Oopsie!

Baby boiling over? How to treat a bout of vomiting, and when to worry. Your baby can start vomiting because of anything from indigestion to motion sickness. Even long periods of crying can trigger the gag reflex.

Vomiting happens when your baby’s stomach contents are forced up her oesophagus and out of her mouth. It’s very different from spitting up. Vomiting is forceful and repeated, whereas spitting up usually occurs just after feeding and causes no discomfort. In adults and older children, vomiting is usually accompanied by a feeling of nausea, but your child is still too young to tell you if she is feeling nauseous.

WHAT CAUSES IT?

Your baby can start vomiting because of anything from indigestion to motion sickness. Even long periods of crying can trigger the gag reflex. Her digestive system is still adjusting in her first few weeks of life, so vomiting may be common.

A few months later, most of her vomiting bouts will be caused by a stomach virus, or another kind of intestinal illness. Congestion or a respiratory tract infection can also cause your baby to vomit, especially during a coughing fit. Some babies suffer from gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD. This occurs when the muscle between your baby’s oesophagus and stomach doesn’t work properly, allowing food and stomach acid to gurgle its way up from the stomach into her throat. If she has reflux, you’ll find that she vomits right after eating, or out of the blue. Her muscle will have strengthened by her first birthday, and the reflux should sort itself out by then.

A rare condition called pyloric stenosis occurs when the muscle controlling the valve leading from the stomach into the intestines thickens so much that it can’t let food through. This causes projectile vomiting. It is most likely to occur in the first two months of your baby’s life but can also show up anytime before she is 4 months old. This condition requires immediate medical attention, and will probably be fixed by surgery.

CAN I DO ANYTHING TO PREVENT VOMITING?

If your baby vomits after eating, try feeding her smaller amounts and burp her often. Don’t bounce her on your knee or let her be too active after feeding, as the food needs a bit of time to settle. Try keeping her upright for about half an hour after she’s eaten.

Use a bulb syringe to remove the buildup of mucus and phlegm when your baby has an upper respiratory tract infection. She probably won’t like it, but it isn’t painful and will probably provide some relief from nausea. ●