3wk old not keeping milk down.....!!!!!

[Mummaof2]

DS is 3wks old and for his last 3 feeds today he has bought the milk up.

Im BF and last night he was awake from 2:30am till 6am. I fed, wrapped, rocked, burped and he still wouldnt settle. Everytime after he fed i burped him and he burped but as soon as i would put him down in his cot he would bring the milk plus mucus up which then restarted the cycle.

I read in the bible (Baby Love - by Robin Barker) that if you have lots of milk that it can cause the baby to have big weight gains, poo heartily, may gasp and pull of the breast because the flow is fast at times and is likely to have a few good vomits after feeds.

I know its only early days and that the cause could be what i read but could it also be something else like colic/reflux. Should i take him to the doctor or wait and see how he goes with his next few feeds????

[Foxymoron]

See how he goes :) My first DD went through a week of doing some truly spectacular projectile vomits, that would do the movie the "Excorsist" proud... From memory she was around 4 -6 weeks then it settled down. She was generally fussy during that time too :)

[Supermum]

Hi Mum_2B

The first few weeks of any bub's life is normally trying ... as you settle into a routine and bubby gets used to life outside the womb.

I have two children ... one who had severe reflux and vomited up most things until he started walking and one who never vomited as I am sure she wouldn't want to waste it! Number one started vomiting, screaming and not sleeping at around the 2-3 week mark and wasn't diagnosed until much later ... number two was quite unsettled until 6 weeks. You just don't know. I just kept pumping the booby into both whenever they asked (screamed at me) for it.

See how you go for the next few feeds. He may settle down ... he may be a happy vomiter (apparently I was). Mummy's can feel when something is wrong ... you'll know. Just a suggestion, you say he vomits as soon as you put him down. Elevate his mattress slightly by placing a small pillow at the head end and keep him upright as much as possible (baby sling?). Helps keep the food down. If there is something wrong, such as severe reflux (which is not actually that common and quite often overdiagnosed) - there are plenty of effective medications. But you can cross that bridge when and if you get to it.

Best of luck ...

[lucyp]

Babies often spit up when they get too much milk too fast. This may happen when bub feeds very quickly or aggressively, or when your breasts are overfull. The amount of spitup typically appears to be much more than it really is. If bub is very distractible (pulling off the breast to look around) or fussy at the breast, he may swallow air and spit up more often.

A few statistics (for all babies, not just breastfed babies):

Spitting up usually occurs right after baby eats, but it may also occur 1-2 hours after a feeding.
Half of all 0-3 month old babies spit up at least once per day.
Spitting up usually peaks at 2-4 months.
Many babies outgrow spitting up by 7-8 months.
Most babies have stopped spitting up by 12 months

However its a good idea to keep an eye on it and if you are worried - definately meantion it to your paed /doctor. In the meantime you could try:

* positioning baby in a semi-upright or sitting position when breastfeeding, or recline back so that baby is above and tummy-to-tummy with you

* raising the cot so its on a tilt - we put a phone book under each leg. This helped more than you would think

* if your breasts are quite full - express a little off before feeding

Good luck and hope your little one settles soon

[Kirky]

Hi Mum_2B

I was just wondering if the problem with your son has settled down, or if it's still happening?

If he continues to projectile vomit every feed, may I suggest you Google the condition "Pyloric Stenosis".

My son, who is now 9 months old, started projectile vomiting when he was 6 weeks old. Prior to this, he was a normal, healthy bub who hardly ever vomited.

Luckily, at around this time I had an appointment with his paediatrician anyway, and the condition was diagnosed immediately via ultrasound.

I really hope your son doesn't have this condition (although it is a minor operation to correct it), but if the projectile vomiting is still happening, then you may wish to see if this might be the problem. Please let me know if you need any more help or information.

Cheers

Kirsty

[Mummaof2]

HI Kristy,

Thank you for he advice but thankfully the spitting up/vomiting has settled. I did speak the the Dr about it and he said that as my milk hasn't settled down yet that he is probably drinking more then he needs or i am a 2nd let down during the fed which makes the flow quicker.

Once again thank you for making me aware that there is a condition when this happens all the time.

Emma

[nkenward]

Hi there,

From what i have read and heard, most babies will have some sort of vomit. Mostly commonly caused by reflux. My Dr, said that they usually don't treat it unless it is really severe and is interfering with bubs putting on weight.

My son happily spits up after a bottle (and was spitting up after breastfeeding too), sometimes its a lot and sometimes its only a little, and any sudden movements can bring it on too. But it doesn't seem to bother him, and he is still putting on weight.

I would probably see how your next weigh goes - I was told a good estimate is that a baby should put on b/w 15 to 20g p/day. But if you believe it is causing him pain (which reflux can do), I have been recommended to see an osteopath - I have been told they do wonders with reflux babies. Sometimes during the birth process - the baby's spine & neck are a bit out of whack and causes the reflux - and osteopathy is designed to treat this - I have only heard good things about this process.

[Supermum]

That's fabulous news. Yes - my boobs had an abundant supply and DS choked for the first few weeks until it all settled down.

Pleased to hear it's not something more serious.

[Rell]

Glad to here your little one has stopped bringing up milk

Kirky - I know how you feel. My DS had Pyloric Stonosis so every time I read of a baby in the 3 - 6week age bracket who starts throwing up I usualy warn them about it. Did your son also have Reflux after his operation?

[austi05]

I have a 3wk old with the exact same problem! I've been told my flow is too fast and that's why she splutters, cries (hysterically) and pulls herself off the breast. She too has been vomitting (which is really distressing when it's so hard to get her to actually feed for any length of time). I really don't know what to do. I've just been trying to persevere (trying to remain calm - not!) and shoving my breast in her mouth.

Did the situation just fix itself Mum2B ?? I've been really depressed thinking that my baby's rejecting the breast and going hungry etc.:(

[Mummaof2]

austi05,

I found that just by elevating DS head up more when feeding (so his head is higher then his body) that it started to settle down. And if while he is feeding he starts gagging i just take him off burp and then put him back on.

[Rell]

If the problem is your flow is too fast this will settle down by its self as your body gets the supply and demand worked out.
If you baby starts to loose weight or is screaming a lot I would get your Dr to check her out just to rule out any other problem.

Good luck