Frequent vomiting. Pathological causes of regurgitation. Why does a child spit up and at the same time lose weight

30.08.2019

If the baby spit up a lot after feeding, his mother starts to worry. From 18% to 40% of parents turn to a pediatrician with complaints of regurgitation of infants. The vast majority of infants under 4 months (67%) spit up at least once a day. In a healthy child, regurgitation most often occurs due to the immaturity of the digestive system. As the baby grows older, an unpleasant phenomenon will bother him less and less. However, such a reaction of the body may be the first clinical manifestation of an anomaly of the gastrointestinal tract or a sign of damage to the nervous system.

Usually associated with immaturity of the lower esophageal sphincter. Due to the loosely compressed valve device, gastric contents are thrown into the esophagus, then into the pharynx and oral cavity. The immaturity of the digestive system is more pronounced in premature babies. However, children born at term often suffer from frequent regurgitation.

Another cause of regurgitation is the hormone gastrin. It is produced by the fetus in the early stages of fetal development to stimulate the secretion of gastric juice in the mother and increase her appetite. After childbirth and ligation of the umbilical cord, all the gastrin produced remains with the newborn. A high concentration of the hormone allows the child to absorb a large amount of food and rapidly gain weight.

If the gastrin level is too high, an excessive amount of hydrochloric acid is produced in the pregnant woman's stomach. Increased acidity causes heartburn in a woman.

A large amount of gastrin in the body of a newborn baby increases the tone of his pylorus (lower stomach). Due to the activity of the pylorus, the baby strongly burps after each feeding.

Proper organization of breastfeeding

The first principle of diet therapy with frequent regurgitation is the organization of fractional nutrition. The daily portion of breast milk should be divided into more meals. The baby will eat more often, but at one feeding he will eat a smaller portion of food. A small volume of milk will put less pressure on the immature sphincter.

During feeding, you need to ensure that the baby does not swallow air. An air bubble that has entered with food puts additional pressure on the sphincter and provokes the reflux of stomach contents into the esophagus. A large amount of air can cause profuse regurgitation in a child. Sometimes the baby rejects all the food eaten, left hungry.

In order for less air to enter the baby's body, his head during feeding should be higher than other parts of the body. If the head is lower than the body, the baby's breathing becomes difficult. Trying to get the necessary portion of air, the child actively swallows it.

Another reason why a baby swallows air is improper latch on of the nipple. When captures the nipple along with the halo. Capturing a halo can be difficult if the chest is overly full and hard. In this case, the mother needs to express some milk and make it easier for the baby to latch onto the nipple.

During feeding, you need to make sure that the nose of the baby remains open. If the baby's nostrils rest against the chest, he is forced to breathe through his mouth, trapping air. Mothers need to hold the breast near the spout, providing the child with free access of air during feeding.

To reduce the amount of air entering the stomach and prevent regurgitation, it is recommended to hold the baby in an upright position after feeding, “column”. The accumulated air will easily come out if the child is carefully placed with his tummy on the shoulder of an adult and lightly pat him on the back.

If the baby swallows a lot of air, you can hold him in a “column” several times, interrupting the feeding.

High fat breast milk

Another reason could be mothers. Fatty foods reduce the tone of the lower esophageal sphincter and delay the natural emptying of the stomach. From a crowded stomach, food is easily thrown through a relaxed sphincter into the esophagus, pharynx and oral cavity. If a woman has very fatty milk, her baby may spit up more often.

May be high if the mother likes to eat fatty dairy products, meat, halva and walnuts. To reduce the fat content of milk, it is recommended to reduce the consumption of these products and drink more fluids. During breastfeeding, a woman usually drinks 500-800 ml more liquid than usual. It is allowed to consume up to 2.8 liters of liquid per day. Drink as much as you want.

You can reduce the fat content of your baby's milk by changing breasts during feeding. First milk (foremilk) is 90% water. As soon as the baby drinks the first milk from one breast (1-2 minutes of feeding), the second breast is offered to him. If you feed your baby only foremilk, his diet will be less fatty.

Foremilk contain far fewer nutrients than hindmilk. Significantly reducing the fat content in a child's diet can cause developmental disturbances. Therefore, it is possible to transfer an infant to foremilk only after consulting a pediatrician.

Organizing nutrition for formula-fed children

A common cause of regurgitation is. Breastfed babies rarely overeat. Formula-fed babies cannot control the amount of food they receive and often eat the entire portion offered by their mother. If the mother does not adhere to dosage recommendations when preparing infant formula, the baby will eat a large amount of food and spit up the excess.

The reason may be the large diameter of the hole at the nipple on the bottle. To get milk from the mother's breast, the baby needs to make a lot of effort. During intensive sucking on a nipple with a large hole, more food enters the baby's body than he needs.

With artificial feeding, the baby can also swallow air. This happens if the nipple does not fit snugly against the bottle.

Anti-reflux baby food

If the baby is spitting up a lot, it is recommended to transfer it to an anti-reflux mixture. These foods are low in fat. In most adapted blends, the ratio of whey proteins to casein is 60/40. The anti-reflux mixture contains an increased proportion of casein. When using it, the likelihood of regurgitation in an infant is reduced. Under the influence of hydrochloric acid, casein quickly curdles in the stomach. First, flakes form from it, then a thick mass. The thickened contents of the stomach are much less likely to be thrown into the esophagus through the sphincter.

Anti-reflux mixtures may contain thickeners. Rice or potato starch, as well as gum, are used as thickeners. Gum is obtained from carob beans. Under the influence of hydrochloric acid, it thickens the contents of the stomach, like starch or casein. Unlike them, gum is not digested and does not participate in metabolism. But it enhances the peristalsis of the stomach and intestines, helping them to empty naturally.

Antireflux mixture Nutrilon Antireflux contains a moderate concentration of gum (0.4% per 100 g of product) and a low fat content. The ratio of whey proteins to casein is 20/80.

Samper Lemopak infant formula contains rice starch as a thickener. The concentration of fat and the ratio of proteins in the product is not changed.

You can thicken the usual mixture with any dairy-free porridge. One measuring cap (spoon) of dairy-free porridge is added to a single serving of prepared infant formula. Kashi Baby (buckwheat, rice, oatmeal with apple) can be consumed by a 4-month-old baby. They make regular infant formula thicker and more nutritious. The child is satiated faster and spit up less.

Use antireflux mixtures and thickeners only after consulting a pediatrician.

Norm indicators

Healthy newborn. In some cases, vomiting in the form of a fountain is observed. This is not a cause for concern if the child is gaining weight normally, is calm during wakefulness and sleeps soundly. Indicators of the health and normal nutrition of the newborn are also regular defecation and urination.

The volume of vomit is from 2 to 4 tbsp. l. is the norm. To determine the amount of rejected food, you need to pour 2-4 tbsp next to the vomit stain. l. water. If the size of the vomit stain is smaller than the water stain, then regurgitation is not critical.

The baby may choke during feeding and burp. If this behavior occurs periodically, there is no pathology in it. In a sick child, coughing can provoke vomiting. The regurgitation disappears after the baby stops coughing.

When the fourth month of baby development begins, regurgitation can provoke its activity. Rolling over on his stomach after eating, he has an additional effect on the stomach.

The fact that there are no violations in the work of the digestive tract is evidenced by a soft stomach. You can not feel the stomach after feeding. Pressure on the walls of the stomach can cause vomiting.

A healthy child does not experience changes in well-being before and after spitting up. He serenely continues to play, gurgles and smiles.
It is important to follow the dynamics of the process. If there is a noticeable decrease in the number of regurgitations, then the baby is developing normally. For many children, regular regurgitation stops by 4 months. They can only occur sporadically. In some cases, systematic vomiting is observed up to 10-12 months.

Warning signs

If the baby suffers from persistent and profuse vomiting, despite observing all the rules of feeding, it must be shown to the pediatrician. The doctor will determine why the newborn often spit up. If necessary, he will refer the child for a consultation with a neurologist, gastroenterologist or surgeon.

An unfavorable sign is the restless behavior of the child after spitting up. If he cries a lot and wriggles his whole body, this may indicate irritation of the walls of the esophagus.

You need to see a doctor if the baby is losing weight and has little bowel movement. A hard and swollen abdomen speaks of trouble in the work of the gastrointestinal tract.

You need to worry if vomiting is preceded by the appearance of a large amount of saliva, the child is sick (restless behavior is observed), he has rapid breathing and heartbeat. This behavior is the reason for going to the doctor.

A sign of violations of the nervous system may be excessive anxiety of the child. He is naughty a lot, his sleep is short and superficial. You should be wary if vomiting occurs after the baby has cried a lot.

Many reasons can cause pathological vomiting. It is recommended to take a child to the doctor who suddenly starts spitting up after 6 months. Regular regurgitation after the child reaches the age of 1 year is considered a sign of pathology.

A dangerous symptom is an increase in body temperature in an infant, often and profusely spitting up. If the vomit has an unusual color, an unpleasant odor, or they begin to contain impurities (blood, mucus, pus), it is urgent to call an ambulance.

After reading this article, you will learn a lot of useful information about why a baby spit up often and a lot after feeding, how to prevent frequent spitting up in a newborn baby, what to do if a baby (newborn baby) hiccups while spitting up and much more.

Parents always worry about the condition of their baby. If they encounter any problems or difficult questions, they get excited. It is necessary to consider in detail the moment why the baby is spitting up? Is this condition normal and what to do about it?

Why does the baby spit up often: reasons

Dr. Komarovsky says that regurgitation in infants (infrequent, not abundant) is a normal condition. If the child at the same time feels good, cheerful, actively gaining weight, then do not worry. You need to worry when the baby spits up often, loses weight.

Examples of reasons for regurgitation should be given:

your baby has not yet gained experience in proper food intake, eat as much as it fits into. Vomiting in this case is a protective function of the body against excess food received;
in some cases, the baby does not accept the products that the mother feeds him (revise the menu);
high activity of the nervous system, it provokes the process when the gastric wall is stretched. This happens if the baby does not gain weight.

Thus, the process of ejection of food is a normal reaction of an infant to a meal. It is only important to make sure that your child gains weight and feels good.

How often should a baby spit up

Spitting up is a normal, natural process in a baby. Do not worry if your baby vomits after eating, gaining weight. Doctors advise to calculate how often the baby burps food. If you counted 12 times a day or a little more, then the children have enough milk, and they simply get rid of excess food.

In the event that the baby often spit up, then the reason may be in improper breastfeeding. It is not necessary to keep the baby in an upright position after feeding, it is best if he lies quietly on his side.

An infant at 4 months of age should regurgitate approximately 2 tablespoons of milk after a feed. Knowing this indicator, you can check the health of your baby, and determine if everything is in order with him. If you have any doubts, it is best to immediately contact an experienced doctor. He will examine your baby and, if necessary, prescribe treatment.

How to prevent frequent spitting up after feeding

If the baby began to spit up often, an attentive mother can pay attention to the reasons for this process. When negative factors are eliminated, the child will feel better.

In order to prevent frequent regurgitation you need:

make sure that the head of the baby is not thrown back, the nose breathes well and freely;
it is important to remember that the newborn should feel comfortable, do not pull him after feeding and swaddle tightly;
if the baby vomits very often, put him in the crib strictly on his side so that he does not suffocate;
when the cause is overfeeding, it is better to reduce this process, then the child will become more comfortable.

Thus, if you see that your child is spitting up a lot, then take care to eliminate all the inconveniences of feeding him. You will become much calmer from this, and the baby will feel great. Attentive attitude to infants is the key to their full development and excellent well-being.

If often spit up after feeding curd and hiccups

Any small child must regurgitate excess food, thus, he protects his body from oversaturation. But sometimes it can cause concern. If the baby hiccups after vomiting, there is nothing to worry about. The question arises, why is this happening? This is due to the fact that excess air has entered the stomach, the baby is very worried or alarmed by something.

It is important to know exactly what to do in this situation? Attach for a while to the chest and then put in the crib on the side, so he will calm down. It is worth noting that the forum of young mothers is a great find. There, parents constantly discuss the issues that have arisen regarding the care of the child. Experienced moms share their tips.

Sometimes the baby spit up curd, as a rule, there is nothing to worry about. Common causes are overfeeding, bloating. In order to eliminate this process, the mother needs to feed the child in small portions, but often.

Do you know why they appear? We will tell you the causes of their manifestation and how to deal with them. It may be interesting for you to see how it looks, since you must definitely know how it manifests itself.

If you need video massage lessons for torticollis in infants, it’s simple, because massage helps to cope with the problem of torticollis very well.

Why does a monthly baby spit up often and a lot

If a month old baby spit up after breastfeeding, the main reason for this may be that the baby has overeaten. A protective reaction is triggered in the baby that his stomach is full and he should not be fed yet. But when the mother notices that the baby burps all the food she received, and over time she began to noticeably lose weight, then here it is worth contacting the pediatrician immediately.

In addition, profuse regurgitation and at the same time a poor, sluggish state of health of the baby is also considered a cause for concern.

When a baby spits up a lot and does not poop, this is not always a cause for concern. If a child has not gone to the toilet for 10 days, it is considered the norm. Breast milk is highly digestible. If the child is crying at the same time and something is bothering him, then you definitely need to go to the doctor in order to understand why he does not feel well.

Is it worth worrying about the baby and why

When a baby spit up often and a lot, this is not always a reason for serious excitement. You need to worry if you see that the baby is sad a lot, not having fun, something does not suit him.

It often happens that the baby eats a lot and spit up a lot, experts advise not to feed the baby in large portions. It is best to divide them into small parts, then the food will have time to digest well and he will not experience discomfort. In everything, it is important to adhere to the norm.

Let the child eat often but in small portions. Do not try to overfeed him, this will not affect his health and well-being from the best side.

What to do if a newborn baby spit up a lot

The baby began to spit up a lot, many parents begin to worry about this and seriously worry. First you need to watch the child. If he started doing this after you overfed him, then this is a normal reaction. You just need to bring the feeding procedure back to normal. Give your baby food often, but not much.

Your 2 month old baby may be anxious, so food is thrown out through the mouth. Doctors say that the process of regurgitation is a natural state in a child up to a year old: 1 month, at 5 months, 9 months, a 3-month-old baby can get rid of overfeeding in this way.

If your child spit up an hour after each feeding - this is not a reason to worry. You just need to create optimal, comfortable conditions for eating for him.

Spitting up is a process when, after feeding, a small amount (5–30 ml) of milk or formula is thrown back in a baby if the baby is on mixed or artificial feeding. Usually this does not affect the behavior and general well-being of the child.

What causes spitting up?

To answer this question, you need to know some of the anatomical and physiological features of the gastrointestinal tract in infants.

First of all, regurgitation in newborn babies is associated with the immaturity of the sphincter between the esophagus and stomach (the sphincter is called a circular muscle, which, by contracting, closes one or another hole in the body). Normally, after the passage of food from the esophagus to the stomach, it closes. This is what prevents stomach contents from returning back into the esophagus. By the time the baby is born, this sphincter is still very weak, and therefore milk or milk formula is thrown into the baby's esophagus and mouth. Very young children have another important feature - the angle of entry of the esophagus into the stomach is often blunt or approaches 90 °, while in older children and adults it decreases to acute. This also creates conditions for the reflux of gastric contents into the esophagus, which leads to regurgitation in newborns.

Causes of regurgitation

But not only these features contribute to regurgitation. They can also occur in a number of other cases:

with general immaturity of the body, which is most often found in premature babies;
when overfeeding a baby - if the amount of food eaten exceeds the volume of the stomach. This happens in newborns when feeding on demand, if the mother has a lot of milk, or in artisans with an incorrectly calculated volume of the milk mixture;
when a large amount of food (milk or milk formula) is consumed, the stomach is overdistended, the sphincter cannot withstand the increased pressure inside it, and part of the food eaten is thrown into the esophagus. If the baby has overeaten, he spits up fresh milk in the first half hour after feeding;
when swallowing air during feeding (aerophagia), which in infants most often occurs with fast and eager sucking, improper attachment of the baby to the breast, or the wrong position of the bottle with the mixture. In these cases, an air bubble forms in the stomach, which pushes out a small amount of food eaten. With aerophagia, a child may begin to show anxiety during feeding, throw the breast, turn his head and scream. The same symptoms may occur after feeding;
with a rapid change in body position after feeding. Regurgitation can occur in a baby if, immediately after feeding, the mother begins to disturb him, swaddle, bathe, massage, etc .;
with increased pressure in the abdominal cavity. For example, tight swaddling or a diaper that is too tight creates excessive external pressure on the baby's tummy, which can lead to spitting up. Also, factors contributing to an increase in intra-abdominal pressure include flatulence (increased gas formation in the intestines), intestinal colic and constipation.

Why is the baby spitting up? Watch the video

Regurgitation in newborns: when is it a signal of illness

Unfortunately, regurgitation in newborns can also be one of the manifestations of certain diseases. Quite often they occur in diseases such as birth trauma, hypoxia (oxygen starvation) during pregnancy or childbirth, increased intracranial pressure, impaired cerebral circulation, increased neuro-reflex excitability, etc. In these cases, along with regurgitation, the child will experience symptoms characteristic of CNS damage: increased excitability or lethargy, sleep disturbances, trembling of the chin or arms, an increase or decrease in muscle tone.

Regurgitation is also observed in some congenital malformations of the gastrointestinal tract:

hiatal hernia. This is a congenital underdevelopment of connective tissue structures that strengthen the opening in the diaphragm through which the esophagus passes. With this disease, regurgitation occurs 2-3 weeks after birth, is persistent and prolonged, appears immediately after feeding, the child quickly loses weight. To confirm the diagnosis, it is necessary to conduct an x-ray examination;
pyloric stenosis and pylorospasm. In the place where the stomach passes into the duodenum, there is a sphincter - the pylorus of the stomach. It blocks the lumen of the stomach while food is digested in it. Then it opens, and the contents of the stomach move into the duodenum. In infants, there are two types of disturbances in the functioning of this closing opening - pylorospasm and pyloric stenosis. In the first case, the sphincter muscle convulsively contracts, and in the second it is greatly thickened and narrows the exit from the stomach. Under these conditions, the contents of the stomach cannot fully pass into the duodenum. In the first days, the baby does not experience any inconvenience, since the volume of milk he sucks is small. Regurgitation appears as the amount of food eaten increases and, as a rule, begins towards the end of the first month of life. In the future, instead of regurgitation, vomiting of a fountain of curdled milk with a sour smell may appear. To confirm the diagnosis, it is necessary to conduct an endoscopic examination of the stomach;
chalazia cardia. The cardia is the same sphincter that separates the esophagus from the stomach. So, with congenital chalazia (that is, relaxation), it cannot close completely, which leads to the reflux of the contents of the stomach into the esophagus. In this case, the milk comes out unchanged, since it has not yet had time to be digested. Such regurgitation begins from the first days of life, occurs immediately after feeding the baby and is stronger if the baby is left to lie down. The general condition of the child is often disturbed: he suckles sluggishly, gets tired quickly, gains little weight and sleeps poorly. The diagnosis is confirmed by X-ray.
congenital short esophagus. With this pathology, there is a discrepancy between the length of the esophagus and the chest, as a result of which part of the stomach is higher than the diaphragm.

Norm or pathology?

How can a mother understand whether regurgitation is physiological, that is, due to the normal characteristics of the gastrointestinal tract, or is it a manifestation of a disease?

If regurgitation occurs infrequently (1-2 times a day), in a small amount (1-3 tablespoons), while the child has a good appetite and good regular stools, he develops normally, gains weight well (in the first 3-4 months, the baby should add at least 125 g per week (600-800 g per month)) and he has a sufficient number of urination per day (at least 8-10), then regurgitation can not be given much importance. In such cases, they are most likely associated with the age-related characteristics of the gastrointestinal tract but. With a high degree of probability, in the second half of life, after the introduction of complementary foods, they will pass on their own without any treatment.

In the fight against spitting up

What should a mother do to avoid regurgitation at hailstones? The following tips will help:

do not overfeed your baby. It is necessary to periodically carry out control weighing of the baby (weighing before and after one feeding) in order to determine the amount of sucked milk. Babies with regurgitation are advised to feed more frequently with smaller than usual portions. At the same time, the daily amount of food should not decrease. With artificial feeding, the pediatrician should calculate the volume of daily and single feeding for the baby, taking into account his age and body weight;
correct attachment of the baby to the breast. When breastfeeding, it is important to ensure that the baby captures not only the nipple, but also the areola. At the same time, the nipple and areola fill almost the entire mouth of the child, a complete vacuum is created, which practically eliminates the swallowing of air;
with artificial feeding, the correct choice of the hole in the nipple is of great importance. It should not be large, the mixture should flow out in frequent drops from an overturned bottle. During feeding, the bottle should be tilted at such an angle that the nipple is completely filled with formula. Otherwise, the baby will swallow air.

Regurgitation in infants: treatment by position

In order to avoid spitting up when feeding the baby, it is important that he is in the correct position:

it is desirable that the baby, when feeding, is located in the mother's arms at an angle of 45–60 ° from the horizontal plane. To make it comfortable for mom, you can put rollers, pillows, etc. under the crumbs;
after feeding, the child should be held in an upright position - “column” - for 10-20 minutes so that he releases air, which leaves with a characteristic loud sound for one or several times, do not swaddle the baby tightly and dress him in clothes with tight elastic bands that tighten the tummy. It is important that the baby's head is slightly elevated (at an angle of 30–60° to the horizontal plane). To do this, it is recommended to put the baby to sleep on a small pillow or on 1-2 folded diapers, you can also raise the legs of the head of the crib by 5-10 cm;
babies suffering from regurgitation are recommended to be put to sleep not on their back, but on their stomach or right side. The fact is that in the supine position, the transition from the esophagus to the stomach is located below the stomach itself, which facilitates the return of food into the esophagus and leads to regurgitation. The stomach is located on the left, and if the child is placed on the left side, pressure will be exerted on this organ, which in turn can provoke regurgitation. On the left side of the baby can be turned no earlier than 30 minutes after feeding. But in the position on the stomach, the inlet of the gastric opening, on the contrary, is located above the stomach, which helps to retain the milk eaten in it. In addition, the position of the child on the stomach or on the right side during regurgitation is considered the safest, since in these positions the possibility of inhalation of vomit is reduced to a minimum. Before feeding, it is recommended to change the diaper of the child, so as not to disturb him after eating. It is also better to bathe the baby before feeding and not earlier than 40 minutes after eating.

Therapeutic nutrition for regurgitation in infants

In order to reduce regurgitation in children who are bottle-fed, you can use special therapeutic milk mixtures that have an increased viscosity. This is achieved due to the fact that thickeners are included in their composition: corn or rice starch, carob gluten. Due to the thicker consistency of the mixture, the food lump is better retained in the stomach. Casein-based milk substitutes are also used as therapeutic nutrition. In these mixtures, the content of casein protein is increased, which, when curdled in the stomach, forms a dense clot and thereby prevents regurgitation. These medicated formulas are labeled AR, but should only be used with a doctor's prescription and should not be given to healthy children who do not spit up.

With natural feeding and persistent regurgitation in a child, along with breast milk, mixtures with thickeners are also sometimes used. At the same time, before feeding with mother's milk, the child is given 10-40 ml of the therapeutic mixture from a spoon or from a syringe (without a needle), and then the baby is breast-fed.

The doctor determines the duration of the use of such mixtures individually. It can be quite long: 2-3 months.

When medicines are needed

If the cause of regurgitation is increased gas formation, constipation, dysbacteriosis or intestinal colic, the doctor may prescribe tests for the baby to identify the cause of these disorders, and then prescribe treatment to reduce the manifestation of these symptoms, as well as special drugs that help reduce or stop regurgitation. The therapeutic effect of these drugs is that they normalize the motor activity of the gastrointestinal tract, increase the tone of the cardiac sphincter of the esophagus, accelerate the evacuation of food from the stomach into the intestines and thereby lead to the absence of regurgitation.

Despite the fact that regurgitation in infants is common and in most cases is not dangerous for the child, it is important to remember that they can be a symptom of a disease and cause a deterioration in the health of the baby. Therefore, if something in the behavior or condition of the child causes concern to the mother, it is best to seek help from a doctor.

Need advice

If the mother cannot assess the nature of the regurgitation herself or something worries her, the child must be shown to the pediatrician. The reasons for concern of parents and the obligatory visit to the doctor are:

profuse and frequent regurgitation;
regurgitation with an admixture of bile or blood;
regurgitation appeared after 6 months or does not go away after six months;
against the background of regurgitation, the child gains weight poorly, is inactive, has rare and small volume of urination.

Newborn weight

The weight of a newborn is an important indicator, the dynamics of which can be used to judge how the baby grows and develops. Even a small weight loss can be a wake-up call for parents. But with regular regurgitation, a child may not receive valuable nutrients for his growth. That is why it is so necessary to constantly monitor the weight of the baby, even at home. The presence of electronic baby scales at home will provide peace of mind to the mother and the ability to adjust the baby's diet.

Less air!

For children who are bottle-fed and who suffer from regurgitation due to swallowing air, special bottles have been developed: physiological bottles with a narrow part tilted at an angle of 30 °. This prevents the possibility of air entering the nipple. Bottles in which there is a special "tunnel" in the form of a tube with a top expanding towards the neck: such a system eliminates the occurrence of a vacuum and the creation of negative pressure. Bottles with a built-in anti-regurgitation valve that prevents air from entering the container and swallowing it.

Spitting up after feeding a baby is a very common phenomenon. It is explained by the functional immaturity of the baby's digestive tract and errors in the feeding method that adults directly allow. Why does the child spit up after each feeding, how to prevent it?

You need to correct your mistakes. If breastfeeding, pay attention to how the baby sucks the breast, does he grab the nipple correctly? If a child cries during feeding, this happens with intestinal colic, fidgets, this contributes to the swallowing of air. Well, this air pushes food up, and parents see that after feeding the child burped milk. Psychologically, this feature of infants is perceived quite hard. Mom constantly thinks that the child was left hungry, and there is no longer enough milk in her breast for him to “finish” the lost one. In most cases, these fears are unfounded. Almost every baby hiccups and burps after feeding before the age of 6-7 months. And almost all healthy babies gain weight and grow well. The amount of milk lost when spitting up is literally 1-2 grams, not at all significant. If the child burped with a fountain after feeding, then this amount is larger - up to 12 grams, about a tablespoon. But again, this is not catastrophic if it does not repeat several times a day.
For artificial people, the situation is similar - when sucking a bottle, they also swallow a lot of air. And when the child is in a horizontal position, with a high degree of probability, this air will also push the mixture out of the stomach when it leaves the stomach. Another likely cause of trouble is overfeeding. Many artificial babies drink a full bottle of formula in 2-3 minutes. But during this time, the signal from the stomach to the brain about saturation does not reach. And the baby seems to be showing signs of hunger. "Not full!" - Mom thinks, and gives him a supplement. Excess mixture comes out after a while ...

Other reasons why children spit up after breastfeeding or formula are neurological diseases, malformations of the gastrointestinal tract. But this usually manifests itself in the first month of a child's life. And the pediatrician is unlikely to look through. Everything else, with the normal development of the child (do not forget about routine examinations by doctors of other specialties) is a variant of the norm.

A baby can burp either 15-20 minutes after feeding or an hour later. Usually, in the first minutes, the baby releases undigested milk from the stomach, sometimes even spits up in the form of a fountain, abundantly. If the child spits up an hour after feeding, then already curdled milk. It is impossible to say which is worse - the first or the second. It doesn't matter. It is better to try to prevent these regurgitations. And without medication. We offer you a list of simple measures that will definitely help.

1. After each feeding, hold the baby vertically, that is, in a column. If this is done, then there is a high probability that only air will come out of the stomach (it is lighter than milk or a mixture). It is necessary to keep the child in this way for about 20 minutes. Such a measure is necessary until the child himself begins to assume an upright position, that is, to sit. It is hardly worth keeping a sleeping child in a column, but it is better to lay the baby on a slightly raised mattress.

2. When preparing milk formula, do not shake the bottle too vigorously. Shaking causes air bubbles to enter the mixture and from there into the baby's stomach.

3. Don't feed too fast.

4. In the case of artificial feeding, try to always follow the feeding schedule, and feed at regular intervals.

5. Keep tobacco smoke out of the room where the child is. And don't let a recent smoker hold a baby, especially after a feed. The smell of tobacco smoke also provokes regurgitation in children.

6. If the child spits up a lot every time after feeding, then try to put it on the tummy before the next feeding. For babies who are already tearing their torso off a hard surface, this is one of the measures to help get air out of the stomach.

Frequent regurgitation in infants without visible pathologies is not only unpleasant for parents, but also painful for children. No, they don't hurt at all. It is very unpleasant feeling when the air is in the gastrointestinal tract. Try yourself to drink or eat quickly, and you will understand what it is about. Babies who are not properly fed cry a lot, they have more colic. Therefore, it is so important to follow the rules of feeding children.

Babies in their first year of life often spit up. Rather, this is not a pathology, but due to the fact that the crumbs still have a too short esophagus and the digestive system is not fully formed. Children usually spit up at least once a day, while in others this process occurs much more often. We have come to the question of interest to all mothers, why a newborn often burps.

Unfortunately, frequent urge to vomit can indicate both the normal state of the child and the pathology of the gastrointestinal tract. Not a single pediatrician gives an exact answer to the question of how often a newborn should burp, since this is a purely individual indicator.

Moms take note! You should not worry if your baby is spitting up and is not naughty or nervous. This suggests that nothing bothers him, and what happened is just the norm that many babies have.

If the baby has never burped up to a year - this is also an unfavorable signal, reconsider how the feeding takes place, perhaps the baby does not eat up.

There are a lot of reasons that cause regurgitation in babies of the first year of life, but we will analyze the most common:

In addition to these natural manifestations, there are more serious causes that cause similar symptoms.

Pathological signs of regurgitation in newborns

Usually, the most common symptom that is a pathology during regurgitation is the malfunctioning of the gastrointestinal tract or its disease. Often, regurgitation in infants appears if an umbilical hernia progresses.

The kids are talking! Andryusha recently put me into a stupor with a question:
- And how much do you weigh in length?

If your newborn is spitting up frequently and accompanied by high-pitched crying, it's likely that the baby has caught an infection, such as hepatitis or meningitis. A more serious cause, which is very difficult to treat, is the severe course of pregnancy, as a result of which damage to the central nervous system of the child has formed.

Painful regurgitation in a baby is an obvious sign of developing kidney failure. The gag reflex, which is the result of poisoning or an allergic reaction to some components from breast milk or mixture, is not excluded.

Parents in the piggy bank! Natural regurgitation in infants suddenly disappears by the end of the first year of life.

When a newborn often spits up curdled milk more than five times a day, you should consult with your pediatrician, since even the absence of pathology entails the following problems:

weight loss of the child;
growth stops;
the baby becomes nervous and too capricious;
the baby refuses to eat;
the protective function of the immune system is impaired.

Frequent regurgitation in babies up to 6 months of age is the norm only when accompanied by good health. According to Yevgeny Komarovsky, 40-60% of healthy breastfed children spit up more than five times a day.

We offer you to watch a video from E. Komarovsky, which talks about common signs of regurgitation in infants.

How to save the baby from spitting up, and yourself from unrest?

There are many conservative treatments for the gag reflex in newborns. If this process is physiological in nature, then it is recommended to use preventive measures.

The kids are talking! The daughter is sitting at the table, picking at the plate with a spoon.
- Polina, eat.
- I develop my memory. Now I will dispel and start eating.

Increase the frequency of feeding, of course, start from the age of the child. If he is 2 months old, you can feed every two hours, but the amount of food should be reduced.
Feed a baby with frequent spitting up in a semi-sitting position. That is, the baby should be at an angle of 45 degrees at the time of feeding.
When breastfeeding, control attachment to the breast, see how this is done.
Be sure to abandon tight swaddling or anti-hernia bandages. Such manipulations will reduce intra-abdominal pressure, provoking regurgitation.
If regurgitation in a child is regular, pediatricians recommend practicing therapeutic formulas for feeding. Please consult your doctor before taking them.

Important! Counseling before taking certain medications for regurgitation is necessary to rule out allergic rashes and other symptoms.

In the event that a newborn suffers from acid reflux attacks, he must be stimulated to spit up after each feeding. Such a diagnosis is accompanied by frequent suffocation, burning in the chest, regular hiccups and difficulty swallowing. These symptoms are life threatening.