Breastfeeding positions, etc. to avoid spitting up???

[SASM]

Does anyone have any suggestions on what to do with a baby that spits up or vomits quite a bit? I don't even want to think about other possible reasons for this happening. I am hoping that it just might be positional due to our "newness" to breastfeeding. Ian can sometimes nurse for 25-30 minutes off and on on one breast, then I'll try to burp him (he is not good at burping), and then proceed to offer the second breast and then more burping. After the sometimes 45-60 minutes invested in the nursing, he might proceed to spit up most of the milk (usually curdled by this point). PLEASE...Does anyone have any other suggestions on how to alleviate this problem? I know that the spitting up and vomiting does not bother him but it bothers me. Not only do I hate to see him go through that, I also dread the thought of nursing for possibly another half-hour or more (especially in the middle of the night when my husband is dead asleep!).

HELP!!!

Sharyn
Mommy to Ian Riley 01.29.03

[Zansu]

Sharyn,

Here's a burping trick an experienced nanny taught me: When DS is done nursing, hold him upright, under the arms, high enough so that his feet dangle in the air. (This will also tone your triceps :))

Let him hang for a minute (or as long as you can). Then sit him on your knee and pat his back. You should be rewarded with a resounding belch.

HTH
Suzanne
W&P for Benjamin 5/1/02

[Momof3Labs]

Sharyn,

Colin was a big spitter until he was about 8 weeks old. I know that it is hard to believe, but Ian is NOT spitting up almost everything he just ate. Do you need to nurse for another half hour after he spits up? Only if he is fussing for more to eat - if he isn't phased by it, go back to bed and wait until he wakes you to eat again.

You might want to play with your positioning for the burp - over the shoulder, over the knees, sitting up in your lap - sometimes one works better than another. Another suggestion (which may or may not work) is to keep him upright for 20 minutes after eating. This can be in a car seat, swing, or even on your chest.

I changed my clothes soooo many times, and did soooo much baby laundry in those first two months. It's hard to believe that we moved through that phase so quickly!

As long as he is gaining weight and producing enough wet and poopy diapers, Ian is doing just fine!!

[cara1]

I agree. A teaspoon of spit-up mixed up with stomach juices, saliva, etc., can look like a lot of breast milk. He's still probably keeping down most of it. Spitting up at his age is entirely normal, so don't fret too much.

[August Mom]

I agree that spit up is very common at this point in a baby's life, at least in my experience. Justin spit up quite a bit at that point and also was not good at burping. He spit up regardless of whether we did a football hold, cradle hold, cross-cradle hold or side by side position. At least in DS's case, this phase passed (Yeah!). As far as burping, my DH is much better at getting DS to burp for some reason. He sits DS on his lap and pats his back. I have the most luck rubbing DS's upper back with my fingertips and then patting his back. I don't think the rubbing is a recognized burping method, but it works for me, so I thought I'd pass it along.

[egoldber]

You may want to try burping him more frequently. I used to try and burp Sarah every 10 minutes or so rather than waiting until she was done with a side. As someone else suggested, trying different burping positions can also be helpful.

Also, I would mention this to your ped, since excessive spitting can be a symptom of reflux.

HTH,

[parkersmama]

I was going to say that, too. I once read somewhere to take a teaspoon or tablespoon of regular milk and pour it out on the counter so you could see for yourself how a little can go a long way. Okay, I guess I was paranoid but I actually tried it and found it to be true! After that I relaxed and quit worrying so much about the spitting up. I agree that burping more frequently may help. Getting that air out of their tummies seems to often make them more comfy and reduce the spitup.

Denise
mom to:
Parker, 9/1/1997
Wesley, 3/9/2000
and #3 (a girl!) due 4/29/2003

[C99]

I was just about to say the same thing... Nate was spitting up every time he ate for a day or two -- the ped diagnosed it as reflux and put him on Zantac twice a day. Now he spits up maybe once or twice a day.

Another trick for spitting up is to keep him upright after he eats. I will sometimes hold Nate upright in a "sitting" position for about 30 minutes after he eats. It can minimize the spitting up. Also, avoid jostling him after he eats.

HTH

[Mom 2 Katya]

Sharyn,
My baby Katya shares Ian's birthday - Congratulations on your little one! We have had some burping issues as well, so don't worry. Sometimes she burps easily, sometimes not at all. I will try the nanny technique mentioned earlier, but I find that sometimes the best way to burp her is to hand her over to my DH - he's great at getting her to burp! Also, from what I've read, if the milk that comes up is curdled, then it's at least partially digested. So that makes me feel a little better that she's gotten at least some of the benefits from that milk.

When I'm having trouble getting a burp, I try to keep her upright for a bit (sometimes even 20 minutes isn't enough) and I always have a cloth diaper handy for the occasional spitup. It does look like a lot, but like a previous poster said, I don't try to feed her more unless she really acts hungry still. I always expect her to want to eat sooner if she's spit up, but she usually goes the normal 2-3 hours no matter what (except for a couple of days ago - I think we hit her 3 week growth spurt!)

Anyway, good luck and keep it up. I think the fatigue and constant feedings makes new moms worry more than we should! :)

Dolly M

Mom to Katya, b. 1/29/03

[Mayan]

I found that the dangling position helped me a lot when DS was smaller (it somehow seems to stimulate him to burp) - I used to dangle under his arms with his lengs in the air, and tilt him forward to kiss his forehead (I found that 3 times was the charm :)) - then just put him in a regular burping position and he burped...He got better at it as he grew a bit.
As for spitting, DS also has reflux and spits up a lot, but he is still in the 80% and gains lotsof weight so don't worry - it is NOT the whole meal, even though it seems like it...

[Mayan]

Off the main topic, my question is for Caroline -
My son also has reflux and peds suggested Mylanta. We tried that and it seemed to make DS terribly sleepy and very fussy at meals. didn't seem to minimize spit up.
He said the next course of action is Zantac. Does it really work very well? What is your Zantac routine? I was not aware that babies could take it at such a young age? (DS is almost 3 months)
Mayan
(mom to Adi, 12/04/02)

[COElizabeth]

James has been on Zantac since about 2.5 months old. He started with 3/4 ml twice a day and now has 1 ml twice a day (dose is weight-dependent, of course). This was our ped's first-line treatment. He is much better, but excessive spitting wasn't his problem (Zantac reduces the acid but doesn't actually stop spitting, according to our ped. It just makes it less painful). James was very fussy right after just about every meal. He could be perfectly happy before he ate and then cry afterwards (not comforting for Mom!). Anyway, he is much better now, though since he hit the "magic" three months mark about the same time the Zantac really kicked in (it can take up to 10 days, I believe), and since I drastically reduced dairy consumption at the same time, I can't say that the Zantac is for sure the reason he got better. We've tried to wean him from it to see, but we did it after his 4-month appointment, and got very fussy again for nearly a week, but this could have been tied to his shots. Next time we try to go off it we will do it when he is perfectly well and with no recent shots! Sorry so long - HTH.

Elizabeth
Mom to James
9-20-02