4 month old violently sick every day - anybody else had this?

[Laura032004]

DS2 is now four months old (nearly five) and is still being really sick once or twice most days. By really sick, I mean it soaks him and me to the skin - complete change of clothes all round. He retches for about 5 minutes, and seems to throw up everything in his stomach.

It usually coincides with him having a bigger than normal feed (bf, so not entirely sure), although he always throws up immediately after any medications (antibiotics, calpol, calprofen etc). He hasn't had anything apart from milk yet, and I'm dreading starting weaning.

Is this normal? I'm probably more worried as DS1 wasn't a sicky baby at all until we started weaning him (gluten and milk intolerant), and probably only threw up 4 or 5 times by the time he was 6 months old.

Anything I can do to help? He throws up whatever position he's in - lying down, over shoulder, and it can be straight after the feed, or hours later, so I'm not sure if it's wind. He's not a particularly windy baby. It doesn't seem to bother him too much, he's a bit upset when he's throwing up, but fine afterwards, and often wants to feed again!

might it be some sort of reflux? my dd (3 months)throws up regularly, sometimes straight after a feed, sometimes later - our carpets are ruined, it goes everywhere! she was prescribed infant gaviscon which works when she will take it.

It sounds like reflux, see a gp, if it is reflux gaviscon is normally given. this stops them being sick, and is generally only needed until they are on solids, solids are heavier so the vomiting should stop

Definately sounds like reflux. My dd1 had it & was prescribed gaviscon & the vomiting stopped immeadiately. Take your ds2 to the HV tho, get him checked out

Laura - I had this problem with dd2 when she was a baby. She threw up the whole contents of her stomach at least once or twice everyday. My perfume, was vom. It continued untill she was about 11 months old, the gp was useless as was the hv, we did try infant gaviscon, but it didn't make any difference.

In the end I paid to see a peadiatrition(sp) because it was so awful - he said that it could be due to a large number of things and the only way to find out was to send a camera down her throat!! He also suggested that we wait till she was older before contemplating doing that as they often just grow out of it. Eventually she did. I think we saw him when she was about 7 months. She'd been on solids a while then (this was back in the day when you weaned at 4 months). I tried to work out if there were any foods that triggered it and did find that fruit was more likely to trigger it, but only in that it would happen immediatly after fruit.

I do know what it's like, luckily for me she grew out of it just about the time her brother was born as I was traumatised enough having two babies so close together and a two year old without being puked on daily.

Hi

I would seek medical advice as soon as possible particularly if the child is projectile vomiting.

Reflux is a possibility but a condition pyloric stenosis needs to be confirmed or ruled out.

Hi,
My ds did this probably up until 6 mths, reflux was ruled out and he eventually stopped, with hindsight i think i was over feeding him. He always used to be sick just before bedtime after his last night feed and as Iwas breastfeeding I dont know how much he was taking, but he would come off and Id reattach because he hadnt fed for long and I thougth he'd need some more! Then when he went onto solids Id do the same he'd finsih and I'd spoon a few more in! Its amazing how I didnt realise it at the time, it would have stopped a lot of worrying and a lot of cleaning up ( the rug in his room has never really recovered) when I finally twigged ( and as i said it took a while) I stopped feeding him when he stopped and he stopped being sick. Hes never been a great eater and is tiny (on the 0th percentile we're in dnager of being referred to the small clinic!) I always worry about what he eats,but now I go with him, if he doesnt eat i dont force it and he hasnt been sick since.
Id get your son checked out, but if it is after a big feed it may simply be overfeeding

Good luck

It is fairly projectile - it will hit the seat of the car if it happens in his rear facing car seat, and always hits the back of the sofa. It always comes out of his nose and mouth.

It does seem to happen when he's fed too much - either he's missed a feed, or gone a bit longer than normal, and gets a super full boob, or when he's just on and off for ages, and gets more than I realise. If I stop half way through a feed like that though, he's not satisfied.

Weight wise, he's huge - off the scale, and just about to go into 9-12m clothes, so thankfully I'm not worrying about the sickness from that point of view.

We've seen paed's because he's got kidney problems, and they said to leave it until he's 12m old. If he's still doing it then they'd worry. GP not worried as weight not an issue.

I don't think Gaviscon would help as he will throw up half a ml of antibiotics (takes them for kidney problem), so I'm sure he wouldn't keep that down either. Mind you, I should try it before I rule it out I suppose. How do you give it if bfing? Spoon it down?

AttilaTheMeerkat - what's pyloric stenosis? Will I worry myself sick if I google it?

I hope the solids help rather than hinder. Can't bear the thought of regurgitated carrot puree. Milk is bad enough! My poor washing machine!!

dd2 used to projectile vomit just before she got teeth

Don't google pyloric stenosis; you need a proper diagnosis from the medical people.

I would contact the paed you have been seeing previously with regards to the kidney problems.

laura - i give gaviscon by syringe - a bit of a faff and dd spits quite a lot of it out but some must go down as she is vomiting less and gaining weight.