Spit-up Central at 2 Months

It wasn't until my second child came along that I figured out the likely reason why my first born was such a spitter (smiled and burped up goo like yours ALL THE TIME!) was because I was overfeeding him without realizing it. He would cry so I would think he was hungry and feed him. He liked the security he got from sucking, so he would eat even if he wasn't hungry.

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It's just good ol reflux. It's an immaturity of the little flap that covers the esophogus. It does mature in time but in the meantime if your child is not screaming or in pain then switching formulas might not do anything. On the other hand, he can be quite sensitive to the milk (casein) or corn in the current formula. Try a formula like Nutramigen, that is predigested and see if that works. Another thing to consider is that reflux changes the way the child breathes (respiration), this can cause problems later on with anxiety and sensory issues. You can take him to a feeding specialist to make sure he has a good SSB (suck, swallow, breathe). This is a very big possibility. So as you can see there are many options to persue. Also put him on tummy as much as you can to strengthen the stomach muscles and build a strong core. Also, try to feed small amounts at a time. The tummy will send back up what it can't handle.

Spit up is just a part of being a baby sometimes. If he's not in pain then I wouldn't mess around with his formula. What is the reason that he's on the "sensitive" formula to begin with? My nephew threw up a TON until he was about 9 months old but was never phased by it and was never lacking nutrients/calories. Turns out he had a skin flap or something in his throat that wasn't fully developed yet. His doctor said there was nothing to be worried about and no special formulas that would "fix" it. Just be patient...it sounds like your son is just fine. Also, it's too early for his little system to be processing baby cereals...his intestines aren't ready for it until at least 4 months.

Dear M.,

Please talk to your sons doctor, he should be due for a check up soon. Just changing your sons formula can cause problems so please don't "play around" with it. Yes, he needs to burp every two ounces. Don't worry about his calorie intake, he is way too young for such concerns, his little body needs a ton of calories and nutrition to continue developing and growing. Your son is too young for cereal in his formula, his little digestive system isn't mature enough to properly handle it yet and you can cause some health problems later down the line.

Some babies just spit up, no real reason. Some babies spit up when they burp, very normal. Some babies aren't able to tolerate one formula or another. Sometimes babies spit up because they are "over full", mom mistakes crying for being hungry when the baby needs something else. One doctor told me if it isn't projectile vomiting, and they are keeping most of the food in, gaining weight and growing as they should, don't worry.

I would speak to your doctor. He may be suffering from GERD (gastroesphogeal reflux disorder). He may be sensitive to milk protein not just the lactose. ALso going back and forth between two formula companies is not advisable since they are each formulated/processed slightly differently and that could be upsetting to his young tummy. Honestly talk to your doctor. He may just need some zantac or something like that. My son and daughter both did the same thing with breastmilk. My son is milk protein sensitive and even with formula it never got that much better until he was allowed to go on whole milk and we put him on rice milk. I stopped nursing my daughter exclusively and now nurse her only in the morning and the rest of the day she's on the Sensitive RS and is doing great on it. Sorry to be so lengthy but just wanted to help.

-- Barbi

Sounds completely normal to me.

Hi M.,

There's a description of "the happy spitter" in the book Colic Solved that sounds like your son. The book says it's a type of reflux. I don't know more info but I have a friend whose daughter has the same problem and recently started a reflux med.

My son and my daughter were both like that.... I had to just change the formula till i found 1 that worked. With my girl it was similac lactous free and for the boy it was Good Start Soy. And even that 1 it was he spit up ALOT less than he did with the rest.I swear the poor kid spit up till he finally finished the formula at 1. Now with milk he doesnt spit that up at all.

My daughter and my nephew were HUGE barfers ( as we call it) and they are fine now. Their both 2 and completely normal. My nephew would also smile during his barfing.

Hi, M.. Newborns spit up, and some spit up more than others. My son spit up what seemed like a lot, but I was told that it looked like more than it is because it mixes with stomach fluids and saliva (spit) in the digestion process. As long as your son is gaining weight, don't worry about the fact that he is spitting up.

Do not wait to burp him every 2 ounces; burp him every couple of minutes regardless of how much he has eaten. You might want to change the kind of bottle nipple you're using, and make sure he always gets a good seal between his mouth and the nipple. Try always feeding him with his head raised a little bit, so that the air in his stomach always rises to the top easily, and that way he burps it out without forcing the milk out with it.

HOWEVER, putting cereal in his bottle or trying to feed him anything except formula at this stage of his life, is NOT good and you shouldn't do it. If you're worried about the fact that he's losing food and not digesting things, then please understand that HE CAN'T DIGEST CEREAL yet. If you want to reduce how much he spits up, then stop feeding him cereal. You can create a lot of problems including overweight, colic, and a lot of sleepless nights by giving him solids too soon.

Change his feeding position, not his formula, unless he's allergic to it. It sounds like you're feeding him the right stuff, but keep his head up. This also helps to avoid ear infections from milk running into his ear canals from the inside.

I hope the spitting up goes away quickly and feeding times are more pleasant for both of you.

Peace,
Syl

I agree with the other mothers - I definitely think it's too early for cereal, and the switching around so much could be problematic as well.
I don't want to scare you, but maybe you should get his belly checked out by a Dr. My daughter NEVER spit up, and then all of a sudden - blam - and it was always curdled -cheesy looking. I was nursing, and the pediatrician told me on the phone - "maybe something you ate"..... and all that. My husband was the one who INSISTED that we take her back to the hospital and get her checked out. (She was born at Arnold Palmer in Orlando - so that is where we headed) At the ER - they kept pushing on her tummy, and took X-rays, and even did a spinal tap looking for a bacterial infection. They finally admitted her, and the next morning they were doing X-rays AGAIN! It was a Sunday, and a surgeon walked in wearing a suit and looking like he just came from Church or the country club. He asked what was going on, and the techs told him. He moved the X-ray a little and pointed and said "there it is" "pyloric stenosis". They were all amazed - because they kept pushing on her belly and couldn't find it. To make a long story longer - this is what happened. First - he told me that they had to operate! Second - I went crazy crying! Third - he explained to me that he does 3-5 of those surgeries EVERY WEEK, and that it is more common in FIRST BOYS than in girls! Basically - the muscle at the opening of the bottom of the stomach is growing closed, and not letting the milk go through. It sits in the stomach, curdles, gets thrown back up and then you start over again. He asked when the last time that she had eaten was - I told him 7:30 the night before in the ER. He said "great, I'll call an anesthesiologist and scrub nurse, when they get here, we'll operate!" They did just that, and everything went fine! Since they didn't know what was wrong with her when we got there, my daughter was in a little private isolation room and they let me stay with her at all times (except the OR). The surgeon told me that she was the "smallest pyloric he ever operated on", and that it was great that we took her to the ER when we did, because the Pediatricians will try telling a nursing mother to watch what she eats, then they try formula, then they switch the formula, then they try soy, and all the while the baby is getting weaker and weaker and often times they have to be hospitalized for days on iv fluids before they are strong enough to tolerate the surgery! Anyway, if you go to a Dr. and find out that is what is happening with your little guy - I can't say enough how much we love, love, love, love Arnold Palmer Hospital for children, and Dr. Miller was her surgeon. He is so great - that even though he did her surgery when she was 3 weeks old, when we were back there for another problem when she was 3 1/2 years old - he stuck his head in to say hi and do a "follow up" on his smallest pyloric! After she woke up, when we were leaving the ER - we stopped to say goodbye and explained to her that he was the one that did the operation on her belly when she was a baby - he gave her a special Arnold Palmer Care Bear holding a little patient of his own!
I hope this doesn't scare you, but I just wanted you to consider that it could be a possibility so watch carefully!
Oh yea - and the reason they kept pushing and feeling on her belly - was because they said it usually "feels like an acorn". They never did find her "acorn" because she was the youngest / smallest they had had at that time - it finally showed up on the X-ray when they were pumping stuff into her stomach via her nose! Good luck, let me know how it goes for you and your little guy!

hi. my son started that same thing at about the same time. you should get him to the dr. b/c they will check to see if it's this "valve" in his throat that doesn't close properly. it will right itself so it's nothing to worry about but what can happen (this is what happened to me) is that he can start losing weight as it will get more frequent and he won't hold anything down. i had to add a LOT of rice to his milk in order to get him to keep it down. Doc said it was fine. he's a healthy 7 year old now. good luck!

I think your little guy is too young for cereal. They say not to add it. If cereal goes into their windpipe it can cause issues. He shouldn't need cereal - he should get enough from formula right now. Then, you shouldn't feed it to them until they have the tongue reflex. Also - if it gets sucked down the wrong pipe they will have lung issues. Not worth it. If you're trying to get him to sleep better - then you should try to establish a schedule and try and stick to it. Ask your Pedi. See what they suggest. Sorry if I wasn't any help. Some babies have reflux.....or maybe it's a sign he's not ready for it. Good luck. Other mommy's will probably give you better advice than I did.

My 5 week old son is currently breastfed and he still spits up on occasion, but he is gaining weight and healthy otherwise, so the doctors said its fine. Its usually just do to overeating. Their tiny stomaches can only hold so much.... On another note...... Giving a 2 month old baby cereal IS NOT OK. Theycant digest that until at least 4-5 months. Their bodies arent ready to process grains yet, he should just be getting strictly formula. Also, try not to keep switching his formula b/c that too can upset his little belly. Give any formula at least a week trial before switching and always get the ok from your child's doctor. Good Luck!

Dear M.:

You have a formula problem and your son has an imbalance of bacteria in his gut. There are many things that can cause the gut problem. Anything from antibiotics to improperly made vitamins. Even formula can cause this gut problem he is having.

The more he spits up the more he will have to eat. He is also bringing up mucous which he needs for digestion and elimination.

To resolve the problem it is time for a formula change.

There are many great all natural synthetic free baby formulas available. You can also make your own if time allows.
http://www.naturesone.com/dairy/?gclid=CMX-_dTt4p0CFR5Hag...

http://www.pbmstore.com/veormifo.html?gclid=CLuip_Pt4p0CF...

Try to find one that is soy and lactose free.

To repair is gut you will need to find a product called Colostrum with Probiotics:

It may still be available at: http://www.healingedge.net/store/more_child_colo.html

Good Luck:

S. L.

Every child is different and every childs solution is different. Trust your own judgement and do what yo thinks works for you. My girls are 12 & 14. My oldest daughter spit up constantly. I talked to my daughter and he said she was eating to much and her body could not digest it. He suggested trying to get her to take a paci in between feedings. He also suggested we try to get her on a schedule where she ate less and ate only every 3 hours. About a week after the doctors visit she was sleeping through the night and had stopped spitting up between feedings. She still spit up a little when she burped.

My younger daughter is 12. She had the same type of problem. We tried every not medication realated solution that people recomended. We had a lot of tests, and tried a lot of different medications. Finally we went to see a specialist who said it was a week valve that did not always close properly. He wanted surgery. However he said with time it may correct itself. We still have not had surgery. She gains weight and functions normally most of the time. We still have issues sometimes if she eats spaghetti in 5 minutes and then goes to practice and runs 2 laps. She will throw up her dinner every time.

Good Luck! Trust yourself! Do not be affraid to try many different things. I would try the least evasive solutions first.

Please check WestonPrice.com for data on what to feed him.
Those formulas are awful( can you read the names of all the ingredients? pronounce them?), and he isn't digesting them, "food" that doesn't get digested rots in the digestive system and gets spit up or causes gas.
It is actually good that he is doing this because it is a message to you to get him better food. WestonPrice will give you that.
Is it possible for you to go back to nursing him? That after all would be the best.
k

He's probably spitting up because his little tummy can't handle the cereal. A baby isn't supposed to start on ceral until at least four months of age. You should stop the cereal.....

My son developed the same symptoms that you describe with your son at about the same age. Andrew was diagnosed with Acid Reflux. He was put on two medications (Reglan and Zantac). After a few months on these meds, he simply grew out of it. Talk to your pediatrician.
Good Luck!

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