Why is my 7 week old vomiting so much?

[eastendmummy]

DS2 is 7 weeks old, and exclusively breastfed. He feeds really well, is bright, alert, lots of wet and dirty nappies so all seems to be fine.

However for about 3 weeks he has been vomiting spectacularly after some but not all feeds. It starts with him coughing, then the cough seems to catch and make him sick and once the sick starts coming it doesn't stop. There is loads of it and it drenches him, sometimes me and anything else within range. It doesn't upset him and he generally wants to feed again within half an hour of being sick.

The GP said to keep an eye on it at our 6 week check last week but I'm getting increasingly worried about it as surely that amount of sick must be affecting his growth?

He weighed 7lbs at birth and is now 11lbs so gaining weight well but I just don't think this is normal.

Has anyone else had a very, very sick baby? Are there any reasons for it ? Is there anything I can do? Could he be allergic to something I'm eating?

Sorry for all the questions, but any advice would be very welcome as I'm starting to really worry about it.

Thanks

Bump

Is it vomit or posset? Does it smell of stomach acid like adult vomit would and is it curdled or is it just milky? Does it upset him? Some people who know about reflux or allergies might be along to help...

I had a really sicky baby. He brought up loads of milk after every feed and I was always astonished that he'd gained weight at every baby clinic. It never bothered him though my carpet and sofa will never be the same...he was over a year before he totally stopped but it got better graduallly.

I'm probably not much help but bumping for you...

Hello, sorry I can't stay long but just wanted to say it does sound like reflux, some baby are 'happy chuckers' and don't get the colicky symptom but just throw up a lot!

Little babies often have immature sphincters at the base of the oesophagus (where it joins the stomach) so milk bounces back easily. They grow out of it. Problems arise if weight gain falters or the acid hurts them.

Loads of info here and here

Sorry, also meant to say some of us started a reflux thread which you might like to pop over to.

Good luck and congrats on your new baby! Keep up the breastfeeding as that's the absolute best for refluxy babies especially - moves through the digestive system quicker....

Hello,

I have always had a sicky baby and he is still like it now at nearly 5 months. I have discussed it often with the HV but because he has gained weight well and the sickness does not bother him no-one has ever been concerned. I've been told that it should improve when he is sitting up more/eating solids but from what I have read I may not see a change until nearer a year. Sometimes the quantities are scary and i've always been fascinated how he can continue to put on weight when throwing hold feeds back up.

I think basically it is reflux which you will find lots about on the net. The difference being that for some babies this seems to be extremely painful and cause lots of distress. In these cases, GP's seem to prescribe Gaviscon or similar.

I've resigned myself to hundreds of muslin cloths, bibs and sick on the carpet because I am now confident that it is not a symptom of anything more sinister and does not bother him. However, I would definately keep raising this with your HV/GP if you are concerned. I believe diet, especially dairy, can affect this so might be worth considering. I've never gone down this route but I am a big dairy eater.

Hope this helps a little. Hopefully someone else will have better advice.

The best advice I ever heard is "treat the patient, not the symptoms" i.e. if he's alert, gaining weight, filling nappies then don't worry too much.
dd1 was a big vomitter; she was quite small (5lb 7) at birth and was bf. Sometimes mid-feed in the early weeks she would suddenly cough and then drench me with puke (you're right, quite a vast amount comes out of a small person!). Soon after she would be hungry again. She showed no physical signs of being under-nourished and continued to gain weight etc. The health visitor suggested it was nothing more than "overeating"; her little immature stomach was over-full which meant that the slightest cough or choke was likely to cause vomitting. I was advised to stop mid-feed and wind her quickly before continuing. She was also a major possiter; little mouthfuls of puke at regular intervals all day, only stopping (almost overnight) when she started to stand upright at 8 months or so (that's when we bought a new carpet).
If the doctor knows and is monitoring you, you are in the best hands, but please try not to worry, the best indicator is the behaviour and weight gain of your babe.

Thanks for all your replies.

Jeananddolly, I don't think it is posset as it comes up in such large quantities and also a lot of it (although not all) is a cottage cheese consistency. It doesn't smell too bad so I don't think there's too much acid in it.

I think I'll follow all of your tips to wind frequently during feeding and just watch his weight to make sure it's not affecting his growth. At the moment he is such a bright and happy baby that I don't think it is affecting him too much.

mistressploppy - thanks for the links. I'll see you on the reflux thread!

At least the weather's nice to dry out the vast amounts of washing that he's creating!

It might be worth keeping him upright for half an hour after feeding.