R.M. asks from Portland, OR on November 29, 2008
Unhappy Baby Boy
So, i am at my wits end here. Hope someone can help me out. I have a 10 week old boy who spits up a lot after every feed. I have tried different nipples, my breast, formula, and still spits up every time he eats. He is gaining weight, so I know he gets some nutrition. I don't know what to do. Quit breastfeeding? Maybe there is something in my milk he doesn't like. Like maybe caffeine? I only have 2 sometimes 3 drinks a day of caffeine. I quit milk a couple weeks ago. To top it off, he has been really colicky the last few days. Can't put him down with out him crying incessantly, and not really napping well.
Any suggestions would help. I know that it will pass one day, but right now I want to tear my hair out.
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D.B. answers from Richland on December 01, 2008
The same thing was happening to my sister-in-laws baby girl and the doctor finally came to the conclusiong that she has severe acid reflux and is now on medication for that and can finally keep her food down. It got So bad that she started loosing weight! Good Luck!
G.O. answers from Richland on November 30, 2008
my daughter was real bad. For the first month I listened to the doctors and did as you did. She wasn't getting any better so I decided to take matters in my own hand. My mom said I was lactose intolerant as a baby. I tried the soy formula. She did better but was still having problems. I ended up putting her on goats milk and with a few days she was not crying all the time and was happy for the first time since she was born.
Goats milk is missing some vitamins so I had liquid drops to give her once a day. As she grew her tolerance to milk products grew as well. She is able to handle 2% milk and some milk products in moderation.
The doctors wanted me to continue with their plan saying she will be fine but I could not allow my baby to suffer any more.
P.S. answers from Spokane on November 30, 2008
I had the same problem with my daughter, now 4.5 months old. Try giving up the caffine. That always affects my baby. Even if I have a smal sip of coke, she is out of sorts. Try getting rid of the caffine, not the breastfeeding. You are doing a great job by asking for help.
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A.L. answers from Anchorage on December 01, 2008
The caffiene did that exact thing to both of my boys. I had to cut it out 100%.
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W.L. answers from Seattle on November 30, 2008
Hi R..
I definitely suggest looking at all of the things in your diet. Caffeine is really tough thing on a babies new little bodies, so I think you're on the right track there. Spicy foods and garlic are other common things that are tough on babies.
Another thought is that your baby may have reflux, which means that stomach acid may be coming back up to the throat from the stomach (especially after eating) when the baby is laying down flat, which is painful for the baby. I would definitley suggest talking to your pediatrician about it AND doing some research of your own online (since some pediatricians are a bit worthless - it depends on how much you trust yours). It's always good to do your own research anyway, even when talking to your pediatrician, because then you can have all the right questions to ask. For the meantime, the best thing is to not lay your baby down flat. Make sure she's at least slightly propped up while eating and sleeping. You can buy a crib wedge, which slightly elevates the baby in the crib. For a baby only 10 weeks old, I suggest getting the kind that has the side cushions so your baby can't roll over into a bad position. There are some more specific products out there for younger babies with reflux that need to sleep with their upper half elevated.
Also, since reading is nearly impossible with a new baby, I suggest renting or buying "The Happiest Baby on the Block" DVD and the "Dunstan Baby Language" DVD. Both can help you help your baby and help you understand what your baby is trying to tell you. Some people like one more than the other, but I found them both to be helpful. Netflix and Blockbuster have them for rent, or you may be able to get them from your local library too.
Good luck!
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C.A. answers from Seattle on November 30, 2008
I can relate! All 3 of my kids have allergies. Discovered source of "colic" was allergies -- cow's milk, soy, rice, almonds, artificial coloring. Actually, eliminating all milk products from my diet during the two years I nursed each of them took care of colic. I found out about the other allergies as they started eating solid foods.
Personally, I'd cut out the caffeine. If that is the culprit, it is so worth the sacrifice to have a happy baby! Then you can have all you want after he is weaned! :) There is life after nursing. I never enjoyed ice cream so much as after I gave it up for two years (3 times!). :)
FYI: each of my children respond to different allergens. So my first was okay with me eating "hidden" milk (cooked in foods, etc.), but my 2nd had to have all milk products eliminated from my diet (whey, casein, sodium caseinate, etc.). Of course I found all this out through "trial and error" and asking friends, MIL (hubby had allergies), and Dr.
Good for you for asking! Keep up the good work!
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Z.A. answers from Seattle on November 29, 2008
My son was a spitter, too!
(Ah...you know when there's a name for it, that you're in trouble!)
So...the biggest thing that we did that helped was burping. Some of my friends have been able to get by with a couple minutes (or even just a few pats!)...but not us!
I'm talking 15-25 minutes.
A series of small burps would happen, followed EVENTUALLY by a series of long BIG ones. I highly recommend a comfortable rocking chair.
Even with that though, he would still spit up from time to time.
One reason many spitters spit up is that they're getting a LOT of milk. If you're curious how much your son is getting when he eats good lactation consultants have VERY sensitive scales. They weigh your baby before and after he eats. I was afraid my son wasn't getting enough (I would never get more then an ounce or two expressing or pumping...even with the big professional types at the hospital)...turns out he was getting an average of over 20 OUNCES PER FEEDING. No wonder he was spitting up. That's more then a bottle of soda! In that little tiny tummy!!! Even with long burpings, every time he'd bend too much, up it came!
There's other reasons for spitting up, too, but that was ours and our experience.
Z.
Oh, BTW...I couldn't look a glass of milk in the face anymore after I started nursing! And while many people have problems with caffeine while nursing, we weren't one of them. Everyone's physiology & metabolism is different.
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L.U. answers from Seattle on November 29, 2008
R. - I would stop drinking caffeine all together. Also, when you say you quit milk, do you mean yougurt, cottage cheese, cheese, sour cream....or just milk? I bet the caffeine has a lot to do with it. If you smoke I would stop doing that too. I also found that when I breast fed my first son he was a lot less likely to spit-up than if I bottle fed him. Bottle nipples are much bigger than boob nipples, so your son will get a lot of formula quickly, so make sure he takes "burp breaks" or just cut the formula out all together if you can.
Good Luck, I know it's hard, I think we have all been there.
L.
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K.S. answers from Yakima on January 21, 2009
OH Goodness, I've been through this...my now five year old spit up at a rediculous rate - so much so that the neighbor pediatrician was scared!!!!
First and most important, it is normal - don't worry. My Nick would get very very fussy when he spit up and he would spit up close to everything he took in following his feeding. At first I thought that this was a sign that I was feeding him too much but, following more than a few conversations with the pediatrician, it was concluded that it may be severe reflux (since the pediatrician was not with me every feeding he could only make an educated guess). At 3 months old we started to feed him no earlier than every two hours and I would hold him while he slept for about 15 minutes following each feeding and on feedings where he was too fussy our very conservative pediatrician told us to give him a small dose of Mylanta in a dropper. One pediatrician in the same practice also recommended giving a bottle in the car seat, on the floor, so that he'd be in an upright position and it would encourrage keeping the formula/milk down. Since I was going back to work when he was 4 months old we warned our new babysitter - a gal in her 60s who had given birth to two sets of twins a, a very confident care giver - and I have to tell you the spit up was enough to make her scared! She did some research and learned that formula made a little more dense was the answer
these are the two things that worked for us. Since I really liked holding my baby, it was really easy and fun for me to breast feed and hold onto him for 30 minutes or so after while he snored, since the sitter had otehr things to do she would drop a little formula into breast milk or would offer a bottle with only formula made heavier than it should be ...either way, the baby stopped spitting up a little sooner than he should have. The condition is VERY common and babies grow out of it.
I feel it very important to add that I have SEVERE food alergies (a very sensitive celiac sprue) and my son was tested when he was old enough to undergo the testing - he's got no food algeries. I think it important to start with assuming it is reflux. I additionally think it is important that, utilizing the knowledge and experience all of us other mommies have given, you consult with the pediatrician and advice nurse about what you've experienced for additional advice - that is what we pay them for!!
Best of luck to you!!
*K
M.D. answers from Seattle on November 30, 2008
Sorry if this is a repeat...no time to read all 18 replies. From what I've seen, you have some good info...one more item I would try is to remove gluten from your diet. that really helped w/my ds. we now know that he is gluten intolerant.
J.C. answers from Anchorage on November 30, 2008
My son was like this. To help make sure you burp after every ounce, or every few minutes if breast feeding. Also, for those times when air is an issue use "little Tummies", it is non medicated so it can be used at every feed and it works great! My son out grew the excessive spitting at about 8 months. (if yours is like mine it will turn to projectile vomiting when you start solids, so try to keep your sense of humor about it all!) :)
Best of luck.
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