Spitting Up Issues

[mommy2maddie]

My DS was born 5 weeks early and I have been pumping and feeding him my breastmilk, because he doesnt seem to get much out on his own. Anyways, in the NICU the nurses sometimes gave him formula because my milk wasnt in yet, and other times they gave him what breastmilk I had, and every time they gave him the breastmilk he spit up quite a bit. He spit up so much so that they said if it didnt get better he wasnt going home. They blamed it on the formula, and asked if milk allergies ran in our family and we said no. After my milk came in he was exclusively given breastmilk and his spitting up got better. Well ever since he has been home he spits up alot, sometimes projectile vomiting after almost ever feed,and it is several times and most of his bottle, then he wants to eat again an hour later because he spit up so much. Is there something in my breastmilk causing this, like dairy or something else? Is it possible he would tolerate a special formula better? Maybe they had it wrong in the NICU and it was my breastmilk causing the spitting and not the formula?

[tree]

My daughter spit A LOT with both breastmilk and formula. She is finally spitting less now that she is starting to sit up. Talk to you ped about it if you are worried. DD didn't spit much in the NICU, but she really started more when she got home.
She has always been a good eater and gained well, so we didn't worry about it. Some kids are just spitters. We do have a lot of burp cloths everywhere, and someday I will clean the backs of the couch cushions. Is he a "happy" spitter? My daughter had no sign of reflux, so we just didn't worry about it. Does your son have any other signs of trouble with your milk? I have heard mixed reviews about cutting things (milk, cabbage, caffeine, garlic, etc.) out of your diet. Special formula is EXPENSIVE, and breastmilk is so much better for most babies (coming from a reluctant formula feeder), that you should talk with your Pedi and a good lactation consultant before you consider switching. Most hospitals here have lactation consultants on call for free.
One last thing - would a slower flow nipple help? Mine still spits a ton if I use a faster nipple.

[sheri-ct]

My DD did the same thing. She was diagnosed with a milk protein sensitivity. Do you eat a lot of dairy? You can try cutting dairy out of your diet to see if that helps. I eventually had to give her Alimentum (dairy-free) for a few months, but she was back on BM by 6 months (I was still pumping for her twin).

Another thought, could she be eating too fast? What size nipple are you using? Or what about reflux? Does she have that?

Sheri

[dohertyab]

My youngest was a spitter and she still is and she's 4. I used more clothes with her than I did with the twins! She was a happy spitter though. The ped said keep watching her growth and development and if she was ok then let's just watch and see. She was happy and growing well so it was mostly annoying. She still throws up somewhat regularly but it really doesn't bother her she almost always gets to a washroom and can usually tell when it's coming. Even as a baby we just kept her facing out. She'd throw up and keep on going.

We did have her checked to see if she had celiac or some physical thing but the ped just said her stomach was sensitive. She was also colicy (not really much fun for the first several months). There wasn't any discussion about lactose intolerance though. I was told that it may look like lots of the milk comes back up but they can still get what they need. If you're ok with smaller, more frequent bottles that might help. The ped did tell us that Maeve's stomach was like a milk bag and when you shift her it squeezes and up comes the liquid that is sitting there. You could always try a special formula and pump so if it's not the formula you will still have a supply for him. Good luck.

[kara]

Sounds a lot like reflux,which is common in preemies. Breast milk is much more easily digested, so I wouldn't give that up. Also, while it may look and seem like a lot of milk coming up it typically isn't as much as it seems. The reason baby is hungry again soon after is because sucking keeps the reflux down, but it's a vicious circle because the milk increases the reflux. Alot of it has to do with their stomachs being small and squished up high. The stomach hasn't moved into it's proper place yet. Our daughter was NOT a happy refluxer. She also had a dairy/soy protein intolerance that caused severe gas, and pain and mucousy diarrhea. She screamed all the time until we got it sorted out with two kinds of medicine and prescription formula (I was having trouble making enough milk as it was, let alone cut more out of my diet). Rx formla was about $40 a canister, which has a double size scooper, so it was costing $80 for what a can of regular formula would sell for $8-$10. Insurance would not cover it.

You might try breastfeeding instead of bottle feeding. The amount and intake is more natural. Bottle can cause them to over-eat, which makes reflux worse, and if the nipple flow is too slow or too fast it can cause problems-they are either sucking too hard to get milk and intaking air, or milk comes to fast causing air intake. If baby's weight gain is ok, and there's no screaming or what seems to be pain, these things might help and baby will likely grow out of it. If there is pain and alot of fussing involved, or issues with weight gain, then you can talk to your pedi about medicine. A pacifier might help keep reflux down, as well as burping frequently, feeding smaller amounts more frequently, and keeping baby's head elevated or propped in a swing for 20-30 minutes after feeding, and being creful that there isn't any pressure on the tummy.

And of course, talking to your pedi is always reccomended if nothing else seems to work, or if you have concerns.