Our two week old baby just threw up?

Question

We were getting ready to give her a feeding when all of a sudden she throws up a bit of her food. We're afraid of feeding her right now to let the feeling pass. How normal is it for a baby to throw up at 2 weeks? Could it be that feeding her every 3 hours is just too often? Normally she eats from a range of 80cc-100cc per 3 to 3.5 hours.

Thank You.

[SERIOUS REPLIES ONLY]

Answer 1

This sounds just like my baby!

After a few weeks of being born, babies bottom spincter on their stomach learns to close. For some, it closes too much and causes pyloric stenosis. For most other babies, if causes food to stay in a babies stomach.

As a result of having food lying around in the stomach, at times, the food will jump up into the esophagus and out of the mouth. This is commonly called Reflux, or GERD. Normally, this is not a problem. You see, for most babies, the TOP sphincter on their stomach doesn't develop until they are 4-8 months old so spit ups are common.

And then there are babies like mine. Because there is acid in the stomach, when my son spits up, he is NOT a "happy spitter" like most babies. Instead, he cries. In fact, when he was 6 weeks old, it had gotten to the point where he was crying every time he ate because it hurt so much.

Now he is on medication, including Zantac and Reglan. If your baby spits up hours after you feed him, this is not normal because a babies stomach should empty in about an hour. Therefore, he may need help with something to speed the food along his digestive tract, like Reglan.

Also, try to keep your baby upright after you feed him for at least 30 minutes. And make sure to prop him slightly to the side so he doesn't choke on his spit-up.

btw... I am not only a new mom, but a Registered Nurse!

GOOD LUCK!

Answer 2

If it was a little "spit-up" then that's normal. If it shot across the room...eh, that's iffy. My sons' pediatrician said some babies projectile vomit after every bottle until they're 6 months old, then it just stops. While they're doing this, they continue to flourish and gain weight and are otherwise healthy. Then again, some babies never spit up. If that's all she's doing, then I really wouldn't worry...as long as she's keeping down SOME of her formula/milk, she's probably fine. If she develops a fever, cough, wheezing, high grade fever, or anything else that's NOT normal for a newborn, I'd call her pediatrician. If she throws up greenish looking mucous, that's bile, and that calls for a trip to the hospital. More than likely, you just have a spitter-upper on your hands. :)

Answer 3

Wow, I am sorry you are having such a difficult time with your new baby. I would go see another doctor for a second opinion. I have a friend who has a little girl, who is now 2.5 years old. When she was a little baby, she would hold her breath until she passed out. She would start to cry and then hold her breath. This doesn't totally sound like the same thing, but I would still go see another doctor. Sometimes when babies are born early their lungs aren't fully developed. Maybe, the hospital released her too early...

Answer 4

Was is throw up or spit up? Most babies spit up and it's quite common. My daughter had a problem for the first 3 months where she would literally vomit up everything she had eaten. Probably close to 3 or 4 oz at a time. The doctor and my midwife said it was because the sphincter at the top of her stomach wasn't strong yet. They said it was very common, and would get stronger with time. She is now 4 months, and I can't remember the last time she did it. It's probably nothing to worry about. Offer her something to eat, and if she's hungry she'll eat it, if not she won't. Just listen to your baby. Hope this helps and God bless

Answer 5

LOL....poor sweetie. i remember what it was like that first few months.

It is completely normal for your baby to vomit (or "spit up") a little bit. Some babies do it several times per feeding. The reason your baby does it is simple: Trapped air. You can allieviate the problem a little by making sure she gets burped. When you burp her make sure you pat her FIRMLY (not little taps....that doesn't do anything!). You can pat her bottom or her lower back. This will get the air out. If you don't, then you'll have to deal with the air pushing out some of her lunch as well. Make sure you have a rag handy!

Good Luck!
~C

Answer 6

Spitting up - bringing up less than an ounce of food. Caused by air from not burping, overeating, or nothing at all.

Throwing up - a forceful ejection of more than an ounce.

Go put milk in a shot glass and knock it over on the counter, it looks like a LOT! Makes you realize how little babies actually spit up.

Also, remember, unlike adults, when a baby spits up or even throws up, they will immediately be hungry.

Answer 7

babies throw up all the time. actually, it's more likely she just "spit up" which is a more common term for babies. if it was projectile, like actually spewing it's throwing up. either way, it is very common, don't worry about it. but if she throws up many times within the next day or so, take her to the doctor just in case she's getting dehydrated.

other possibilities are reflux (but if she's not spitting up often, this is not likely) or if you're feeding her formula, she may be sensitive to it. you can talk to your doctor about switching to a lactose-free kind.

also, babies don't eat when they are full. so if she's taking the bottle, then she's hungry and you're not feeding her too much.

if you're still worried, call your doctor or pediatrician. if the office is closed, they should have someone on-call for you to talk to after-hours. good luck!

Answer 8

A little bit of throwing up is normal for a baby. You may be feeding it a little to much because their stomachs are very small. Just in case you might want to call the baby's pediatrician, I'm no expert.

Answer 9

It may not be the feedings are too often. It could be the type of formula she's being feed. I breast feed my son for the first three weeks and then switched him to formula. He couldn't handle the regualr formula and had be put on Lactose free. If you're concerned, talk to your doctor. That's what they are there for. I know I bugged my son's doctor a lot. He's now almost a year old.

Answer 10

I think it's okay. It's more like spit up than throw up, I bet. Always make sure she's burped. Feed her according to what the doc told you to do. Every 3 hours is normal. You don't have to wake her to feed her, so if her sleeping exceeds 3 hours, that's okay. If she cries like she's hungry before 3 hours are up, that's okay, too, and feed her. I never let my babies cry, though some people say you should. Don't fret. Bless you all.