Spit Up

It is frustrating isn't it! My daughter who is 9 monthes now, constantly spit up up to about 4 1/2-5 months, when she was sitting up a little more on her own. We spoke to her pediatrician several times worrying that it might be GERD. The ped assured us that while it was messy/annoying, she wasn't doing it every single feeding(although at times it felt like it!) and she was gaining weight normally, that it was just a normal thing babies do sometimes, and that it was phase she would grow out of between 4-6 monthes(and she did!!)She was/is breast-fed with the occasional supplemental bottle of formula(she has been eating organic babyfood purees/cereals at night since about that time too. Obviously check w/ your doc to see if he is exhibiting signs of GERD and if that's the case they should give you specific advice on how to treat it, otherwise...... keep a burp cloth or bib nearby at all times and hang in there!! Good Luck!

Maybe he has milk protein and soy allergies. Milk protein and soy are the top two allergies in babies and are usually outgrown after the first birthday. My daughter has these. Try Nutramigen or, if that doesnt help, try Neocate. This is a really hypoallergenic over-the-counter formula (moreso than Nutramigen or Allimentum) which is also more expensive and needs to be ordered either online or by your pharmacy. Try smaller, frequent feeds also:-).

Have you tried other formulas? I tried soy and several others with my son who is now 7 months old and he does best on the Similac Organic formula.

He may suffer from Reflux. What you can do is do smaller feedings and do more frequently then make sure he sits up afterwards. If it continues you will need to talk to your Pedi about meds. We went through this with our girls especially the youngest.

My son used to do that with his milk and we found out he was allergic to dairy. he ended up growing out of the allergy at about 3 years old. I would talk to his dr. about this.

My son did the same thing, we found out he was allergic to everything except nutramigen. He also had reflux so I would feed him in an upright possition with less formula more often per day. I would talk to your pediatrician first to make sure he isnt allergic or if he might have reflux. That could be the reason why he spits up as much as he does. I know its hard, but hopefully you and your doctor will be able to help find the reasoning behind it.

Hi R..
Have you talked to your doctor about GURD (Reflux). Both of my kids had it. Most grow out of it within a year. Both of my children had to take medication for it. My oldest for almost a year and my youngest until he started solid foods. It is no big deal. I would call your doctor to set up and appt. to discuss that as an option. Good Luck!

R.,
Please keep an eye on this issue!
In response....I will pass on my experience. My daughter will be 9 years old in July. We had to change her formula to soy at 2 weeks old and she stil had the projectile vomiting after eating. There wasn't much we could do, just kept her comfortable and fed more often than normal, so she could have food in her belly. We went to the doctor often and have an awesome Dr. She continued on with stomach pain and throwing up for years. I continued to take her to the Dr. and at about 4 years of age, he recommended us to All Children's Gastroentology Dr. Wilsey. She has been seeing him since. They have done many upper endoscopy's(the camera down in the belly to take pictures) Not only did she have GERD-Reflux, but also some ulcers. Who would've thought a child of that age would have ulcers. But she has been on medication since 4 years old. They have changed it several times, but now at age 8 she is just had another endoscopy done and the medication seems to have helped the ulcers, but she still has GERD, she is on Tagament 2 x's a day and Prevacid 1x per day. She also has to take a medication for her bowels daily (can't remember the name of it, but it is powder and you mix it with a drink, has no flavor), as the other meds make her constipated. She has really been through a mess in her short life. She has regular stomach pain, weekly, throwing up and bad pains in her belly. But we get through it, stress is a major factor and the foods they eat. NO caffeine, chocolate, fried foods, spicy, etc. It is hard, but we manage. Just please keep an eye on it, because you never know, sometimes they grow out of it, and sometimes they have it their entire life. It is bothersome, but treatable. Sure does break your heart when your child is sick and you can't do anything for them. We also give her Milanta liquid occasionally at night when she is having problems. I pray one day she will outgrow this, until then we will continue on and fight the battle. Good luck to you and just keep an open mind.
S.

Google infant GERD and see if your son has the symptoms, if so give your pediatrician a call. Constant spit up/throw up was how we found out our daughter has GERD. Once she was on medication for it the spit up subsided.

R., My 7 week old son was diagnosed with acid reflux. He was on soy due to his spit up problem in the hospital, however, the soy was making him spit just as bad and made him constipated. He is now on Enfamil AR and he spits up A LOT less. Remember, babies do spit up naturally but excessive spit up isn't good.

How old is he? Is it spit up, or vomiting? Is he your first-born? It is most likely reflux or some sort of allergy, but if he is around 2 months old, and projectile vomiting, it might possibly be pyloric stenosis. I understand that it is more likely in first-born male children. The pylorus muscle is too narrow to allow food to pass through from the stomach to the intestines, and they vomit it up. My eldest son had it and required surgery at 3 weeks old. He had it sooner than most children had it, and I had to go through switching formulas, barium swallows, a spinal tap and ultrasounds before the doctor was convinced. It's an easy surgery where they snip the muscle so that there is enough room for the digested food to pass through. He's now 13 and healthy, and there were no complications :)Regardless, have the doc check him out, just to be safe!

Ask your doctor about Gripe Water. It worked for us. You can get it at the health food store or Walgreens. Also, maybe switch formula. We use Similac Sensitive and it works great.

R.,
I know have gotten many responses to your request but I just wanted to comment that my son had and still has at 2 and1/2 acid reflux. He waas constantly spitting up, even hours after his feeding. He WAS gaining weight and growing like normal but was a constant bib wearer. I didn't think he had reflux cause all the "normal" signs of reflux were not there ex: arching back, vomiting, crying for no reason. He in fact ate and spit up and smiled at the same time. LOL!! Anyway just a word of advice reflux can go both ways, they can grow out of it or they can not and it can cause i series of problems. I did all things possible before putting him on meds. (rice cereal, formula change, etc). The medicine is the only thing that worked. Hopefully you can find a better way, but don't be afraid of putting him on medicine because the exessive spit can cause more damamge than its worth. I wish you luck and I feel your pain.

Could be reflux. My 3 month old daughter has it, and is on medication. Her Dr. said the meds don't stop the spitting up, just the irritabiity , neutralizes the acid. But I've noticed a great reduction in the spit up.