What if the baby often spits up?

One of the problems that often causes reasonable concern among parents of newborns is regurgitation. Let's try to understand why this phenomenon arises, and whether it is necessary to address in this occasion to the doctor.

Regurgitation refers to the involuntary throwing of some food from the stomach back into the esophagus and mouth. This phenomenon is often observed in infants immediately or after a short time after feeding. According to statistics, almost seventy percent of children under the age of sixteen weeks regurgitate food at least once a day.

In most cases, regurgitation is not a sign of ill health, this phenomenon, as a rule, goes by itself to one-year-old age. However, parents should be concerned if the child has frequent regurgitation.

Anatomical features of the baby's organism are such that their structure predisposes to the development of such a phenomenon as regurgitation. This is especially true for premature babies or for those with a delay in intrauterine development. As a rule, as the child grows, his digestive system becomes more adapted, and regurgitation ceases.

What preconditions can lead to the fact that a child often belch? One of the reasons may be overfeeding, that is, an increase in the volume of fed food or a reduction in the intervals between feedings. This phenomenon is often observed in children who actively suck at an overabundance of milk from the mother. In children who are deprived of breast feeding, overfeeding can be caused by a change in the nature of nutrition. This is possible due to the fact that moms often and unmotivatedly change the types of adapted mixtures. When overfeeding regurgitation occurs, as a rule, immediately after feeding, while the amount of milk produced is insignificant (5-10 ml). On the general condition of the baby such regurgitation does not have any effect, there is a normal increase in weight, there are no problems with stool and appetite.

Another reason that leads to the fact that the child often belches is aerophagia or ingestion at the time of feeding a large amount of air. This phenomenon is often observed in excitable children, especially if the mother has little milk. In addition, excessive ingestion of air is observed when the nipple of the breast is not correctly grasped, or if an excessively large opening is made in the rubber nipple put on the bottle. Aerophagia is often observed in children who at birth had insufficient or, conversely, too much body weight. The regurgitation caused by this cause occurs, as a rule, several minutes after feeding, while the unrefined milk is separated and the characteristic sound of the outgoing air is heard.

The child often spits up and in case of problems with the intestines and stomach, that is, if he has constipation, intestinal colic, flatulence. In this case, the intensity of regurgitation can be different.

Constant regurgitation can serve as a signal that the child has a developmental defect of some part of the gastrointestinal tract. This may be an abnormality of the esophagus, weakness of the food sphincter, narrowing of the entrance of the esophagus into the stomach and many other reasons.

Therefore, if the child constantly belches, and this phenomenon leads to a violation of his general condition (weight loss, anxiety), then it is necessary to show the baby to the doctor so that a specialist can exclude the presence of pathology.

However, it is necessary to inform the pediatrician that the child often belches, in any case, even if all other health indicators are normal. The doctor will help to establish the cause of regurgitation and, if necessary, recommend treatment.

For example, sometimes it is necessary to just choose the right position for feeding, that is, to hold the baby at the breast so that the upper part of his body is raised at an angle of 45-60 degrees to the horizontal. And after the feeding is finished, it takes about twenty minutes to hold the baby in a "column" so that the air swallowed together with milk can leave without hindrance.

If such simple measures do not help, then the doctor can recommend the use of medicinal mixtures or medications. And in case of detection of congenital pathologies, surgical treatment is indicated.