4wk DD vomits at every nappy chage; is this normal?

[TottWriter]

DD is BF, mostly at the breast, but with one bottle of expressed milk a day (I have epilepsy, so it was important she be able to take a bottle in case I get carted off to A&E at any point).

She's still pooing like a good'un, and putting on weight (400g between the other week and last week! ), but at most of hter nappy changes she will vomit, sometimes only a little dribble, but other times what seems like quite a lot.

It doesn't come up with any force, and it does for the most part seem to be regurgitated milk, though sometimes, if it's been a little while since she's fed, it will be a bit thicker.

She's very windy, and a nightmare to extract burps from, so would that have any thing to do with it? She's generally quite content for the most part, though she has an agitated period at this time of night.

Not sure if I should be concerned, or if I'm blatantly overreacting here. DS s only 2, why can't i remember what he was like at this point?

She sounds exactly like my nearly 8 week old. I would ask how soon after feeding you're changing her, but if she's anything like mine I'd guess that she's almost always just been fed. I think it's just that laying down for a nappy change, along with all the jiggling about, leads them to bring up a little milk. The consistency varies according to the stage of digestion. It's normal, don't worry!

I think it's to do with the jiggling about while changing nappy (bum up, bum down as we say in ourhouse

I shouldn't worry too much

X posts

My dd used to be the same. She is now 18 weeks and only occasionally does it. Sounds like she is just possiting milk which is quite normal if she is otherwise thriving. I would try to change her before a feed or even sit her up for a while after feeding. It worked for us, as did infacol for wind.

Does the milk ever separate into curds and whey-type substance? Does she get hiccups a lot/ cry and fuss at the breast? These are classic symptoms of reflux - another symptom is bringing up milk long after a feed, which your DD seems to do.

It may well be nothing, or it may also be that she's a 'happy chucker' - i.e. non-severe reflux.

Check out the website cryingoverspiltmilk.nz - highly recommended, as it's very comprehensive. If you don't recognise the symptoms it quite possibly is nothing. But if you think it sounds like it could be reflux why don't you try following their advice for eliminating all cow's milk products from your diet - it's a tall order to start with but you get used to it. Milk is a notorious agitator of reflux. You have to be really strict about it, but once it's out of your system (in about 10-14 days, possibly) if you notice a difference in her vomiting you'll know that milk is to be avoided.

Best of luck and congrats on your new DD!

Oh God, that sounds like my DD too. But she doesn't fuss at the breast much (not any more). She could hiccup for England though! I guess if a baby isn't that bothered by the sickiness and they're gaining weight well, then any reflux isn't too much of a problem?

Well, if you think it's possibly reflux I always think it's worth knowing whether you can help to reduce it in any way - even though my DD's reflux is mild, I find that her sleep is affected when I've been inadvertently eating stuff with cow's milk in it. Then, once you're well-informed you can make better decisions.

Could be lying flat causing some reflux, you could try propping up the head end of the changing mat with a folded towel.

Mine is 5 weeks and exactly the same...

Feeds well, gaining weight etc. Always brings a bit up... I kind of rationalise it that she only needs so much, if I over feed her then it comes back up

She also is a nightmare to burp. The best position I've found is...#

You sitting down.
Put her on your left leg, facing your right leg (As though she's sitting on a bench)
Then, lean her forward so she's over your right leg, supporting her head all the time. Rubbing her back and patting etc.
She'll then get so low she's laying across your right leg, face down.
Easy to burp her then (Make sure you have a vomit catcher ready!)
Eventually burps and falls asleep... then transfer to wherever or enjoy!

I hate the burping bit cos it always wakes her up, especially after the 'milk drunk' sleepiness.

Good luck... hope it works!

"Does the milk ever separate into curds and whey-type substance? Does she get hiccups a lot/ cry and fuss at the breast?"

Jemjabella, IME these symptoms are definitely indicative of reflux. It depends on the degree to which the symptoms occur - e.g projectile vomiting large quantities is a world away from posseting. In reflux this happens up to 2 hours after a feed, and, unlike in posseting, the milk then contains bile, which burns the throat, hence excessive crying.

All the symptoms which I've listed are potentially symptoms of reflux when they occur to a greater degree than 'normal'. If you have a baby with reflux it soon becomes apparent that something is going on - especially if, like me, you've also had a baby without it.

jembajella, hiccups frequently is a symptom of reflux. Posset IS normal, but it is worth considering other causes. My dd (now 5) suffered for months with reflux because a HV was as dismissive as you. She still gets hiccups when acidy and its a sign that she needs to return to Ranitidine for a week or so.

OP, mention to your GP, but if no other symptoms unlikely to be reflux. Good luck and congrats on your dd x

Missmoopy/ Speedy what does 'frequently' mean? My DS gets hiccups but not sure if it would be considered frequently!

Reflux can effect weaning etc. My daughter is a very fussy eater because it took so lonmg to get correct medication and work out what made reflux worse.
bsmirched My daughter got hiccups every day when she was a baby. She even had them in the womb!
Now she is 5 she has them about once a fortnight. They can last for HOURS!

I'm not being dismissive missmoopy, just pointing out that those symptoms are ALSO a normal part of being a newborn. Babies hiccup, babies fuss, babies sick up. By themselves, they are harmless and NOT "definitely" a sign of anything.

I do agree, when severe this can mean a problem, but nothing in the OPs post screamed severe or reflux to me (hence my post as such). She said baby doesn't vomit with force, and is generally happy and content. You said yourself: "if no other symptoms unlikely to be reflux".

FWIW bsmirched my DD had hiccups from about 20w in the womb. She still hiccups most days (9mo). She doesn't have reflux - she's just a hiccupy baby.

jemjabelle I agree, it doesn't scream reflux, I think it was just raised as a possibility.
I agree its also important to differentiate between 'symptoms' and whats normal.
In my experience, a lot of people don't know about reflux in babies so was offering advice.
Wasn't hiccuping baby in womb weird!?

yes, my baby hiccuped in the womb too - I thought it was very common, as they swallow amnioti fluid. baby hiccuping in womb was odd, but quite nice, too!

Hiccupping in the womb is very normal (hiccoughing). So is bringing up large mouthfuls of milk at nappy changes after a feed. My DS vomited all over the place and then I had to feed him again. He never had any pain or problems feeding - reflux was not an issue. Vomits ,with no other symptoms, are normal in a baby.

Sounds normal to me. Dc1 and Dc3 puked everywhere all the time in reasonable quantities until they each learned to sit up. Neither had 'reflux' in the sense that neither was unhappy or in pain. Sometimes the sick was watery and immediate, other times it was curdled and even stinky. Neither seemed to be a problem and there was quite a bit of it. The house seemed to be covered in muslins for months with each. Then they learned to sit and it stopped almost overnight.

Dc2 never threw up, not really ever. It was a wonderful treat after dc1 . Sadly, she was the most stressed of all 3 and more miserable as a little baby, but that had nothing to do with her digestion, it's just her personality. You can still see it now aged 3 years, she's a bit more fragile. It has improved a lot though.

If you think there's a lot of puke, try pouring an ounce of milk or water over a muslin and see how much it appears. Usually there's a lot less than it seems.

My baby used to do this, particularly at changing time. I always thought that when I lifted his legs to get his bottom onto the nappy it probablu bent him in the middle, forcing some of the feed back up. It never seemd to bother him - he was a very chubby, contented baby

DS2 is a chucker, but he is a happy chucker so I haven't worried about it (other than checking my hair/back before going out).

The other day I had him sitting over my shoulder and he did a massive puke into a flowerpot a good 3 feet away. This was annoying because was hungry again after that. Was quite impressed with his range though.

I don't think you can rely on hiccuping in the womb to diagnose reflux. DS hiccupped lots in the womb and had no reflux. DD almost never hiccupped in the womb and had reflux.

As I've already explained, reflux is notoriously difficult to diagnose, which is why I pointed the OP to the excellent website which helped me identify it in my DD.

Can I clarify _ I didn't say hiccuping in womb was sign of reflux. I said frequent hiccupping in baby CAN be a sign of reflux. CAN not IS.

Missmoopy, your last post sounds rather stroppy! I didn't assume you were saying, 'IS', I merely said womb hiccups are unreliable as evidence of reflux. And I was posting that to everyone, not just you.

It wasn't meant stroppy so apologies, I just didn't want to be misconstrued. Blame headache and lack of tone to text. [sticks out tongue too, in raspberry blowing fashion!]