You have finally become parents! Every day yours is filled with new pleasant emotions and impressions. Yes! But sometimes some events make mom and dad worry a lot. One cause of unrest is regurgitation. Do not worry if your baby in the first months of life expels the contents of the stomach - this is quite normal. With some this happens often, and with some less often. From what it depends and whether it is possible to help with something, you will learn from this article.
Causes
To understand why the child often spits up a lot, you should look into all the details of the process, this will help distinguish the physiological norm from a dangerous situation. This happens involuntarily. The contents of the stomach are discharged into the esophagus, and then into the mouth. You won’t be able to completely get rid of this natural process, but you can reduce the frequency and quantity.
Usually a child spits up after eating. This is due to the fact that during feeding, along with milk, air enters, which provokes, in turn, abdominal pain - colic.
What to do?
In order for the air to come out, you need to press the baby with his stomach to his body in an upright position. Simply put - a column. The head should rest on the shoulder of an adult, since he still does not know how to keep it level. If the air does not come out, you can try to gently pat on the back. This usually helps. Do not be alarmed if milk comes out with air. Often the question arises: "A monthly baby spits up - why is this happening?" Yes, because he likes to suck milk, and he does this not only to satisfy his hunger. It brings him pleasure and brings him closer to his mother. If you pay attention, you can see that even in a dream he makes sucking movements. He even smiles. After eating, the child spits up because he overeats. Carried away by the process, he sucks out more milk than required. This is not a reason to worry - he has not yet learned to control the saturation process. He will grow a little more and will eat exactly as much as he should.
Over 80 percent of babies up to 7 months old spit up every day. The number of regurgitation and their frequency depends on some factors, for example:
- full-term baby or not;
- weight gain dynamics;
- birth weight;
- mom’s desire to feed on demand.
Remember: overeating will never be useful!
The dissonance between the pharynx and intestinal motility is another reason
When a child sucks milk, he does it in series, 3-5 times. Between them, making small pauses, he swallows what he managed to pump earlier. Breast milk quickly reaches the intestines, as it is a liquid food. When food enters the intestines, peristaltic waves appear. At this time, the pressure in the stomach rises. This gives an impetus to the food returning to the esophagus.
The next reason that the baby spits up with clotted milk is that the cardiac part of the stomach is imperfect. When he becomes older, a cardiac sphincter will appear between the esophagus and the cardiac part of the stomach, which will not allow food to be discharged into the esophagus due to shrinking movements.
All the troubles from the nerves
If the child is too active, then you can observe the stretching of the walls of the stomach. But this reason is rare. And only a specialist can determine it correctly. So, dear mothers and fathers, if you have any suspicions, consult a doctor, do not self-medicate.
Burping and weight gain
Relatives in the first place should worry about weight gain, and not how often the child spits up with clotted milk. If he is gaining weight well, then do not worry about this. The gastrointestinal tract system is only just beginning to take shape, so this process is the norm. Your baby sleeps well, he is cheerful and often smiles, so you have no reason to worry. But if he does not gain weight or, even worse, loses, then do not delay the visit to the pediatrician.
The kid spits up and at the same time loses kilograms
If the child began to spit up and at the same time does not gain weight, then you should sound the alarm, and not hope that this is a physiological norm. The doctor will only examine him, ask his parents about the details, and possibly prescribe tests. Here are the most common causes of weight loss during regurgitation:
- Infection. The gastrointestinal tract system immediately responds to infections in the body. Usually the color of the burped mass is yellow or greenish. This is because food mixes with bile. We noticed that your baby spits up greenish milk - immediately seek medical help! If there are any other threatening symptoms, call an ambulance.
- Lactose intolerance. A woman’s breast milk contains a protein called lactose. In the stomach, it is broken down by the enzyme lactase. When this enzyme is absent or produced in small quantities, milk intolerance appears. Naturally, if the body cannot digest it, the child often spits up a lot.
- Improper development of the digestive tract. The digestive system is very complex. And not everyone immediately after birth, the organs of the right size, shape and are arranged in the correct order. Quite often, something is small, but something is pinched or twisted. Only a doctor will be able to correctly identify the "wrong" organ, because of which the child spits up with clotted milk.
Is it realistic to reduce the amount of regurgitation?
Everyone is convinced that regurgitation in infants who are well gaining weight is a physiological norm (that is, they will not bring danger). True, not everyone will like the fact that all things will start to smell like burps.
In the office, pediatricians often ask the question: "Is there a solution to the problem of regurgitation?" Doctors respond to this, that everything will pass over time, you just have to wait. Children stop unintentionally spewing stomach contents through the mouth when they begin to sit on their own, that is, at about 6-7 months. But what about mothers and fathers who cannot wait? Pharmacies do not sell drugs or special devices that can help solve the problem. The only thing that can be used is the means from excessive gas formation. Some are made on the basis of simethicone (preparations "Simplex Sub", "Espumisan", etc.), and others - fennel fruits ("Plantex" products). You can also use the dill water known in Soviet times or brew dill composition at home. You just need to know the cooking recipe. Regardless of what you choose, the drug will remove gases from the tummy, which means that pressure on the walls of the stomach will decrease, and the volume of regurgitation should become less.
We fight with regurgitation
After feeding, carry the baby in an upright position (as described just above) for about 20-30 minutes. If you do not have this time, use the sling. The more air the kid releases, the less he will regurgitate. Do not rush while feeding (both breast and artificial). Better feed more often, but in smaller portions. Artists are advised by pediatricians to help release air after every 90 grams of the mixture, and breast-fed babies when changing breasts or during a sucking pause. And both of them give another half an hour to rest, do not play with them and toss them. Believe me, you will still have time to do this.
Is your child an artificial person? Then check that the hole in the nipple is the correct size. It should not be too big. Why does the child spit up a lot? Yes, because in our time it is not customary to swaddle. But in vain. Doctors advise to do this (just do not tighten the legs). When the baby is wrapped in a diaper, its activity decreases, and with it the pressure on the walls of the ventricle decreases.
Do not forget to lead an active lifestyle, this will benefit you. Every day, go out with the baby to fresh air, bathe him before bedtime. If you have the opportunity to visit the pool with him - fine, do not miss it. Every time before going to bed, do a tummy massage, gymnastics. It all strengthens the muscles. Laying the baby to sleep, give him a dummy. This is very helpful. Sucking movements stimulate intestinal activity, and food no longer arrives. And this means that she will digest faster.
Doctors do not recommend!
You should not use rollers and pillows for up to a year, and also put the baby to sleep on her stomach, face down. Never leave a toddler unattended if he is lying on his tummy in a dream. This all increases the risk of sudden infant death syndrome. It is better to place a flat pillow (or towel folded several times) under the mattress so that the head lies at an angle of about 30 degrees and is turned left or right. Even if he burps in this position, he certainly will not choke.
Don't worry
It may seem to you that it is your child who spits up a lot of milk or a mixture.
You will be sorry for the milk that the mother’s body so diligently developed, or the mixture for which a considerable amount had to be paid. Most likely you are exaggerating. Try to spill a large spoonful of milk on the table and see how huge the puddle turned out. Now look at your clothes, is there the same stain? Children usually burp just a teaspoon.
A child spits up a fountain
A monthly man can spit up a fountain due to an immature digestive system. But why does a child burp with clotted milk at the age of 3-6 months? The reason for this may be neurological diseases or abnormal development of the digestive system. Talk to your doctor.
When else should I seek medical help?
- If between feedings the baby spits up all the time.
- During the ejection of food from the digestive tract, a cough appears.
- The resulting milk or mixture has a specific unpleasant odor, as well as a brown or green tint.
Breasts with such symptoms should be examined first by a pediatrician, and then by specialists of a narrower profile - a gastroenterologist, a neurologist. If any pathologies are detected, doctors will prescribe a comprehensive treatment that will certainly help. The main thing is to turn in time.
Blood in the burp mass
Most often, when moms and dads see blood, panic starts immediately. To get started, calm down. If you are still breastfeeding, then most likely this blood belongs to you. It may leak from cracked nipples during feeding. Another option. It happens that during regurgitation, the baby is very tense, thereby provoking the rupture of a small blood vessel at the end of the esophagus. All this will quickly heal, and you will forget about it. However, you should still consult a doctor or even call an ambulance if bleeding continues.
To summarize
If your child is spitting up, the reasons can be varied, and they depend on age. If kilograms are not lost in parallel with this process, then this is a physiological norm that does not bring discomfort and harm. Over time, this will all go away on its own. But it happens that children simply “melt” in front of their eyes, in this case, you should definitely contact a pediatrician. Pharmacists have not yet come up with a safe cure for regurgitation. The only thing you can do is reduce the frequency and quantity. Spend more time outdoors, do massage and gymnastics, bathe your baby. Use gas reduction agents. In pharmacies, there are a huge number of them. Consult a pharmacist, he will help determine the choice. Well, you have learned why a child spits up a lot. You just have to wait until it grows and gets stronger. Time will fly by quickly, and only pleasant moments will remain in your memory.