What is causing my baby to spit up?

Question

My baby is almost 3 weeks old and an hour after she eats she always spits up and it breaks my heart. I've asked her doctor and I've switched formulas from Enfamil to Good Start. Then the doctor told me to switch back to Enfamil. He also said she wasn't allergic, so I don't have to switch to soy. I was a spit up baby so he said that's probably why she is. She eats 3 ounces every 3-5 hours. I've tried going back to 2 or 2.5 oz, I've tried all different bottles, mylicon drops, proping her up after she eats, etc. but nothing seems to help! She doesn't spit up when she burps or as she's eating. It always seems to be an hour after she eats. She doesn't seem to mind the spitting up, but it scares me. Does anyone know what might be wrong? Any suggestions of what kind of bottle I should use? Nice answers only please. Thank you!

Answer 1

Try switching to a lactose free formula. Our son used to do the same thing, especially when we put him on solid foods. When we put him on lactose free formula, he was fine.

You may want to think about her having some sort of food intolerance. It turns out our son has Celiac Disease- basically his body doesn't process Gluten which is the protein in Wheat, Barley, Rye-- grains. It's not a big deal, we just put him on a Gluten free diet and he's happy as a clam.

There also could be nothing wrong, but I firmly believe in mom knowing best and having intuition when it comes to their children. Don't let the doctor just talk you out of feeling like some thing's up- make him convince you! If he still doesn't convince you, insist on pursuing all possibilities until you are satisfied.

Answer 2

Hi
Babies do spit up and it can be ok, but if it is alot and after every feeding it sounds like reflux.
I am not familiar with Good start formula, but I know Enfamil makes a formula called Gentlease for babies with these problems. It is 75% lactose free and the milk proteins are partially broken down already so the baby can digest the formula easier. It works great for my son.
I would try switching to that or a soy to see if it helps. Refluxing all the time is not good for the oesophagus and can prevent a baby from thriving and growing properly.
Sometimes babies need a reflux medicine with a formula change if it is really bad. Sometimes the formula helps well. You will not see a difference with the formula change for at least a week or so until her body adjusts to the change.
Call your doctor and get them to understand your frustration and take care of your baby. She should not have to throw up after every bottle!
Keep her upright for 30 minutes after every feeding and burp her after every oz.
Good Luck and hope this helps.

Answer 3

All babies spit up, it is natural. My daughter used to throw up her whole bottle a little while after finishing it, I switched to soy and no more problems. I am not a doctor, but I didn't ask a doctor about my child's spitting up, I just knew it was way too much to be natural, so it was obvious that the milk was the problem. However, don't worry if it is just a small amount. It is very normal for that to happen.

Answer 4

My baby is a who is 4 months old spits up all the time. We did everything you have done. We had an ultra sound done on his stomach also. They gave him Zantac which didn't help. Now that he is a little older they have tried him on Prevacid. It seems to help some. I think some baby's are just more pron to spit up. Its messy and not fun but it may be just something she does. They do need to have an ultra sound done to make sure there isn't a bigger problem going on . You might see if they would let you try Zantac. Its good that it doesn't seem to bother her. We use the Avent Bottles. We tried the Dr. Brown and that made it worse so we stopped. He is on Enfamil Soy which does him better than Good Start. Just hang in there, keep going to the Dr. and telling them you want her checked out!! Good luck!!

Answer 5

I have a 4 year old who was the king of spitting up. He would burp and then later spit up. As long as he was gaining weight and the spit up was not excessive my doctor said it was perfectly normal. We changed to Good Starts and it helped. If your baby was allergic you would know by now, lots of crying and vomitting and pulling up the knees because of stomache ache. A little spit up, although messy is just something that happens with some babies. As long as she is burping and the amount is small I wouldn't worry. Keep weighing your baby to make sure she is gaining weight.

Answer 6

My son spits up often too. Per his Dr. spitting up is caused by their diaphram being small and there is a muscle there that is not fully developed yet, this is what holds the food down, so when they are in certain positions it will cause the food to come back up. There's nothing to be scared of except the mess you have to continually clean up. There is nothing wrong with a baby spitting up, just always have a bib on your little one.

Answer 7

Whats the quantity whenever she throw up? If it's only a little, then do not worry because most baby will regurgitate after feeds. Try giving her in small and more regular feeds like every 2 hourly but reduce the amount of the formula.

Answer 8

My first child spit up all the time and we tried everything but it didnt work, my 5 month old hardly spits up, the doctor says as long as she is gaining weight it should be fine

Answer 9

Babies spit up because they ARE BABIES!!! The closure at the top of their stomach isn't fully developed so blurp up comes some liquid.

As long as it isn't bothering them or causing them not to gain weight it ISN'T a problem. Also mother's tend to grossly over estimate how much their baby spits up, take an oz of milk or formula (milk is cheaper) and drop it from shoulder height and see how much of a puddle it makes.

"If your baby is a ‘Happy Spitter’ --gaining weight well, spitting up without discomfort and content most of the time -- spitting up is a laundry & social problem rather than a medical issue."
http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/reflux.html

Answer 10

My son was like that until he started solids (6mts). He did some 'serious' vomiting!! Our doctor was only concerned about whether he was gaining weight (which he was). We just kept him more upright as best we could. Put him in a rocker, used phone directories to elevate the cot, and kept him in a sling whenever possible. I tried loads of different formulas but ended up just using the one we started him on.