Throwing up once a day...

[etwahl]

For a while there, she was spitting up after every nursing session, but now she's not doing that anymore. Rather, she is throwing up about once a day, and a pretty substantial amount. Sometimes it's more than once. It doesn't necessarilly come at the same time as she burps, although sometimes it does. She is 6 months old, breastfed, and receiving rice cereal mixed with breastmilk once a day.

The ped didn't think she had reflux when she was spitting up after every feeding, but her symptoms seem to change frequently.

Should I assume this is reflux related and insist on medication? What can the ped's office do (e.g. ultrasound?) is that necessary? She has a GI appt but not until mid December. 4 months for a GI appt...nice.

Just want suggestions and feedback.

Edited to say I don't know if this makes a difference but all of her spit ups and vomit smell very sour like normal vomit (i didn't know if all spit up smelled like this or not)

Tammy,
Mom to Lauren Genevieve
03/12/2003
www.evantammy.com

[bluej]

I don't have an answer for you, but I'm very curious what others have to say as Ryden has recently started this as well. I assume it's not reflux b/c he isn't fussy or in pain and doesn't seem the least bit bothered by it. His spit up wasn't sour smelling though. But this vomit stuff is way sour and chunky (or as chunky as breastmilk can be). Is this what Lauren's is like? My other two didn't spit up (they devoured and held onto every ounce that passed their lips!) so this is all new to me and I'm not enjoying it one bit!

[etwahl]

sometimes it has a really thick "chunky" consistency...sometimes it's just really watery. This morning she vomitted all over me...very watery. Other times it's just really "curdy" in consistency. It is frustrating. She doesn't seem in pain or fussy otherwise either.

Let's hope others have some advice. I know my ped said all babies have some level of reflux, but i just want to know if this is normal enough...or whether she should be having medication.

Tammy,
Mom to Lauren Genevieve
03/12/2003
www.evantammy.com

[bluej]

Okay is it just me who gets upset when the mess lands on me instead of the baby? Ryden has a ton of clothes. Changing him all day long won't put a dent in his closet. Changing my clothes all day long means I'll be naked the next day! If it's just spit up that doesn't smell, fine, wash it off and continue wearing it. But if it's that sour smelling stuff I have to change clothes. I guess I should just count my lucky stars that he has yet to do the projectile vomitting thing (I'm sure that's just around the corner though).

[KimberleyDawn]

William spits up all day long and always has but he's never fussy or upset when it happens. I'm actually embarrassed to mention this but I only mentioned this to the dr. once when he was really little and since the dr. didn't seem concerned I haven't mentioned it again. Is this bad. Like you two have already said sometimes it's watery, sometimes it's chunky, smelly not smelly... My kid is NEVER without a bib!!!
Kim

[cinrein]

Anna used to spit up all the time. She stopped I guess around 6 mos or so. Now she will spit up after a big meal (2 full breasts or a lot of cereal). She doesn't necessarily spit up right after she's done eating, but usually within 3 hours after. It also varies from watery to chunky and is always foul smelling.

Once she really vomitted, I mean 3 heaves and a ton of stuff came out. She started crying too (normally she is not at all fazed by spitting up). She was upset, I was upset. Luckily, we were at my Mom's and my brother was there, who is a dr. He took her temp and all was normal. He said she probably just ate too much and her tummy was upset. I waited a couple hours before feeding her again and she was fine.

I don't know anything about refulx, but I would think that if your baby doesn't appear to be in pain and is eating well, then those are good signs.


Cindy
Mama to Anna 2/11/03

[daisymommy]

Tammy,
Does it seem like she is mostly throwing up after eating the ceral, or a big meal? The fact thet there is a sour smell, and some "chunks" in it, makes it sound like she can't digest whatever it is she is eating, and her body is getting rid of it. Normally most reflux spit up is thin and not so bad smelling (from what I have experienced and heard). Also, if it were reflux, it would happen frequently throughout the day, after nearly every feeding, not just once or twice. Have you started eating anything new that could be in your milk? Maybe try backing off the ceral just for a few days, and if that helps, you'll know what it was. Then you could maybe try oatmeal ceral instead. I'd still ask your Ped. about this though. Good Luck,

[heidi_timms]

We just started solids too. DD started spitting up less when I spaced out the solids and breastmilk. Now I feed the solids and then I let her play a half an hour before nursing. It has reduced some of the spitting up. Before, I was nursing right after solids and everything was coming up. I think that it was just too much food to digest at once. The worst was when I put her in the Ultrasaucer after eating a big meal like this. She filled up that tray with throwup-yikes!

~Heidi
Mom to Kailey Ashlin
4/27/03

[etwahl]

It's often in the evening, several hours after cereal...but it did happen this morning and was very watery. I think chunky might be the wrong word, more "thick" like curdled milk. It definitely doesn't happen all day long, mostly just evenings.

I haven't eaten anything different.

I always breastfeed her first, then within a half hour give her the cereal. Do you think that's too close together? Like maybe she's getting too much food and can't handle it all?

Tammy,
Mom to Lauren Genevieve
03/12/2003
www.evantammy.com

[khakismom]

Tammy, you poor thing--this is no fun. Kathleen was a big spitter, but that's all it was--spitup. Lauren's sounds like it might be a little more. I don't know what it is but wanted to add what my doc told me about stuff that comes up. He said that if it's watery then it hasn't had a chance to make it to her stomach, that it was stuff she just ate. If it's curdled or thick, then it was from her tummy and had been digested or was being digested, and could be from a few feedings ago. He also said that what you and I think is a substantial amount coming up may not be that much.

Can you try feeding her cereal first, and then nurse her? It might coat her tummy more? This is what I do with Ellen. Maybe it will help. When Ellen was doing the daily toss-up as a newborn, I was told to keep her head and upper torso elevated while eating, rather than lying flat. And to keep her elevated after she fed. And it worked too :).

Sorry I don't have any more suggestions sweetie! I hope it gets better! :) Good luck!

[C99]

Don't know if this is related or not, but are you using the Gerber rice cereal, perchance? One of my playgroup moms said that her son would spit up after his cereal and get sort of choky. Turns out that (per her pediatrician), Gerber cuts the rice with cow's milk and he was reacting to the cow's milk (he's already sensitive to dairy). She switched to Earth's Best and hasn't had the problem again. Could Lauren have a similar problem?

[Melanie]

That sounds like vomit, not spitting up. Ds did it once when we overfed him, but it was when he was tiny, he'd been bottlefed but still wanted to suck (and we didn't know better and thought he was still hungry) so then I breastfed him, but it was quite soon after, not hours.

[etwahl]

no, i specifically ordered earth's best online :(

it sounds like vomit, which would mean she's reacting to the food, correct?

Tammy,
Mom to Lauren Genevieve
03/12/2003
www.evantammy.com