Spitting is the process of ejecting a small amount of saliva or food from the stomach. In newborns and infants, regurgitation after feeding is observed especially often, and is absolutely normal, requiring no special treatment. An exception is some cases, which we will consider in more detail below.
Belching is observed in 85% of newborns. By 3-4 months of life, they become more rare, and when the baby is 10 months old, they disappear almost completely, without treatment.
If, during regurgitation, the general condition of the baby does not worsen, his stool is normal, he feels good, then there is no reason for concern. However, regurgitation after feeding can be a symptom of various diseases that need to be recognized and cured on time.
Why does the baby spit up after feeding? Consider the main reasons.
1. The stomach is full of food and air. Often the baby spits up immediately after eating, while air escapes (burping occurs). In this situation, excess food is released from the baby’s stomach.
2. When feeding, air is swallowed (aerophagy). An excess of air in this case is collected in the stomach, and can be the cause of regurgitation.
3. With weakness of the muscles of the valve, it blocks the passage into the stomach from the esophagus. In adults, this passage is blocked by a muscular valve, which allows food to pass from the esophagus to the stomach and does not allow it to pass back. In children, it is poorly developed and begins to work normally by the end of the first year of life. Because of this, food can flow from the baby’s stomach into the esophagus, from where it is then thrown out in the form of regurgitation.
4. Less commonly, the cause of profuse regurgitation may be an allergy to certain foods and congenital pathologies of the digestive system (for example, narrowing of the passage of the stomach into the intestines).
What can be done to reduce regurgitation?
The problem is usually solved without going to the doctor. To do this, follow the simple rules related to feeding:
- The most important rule: after feeding the baby, it is necessary to hold the column (in an upright position) for about 10 minutes. Wait for air to enter the stomach . By the way, you can also hold the baby upright for a while before eating - then the air that has entered the stomach before that will come out.
- Try not to overfeed your child - it is better to feed a little, but more often.
- Check his bottle. An excessively large hole in the nipple may become the reason a baby swallows a large amount of air.
- It is better to feed the child in a semi-vertical position so that his head is above the abdomen.
- During feeding, you need to take breaks every 5 minutes.
- Before feeding, it is advisable to lay the baby on the tummy.
- Make sure that the baby grasps the chest correctly (both the nipple and the areola).
- Try not to dress, don’t undress the baby, do not brake it after feeding, refrain from active games for at least 20 minutes.
If after following the above recommendations, vomiting after feeding does not go away, try changing the composition of the diet.
It helps to thicken the mixture or breast milk with rice powder or rice grits (from 3 months).
When to see a doctor
- The baby with frequent feedings does not gain weight or lose weight at all.
- Fountain spitting, too plentiful and frequent.
- Due to frequent regurgitation, signs of dehydration appeared.
- The rejected milk is not white, but green, with impurities of bile.
- Regurgitation is accompanied by pain, the child cries, arches and screams.
- The kid, after profuse regurgitation, is again hungry and eats with greed.
- Spitting up after feeding manifests itself in a baby who has reached 10-12 months.
Keep in mind that almost all children face this problem. By 6 months, usually the problem of regurgitation disappears on its own: the sphincter located between the esophagus and the stomach by this time will be able to retain the contents of the stomach.