot withstand the increased pressure inside it, and part of the eaten is thrown into the esophagus. If the baby has overeaten, he spits up fresh milk in the first half hour after feeding;
when swallowing air during feeding (aerophagia), which in infants most often occurs with fast and eager sucking, improper attachment of the baby to the breast, or the wrong position of the bottle with the mixture. In these cases, an air bubble forms in the stomach, which pushes out a small amount of food eaten. With aerophagia, a child may begin to show anxiety during feeding, throw the breast, turn his head and scream. The same symptoms may occur after feeding;
with a rapid change in body position after feeding. Regurgitation can occur in a baby if, immediately after feeding, the mother begins to disturb him, swaddle, bathe, massage, etc .;
with increased pressure in the abdominal cavity. For example, tight swaddling or a diaper that is too tight creates excessive external pressure on the baby's tummy, which can lead to spitting up. Also, factors contributing to an increase in intra-abdominal pressure include flatulence (increased gas formation in the intestines), intestinal colic and constipation.

Why is the baby spitting up? Watch the video

Regurgitation in newborns: when is it a signal of illness

Unfortunately, regurgitation in newborns can also be one of the manifestations of certain diseases. Quite often, they occur in diseases such as birth trauma, hypoxia (oxygen starvation) during pregnancy or childbirth, increased intracranial pressure, impaired cerebral circulation, increased neuro-reflex excitability, etc. In these cases, along with regurgitation, the child will experience symptoms characteristic of CNS damage: increased excitability or lethargy, sleep disturbances, trembling of the chin or arms, an increase or decrease in muscle tone.

Regurgitation is also observed in some congenital malformations of the gastrointestinal tract:

hiatal hernia. This is a congenital underdevelopment of connective tissue structures that strengthen the opening in the diaphragm through which the esophagus passes. With this disease, regurgitation occurs 2–3 weeks after birth, is persistent and prolonged, appears immediately after feeding, the child quickly loses weight. To confirm the diagnosis, it is necessary to conduct an x-ray examination;
pyloric stenosis and pylorospasm. In the place where the stomach passes into the duodenum, there is a sphincter - the pylorus of the stomach. It blocks the lumen of the stomach while food is digested in it. Then it opens, and the contents of the stomach move into the duodenum. At infants there are two types of disruption of the work of this closing opening - pylorospasm and pyloric stenosis. In the first case, the sphincter muscle convulsively contracts, and in the second it is greatly thickened and narrows the exit from the stomach. Under these conditions, the contents of the stomach cannot fully pass into the duodenum. In the first days, the baby does not experience any inconvenience, since the volume of milk he sucks is small. Regurgitation appears as the amount of food eaten increases and, as a rule, begins towards the end of the first month of life. In the future, instead of regurgitation, vomiting of a fountain of curdled milk with a sour smell may appear. To confirm the diagnosis, it is necessary to conduct an endoscopic examination of the stomach;
chalazia cardia. The cardia is the same sphincter that separates the esophagus from the stomach. So, with congenital chalazia (that is, relaxation), it cannot close completely, which leads to the reflux of the contents of the stomach into the esophagus. In this case, the milk comes out unchanged, since it has not yet had time to be digested. Such regurgitation begins from the first days of life, occurs immediately after feeding the baby and is stronger if the baby is left to lie down. The general condition of the child is often disturbed: he suckles sluggishly, gets tired quickly, gains little weight and sleeps poorly. The diagnosis is confirmed by X-ray.
congenital short esophagus. With this pathology, there is a discrepancy between the length of the esophagus and the chest, as a result of which part of the stomach is higher than the diaphragm.

Norm or pathology?

How can a mother understand whether regurgitation is physiological, that is, due to the normal characteristics of the gastrointestinal tract, or is it a manifestation of a disease?

If regurgitation occurs infrequently (1-2 times a day), in a small volume (1-3 tablespoons), while the child has a good appetite and good regular stools, he develops normally, gains weight well (in the first 3-4 months, the baby should add at least 125 g per week (600-800 g per month)) and he has a sufficient number of urination per day (at least 8-10), then regurgitation can not be given much importance. In such cases, they are most likely associated with age characteristics gastrointestinal tract no. With a high degree of probability, in the second half of life, after the introduction of complementary foods, they will pass on their own without any treatment.

In the fight against spitting up

What should a mother do to avoid regurgitation at hailstones? The following tips will help:

do not overfeed your baby. It is necessary to periodically carry out control weighing of the baby (weighing before and after one feeding) in order to determine the amount of sucked milk. Babies with regurgitation are advised to feed more frequently with smaller than usual portions. At the same time, the daily amount of food should not decrease. With artificial feeding, the pediatrician should calculate the volume of daily and single feeding for the baby, taking into account his age and body weight;
correct attachment of the baby to the breast. When breastfeeding, it is important to ensure that the baby captures not only the nipple, but also the areola. At the same time, the nipple and areola fill almost the entire mouth of the child, a complete vacuum is created, which practically eliminates the swallowing of air;
with artificial feeding is of great importance right choice holes in the nipple. It should not be large, the mixture should flow out in frequent drops from an overturned bottle. During feeding, the bottle should be tilted at such an angle that the nipple is completely filled with formula. Otherwise, the baby will swallow air.

Regurgitation in infants: treatment by position

In order to avoid spitting up when feeding the baby, it is important that he is in the correct position:

it is desirable that the baby, when feeding, is located in the mother's arms at an angle of 45–60 ° from the horizontal plane. To make it comfortable for mom, you can put rollers, pillows, etc. under the crumbs;
after feeding, the child should be held in an upright position - "column" - for 10-20 minutes so that he releases air, which departs with a characteristic loud sound for one or more times, you should not swaddle the baby tightly and dress him in clothes with tight elastic bands that tighten the tummy. It is important that the baby's head is slightly elevated (at an angle of 30–60° to the horizontal plane). To do this, it is recommended to put the baby to sleep on a small pillow or on 1-2 folded diapers, you can also raise the legs of the head of the crib by 5-10 cm;
babies suffering from regurgitation are recommended to be put to sleep not on their back, but on their stomach or right side. The fact is that in the supine position, the transition from the esophagus to the stomach is located below the stomach itself, which facilitates the return of food into the esophagus and leads to regurgitation. The stomach is located on the left, and if the child is placed on the left side, pressure will be exerted on this organ, which in turn can provoke regurgitation. On the left side of the baby can be turned no earlier than 30 minutes after feeding. But in the position on the stomach, the inlet of the gastric opening, on the contrary, is located above the stomach, which helps to retain the milk eaten in it. In addition, the position of the child on the stomach or on the right side during regurgitation is considered the safest, since in these positions the possibility of inhalation of vomit is reduced to a minimum. Before feeding, it is recommended to change the diaper of the child, so as not to disturb him after eating. It is also better to bathe the baby before feeding and not earlier than 40 minutes after eating.

Therapeutic nutrition for regurgitation in infants

In order to reduce regurgitation in children who are formula-fed, you can use special therapeutic milk mixtures that have an increased viscosity. This is achieved due to the fact that thickeners are included in their composition: corn or rice starch, carob gluten. Due to the thicker consistency of the mixture, the food lump is better retained in the stomach. Casein-based milk substitutes are also used as therapeutic nutrition. In these mixtures, the content of casein protein is increased, which, when curdled in the stomach, forms a dense clot and thereby prevents regurgitation. These medicated formulas are labeled AR, but should only be used with a doctor's prescription and should not be given to healthy children who do not spit up.

At breastfeeding and persistent regurgitation in a child, along with breast milk, mixtures with thickeners are also sometimes used. At the same time, before feeding with mother's milk, the child is given 10-40 ml of the therapeutic mixture from a spoon or from a syringe (without a needle), and then the baby is breast-fed.

The doctor determines the duration of the use of such mixtures individually. It can be quite long: 2-3 months.

When medicines are needed

If the cause of regurgitation is increased gas formation, constipation, dysbacteriosis or intestinal colic, the doctor may prescribe tests for the baby to identify the cause of these disorders, and then prescribe treatment to reduce the manifestation of these symptoms, as well as special drugs that help reduce or stop regurgitation. The therapeutic effect of these drugs is that they normalize the motor activity of the gastrointestinal tract, increase the tone of the cardiac sphincter of the esophagus, accelerate the evacuation of food from the stomach into the intestines and thereby lead to the absence of regurgitation.

Despite the fact that regurgitation in infants is common and in most cases is not dangerous for the child, it is important to remember that they can be a symptom of a disease and cause a deterioration in the health of the baby. Therefore, if something in the behavior or condition of the child causes concern to the mother, it is best to seek help from a doctor.

Need advice

If the mother cannot assess the nature of the regurgitation herself or something worries her, the child must be shown to the pediatrician. The reasons for concern of parents and the obligatory visit to the doctor are:

profuse and frequent regurgitation;
regurgitation with an admixture of bile or blood;
regurgitation appeared after 6 months or does not go away after six months;
against the background of regurgitation, the child gains weight poorly, is inactive, has rare and small volume of urination.

Newborn weight

The weight of a newborn is an important indicator, the dynamics of which can be used to judge how the baby grows and develops. Even a small weight loss can be a wake-up call for parents. But with regular regurgitation, a child may not receive valuable nutrients for his growth. That is why it is so necessary to constantly monitor the weight of the baby, even at home. The presence of electronic baby scales at home will provide peace of mind to the mother and the ability to adjust the baby's diet.

Less air!

For bottle-fed babies who suffer from regurgitation due to swallowing air, special bottles have been developed: physiological bottles with a narrow part tilted at an angle of 30 °. This prevents the possibility of air entering the nipple. Bottles in which there is a special "tunnel" in the form of a tube with a top expanding towards the neck: such a system eliminates the occurrence of a vacuum and the creation of negative pressure. Bottles with a built-in anti-regurgitation valve that prevents air from entering the container and swallowing it.

All mothers faced such a problem as spitting up milk. This phenomenon occurs in all infants. But sometimes the baby spit up a lot almost at the end of each feeding. Spitting up is very worrying for parents. Why is this happening? How to determine if this symptom is some kind of alarming sign? What to do to solve the problem?

During the first months of life, regurgitation is a physiological process. It is due to the following factor: the sphincter between the stomach and esophagus, which prevents the reverse movement of food eaten, is finally formed only by the year. The slightest errors in the technique of feeding, handling the child before or after feeding often cause profuse regurgitation, even a "fountain".

The main reasons why children spit up:

too much large volume food - everything superfluous is displayed back. It happens because of too much milk, a mixture, or maybe too little time has passed since the last feeding and there was still some content in the stomach;
problems with the digestive system (constipation, colic, congenital anomalies) that interfere with the proper movement of food;
improper feeding - it is necessary to monitor the position of the child and how he captures the nipple. Otherwise, there is a high probability of the baby swallowing air with milk, a mixture;
prematurity;
disturbances in the functioning of the nervous system ( common cause nutritional problems in children of the first months);
incorrectly selected mixture (in infants who are bottle-fed);
improper handling of a child, especially a newborn, after feeding: active games, swinging, turning over from one side to another.

In addition, the reasons are different depending on the age of the baby:

in newborns, regurgitation is mainly due to weakness of the muscles of the esophagus and sphincter near the stomach;
at 1 - 2 months - with improper nipple grip, air swallowing and overfeeding;
at 4-5 months, when the baby is already turning over well, regurgitation is often associated with increased activity of the child during and after feeding;
from 6 months of regurgitation, recurring often, sometimes indicate diseases of the digestive system.

In most cases, the problem of frequent and profuse regurgitation is easily solved simply by observing the rules of feeding and handling. baby before and after feeding. But in some situations, you need the help of a doctor.

Signs of pathology

There are some warning signs. These include:

regurgitation is observed with a fountain, occurs often, despite strict adherence to the rules of feeding;
the mass that appears outside as a result of regurgitation has become unusual in texture, color, smell;
there are problems with stools and urination (usually there is a delay or a noticeable decrease in the amount - a sign of dehydration);
the baby does not gain, and sometimes loses weight;
the baby spits up and then cries and bends;
abdomen swollen, not very soft to the touch;
after regurgitation, the temperature began to rise;
regurgitation began at the age of 6 months;
regurgitation is observed at the age of more than 12 months.

When assessing how normal a baby's spitting up is, it is very important to consider his age. At the age of up to a month, the phenomenon occurs in most absolutely healthy children. But with age, as the digestive system develops, regurgitation should appear less and less. For many, the symptom disappears by the age of four months, and after 10 to 12 months, regurgitation indicates the need for medical intervention.

Help

At the end of feeding, do not put the baby on his back, especially with frequent spitting up. And in order to prevent the contents of the stomach from entering the respiratory system when regurgitation, the baby should be turned over on the stomach, you can pick it up, preferably giving the body a vertical position.

The modern pharmacological industry produces drugs that help fight the problems that arise due to belching and the causes of its occurrence. If necessary drug treatment the doctor will prescribe them. But you should not make an appointment yourself, as the reasons are different.

Summing up

Regurgitation - the exit through the mouth of the milk or mixture eaten - occurs in all infants. But improper feeding or health problems increase the intensity of the process. When a child spits up a lot, you should try to find out the cause and methods of dealing with the problem.

When the substance that comes out has become similar to vomit, has some other unusual color, the smell is already a pathology. A very large amount of regurgitation, deterioration in the general condition of the baby, regurgitation in children older than 12 months, its frequent appearance in those who have almost reached 12 months of age - a reason to consult a doctor.

You should not force the child to eat if he is not yet hungry and does not ask or refuses.
Before feeding, it is necessary to give the baby the opportunity to lie on his stomach for several minutes.
When feeding occurs, the newborn should be in a reclining state, but the head is slightly raised.
Make sure that the child does not swallow air. It is very important to help to properly latch on the nipple, and when feeding with formula, to choose the appropriate size of the hole in the nipple.
At the end of feeding, any vigorous activity is contraindicated. It is best to hold the baby in your arms in an upright position for a while.
If there are any changes in the color, smell, volume of the mass coming out during regurgitation, or if the baby is very anxious, be sure to tell the doctor.

Regardless of the form of nutrition, whether it is breastfeeding or artificial, a newborn may hiccup and spit up during feeding or after some time. What is the reason and is it dangerous when month old baby spit up milk after feeding? Regurgitation is a physiological process in which food slowly flows out or is thrown out in a fountain out of the stomach through the mouth and nose. How to help the baby if he often spits up? What to do when the burped mass looks like yellow vomit, with mucus and blood?

Causes of regurgitation in the baby

"Why does a newborn baby spit up?" - young mothers are interested in pediatricians. The cause of regurgitation lies in immaturity internal organs and digestive systems. Belching is air entering the esophagus during feeding. The body gets rid of air through the mouth and nose along with part of the milk. Up to 3-4 months, the newborn burps 5-10 minutes after each meal, sometimes after half an hour. Later, regurgitation is reduced to 1-2 times a day.

The reason that the baby hiccups and is able to spit up a lot of milk is considered:

Wrong food or diet. With early introduction of complementary foods, large portions, very liquid food, the walls of the stomach are stretched, which causes regurgitation.
Lying position after feeding. When the child has eaten, he is raised in a column and stroked on the back until a burp appears. If this is not done, the baby will regurgitate most of what he ate.
Disturbance of rest after eating. A newly fed baby should not be changed, turned over, laid out on the tummy. Once breaking this unwritten rule, mommy will find a whole puddle of milk, which the baby will immediately burp.
Teething. This is a real test for the baby. Some children react to it with fever, crying, anxiety, increased salivation. Others, when teething, burp more and more.
Tight swaddling, squeezing the delicate little body, makes it difficult to motility of the stomach. Food, not getting to him, goes back.

Spitting up while breastfeeding

Often regurgitation of milk occurs due to overfeeding. Mom needs to adjust the feeding process so that the newborn learns to eat as much as he needs. No need to give a breast when he does not ask, distracting from crying and anxiety. It is unlikely that a 2-3 month old baby will refuse to kiss the breast, but he will definitely spit up an extra portion of milk.
Air entering the intestines during feeding. With improper attachment to the chest, a lot of air is swallowed, which can cause the baby to burp and hiccup. It is necessary to ensure that it captures the entire nipple and part of the areola. The chin should touch the chest, and the lower lip should turn outward - about the correct attachment.
Bloating and colic provoke regurgitation. Mom needs to stick to a diet and not eat foods that provoke indigestion, massage the tummy.
Greedy sucking. With the rapid absorption of milk, the newborn swallows air along with food. A hungry child, intensively sucking large portions, can burp them. Feeding should be carried out more often, arranging short breaks between them.

regurgitation after formula feeding

In formula-fed newborns, spitting up is due to overeating, as is the case with breastfed babies. The volumes eaten in this case are easier to control. The amount of food offered in the bottle should be age appropriate.
Mixture containing a lot of lactose. Such food is difficult for babies to digest and provokes regurgitation. If the baby often spits up, it makes sense to transfer him to anti-reflux mixtures. They contain components that fix food in the stomach, preventing it from being thrown out.
Large hole in the nipple. Choose an anti-colic bottle with a valve to prevent excess air from entering during feeding. It is important to hold the bottle at a slight angle. In this case, the nipple should be filled with the mixture entirely.

Spitting up due to health problems

When a child spit up frequently, it may signal serious problems with health. Basically, the reason lies in neurological disorders and disorders of the digestive system.

Neurological abnormalities:

Intrauterine abnormalities or birth trauma. Pathologies of the nervous system, hypoxia, high intracranial pressure, trembling of the chin and limbs, muscle tone in a child.
Injury to the cervical vertebrae, received at birth, can cause regurgitation with a fountain. The baby is tormented by vomiting, pain when turning the head. The doctor prescribes massage, physiotherapy, medication.
Premature babies lag behind physical development and vomit frequently. Their esophagus and stomach are underdeveloped. In order to catch up with peers, the baby will take time.

Disorders of the digestive system:

Dysbacteriosis. It occurs due to the use of antibiotics, when introducing complementary foods, or when the child consumes an inappropriate mixture.
Infectious diseases. Intestinal infections, meningitis, gastroenteritis, pneumonia, causing toxic poisoning. Inflammatory processes are accompanied high temperature, vomiting, weakness, diarrhea, colic. In the products of regurgitation, streaks of blood, mucus, bile can be found.
Increased gas formation, bloating, colic. A large amount of gas in the intestines helps push fluid out through the nose and mouth.
Constipation. It interferes with the normal digestion of milk, which is why it burps. At the same time, the child strains, groans, worries - how to cope with constipation in a newborn.
Allergy. Artists often suffer from allergic reactions to cow protein. In addition to skin irritations, discomfort, colic, regurgitation occurs.
lactase deficiency. The absence of this enzyme causes digestive disorders. Milk sugar is not broken down and fermentation begins in the intestines. You can determine lactase deficiency with the help of tests. The child's well-being improves when he is transferred to lactose-free formulas and given lactase enzymes.
Congenital gastric pathologies.
Narrowing of the passage connecting the stomach and duodenum.

Danger of regurgitation

Constant regurgitation in a child is fraught with fluid loss in the body and weight loss, which is the main indicator in newborns. It is especially dangerous if the baby spits up in a dream. He may choke and cough. Pediatricians recommend laying the head of a baby up to 6-7 months old on a small pillow so that regurgitation products do not enter the respiratory tract.

Spitting up a fountain is very similar to vomiting. When vomiting, the abdominal muscles tighten, and food is thrown out through the baby's mouth and nose. It starts suddenly, without bouts of nausea. The kid is worried, turns pale, the limbs get cold. Vomiting is accompanied by fever and diarrhea. And vomit may be yellow or contain blood. You can distinguish ordinary regurgitation from vomiting with the help of water. The norm for the volume of regurgitation is 10 ml. After filling 2-3 tablespoons with water, they are poured onto a diaper. The resulting stain is compared with the amount that the child burped. If the baby is able to burp more, and this happens regularly, you need to visit a doctor. It is advisable to take a closer look at the composition of the stain. If a newborn is spitting up curdled milk resembling cottage cheese, there is no need to worry - this is not vomiting.

Spitting up is not a pathology. But when it is noticed that a newborn burps after each feeding with a fountain, his urination is disturbed, his stomach is upset, he loses weight - you cannot delay consulting a pediatrician.

A doctor is needed when:

after spitting up, the child pushes, arches, cries;
after feeding, he always burps in a fountain that looks like vomit;
cheesy regurgitation has changed color and has an unpleasant odor.

Regurgitation with yellow color or blood indicates diseases of the digestive system. If bile and blood are seen once, there is no need to worry, perhaps this is a temporary accidental phenomenon. When the baby pushes, burps, straining hard, a blood vessel in the esophagus may break. It will heal soon and there will be no more blood. But if blood and yellow regurgitation are observed several times a day, then this is a clear violation that requires medical attention.

What to do if the baby spit up often

Mom can figure out what to do when a baby under 12 months of age burps. Only she is nearby and controls the frequency, volume of regurgitation, its smell and color. If there are any doubts and worries, it is better to visit a specialist.

What is done to help the child if he spits up a lot, but gains weight and feels good?

When an infant lies on its back and burps, airway blockage can occur, leading to pneumonia. It is necessary to take the baby in your arms or turn it on its side. This way, food residues will flow out without danger to health.
If the newborn burped through his nose and started crying, you can help him by putting him on his stomach. When fluid flows out through the nostrils, the nasal mucosa is subjected to irritating injury. In the future, this leads to the formation of polyps and adenoids.

As a preventive measure, to avoid regurgitation, you need to:

lay the baby on the stomach before feeding;
when applying to the chest of a newborn, monitor his position. The head should be slightly raised and the nipple properly grasped;
after eating, the child must be picked up. Sometimes a baby, already in a dream, begins to push, worry and spin. It is necessary to raise it with a column and shake it until it burps.

At what age does a child stop spitting up?

A healthy baby stops spitting up at 6-7 months of age. At this time, he actively learns to sit, being more and more upright. Thick food in complementary foods, reduces the frequency of regurgitation. In children, the muscles of the stomach develop slowly, and finally reach maturity by the age of 8. Because of this, spontaneous vomiting in a child is much more common than in an adult.

When one year old baby, spits up - this causes concern. By this age, regurgitation in healthy children finally disappears. If it does not stop, the child may have pathologies that require diagnosis and treatment.