My baby just spat. Or vomited. I’m not sure . Should I be worried?
Baby spit-up usually is not an issue. It is very common for babies to spit up. This should not call for worry, especially if it occurs when the baby is burping. However, there is a difference between spitting up and vomiting.
Vomiting occurs with much force. A mother will notice that her baby may spit up with a smile, but most often vomiting will make him or her cry.
All you need to know about spitting up
Spitting up is the easy flow of stomach contents out of the mouth, frequently with a burp. It does not involve forceful muscle contractions, rather brings up only small amounts of milk and does not distress the baby.
At birth, the baby’s stomach is about the size of a small marble. After three days, it is about the size of a ping-pong ball, but still cannot hold much.
Until he or she is about four months old, the stomach can hold only small amounts of milk at a time. Too much milk during feeding can cause the baby to spit up or be fussy.
Spitting up can happen when a baby:
• burps
• eats too much
• swallows too much air
How to reduce spit up
To help your baby spit up less often, try:
• holding him or her in a more upright position while feeding
• avoiding over feeding. Feed the baby smaller amounts but frequently
• taking time to burp the baby. Frequent burps during and after each feeding can keep air from building up in the baby’s stomach.
• avoiding too much activity immediately after feeding
Certain signs and symptoms might indicate an underlying condition or something more serious than spitting up. Contact a doctor if the baby:
• is not gaining weight
• spits up forcefully
• spits up green or yellow fluid
• spits up blood
• refuses feeding repeatedly
• cries for more than three hours a day and is more irritable than normal
• has fewer wet diapers than usual.
