Is it normal for my baby to throw up after each feeding

Children and vomiting - Better Health Channel

Summary

Read the full fact sheet

Mild vomiting is normal in most babies and improves over time.
Most babies need only simple treatment, or none at all.
Changing feeding and sleeping positions may help.
Medicine should not be given unless prescribed by your doctor.
Give a child who is unsettled after vomiting a drink or a little food.
If your child seems unwell or shows any worrying symptoms, see a doctor.

Vomiting can be part of many illnesses in children and babies. It is not usually a major concern as long as your child seems well in other ways.

Vomiting is common for babies and young children. Vomiting occurs when food is brought back up from the stomach. The amount of vomit can often seem larger than it actually is.

Types of vomiting

There are different types of vomiting, including:

Possetting – this is when your baby vomits up small amounts after a feed.
Reflux – this vomiting is common in babies. It is caused when the valve at the top of the stomach accidentally opens. The contents of the stomach come back up the food pipe (oesophagus) slowly. Reflux does not harm babies. They usually grow out of it by the time they are walking.
Projectile vomiting – this is when your baby brings up the stomach contents in a forceful way. The amount of milk or food can seem large on the floor, but is usually only the amount of the last feed. Babies may projectile vomit occasionally, but if it happens after every feed, see your doctor right away as it may be due to a blockage caused by thickening of the muscle at the outlet of the stomach.

Causes of vomiting

Vomiting is usually caused by:

minor infections like 'gastro' or the common cold
gastro-oesophageal reflux
motion sickness from travelling in a moving vehicle.

Sometimes, vomiting may be part of a more serious illness. Children may vomit if they have an infection, such as a urinary tract infection or meningitis, a bowel obstruction or appendicitis. If vomiting progresses to fever and diarrhoea, it will usually be caused by a virus infection. If this persists for 12 hours or more, dehydration is likely. so see your doctor or local hospital emergency department without delay.

Treatment for vomiting

Most babies and children vomit easily and recover quickly. After vomiting, your child may be hungry and thirsty. Give plenty to drink so your child does not become dehydrated. If your child keeps on vomiting and looks unwell, see your doctor. Do not use medication to try and stop the vomiting.

Reflux vomiting can be prevented or reduced

Different positions for feeding or in bed can help reduce your baby’s chance of vomiting. You can try to:

Feed your baby in an upright position.
Prop your baby up after feeds.
Lay your baby on the left side.
Avoid bouncing your baby after feeding.

To help with mild reflux, you can thicken your baby’s food with cornflour or infant food thickener. If your child is uncomfortable after vomiting or will not settle, try giving milk or water. This will wash any acid back into the stomach. Some babies get heartburn, which is a burning sensation in the chest. They may be unsettled after feeding or when lying flat. Your doctor can suggest an antacid to relieve heartburn.

When to see your doctor

Take your baby to the doctor if any of these symptoms occur:

poor weight gain because of the loss of feeds in vomiting
coughing or choking spells
blood or yellow-green bile in the vomit
heartburn
vomiting increases or becomes forceful after every feed
your baby seems unwell.

Where to get help

Your doctor
NURSE-ON-CALL Tel. 1300 60 60 24 – for expert health information and advice (24 hours, 7 days)
Your local maternal and child health nurse
The 24 hour Maternal and Child Health Telephone Service. Tel.13 22 29
Your local hospital emergency or casualty department

Things to remember

Mild vomiting is normal in most babies and improves over time.
Most babies need only simple treatment, or none at all.
Changing feeding and sleeping positions may help.
Medicine should not be given unless prescribed by your doctor.
Give a child who is unsettled after vomiting a drink or a little food.
If your child seems unwell or shows any worrying symptoms, see a doctor.

This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by:

Children and vomiting - Better Health Channel

Summary

Read the full fact sheet

Mild vomiting is normal in most babies and improves over time.
Most babies need only simple treatment, or none at all.
Changing feeding and sleeping positions may help.
Medicine should not be given unless prescribed by your doctor.
Give a child who is unsettled after vomiting a drink or a little food.
If your child seems unwell or shows any worrying symptoms, see a doctor.

Vomiting can be part of many illnesses in children and babies. It is not usually a major concern as long as your child seems well in other ways.

Vomiting is common for babies and young children. Vomiting occurs when food is brought back up from the stomach. The amount of vomit can often seem larger than it actually is.

Types of vomiting

There are different types of vomiting, including:

Possetting – this is when your baby vomits up small amounts after a feed.
Reflux – this vomiting is common in babies. It is caused when the valve at the top of the stomach accidentally opens. The contents of the stomach come back up the food pipe (oesophagus) slowly. Reflux does not harm babies. They usually grow out of it by the time they are walking.
Projectile vomiting – this is when your baby brings up the stomach contents in a forceful way. The amount of milk or food can seem large on the floor, but is usually only the amount of the last feed. Babies may projectile vomit occasionally, but if it happens after every feed, see your doctor right away as it may be due to a blockage caused by thickening of the muscle at the outlet of the stomach.

Causes of vomiting

Vomiting is usually caused by:

minor infections like 'gastro' or the common cold
gastro-oesophageal reflux
motion sickness from travelling in a moving vehicle.

Treatment for vomiting

Reflux vomiting can be prevented or reduced

Different positions for feeding or in bed can help reduce your baby’s chance of vomiting. You can try to:

Feed your baby in an upright position.
Prop your baby up after feeds.
Lay your baby on the left side.
Avoid bouncing your baby after feeding.

When to see your doctor

Take your baby to the doctor if any of these symptoms occur:

poor weight gain because of the loss of feeds in vomiting
coughing or choking spells
blood or yellow-green bile in the vomit
heartburn
vomiting increases or becomes forceful after every feed
your baby seems unwell.

Where to get help

Your doctor
NURSE-ON-CALL Tel. 1300 60 60 24 – for expert health information and advice (24 hours, 7 days)
Your local maternal and child health nurse
The 24 hour Maternal and Child Health Telephone Service. Tel.13 22 29
Your local hospital emergency or casualty department

Things to remember

Mild vomiting is normal in most babies and improves over time.
Most babies need only simple treatment, or none at all.
Changing feeding and sleeping positions may help.
Medicine should not be given unless prescribed by your doctor.
Give a child who is unsettled after vomiting a drink or a little food.
If your child seems unwell or shows any worrying symptoms, see a doctor.

This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by:

Spitting up and vomiting in infants

Spitting up and vomiting in babies is a common reason for visiting a doctor.

Regurgitation and vomiting is a reflex action that occurs when receptors located in various anatomical zones are irritated, incl. in the stomach, esophagus, pharynx, oral cavity. The signal is transmitted to the vomiting center, which is located in the medulla oblongata and a gag reflex occurs.

What is the difference between regurgitation and vomiting?

The difference lies in the volume and kinetics (movement) of the gastric contents expelled to the outside. When regurgitation occurs, leakage occurs without the participation of the diaphragm and abdominal muscles, i.e. passively. There is little content, up to about 10-15 ml. If the child does not swallow it, it quietly expires from the oral cavity. When vomiting, a wave-like bending of the upper half of the body occurs as a result of contraction of the muscles of the diaphragm and the anterior wall of the abdomen, the volume of vomit is greater, and they are erupted with pressure from the oral cavity with an ejection trajectory of up to 50 cm. In children of the first year of life, this is defined by the term "fountain vomiting" .

Regurgitation is observed only in children of the first year of life and, mainly, up to 6 months. Contribute to this anatomical and physiological features of the esophagus and stomach of the baby. Their esophagus is short and wide, the angle of connection of the esophagus with the stomach is less pronounced, and its obturator function is weak. These regurgitations are physiological. They can be after each feeding, up to 15 ml, do not affect the well-being and weight gain of the baby. They can also be caused by excessive feeding, aerophagia (swallowing air while sucking), straining during intestinal colic. The frequency and volume of such regurgitation decreases with the growth of the child. With the introduction of complementary foods, and this is a thicker food, regurgitation stops or becomes much less frequent.

If regurgitation persists in a child older than 1 year, then this is a sign of a pathological process.

Vomiting, unlike regurgitation, is accompanied by vegetative symptoms - increased salivation, pallor of the skin, palpitations. This is due to the fact that next to the vomiting center there are additional centers of autonomic regulation, which are reflexively excited, and active biological substances such as serotonin, dopamine, histamine and others are released into the blood.

Regurgitation and vomiting, from the moment of eating, may occur during feeding, after feeding for the first 20-30 minutes or delayed, sometimes after several hours.

Regurgitation and vomiting that occurs immediately after feeding unchanged breast milk or formula may be due to narrowing of the esophagus. If they persist until the next feeding, and the milk / mixture is curdled, has a sour or musty smell, then this is the result of a long standing food in the stomach. The reason for this may be the low tone of the muscle layer of the stomach and, as a result, its peristalsis or narrowing of the output section due to an anomaly in the development or high tone of the sphincter of the lower stomach. With narrowing of the duodenum, bile is present in the regurgitated masses.

Gastroesophageal reflux is a common cause of regurgitation in infants. It is likely that there is a complex problem here, starting with the immaturity of the gastrointestinal tract and disorders of the central nervous system. Perinatal injuries of the central nervous system accompany every second child. Their manifestations are varied. Regurgitation and vomiting can be facilitated by an increase in intracranial pressure, disorders in the segment of the cervical spine, and so on. Therefore, quite often, when carrying out rehabilitation measures for neurological dysfunctions, a positive effect is manifested in the form of a decrease or cessation of regurgitation. A hernia of the esophageal opening of the diaphragm will also manifest itself in a similar way.

We should not forget about allergic gastrointestinal reactions in the form of regurgitation and vomiting. The most common cause of this is cow's milk protein. With intolerance to cow's milk protein, inflammation of the mucous membrane of the esophagus, stomach and intestines occurs. And, as a result of this, regurgitation and vomiting, pain and increased gas formation, diarrhea or constipation.

Rare endocrine disorders (adrenogenital syndrome) are manifested by vomiting in children from the first weeks of life. In such cases, vomiting is frequent, there may be an admixture of bile, the child loses weight due to loss of fluid and nutrients, and severe metabolic disorders develop.

Vomiting can also be caused by an intestinal infection. Viral gastroenteritis is now common. It must be remembered that the younger the child, the more severe the disease. Within a few hours, the child's condition can go from satisfactory to extremely serious.

As you can see, the causes of regurgitation and vomiting in children of the first year of life are quite diverse, but most often these are transient conditions that disappear with the growth of the child.

Prevention of regurgitation in children of the first months of life is quite simple. Don't overfeed your baby. If he cries, it does not always mean that he is hungry. Excess feeding leads to increased gas formation and colic, during which the child is worried, straining, thereby increasing the likelihood of spitting up. After feeding, hold the baby more upright so that he can burp the swallowed air. This will take 15-20 minutes. If the child is bottle-fed, do not change his formula milk without the recommendation of a pediatrician.

If the child has frequent regurgitation and vomiting, it is necessary to consult a pediatrician or gastroenterologist to diagnose the cause. To make a diagnosis, it is sometimes enough to carry out simple and affordable diagnostic methods in a polyclinic. These include an ultrasound of the stomach and, if necessary, stool tests. However, the approach in each case is individual. Examination and treatment will be assigned to your baby, depending on the diagnosis. Perhaps it will be preventive measures or a certain milk formula, perhaps drug therapy. Rarely, but it happens that it is necessary to examine the child in a hospital and surgical treatment.

Newborn baby hiccups after feeding: what to do and how to help him

One of the causes of concern for the mother is the baby's hiccups. Most often, it occurs after feeding, passes quickly and does not cause much alarm, but sometimes the child hiccups for quite a long time. Elena Bondareva, a pediatrician and leading specialist of the Semeynaya clinic network, spoke about whether it is necessary to worry and how to help the baby in her Gazeta. Ru column.

Why newborn babies hiccup

Even during pregnancy, a woman may feel that the baby hiccups. This is due to the baby swallowing amniotic fluid or preparing for respiratory movements.

Hiccups are caused by synchronous contractions of the diaphragm and intercostal muscles, which imitate inhalation, but no air enters, as the airways are closed by the epiglottis, and a strangled sound occurs due to the sharp closing of the glottis.

Most often, hiccups occur when the vagus and phrenic nerves are irritated, which cause contractions of the diaphragm.
With fast, hasty, restless sucking of the breast if the baby is breastfed, or bottles if he is on mixed or artificial feeding, he can swallow air and overeat, this causes distension of the stomach and irritates the vagus nerve.

With regular regurgitation in a newborn, the contents of the stomach can irritate the esophageal mucosa and also stimulate the nearby vagus nerve.

Another reason may be hypothermia.

Is hiccups dangerous for a child?

It must be understood that such a condition does not harm the child. If the baby is active, feels good, you should not worry.
If the child cries, feels unwell, sleep and appetite are disturbed, if hiccups accompany vomiting, it is necessary to contact the pediatrician to determine the causes of the ailment.

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If a newborn spits up due to overeating and this is accompanied by hiccups, this is not dangerous and is not a problem. If, against the background of regurgitation, the child is healthy, gains weight and height well, this is a variant of the norm. If regurgitation is abundant, regular, vomiting occurs, the baby is not gaining weight well, you should definitely consult a doctor.

In case of hypothermia, if the child is wet or cold, he can also hiccup, then it is enough to change clothes and warm the baby so that the hiccups stop.

Other causes can also cause hiccups, including diseases of various organs, but this still applies more to adults, in children such conditions are very rare, only if the hiccups last for a long time, you can’t stop it, it makes sense to be examined by a pediatrician.

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How to stop hiccups in a newborn baby

First check if the child is wet or cold. The legs and arms may be cool, this is normal, so touch the body in the chest area, the skin should be warm. If this is the reason, the child needs to be changed and warmed up. If the child has overeaten or air has entered the stomach during feeding, hold it in a column, pat lightly on the back until the air bubble is discharged.

If the abdomen is swollen due to increased growth, a clockwise massage of the abdomen can be done to help the gas pass.