Why does my baby vomit after feeding? Is this a normal happening? If your newborn vomits after breastfeeding, eating formula milk, has or has no fever, vomits after every feed, or even at times through the nose, there must be something not right with either the feeding process or food (milk). Let us explore this issue in details.
There is a difference between vomiting and spitting up. When your baby spits up after feeding, there is a gentle release of small amounts of fluids. When the or he vomits after feeding, there is a large volume of fluid that is forcefully removed from the mouth. With spitting up, the baby will be fine, and this will not bother them at all. With vomiting, the baby will often get upset and cry.
Why vomit?
This can happen to a newborn, a baby a few months old such as a three-month-old, or even to a little older child, depending on what is triggering the problem.
After birth, the first few weeks are followed by vomiting as they adjust to feeding and as their esophageal sphincter develops. The baby will be a lot fussier and may cry more.
If your baby is sick or is stressed more than should be, then they may vomit. Sometimes when she or he cries, they vomit, and this will happen in the first years of growth.
No treatment is necessary for vomiting but make sure you offer them extra fluids. The baby should be in good health and going through the growth stages with no problem. However, if the baby vomits for more than 24 hours, the vomiting interferes with their feeding, or the vomiting is forceful (projectile vomiting), see a doctor. Visit the doctor too if the baby is vomiting on a daily basis or chokes or coughs a lot after vomiting or spitting up.
Vomiting by babies is due to several reasons including:
This is when the baby feeds quickly in large mouthfuls. You can tell that they are doing so because it’s usually audible. This can mostly happen when there is an oversupply of breast milk or a forceful letdown. If you hear your kid gulping as she or he breastfeeds, let them take a break after every few minutes. It’s also advisable to hold the breast for them so that you can control the speed at which they breastfeed.
For kids who are bottle feeding, this might be due to how the mother is holding the bottle. Make sure you mimic breastfeeding and follow these guides to bottle feeding:
Burping the baby helps get rid of air the baby swallows as they breastfeed. Not burping your child regularly, or if they swallow too much air, could lead to spitting up, gassiness and crankiness. When burping, gently pat him or her on the back repeatedly. Do not pound them! Also, make sure that you place a bip under their chin to prevent messes.
There are three methods to use when burping your baby:
If your he or she starts fussing, stop feeding them and burp them, then feed them again if necessary.
Make feeding time with your baby a calm time. Do not play while feeding, tickle them or jostle them. Do not also shake them after a feed. This can trigger vomiting. Trying to make feeding time interesting may just lead to vomiting.
This can be caused by milk intolerance. The baby’s body will identify one of the proteins in the milk as an enemy to the body and while trying to reject it, the baby vomits. Most breastfed infants will not have this problem but those fed on cow’s milk may do so.
Other symptoms that will accompany vomiting due to allergies include skin rash, gagging or retching, reluctance to feed, colicky symptoms and loose stools.
Visit a pediatrician if you suspect your kid has a milk intolerance. This will protect them from becoming malnourished.
This is a common problem in babies and the child will grow out of it with the correct medication. It happens to babies at any age, although it first appears during the first months. The vomiting, heartburn, and burping caused by GERD is due to acidic contents from the stomach moving backward into the esophagus. This happens when the muscle connecting the esophagus to the stomach relaxes and fails to properly close or relaxes at the wrong time.
Most children will outgrow it although some need medication. In rare cases, the reflux indicates more serious complications like:
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