Frequent Spitter Upper

My son was a HUGE spitter upper. He is now 7 months and doesn't do it anymore...it will get better. We have to use the gentle formula...nothing else would work. Also..and this is the BIGGEST thing...Dr. Brown bottles and a Dr. Brown formula mixer pitcher. I know that they are an expensive brand, but we went through so many different types of bottles before finally breaking down and getting them. They made the biggest difference..that and the formula mixer pitcher...it mixes so there are no bubbles. You won't be disappointed. :)

How often have you switched formulas? Maybe her tummy isn't getting used to one formula before you switch to another.
Also talk to the doc about acid reflux.

Some babies just spit up a lot. My second daughter spit up a lot and she was breastfed. I tried changing my diet and supplemented with all types of formulas. The pediatrician said her digestion system just needed to develop more. Some pediatricians will put babies on heartburn meds, but we did not do that, because she didn't cry when she spit up and it didn't seem to bother her at all. We just hated it, but we lived with it until she was almost a year old!

My grandson did the same thing, and the doctor put him on Enfamil A.R. with Lipil. The A.R. is for acid reflux. It made all the difference in the world. It is more difficult to dissolve and mix, but when you get it right it really changed things. He still spit up a bit ... like babies spit up. But it wasn't like before, where you wondered if he had anything left after he spit up. I hope this helps. And... if you try that, those hand blenders work wonderfully in mixing it!

Hi B.,

I'm wondering if your daughter has acid reflux? Do you burp her regularly during feedings? Since you've tried different formulas, most likely it isn't from the formula.
(By the way, our dr. told us NOT to switch from formula to formula bcuz it can mess up baby's digestion tract and make things worse.)

I'd let your dr. at least know. They're the best at figuring this sort of thing out.

Good luck!! ls

Hi B., my son is 4 1/2 months old and eating about 6oz per feeding. We actually have started adding baby cereal to his formula which has actually helped with him spitting up. He is also only eating about every 3 hours at this point. Your babies spitting up is normal and unfortunatly it could be a combination of things. Have you tried using Mylicon? It actually helps with gasey babies which does help in your baby not spitting up as much. We use the Target Brand formula (made by Enphamil) and now I am blanking on what it is called but it is in the Purple Can. It is for gasey babies who spit up a lot. Good luck to you and certainly stock up on a lot of burp cloths :)

Spitting up at 3.5 months is normal. Without knowing or seeing how much there is, I couldn't say whether or not the amount she is spitting up is normal. One thing you should know is that changing formulas can actually make it worse, especially if you have already gone through every brand already. Babies digestive systems are much more sensitive than adults as they have not yet fully developed, that's what usually causes the spit up. Spitting up also tends to be more common in bottle fed babies. I am not saying there is anything wrong with bottle feeding, it is just common. Babies are programmed to only take what they want but when they have someone giving them a bottle, it makes it easier for them to overeat and then in turn spit up. There are many opinions out thereabout schedule feeding vs. demand feeding. I have worked with many babies, fed all kinds of ways, and I find that if you let your baby set the schedule, everyone will be happier. Trying to make her eat at a scheduled time, especially when she doesn't want it, will likely cause her to spit up. If she is crying and fussy during the feeding, that allows her stomach to fill with air, leading to spit up. You may want to try burping more frequently. As long as she is gaining weight, the best thing to do is wait it out. She will outgrow it, eventually. Now, if she is gushing and gushing and it seems like she just spit up her whole bottle and she isn't gaining weight, you may want to try switching to a soy formula, one that is free of milk protein (casein). My youngest has a milk protein intolerance and would spit up a whole feed at a time, projectile vomit was really more like it. I was breastfeeding and had to eliminate all milk and milk protein from my diet, but the difference was amazing, but it took about a month to see because all the milk had to clear my system and then his. It takes around 2 weeks (give or take) for the offensive proteins to clear from a person's system, so when you are trying a formula, I would recommend trying it for 3 weeks. That way you can make sure that the protein from the previous formula isn't factoring in and give her some time to get used to the new one. Again, if she is gaining weight, then there is nothing to do. Hang in there! Good luck!

Have you checked with your pediatrician to make sure that its not pyloricstenosis. My grandson was doing the same thing after he was born. He was in and out of the hospital with dehydration due to not eating very well. We tried the different formulas as well and nothing was working. He lost below his birth weight and had to have surgery. He is doing great now and eats us out of house and home. Check with your doctor about this.

my son was a HUGE spitter...they switched his formula several times but i decided in the end that his particular issue was just that he never stopped EATING. it was like he had no off switch. he'd just keep going until literally he was too full to hold any more, and up it'd come. this probably doesn't help you but just my experience...it could just be the way she is.

hey i had that problem too with my 3 month old. we finally just switched him to soy formula. we also mad sure the he had the slow flowing nipples on his bottle. i dont know if you had tried that but if you havent that is my suggestion. good luck

Try Similac Sensitive RS or Enfamil AR. Your child may have reflux. These formulas have rice starch in them that help it stay in their tummy. I would highly suggest contacting the pediatrician or a GI.

Have you taken her to the doctor? Could be acid reflux.

Sounds like your little girl may have reflux. Talk to your doctor. Drugs can help her keep down her formula and food. She will eventually grow out of it. Good luck and God Bless.

Hi B.,
I have a 3 month only grandson and he rarely spits up his milk. My experience is to make sure the baby burps after drinking every 2 ounces. Your baby may also be alergic to the milk and need to be on soy milk. This was my experience with another grandchild. Ask your doctor about the soy milk and try burping her more often. Good luck.

Hi B.!
I must say I had the same issues with my youngest son. Sometimes he would just projectile spit up! I addressed it with his dr. I'm so glad I did. He had acid reflux. At first I just thought it was normal spitting up behavior, but it just kept getting worse! I cannot tell you how many loads of laundry I would have to do! Finally we changed formulas (a couple of times but long enough on each one to make sure he wouldn't be caused problems by changing) and got him on a medicine. We actually even saw a chiropractor for him! The chiropractor helped as well! I was incredibly nervous the whole time though!

Talk to your doctor first and foremost. I would keep a little log of how much she ate, when she ate, when burped/how often, and then if she spit up or not, plus if it was a lot or a little. You might start seeing a pattern after doing so. Plus you can go in armed with all that information when you talk to your doctor. It really was night and day after my son got on his medicine. I was very leary of putting him on anything, but it helped out immensely. He's now a year and a half and doesn't have problems. We were able to gradually ween him off of the medicine after a few months.

I wish you the best. It's h*** o* you and baby!! Update us and let us know how you all are doing! If you have any questions, feel free to email me!

M.

1st step should always be: communicating with the dr! My oldest son spit up copious amounts/sometimes projectile until we addressed it with the dr. We also found that persistent burping on our part, propping up in the swing or bouncy seat after feeding, & minimal moving around after feeding all helped limit the spit-ups.

As other moms have said, switching formulas can be detrimental & add to the problem. With the dr's input, it may be time for cereal (at the dr's recommendation, my sons began at 4 weeks....big boys, big appetites, no digestive problems. I know that very few drs suggest this. But it worked very well for my sons...I was happy that my dr was willing to go against current opinions!)

As for the scheduling, every 3-4 hours is a.o.k. & as your child begins to sleep thru the night....she could go as much as 6-8+ hours. This is a transition time for babies - no longer a newborn requiring frequent feedings & getting ready for cereal/rolling over/tummy time.

Try for flexiblity & adaptability....rather than trying to remain on schedule & fully-organized. Relax!!! I wish you Peace.