Today we will talk about what is regurgitation in infants and how to deal with this phenomenon. This topic is often of interest to young parents. That is why we propose to analyze the causes of regurgitation in infants, norms and pathology. In addition, we will pay attention to how to distinguish vomiting, which is quite common in newborns, from vomiting. Have a good reading.
Vomiting or spitting up?
To begin with, we will talk about how to distinguish vomiting from regurgitation in an infant. It is important to note that all children (even absolutely healthy) can spit up, there is nothing to worry about. Frequent and copious recurrence of this phenomenon may indicate a serious illness.
So, regurgitation is an involuntary process, accompanied by the ingestion of part of the contents of the stomach in the oral cavity of the child. And this suggests that the process needs control so that the child does not accidentally suffocate.
How to distinguish vomiting from regurgitation in infants? This question is very important.
- The volume of one regurgitation should not exceed two tablespoons. Please note that it can be repeated several times a day.
- Also, regurgitation can be once a day, but the volume is slightly larger (no more than three tablespoons).
- Just before vomiting, the child can behave capriciously, restlessly. Please note that blanching of the skin is possible, and the baby's limbs may become colder.
- With regurgitation, there are no symptoms, it occurs suddenly.
What is vomiting? This is a process accompanied by tension of the abdominal muscles. If during the spitting up food comes out involuntarily, then with vomiting you can notice a small pressure (pressure). Also, with vomiting, the contents of the stomach can exit not only through the mouth, but also through the nose.
Physiology
All the reasons why regurgitation occurs in infants can be divided into two groups:
- physiological;
- pathological.
In this section of the article we will consider the first view. Regurgitation caused by physiological causes occur in absolutely all children (even absolutely healthy). It occurs due to the imperfect structure of the digestive system of the baby. What exactly is it about?
- Short length of the esophagus.
- The stomach is located vertically.
- Circular muscle is not well developed (it is located between the stomach and esophagus).
It is precisely because of the contraction of the circular muscle that regurgitation occurs when part of the absorbed food flows out. It is impossible to completely eliminate these phenomena, regurgitation will stop immediately after the final formation of the digestive system of the child. However, there are still several methods that can significantly reduce the number of regurgitation and their volume.
What are the frequent regurgitations in the baby? Perhaps the problem is that the baby swallows a lot of air when feeding. If the baby is breastfed, then the mother must correctly apply it to her breast. Children on artificial feeding need to choose a nipple that suits them as much as possible. This will help prevent frequent and heavy burping.
There is another possible reason - the absorption of a large amount of food. It is worth giving the child as much as it should be by age and weight. In this matter, it is easier for mothers whose children are breast-fed. Bring the mixture strictly according to the instructions. Babies who are breastfed will benefit from frequent breastfeeding. So the child will not overeat.
Pathology
Now about the pathological causes of regurgitation in infants. We are talking about the following of them:
- diaphragm hernia;
- increased intracranial pressure;
- pathology of the nervous system;
- disorders in the digestive system of the child;
- food intolerance
Frequent regurgitation in the baby can occur for these reasons. Now briefly about how to distinguish physiological regurgitation from pathological. The following features of the second type are distinguished:
- intensity;
- large volume;
- high repetition rate;
- spitting up a fountain.
If you suspect pathological regurgitation, then you should immediately contact a pediatrician, only he can refer you to more narrow specialists. Here are some more signs of this disease:
- the child is not gaining weight;
- moodiness;
- baby eats less than expected.
Norms
What is the rate of regurgitation in infants? Different specialists are trying to set their limits, which parents need for a guide. There are even special tables. If we take the average indicator, then the norm is a fifth of the food consumed, the amount is five times a day.
As a rule, in practice these rules are incredibly hard to follow. It is difficult to measure how much the child actually burped. In addition, other criteria are important:
- the amount of food eaten;
- baby behavior and so on.
Masses should not exceed ten milliliters. To navigate further on the eye, take a clean diaper and pour two tablespoons of the liquid on it. This should help. If the baby spits up quite often in large portions, it is better to visit a specialist. In addition, the weight of the baby (more precisely, his weight gain) plays an important role. If the baby spits up after each feeding, but at the same time is not capricious and steadily gains weight, then you should not sound the alarm. In this case, some recommendations will help you, which will help your child regurgitate less food (we will talk about them a little later).
Causes
What are the causes of regurgitation in infants? In this section, we summarize.
The causes of frequent regurgitation in the baby can be physiological. This group includes:
- swallowing air;
- binge eating;
- poor contraction of the esophagus sphincter;
- slow food progress;
- immaturity of the digestive system;
- anatomical features;
- lack of coordination of breathing, sucking and swallowing;
- intolerance to the mixture;
- teething;
- colic
- excessive gas formation.
Another group of reasons is pathological. These include:
- digestive anomalies;
- gastrointestinal malformations;
- malformation of the diaphragm;
- disorders of the nervous system;
- poisoning;
- infectious diseases;
- violation of metabolic processes.
All the reasons that are listed in the second group require specialist supervision and timely treatment.
Regurgitation after feeding
Spitting up in infants after feeding is a completely normal occurrence. If the reason is physiological, then it is quite easy to recognize. Regurgitation can occur both at the time of eating, and immediately after feeding, and even after a short period of time. If the baby does not feel any discomfort, then you should not contact a specialist. Babies after regurgitation feel relief, because there is excess air, excess food.
Reverse side - the child, after burping, wriggles and screams. Here, most likely, we are talking about a pathological problem. Do not delay the visit to the doctor.
Burping with curd
Spitting up in infants with curdled masses is a variant of the norm. The thing is that these masses are completely or partially undigested food. It is caused by a physiological cause if regurgitation occurs at the moment or after a short period of time after eating. If your baby spits up with curd masses between meals, it is better to go to a specialist for a consultation. Most likely, they will reassure you that such processes are a variant of the norm, but it's still worth it to be safe. All the same, we are talking about a baby boy who still cannot complain that he hurts.
Fountain
We said earlier that it is worth distinguishing between regurgitation and vomiting. They have a lot of differences:
- manifestations;
- causes;
- actions by parents.
We already spoke about this earlier. The baby's spitting up is necessarily tied to feeding. As a rule, the masses are lightweight, they are quite rare. And what if abundant and frequent spitting up with a fountain in an infant occurs?
First of all, you should make sure that this is not vomiting. You can determine it by the following signs:
- Vomiting is independent of food intake.
- Desires can occur frequently (one after another), which is not observed during regurgitation.
- With vomiting, the child becomes nervous and moody.
If this is still a regurgitation, and the baby "returned" everything that he had just eaten, then you should not immediately offer him a chest or a bottle. Feed your baby when he asks. During this time, the digestive system will be able to relax a bit. The sharp pushing of food (by the fountain) during the regurgitation can speak only about one thing - the gatekeeper's spasm. A single case is permissible, but if this is repeated often, then it is worth contacting a specialist.
Yellow masses during regurgitation
What does the regurgitation in the baby with yellow masses mean? We will talk about this in more detail in this section of the article. We remind you again that vomiting is more profuse than spitting up. In addition, its distinguishing features are:
- yellow or other color;
- the presence of a sour smell.
A little about the last paragraph. The acidic smell arises due to the fact that gastric juice and bile are mixed with vomit. It is for this reason that mom must inform the doctor about this problem. As a rule, pediatricians in this case are advised to seek the advice of a surgeon or gastroenterologist. You may have experienced gastroesophageal reflux.
It is also very important to note that if a child spits up with brown or green masses, then it is urgent to go to the hospital. This color may indicate intestinal obstruction.
Profuse burping through the nose
Abundant regurgitation in infants should alert parents, in some cases, specialist advice is required. This can be a variant of the norm only if the child is calm and there is a sufficient weight gain.
Many mothers are very scared of regurgitation through the nasal passage, but do not sound the alarm if you observe isolated cases. If this happens rarely, and the baby feels good, then nothing needs to be done. It is only worth making sure that the child begins to breathe so that the vomit does not interfere with this. So that the child does not choke when burping through the nose, it must be placed on the tummy and gently tap on the back. Make sure that the nasal passages are not blocked, otherwise use a nasal aspirator.
Please note that children after this phenomenon may cry, which is quite normal. The kid was simply afraid of short-term loss of breath. Do not panic, take the baby in your arms, calm down, give your favorite rattle, pet or sing a song.
If such regurgitation is a frequent occurrence, and there are a lot of masses (exceed the norm of ten milliliters), then tell your pediatrician about this.
Prevention
Now we will talk about the prevention of regurgitation in infants. Komarovsky (a famous doctor, whose advice most Russian mothers listen to) also has a definite opinion on this matter. In addition, he gives recommendations that will help not to completely get rid of this phenomenon, but to significantly reduce the number of repetitions and the volume of regurgitated masses.
The doctor considers the main problem of regurgitation - the natural tendency of children to eat as much as "fit". But in the body of every person, mechanisms that prevent overeating work. They return the "extra" portion back. Weight control is very important here, if the baby picks it up, then you should not panic.
And although this is quite normal, it nevertheless causes little discomfort to the child and makes parents worry. What does Dr. Komarovsky offer us? You will learn about this from the list.
- Proper attachment to the chest. If the child has taken an uncomfortable posture, incorrectly took the chest, then the likelihood of swallowing a large amount of air increases significantly. You can be told about how to properly put a baby to the chest in a antenatal clinic (at lessons for expectant mothers), in a maternity hospital, in a clinic (pediatrician).
- The most effective method, according to the doctor, is vertical aging. After feeding, carry the baby upright for fifteen minutes. This is necessary so that excess air escapes, preventing it from being swallowed. The latter is most often the cause of regurgitation.
- As mentioned earlier, colic can be the cause of regurgitation. If so, then before feeding it is necessary to lay the baby on her stomach. The longer he stays in this position, the less he will be bothered by colic. This way, the gases depart faster and the discomfort in the abdomen disappears.
Action taken
There are many reasons for the frequent regurgitation of the baby. What should parents do? This usually goes away by six months, although some doctors have a different opinion. Spitting up may well be up to one and a half years (especially if the baby is premature). Children immediately stop spitting up when they are more in an upright position (sitting, standing).
- Make sure the child is not overeating. If he is breastfeeding, then you should not immediately offer a second after one breast. Let him completely suck out all the milk. Perhaps the child was full, but the sucking reflex was not fully satisfied. If the baby is on artificial feeding, then it is worth correctly calculating the amount of the mixture. How to do it? The first place should always be 1, the second figure is the number of months, and the third should be 0. So, for example, if the child is 6 months old, then he needs to eat 160 ml at a time.
- Take advantage of the advice of Dr. Komarovsky, which are presented in the last section of the article.
- For artisans, it is worth choosing the right pacifier for feeding.
- Choose the right mixture that would completely satisfy your child without causing gastrointestinal irritation.
- Before feeding, clean your baby’s nose to avoid breathing in your mouth and swallowing air.
- During feeding, do not overtighten the tummy (do not wear a tight diaper, use the free swaddling technique ).
When to sound the alarm?
Moms often ask questions about when it is necessary to sound the alarm, how to understand that the regurgitation of the baby is pathological in nature? We list the main dangerous situations that you should pay attention to:
- Spitting up the entire portion of food.
- You first encountered this problem at the age of six months or older.
- There is no dynamics of weight gain or the child loses it altogether.
- Arch bending and crying at the moment or immediately after regurgitation.
- Belching more than five times a day.
- Vomiting of the fountain after each feeding.
- Spitting up in infants an hour after eating or more.
- The appearance of diarrhea or fever.
- The presence of signs of dehydration.
Most often, regurgitation in children is physiological in nature. All this is temporary, soon they will remain only in memories.