Hi Mamas,
My daughter is almost 11 weeks old. She is solely breastfed. Last Saturday she appeared to have a stomach bug and threw up several times that day. My toddler got sick two days later, so I really think that was a stomach bug. However, yesterday, just a week later, the baby got sick again. Last night she threw up several times over the course of an hour and then nursed again 5 hours later at 3:30am and then 7:30am. So far, no signs of an upset stomach yet. I'm not sure if this really was a bug this time or if it could be something I ate. Sorry, I'm babbling. Basically, if I ate something spicy could that cause her to get sick? And if it could be something I ate, how fast does it present itself in the milk? I didn't get to nurse my toddler, so I'm still figuring all of this out. I always thought if there was some food in my milk that the baby didn't care for, she's deny the milk. So confused about this, hope you can help! Thanks!
Well, she has not thrown up since, so I guess it was just a bug. Although I haven't had spicy foods again. I guess that will be the big test. Thanks for your help!
Its not that scary when they barf, especially since you've had two other feedings after the fact that have been fine. Sometimes when they eat the get a LOT of air in their tummies if their latch is a tad flawed... and it can cause a projectile puke but really isnt anything to worry about, just means she's gonna get hungry again soon ;)
It sounds like a stomach virus. Continue to exclusively breastfeed, it's the best thing for her. At 11 weeks, you shouldn't be giving her any other food. Babies usually recognize tastes they don't like almost immediately and will fuss when they try to nurse, it doesn't take long for it to be present in your milk, but like I said, this sounds more like a virus.
You are doing exactly the right thing :) It's most likely just the bug. With two kids you'll pass stuff back and forth for, what seems like, forever. By exclusively breast feeding you are doing your very best to boost her immune system.
Most of the time, if you eat something that doesn't agree with the baby they'll spit up more frequently, be gassy, or show other signs of an upset stomach. They don't normally vomit several times in a row. Of course, each baby is different. In this case, I very highly doubt that anything you ate caused the vomiting. It's probably just a nasty ol' virus. Let's hope she's over it now!
My son went through something similar around 18 months (I think??? he turns 4 today and it's all a blur that long ago!! lol). Anyhow, the nurse told us that their digestive systems aren't developed, so even after they get better, their stomachs can react badly to food. It's also easy to get sick again if it gets passed around the family.
I don't think it's anything you've eaten. I think it's the lingering stomach bug. Just keep nursing her and back off on the solids for 24 hours. Give her a few ounces of single-food purees and/or cereal and nothing else but as much milk as she wants. "Gut Rest" gives her system time to settle down and then you can go back to eating regularly :)
My daughter got the rota virus from another child and was vomiting for 3 days. Thankfully she was breastfeeding. I allowed her to nurse 5-10 minutes ONLY every other hour, so that she didn't have too much in her stomach at once, and was able to absorb all she consumed.
It wasn't something you ate, bacteria doesn't work like that, the baby would have had to actually consumed the actual food as well. What you eat can change the flavor and color of the milk, but most babies do not mind the variety.
The toddler probably brought it home from school and didn't show signs of illness til later because his immune system is more mature. Unless you notice her skin getting more dry, has a fever, she's not peeing at least 5 diapers worth and her eyes are a bit sunken - I wouldn't worry.
i'm a little surprised that so many experienced moms have said that what you eat does not effect your breast milk or your child. Though that may not be the case this time, the foods you eat, especially when your children are infants, definietly effects them. i couldn't have coffee or soda(caffeinated or non) until my kids were at least 9 months old because they would vomit everything they ate, but not until after they's had an entire session of nursing. so, be advised, what you eat does`effect your milk and sometimes, your child.
I agree with the others - I think it's a bug. Just a tip - when my little one got the stomach virus at 4 months, the doc said that even though dehydration is a worry, not to try feeding him after he threw up for at least 3 hours. Apparently their little tummies are still really contracting from having to throw up, so even if it normally would stay down, they might just vomit again. They need some time for their gut to relax. It's also part of the reason why they get dehydrated so quickly - they need to eat every couple of hours, but get into a cycle where they can't keep anything down.
Sounds like it's not a problem for you, as she waited 5 hours to eat again, just wanted to pass along the tip!
Hope you all are better soon. Stomach bugs are the worst.
What you eat definitely affects your milk!! What I would do is track what you eat daily and see if she gets sick when you eat a certain food. My baby used to get an upset stomach when I ate too much dairy so I had to cut it out until i was done nursing. that's just an example of what happened to us...not saying that's your problem, but i would definitely pay attention to what you are eating. it could be a bug, but seems a little sporadic...
Spicy can do it (I can't do Indian food with my son), so can certain vegs (asparagus also bothers him). He also has reflux, so I'm used to the vomiting thing. Talk to your doctor and stress the fact that you are breastfeeding. The rule of thumb I used with both kids is that while breastfeeding, it's not a major issue unless they can't keep liquids down after 12 hours, or if the vomit looks especially weird. If there's a fever, call the doc right away when they are that little. Otherwise, I read a great quote about baby spit up/vomit (esp. in regards to reflux): "It's not a medical problem, it's a laundry problem!":)
I have my bets on the stomach bug. My kids had a few last winter that would come back again after being well. Look out, this might happen to your toddler too. Depending on which strain of the virus it is, sometimes babies won't even catch it if the mother is already producing the antibodies... this happened for me several times. Despite breastmilk being pretty easy to digest, it does need to be digested, which can be difficult on a sick belly. If your baby is still vomitting the breastmilk try some pedilyte to help keep her hydrated. Hope everyone is feeling better soon!
Spicey food will NOT cause a reaction. When you think about it, Americans, as a whole have a very, very bland diet. Mother's who live in India & other places where they use lots of spices can still nourish their babies with their milk & those babies do perfecty fine. The idea of foods causing a reaction in a breastfed baby (ie: gassiness, fussiness, etc...) is almost entirely a myth. The only true exception to this rule is in the case of allergies.
It's possible that she's still got some of the "bug" in her or it's *possible* that she's having a reaction to a high-allergen food(s) in your diet (ie: milk, soy).
You can always contact your local La Leche League Leader if you feel like you're getting really concerned about this & she can help to guide you in the right direction!
Hope your wee-one feels better soon!
It is most likely a resurgence of the bug. Keep breastfeeding her! Your BM has electrolytes in it that will keep her hydrated. As long as she is still having wet diapers, she should be OK.
If it's related to something you ate, your biggest food culprits are dairy and soy. I had a queen projectile vomiter for 3 months. I finally cut out all soy and 3 days later she was fine!
your best breastfeeding resource online is http://www.kellymom.com/
I nursed all three of mine and they always spit up A LOT!!!! For many months. If she is not having discomfort, I wouldn't sweat it!
