Throwing up 1 Yr Old Little Girl

Updated on December 21, 2009
L.O. asks from North Platte, NE
15 answers

Ok mom's let me see if you can answer this question seeing as how my pediatrician can't or at least the nurses don't seem concerned enough that they suggest coming in (yes I could just go in but if no one is concerned why bother). My dd went on whole milk exclusively at about 11 months (she self weaned, not my choice). Before this she nursed all day and had a bottle of formula at night. Since about 9 months old (when she popped like 4 teeth at the same time) every once in while she will throw up at night. I thought it was just teething because it stopped once her teeth came in (or so I thought). Then it started again a several weeks later. Once again I thought it was just teeth. Then it stopped and then a few weeks later started again. This has now been a continuous pattern. She'll throw up 2-3 times in one week (again ONLY at night when I'm getting ready to put her to bed). This will happen for a few weeks then stop for a weeks then start again. I no longer think this is related to teething. Yes she is getting a tooth right now but it's not bothering her at all. She didn't threw up like 4 times the week before Thanksgiving then nothing for like 2 weeks then she threw up again once like 2 weeks ago (or so my memory is all melding together these days). Then nothing again until this week. So far she threw up Tues night and Thurs night. I'm getting really really tired of cleaning up throw up and starting a load of laundry before I get to go to bed. She drinks milk throughout the day just fine from a sippy cup and the milk is cold. Then at night before bed she gets a bottle of warm milk. The only other time she has a warm bottle is at about 6/7 in the morning so she'll go back to bed. She never throws up then. The doctors office told me it sounds like Reflux but can reflux really be that random? She doesn't throw up a lot but then she's a very petite little girl (she doesn't even weigh 20 lbs yet) so I don't know that there is much to throw up. She's not sick at all. In fact she's just happy and playing until she throws up then she wines for a minute (until she gets put in the bath and then she's happy again) and then she's happy and falls asleep quite quickly after that. Can ANYONE help me? I swear this is not normal.

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B.D.

answers from Denver on

Sounds to me she is racting to the warm milk you give her before bed. I know you said she gets it again in the am but she also at some point then gets up and gets food in her. I would start to wean her from a night time bottle. I give my daughter water at night. If you still feel the need to give her mild before bed make it cold and see if that helps. She is old enough that she should not need a bottle or sippy cup before bed and may take some time to gt her out of the habit. It could be the warm milk that is causing reflux, where if you need to give her the milk try getting her to sleep elevated. They have mattres wedges tat work great for cribs. I had one with my daughter when she was 1-3 months old and had reflux.

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A.C.

answers from Colorado Springs on

I would have guessed reflux too. My mom has more problems laying flat at night than any other part of the day. Try getting her a wedge pillow to prop her head. Won't be the comfiest thing for her, & they're not cheap but if it keeps her milk in her belly, you from cleaning up puke & her from associating milk w/belly ache & then quits drinking it... it's worth it!
Cut her off from food after a certain point in the evening too-mom had to eat 3 hours before bed to start, but has worked her way down to 90 mins.
Poor baby, hope you get it figured out soon!

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H.S.

answers from Salt Lake City on

Hi L. - another idea for you. Does your daughter get diarrhea too? My son (4 now) used to throw up a lot as a baby and then the first winter after I weaned him and he was on whole milk I kept thinking he had the stomach flu! He didn't throw up consistently after having milk, it was often but really random. Anyway, turns out he was lactose intolerant. I called the doctor and told him my son's symptoms and they suggested putting him on a lactaid milk. Cleared it right up! It might be something to try.

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J.B.

answers from Great Falls on

I haven't read your other responses, so maybe this is a repeat....Does she have a runny nose at all? Maybe she has a sensitive gag reflex and if her nose is draining, at night when she lays down it may drain down the back of her throat (post-nasal drip) causing her to gag. If she's allergic to dairy, that may cause drainage too. I only suggest this because I have a bad sinus infection right now and night is horrible with all the junk in the back of my throat when I lay down. Maybe if you put a rolled towel under her mattress head so she's more upright at bedtime it will help. I don't know if any of this made sense at all - my head is a little fuzzy! Good luck!

J.

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R.M.

answers from Denver on

Keep a food and liquid journal for hwer. It may be something that she eats that gets her stomach going. Also if it is reflux you can help by elevating her bed with bricks or phone books.

So i also thought a that her tummy may be getting too full from time to time. And so she gets rid of it.

So just know that you should have her drink water after she throws up. 1. For the digestive juices to be cleansed from her teeth, and 2. To wash it from her esophagus. It will cause problems down the road.

Good luck and god bless!

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D.T.

answers from Chicago on

Try not giving her the milk at all at night! maybe her tummy is too full from dinner or switch back to the formula. I have one son with food allergies whom was exclusively nursed. He did vomit from soy but ONLY when he had soy and 2 hours after injesting it. I'm thinking it's not food allergies because your giving her milk through the day with no problem. Since it's always happening at night it something to do with that!

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K.D.

answers from Denver on

It sounds like possible food allergies. Our oldest used to vomit at very random times. Have you tried keeping a food diary to see if you can tie it to any particular food? You may not be able to. My son through up at some random fruit. With all of our testing we never figured it out. Many times it was with foods that he could eat at other times with no problem. I understand the frustration! I tend to disagree with it being reflux, having had two kids with severe reflux. I think you're right in that case. :) One thing that might indicate allergies, although I don't know if it's always the case, but our son would spike a high fever before vomiting. GL! I'm sure it's very frustrating.

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O.L.

answers from Denver on

I agree about checking into food allergies...and a food diary--though not perfect and certainly not fun or convenient--is probably the best way to check. A person can be allergic to *any* food, and there can be delayed reactions as well. So any food she eats only every few weeks would certainly be suspect.

The only other person I know about who had random vomiting episodes like that had a chiari malformation. (She had corrective surgery and is just fine now.) It seems unlikely but you might look into it anyway, just to make sure.

Good luck...hope you solve your mystery soon!

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K.K.

answers from Denver on

Yes, my daughter threw up like that too. For seemingly no reason. She is 33 now and still throws up easily and still has problems with relux. I think for her it was a little bit of milk allergy, a little reflux, gagging on her tears and saliva if she was mad about something, did not like the taste or the texture of something. And I kid you not sometimes I just felt like she puked cause I looked at her! I can remember calling my daddy and crying and crying about her puking all the time! He really laughed at me and made me laugh too. He said my brother was the same way. So,don't you think it could be a combination of things and some children have a strong gag reflex? Do you think the milk makes more phlegm than your breast milk? I remember her vomiting every night at bed time she did not want to go to bed and would cry. I wanted to cry too and then her big sister started doing it too. Like you I was sick and tired of cleaning it up. I kind of think it is a combination of things and that she gags easily. I bet you, no one at the dr's office is going to be able to help you narrow it down. Sometimes if you can catch them early enough you can talk to them calmly and help them know everything is alright and that will help as they grow older. I think they gave my grand daughter some medicine for reflux but maybe you would rather not give her any meds. In that case I go back to the beginning accept it and move on. bummer K. K. mommy to pukey baby and grand baby too!

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G.J.

answers from Colorado Springs on

A couple of things come to mind. If she is somehow being exposed to fluoride, that will cause all manner of problems. The infamous "nursery water" is one such problem. Also, if you have a way to put your daughter on goat's milk--fresh is better and more digestible, but store bought is fine-- that really helps. Much easier for kids and many adults to digest. I've weaned four kids from me to goat's milk--and it'll be five after my little guy gets bigger! Adding organic yogurt may help her digestion considerably as well. Good luck!

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T.W.

answers from Denver on

This does sound a bit like reflux and reflux can be that random. You never know though it could be just a type of food or maybe she gets herself upset over something. Whatever it is, I would find a new pediatrician and take her in. I wouldn't stand for it and I cannot believe your pediatrician didn't want to see her.

I do not know were you are in town but you should go to CrownPoint Pediatrics (Dr. Roos and Dr. Kalan, plus a few PAs) in Parker. I drive 25 minutes to get there and it is well worth it. They will find out what is wrong.

Good luck!

T.

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L.C.

answers from Denver on

I don't want to alarm you -- it could be nothing it could be something, but my son threw up a lot as a baby and was small.. at the very low end of the weight/height charts. We are not big people so it never concerned me. While my son threw up, once he threw up he'd be fine. It was almost always at night after going down, I'd pick him up, he throw up all over me and then he'd be just fine. On a whim when he was two and just barely 22 lbs my doc did a blood test to rule anything out. It turned out that his failure to thrive (FTT) was because of something called RTA (renal tubular acidosis). He was on a bicarbonate medication for 2 years -- it helped regulate the acidosis and allowed him to grow. As I understand it the kidney's may just not be mature enough yet. Depending on the kind of RTA it is, it is likey they grow out of it.

Anyhow, I would suggest getting an electrolyte panel done and check for levels there to rule everything out. If for some reason your child does have RTA -- it's not as scary as it seems and there is a support group I can connect you too. Today, my son while still seems to have an easy gag reflex is doing great, no more meds and is growing and eating well.

S.K.

answers from Denver on

maybe she has some really bad drainage sometimes I wake up with it going down my throat and it makes me feel like I want to i just have that have to keep swallowing feeling. Maybe the drainage is making her gag and she throws up? I don't have a lot to blow but I do constantly have post nasal drip. Keeping a food allergy diary would be good too although I am not familiar with food allergies (although milk could indeed cause the post nasal drip but im okay with it) the teething could also cause a lot more saliva and mucous draining as well which is why you are associating it with teething? I'm definatly not a doctor or close to one just thought i'd put in my two cents.

E.F.

answers from Casper on

L.,
Perhaps it is related to what she eats during dinner or in the day and then the milk at night.. Some foods are more acidic and irritating then others. It sounds like it could be something like reflux /heartburn.... good luck
E.

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A.M.

answers from Pocatello on

My daughter who is now 4 had problems very similar to what you are describing. It was just so random there just didn't seem to be anything in particular that would trigger it. She has gotten over this; it stopped when she was around 2 1/2. We ended up putting her on Prevacid & we smashed lactaid tablets to put in her milk, check with your doctor before using the lactaid; there's also lactaid whole milk you can buy to give her if you think it could possibly be a lactose intolerance problem. The lactaid milk is a little expensive. I think it is less expensive to use the tablets. I think my daughter had combination of lactose intolerance & reflux. She was always pukey from the day she was born. I know it's frustrating when you just feel like there is something wrong & the doctors just don't seem concerned. Trust your intuitions if you feel like something is really wrong take her to a different pediatrician for a 2nd, 3rd , 4th opinion of that's what it takes. Good luck!

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