Regurgitation in infants and babies – it is a normal and even necessary physiological phenomenon. Meanwhile, the reason why the child regurgitates, are different. Sometimes it can help to seek the advice of the pediatrician.
In most cases, newborns and infants regurgitate on a completely safe and natural causes. You can not fully “cure” infants from regurgitation. However, if desired, you can try to reduce some of the intensity and frequency of “spitting”.
The Main Causes
In order to understand why the child regurgitates, and to distinguish the physiological norm from a potentially dangerous situation, you must look into some of the details of the process itself. In itself regurgitation in infants – is involuntary ejection of the stomach contents into the esophagus and higher in the mouth of a baby. And accordingly, then spitting out of food occurs. Regurgitation occurs “bit by bit” or literally gushes – depending on how hard walls of the stomach are pushing the food.
About 80% of all children of the first half of life, “feel sick” on a daily basis. But how much, how often and when exactly each of them regurgitates – it depends on many factors individually: on the degree of maturity of the fetus, on birth weight, on the 
dynamics of weight gain, as well as how much is the desire of mother ” feed always and feed everywhere”. Already from the moment of birth the mother, father and other relatives must understand that the principle of ” how much is eaten – so much is useful ” has done more harm to the health and comfort of the child than contribute to his or her growth and well-being.
The reasons why a child regurgitates eaten milk or mixture, there may be several:
- The kid eats more than he is able to absorb and “hold” in the stomach. Many pediatricians believe that it is overfeeding and the style of breastfeeding “on demand” is the main cause of frequent regurgitation, as well as the reason that baby spits up a fountain.
- Cardiac part of the stomach of a baby (i.e. that part of of the stomach, which is located directly behind the esophagus) in the first six months of baby’s life still is not perfect. Namely – after six months in children in adults the border between the esophagus and cardiac part of the stomach is a special cardiac sphincter that being reduced, does not allow food be thrown back into the esophagus. And so in the first months of baby’s life, this sphincter is not yet developed.
- Dissonance between sips and intestinal peristalsis. In the process of eating a newborn as a rule sucks milk or a mixture of series of 3-5 times. And between these two series the baby pauses, during which he swallows what he could suck. Breast milk and the mixture – a simple, liquid food, which quickly reaches the intestine of a baby. As soon as “food” enters in the intestine – there are peristaltic waves, during which the bottom of the stomach strains strongly and pressure increases slightly in it. This pressure creates the push which ensures that the food, which is in the stomach, “should hurry” to the output.
- Excessive gas formation and colic in infants also are the cause of regurgitation. Air bubbles pressure on the walls of the stomach and intestines, thus causing pressure that provokes spitting food.
- All the troubles are from nerves. If there is the high activity of the nervous system in newborns and infants, so it is often observed such a phenomenon as stretching the stomach wall, in which the regurgitation is the most common symptom. However this reason is too rare and “medical” in order to parents should delve into it and try to “behold” it independently.
It is not so much important, why the child regurgitates, as – how he gains weight in this case.
Mom, dad and other household of a newborn baby should worry in the first place not why and how the child regurgitates (this problem – always secondary!) but above all – the dynamics of baby’s weight.
If your baby gains weight steadily, then no matter how much and how often he may regurgitates food leftovers, it is considered a safe and physiological norm – his gastrointestinal system is formed, and regurgitation in this case is not seen as a negative symptom. If the baby does not gain weight needed for him, and even more so – loses it, only in this case it is necessary to sound the alarm and to rush to a doctor for advice, telling him in detail – how often, how much and exactly when the child regurgitates.
If the weight of the child – is normal, and if he is cheerful, smiling, sleeps well, and so on, then the phenomenon of regurgitation – it’s no problem for baby’s health, it is – the problem of mother who, seeing that the baby spits out food, absolutely beyond on grounds, is too worried.
And we repeat again to worry and to panic because the baby regurgitates, and try to figure out – exactly why the baby regurgitates, it makes no sense if the baby gains weight well. And just in case if the “newborn” kilos suddenly began to melt – only then the phenomenon of the regurgitation becomes significant. In the first place – for the doctor, whom you are obliged to show the “slimming” baby.
If the Child is Losing Weight
When the baby regurgitates food during the day (many, few, often or seldom – it does not matter) and at the same he not only does not gain weight, but lose it – regurgitation is considered no longer as a physiological norm, but as a disturbing symptom. Symptom what?
This question will be answered by the doctor to whom you should bring your baby. The most frequent and common causes of the phenomenon of “regular regurgitation of food, plus weight loss” are following:
- Gastrointestinal system – is a rather complex in its organization, and not every baby, when he is born, has organs involved in the process of food digestion, proper size, shape and well-positioned in their seats. Often something is too small, often something is twisted or clamped – options anomalies can be very much. Find out one and only, the same “problem” in the system of digestive tract that interferes eat well and gain weight exactly your baby, a doctor will clarify.
- Lactose intolerance. In the breast milk of any mammal (including man) there is protein – lactose, which is split in the stomach with a special enzyme – lactase. When this enzyme is not produced in sufficient amounts, or not at all – there is a milk intolerance. And, of course, if you can not digest it, the baby will regurgitate it often and much. And as a consequence there is weight loss. In this case, the doctor will help you choose a special mixture of lactose-free.
- Infectious disease. If there is an infectious disease, the system of gastrointestinal tract first responds to the infection. The color of food regurgitation at the baby will be yellow, and often greenish tint. Due to the fact that the milk eructation is mixed with bile. If you notice that your child regurgitates “green milk” – go to the doctor immediately.
How to “Stop” or Reduce Regurgitation in Infants
Even considering that regurgitation in newborns and infants, which are normally gain in his weight class is a physiological norm (i.e. it – is not dangerous and will pass by itself), not every mother will like that all her dresses will begin to smell like the infant burp.
The questions “How to stop or at least reduce regurgitation in the baby?” are very often heard in the office of pediatricians. And the first response to it from the medical profession is just wait.
Kids no longer regurgitate food leftovers around the time when they start to sit confidently – that is about 6-7 months old.
And what can help those parents who are very impatient and can not wait? We say at once, today there is no any safe medicines, or devices that reduce the frequency and volume of regurgitation in children. The maximum that you can ask at the pharmacy is the means against excessive gas formation. Namely, they are preparations based on simethicone or preparations based on fruits of fennel. In this case, the amount of gas inside the infant will be reduced – pressure on the stomach wall will be reduced, and accordingly the amount of regurgitated food must also be reduced.
In addition the use of the means against excessive gas formation all other measures to reduce the regurgitation should be purely the organizational and household nature. In particular:
- After feeding carry newborns and infants upright for as long as possible. This will allow him to be able to let out swallowed air, the less then will pour out upon you “return” milk or formula
- For some time, reduce the amount of food. If the baby is breastfed: feed less time, but without reducing the number of feedings per day. If the baby is bottle-fed, simply reduce the number of grams of the final mixture, which is given for one feeding. Exactly how much to reduce – the doctor will tell you because this figure is strongly dependent on how much the baby weighs and the dynamics of his weight gain.
- Putting newborn baby to sleep, doctors advise to swaddle him (do not tighten the diaper legs – as prevention of hip dysplasia in infants and children up to a year). When the baby is swaddled, the nervous activity calms and decreases. And with it, the pressure on the walls of the stomach decreases as well. That in turn reduces the likelihood that a child regurgitates in a dream.
- Keep an active lifestyle – daily walk with the baby and bath, carry him in a sling and a special backpack, if there is the slightest possibility – visit a swimming pool, gym and massage courses. All of this will accelerate the process of strengthening the muscles of the baby, including those muscles that are included in the digestive tract.
- Before going to bed give the baby a pacifier or, at least, let suck finger – to a certain extent this is useful. The fact is that in this situation the food does not come in the stomach, but sucking movements continue to stimulate intestinal activity. As a result, more food will get “under the digestion,” and fewer will be spat out.
The use of pillows and rolls, as well as laying a sleeping baby on his tummy, face down – it is not recommended. All these techniques increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome. How, then, put the baby on his back, so that he should not choke his own belch? Put the flat pillow directly under the mattress – so that the baby was lying at an angle of about 30 degrees (of course, head – above bottom). At the same time now and again, make sure that the baby’s head was slightly tilted – left or right. In this case, even if he regurgitates (which is unlikely), he will not choke.
So Lets Sum Up
So if regurgitation in infants does not proceed in parallel with weight loss – then it is considered a normal, safe phenomenon that will pass by itself as soon as the baby grows. If the child regurgitates, regularly and every day, foods that he eats and at the same “melts” in the eyes – you must run to the doctor and find out the cause. There are not any safe anti-regurgitation medication in infants and babies. But you can somewhat reduce the frequency and volume of regurgitation, if you keep with the baby active lifestyle, often carry him in an upright position, put to bed properly and ensure that excessive flatulence should not hurt the child to exist comfortably.
Do Not Worry! Nature will do the rest when the baby grows up and gets stronger.
