How much spit up is normal?

angelinthepit23

Since we've switched to formula LO has had a large amount of spit up about 3 times. He's 3 weeks today and we switched to formula the 3rd day home. It doesn't seem to put him in any distress, it just flows out of his mouth like lava and then he's good. I'm assuming he just had trapped air that pushed it out. I would think if it were reflux related it would be happening more. Anyone else experiencing this?

Elyse1384

Both my kids have reflux and trust me... You will know if that is it! With reflux you'll notice some or all of these symptoms:

Excess hicuping, sneezing, coughing
LO often sounds congested
LO arches back/throws back head in pain and "climbs" up you when soothing is attempted
LO gags/chokes often while eating
LO throws up feeds (DD projectile vomits - goes a foot or more in any direction and out of her mouth and nose) or some babies swallow much of what they bring up (silent reflux - DS did this a lot)
LO needs to be held or placed upright for at least 30 minutes after a feed or stomach contents come up
You'll hear the contents coming up and baby either swallows or loses the contents (think of heartburn if you've ever had it)
LO is often diagnosed as colicky due to sever pain from reflux which can bring on HOURS of crying

Just spitting up doesn't mean reflux. Most babies spit up and even from time to time my babies would have what I considered normal baby spit up. Many babies are "happy sputters". It's the above symptoms (all or some) that usually point towards GER, but it can be other things as well. Talk to your pediatrician if you're worried. My LOs had to do weekly weight checks to ensure they're thriving given all the lost meals and fighting at the breast/bottle (latching and unlatching throughout). Also keep in mind that spit up often looks to be more than it really is. Try spilling a tablespoon of water on your counter and you'll note that it appears like more than you would expect from such a small amount.

angelinthepit23

@Elyse1384 thank you so much for the info! I have GERD, so this morning I was talking to my MIL and she had me convinced he did as well. Even though he has only ever spit up a larger amount 3 times.

GoogleMD

angelinthepit23 said:

@Elyse1384 thank you so much for the info! I have GERD, so this morning I was talking to my MIL and she had me convinced he did as well. Even though he has only ever spit up a larger amount 3 times.

All babies have reflux to some degree because there is not good control of the muscle between the stomach and esophagus. Pediatrician said as long as lo is gaining weight and does not appear to be in pain then you just ride it out til they out grow it.

DogLoverX3

Elyse1384 said:

Both my kids have reflux and trust me... You will know if that is it! With reflux you'll notice some or all of these symptoms:

Excess hicuping, sneezing, coughing
LO often sounds congested
LO arches back/throws back head in pain and "climbs" up you when soothing is attempted
LO gags/chokes often while eating
LO throws up feeds (DD projectile vomits - goes a foot or more in any direction and out of her mouth and nose) or some babies swallow much of what they bring up (silent reflux - DS did this a lot)
LO needs to be held or placed upright for at least 30 minutes after a feed or stomach contents come up
You'll hear the contents coming up and baby either swallows or loses the contents (think of heartburn if you've ever had it)
LO is often diagnosed as colicky due to sever pain from reflux which can bring on HOURS of crying

This is Charlotte :-(. I just feel awful for her. Upon doc recommendation, we are currently trying cereal in formula(she was choking and turning purple in the hospital.) She still chokes some-and even choked on the breast. And also some gas drops. Any advice-FTM.

And I can't believe how far they can projectile! It's crazy how it comes flying out of their mouth! :-(she 5.5 weeks old, and I can't remember a time my husband and I didn't smell like sour formula!

thefithuntress

Our little lady spits up all of the time. It doesn't seem to bother her and she's gaining tons of chunk and sleeping all day and night so I'm not worried.

I think with our girl she just eats and eats and doesn't exactly stop when she should.. The rest ends up on her bib. Maybe try keeping him upright during and after a feed, burping often, and keeping daytime feeds smaller and more frequent. that's what helps us a little! Good luck.

itstheblackwidowbaby

Elyse1384 said:

Both my kids have reflux and trust me... You will know if that is it! With reflux you'll notice some or all of these symptoms:

Excess hicuping, sneezing, coughing
LO often sounds congested
LO arches back/throws back head in pain and "climbs" up you when soothing is attempted
LO gags/chokes often while eating
LO throws up feeds (DD projectile vomits - goes a foot or more in any direction and out of her mouth and nose) or some babies swallow much of what they bring up (silent reflux - DS did this a lot)
LO needs to be held or placed upright for at least 30 minutes after a feed or stomach contents come up
You'll hear the contents coming up and baby either swallows or loses the contents (think of heartburn if you've ever had it)
LO is often diagnosed as colicky due to sever pain from reflux which can bring on HOURS of crying

Just spitting up doesn't mean reflux. Most babies spit up and even from time to time my babies would have what I considered normal baby spit up. Many babies are "happy sputters". It's the above symptoms (all or some) that usually point towards GER, but it can be other things as well. Talk to your pediatrician if you're worried. My LOs had to do weekly weight checks to ensure they're thriving given all the lost meals and fighting at the breast/bottle (latching and unlatching throughout). Also keep in mind that spit up often looks to be more than it really is. Try spilling a tablespoon of water on your counter and you'll note that it appears like more than you would expect from such a small amount.

To just add on to this, if you're still worried about the amount of spit up/weight gain just give your pedi's office a call and ask if you can come in and use their scale. During our tour and again during our initial appointment at the office we chose to use they said we're more than welcome to come in just to use the scale. They just want a call ahead just in case the office is insanely busy. It can't hurt to ask

angelinthepit23

@itstheblackwidowbaby omg I totally forgot about that! Ours said that as well! If it happens again I might just to be safe. Although he's looking s bit chunkier these days, but it might ease my mind. After he got some rest this morning he downed 5 ounces of formula with no issues. I really think I just need to get better at night time burping. I'm usually struggling to keep my eyes open at that point of the feed and loose track of time. Last night we had the Christmas music station on so I could use songs to time how long he was burped, but the dvr turned itself off after so long of being on the same station so I need to F with that today!

peachesnpearls

Second that. If they are gaining good weight and happy then no meds. All the medicine does is lower the acid level--- doesn't stop gastric contents from coming up. Try reflux precautions like holding upright for 15 minutes and pacing on bottle ( may need slow flow nipple if scarfing bottles) and don't over feed

kdsmith43

Elyse1384 said:

Both my kids have reflux and trust me... You will know if that is it! With reflux you'll notice some or all of these symptoms:

Excess hicuping, sneezing, coughing
LO often sounds congested
LO arches back/throws back head in pain and "climbs" up you when soothing is attempted
LO gags/chokes often while eating
LO throws up feeds (DD projectile vomits - goes a foot or more in any direction and out of her mouth and nose) or some babies swallow much of what they bring up (silent reflux - DS did this a lot)
LO needs to be held or placed upright for at least 30 minutes after a feed or stomach contents come up
You'll hear the contents coming up and baby either swallows or loses the contents (think of heartburn if you've ever had it)
LO is often diagnosed as colicky due to sever pain from reflux which can bring on HOURS of crying

Just spitting up doesn't mean reflux. Most babies spit up and even from time to time my babies would have what I considered normal baby spit up. Many babies are "happy sputters". It's the above symptoms (all or some) that usually point towards GER, but it can be other things as well. Talk to your pediatrician if you're worried. My LOs had to do weekly weight checks to ensure they're thriving given all the lost meals and fighting at the breast/bottle (latching and unlatching throughout). Also keep in mind that spit up often looks to be more than it really is. Try spilling a tablespoon of water on your counter and you'll note that it appears like more than you would expect from such a small amount.

Elyse1384 said:

Both my kids have reflux and trust me... You will know if that is it! With reflux you'll notice some or all of these symptoms:

Excess hicuping, sneezing, coughing
LO often sounds congested
LO arches back/throws back head in pain and "climbs" up you when soothing is attempted
LO gags/chokes often while eating
LO throws up feeds (DD projectile vomits - goes a foot or more in any direction and out of her mouth and nose) or some babies swallow much of what they bring up (silent reflux - DS did this a lot)
LO needs to be held or placed upright for at least 30 minutes after a feed or stomach contents come up
You'll hear the contents coming up and baby either swallows or loses the contents (think of heartburn if you've ever had it)
LO is often diagnosed as colicky due to sever pain from reflux which can bring on HOURS of crying

.

Thank you for posting this! I've been terrified to Google because I've caused myself a lot of unnecessary stress. My LO has been choking, sneezing and gets the hiccups after almost every bottle. I've seen her swallow what comes up too. I'll ask the pedi at our 3 week appt but it makes me feel better to know that's what is most likely going on. DS had a lot of spit up so I'm used to that, but as the pedi said his was more of a laundry problem than a health problem.

angelinthepit23

Also my friend told me to go on YouTube and look up videos of babies with reflux. So I did that last night and we def. don't have reflux. Going to try adding gas drops today once hubby brings them home as I'm thinking it's more of a trapped air issue. Will gas drops help him to burp? Today I burped him for 15 min and kept him upright for 15. I got 1 small burp and then as soon as I laid him down he spit up a good amount.

kmd91

Elyse1384 said:

Both my kids have reflux and trust me... You will know if that is it! With reflux you'll notice some or all of these symptoms:

Excess hicuping, sneezing, coughing
LO often sounds congested
LO arches back/throws back head in pain and "climbs" up you when soothing is attempted
LO gags/chokes often while eating
LO throws up feeds (DD projectile vomits - goes a foot or more in any direction and out of her mouth and nose) or some babies swallow much of what they bring up (silent reflux - DS did this a lot)
LO needs to be held or placed upright for at least 30 minutes after a feed or stomach contents come up
You'll hear the contents coming up and baby either swallows or loses the contents (think of heartburn if you've ever had it)
LO is often diagnosed as colicky due to sever pain from reflux which can bring on HOURS of crying

Just spitting up doesn't mean reflux. Most babies spit up and even from time to time my babies would have what I considered normal baby spit up. Many babies are "happy sputters". It's the above symptoms (all or some) that usually point towards GER, but it can be other things as well. Talk to your pediatrician if you're worried. My LOs had to do weekly weight checks to ensure they're thriving given all the lost meals and fighting at the breast/bottle (latching and unlatching throughout). Also keep in mind that spit up often looks to be more than it really is. Try spilling a tablespoon of water on your counter and you'll note that it appears like more than you would expect from such a small amount.

My son has been doing basically all of these, though his leans more towards silent reflux. I didn't even know some of these things were indicators of reflux, so that's really interesting. We were just at the pediatrician on Wednesday to discuss reflux and clogged tear ducts and because my son is gaining weight on target he says there's nothing we can do other than make sure he eats slowly enough. I've been feeding him upright, taking breaks to burp, making sure he's sitting upright for a while after each bottle, but nothing seems to help. Not to jack this thread, but does anyone have any other suggestions I have missed? I am willing to try pretty much anything, because my little guy gets so miserable and I just feel so bad.

Ceridwen77

kmd91 said:

Elyse1384 said:

Both my kids have reflux and trust me... You will know if that is it! With reflux you'll notice some or all of these symptoms:

Excess hicuping, sneezing, coughing
LO often sounds congested
LO arches back/throws back head in pain and "climbs" up you when soothing is attempted
LO gags/chokes often while eating
LO throws up feeds (DD projectile vomits - goes a foot or more in any direction and out of her mouth and nose) or some babies swallow much of what they bring up (silent reflux - DS did this a lot)
LO needs to be held or placed upright for at least 30 minutes after a feed or stomach contents come up
You'll hear the contents coming up and baby either swallows or loses the contents (think of heartburn if you've ever had it)
LO is often diagnosed as colicky due to sever pain from reflux which can bring on HOURS of crying

Just spitting up doesn't mean reflux. Most babies spit up and even from time to time my babies would have what I considered normal baby spit up. Many babies are "happy sputters". It's the above symptoms (all or some) that usually point towards GER, but it can be other things as well. Talk to your pediatrician if you're worried. My LOs had to do weekly weight checks to ensure they're thriving given all the lost meals and fighting at the breast/bottle (latching and unlatching throughout). Also keep in mind that spit up often looks to be more than it really is. Try spilling a tablespoon of water on your counter and you'll note that it appears like more than you would expect from such a small amount.

My son has been doing basically all of these, though his leans more towards silent reflux. I didn't even know some of these things were indicators of reflux, so that's really interesting. We were just at the pediatrician on Wednesday to discuss reflux and clogged tear ducts and because my son is gaining weight on target he says there's nothing we can do other than make sure he eats slowly enough. I've been feeding him upright, taking breaks to burp, making sure he's sitting upright for a while after each bottle, but nothing seems to help. Not to jack this thread, but does anyone have any other suggestions I have missed? I am willing to try pretty much anything, because my little guy gets so miserable and I just feel so bad.

Try him on his stomach vs being propped up. I read on kellymom that this is actually a better position to combat reflux.

rachswi

Is it normal for a baby to not spit up at all? My little guy has only ever spit up once. He's breastfed (only taken a handful of bottles of expressed milk)... He hardly ever burps either, but he's super gassy coming out the other end, especially when he's feeding.

Ceridwen77

rachswi said:

Is it normal for a baby to not spit up at all? My little guy has only ever spit up once. He's breastfed (only taken a handful of bottles of expressed milk)... He hardly ever burps either, but he's super gassy coming out the other end, especially when he's feeding.

Normal! My LO has only burped once and she has only spit up 3 times.

Elyse1384

kmd91 said:

Elyse1384 said:

Both my kids have reflux and trust me... You will know if that is it! With reflux you'll notice some or all of these symptoms:

Excess hicuping, sneezing, coughing
LO often sounds congested
LO arches back/throws back head in pain and "climbs" up you when soothing is attempted
LO gags/chokes often while eating
LO throws up feeds (DD projectile vomits - goes a foot or more in any direction and out of her mouth and nose) or some babies swallow much of what they bring up (silent reflux - DS did this a lot)
LO needs to be held or placed upright for at least 30 minutes after a feed or stomach contents come up
You'll hear the contents coming up and baby either swallows or loses the contents (think of heartburn if you've ever had it)
LO is often diagnosed as colicky due to sever pain from reflux which can bring on HOURS of crying

Just spitting up doesn't mean reflux. Most babies spit up and even from time to time my babies would have what I considered normal baby spit up. Many babies are "happy sputters". It's the above symptoms (all or some) that usually point towards GER, but it can be other things as well. Talk to your pediatrician if you're worried. My LOs had to do weekly weight checks to ensure they're thriving given all the lost meals and fighting at the breast/bottle (latching and unlatching throughout). Also keep in mind that spit up often looks to be more than it really is. Try spilling a tablespoon of water on your counter and you'll note that it appears like more than you would expect from such a small amount.

My son has been doing basically all of these, though his leans more towards silent reflux. I didn't even know some of these things were indicators of reflux, so that's really interesting. We were just at the pediatrician on Wednesday to discuss reflux and clogged tear ducts and because my son is gaining weight on target he says there's nothing we can do other than make sure he eats slowly enough. I've been feeding him upright, taking breaks to burp, making sure he's sitting upright for a while after each bottle, but nothing seems to help. Not to jack this thread, but does anyone have any other suggestions I have missed? I am willing to try pretty much anything, because my little guy gets so miserable and I just feel so bad.

My DS leaned more silent reflux with only a handful of episodes that were so forceful he couldn't swallow it back down. DD just projectile vomits. We learned from the specialist that the sneezing, congestion and coughing are from trying to clear the nasal passages from debris and when contents are coming back up. We thought it was a cold! A high frequency of hiccups (with long lasting episodes) has also been noted in reflux babies (not sure if the specialist said why). The other symptoms hadn't surprised me too much.

Is your LO taking any medication? Both DS and now DD were put on Prilosec as symptoms were/are severe enough. It takes about a week or so to really see a difference, but boy does it help! The dose needs to be adjusted constantly as weight increases. We notice less vomit, spit up, pain cries/arching the back/thrashing about, etc when on the medication. Ask your pediatrician if it is right for you LO if not already being used.

I would also recommend an incline for your son's bed. Your pediatrician can discuss safe sleep options, but they make wedges and there are some bassinets with an incline. The bassinet with incline has/had helped both of our kids sleep better and longer.

The only other thing I would say is more of encouragement. Around month 3 we noticed an improvement in DS. By month 6 we were slowing taking him off Prilosec. As that valve in the stomach matures the symptoms subside and LO feels much better as the valve doesn't let stomach contents back up. Every day you get through just know that LO is getting better as that valve gets stronger. This too shall pass!

Elyse1384

rachswi said:

Is it normal for a baby to not spit up at all? My little guy has only ever spit up once. He's breastfed (only taken a handful of bottles of expressed milk)... He hardly ever burps either, but he's super gassy coming out the other end, especially when he's feeding.

Very common for breastfed babies to not burp or burp less as they take in less air (of course assuming they don't have reflux or another condition that would otherwise lead to increased burping).

kmd91

Elyse1384 said:

kmd91 said:

Elyse1384 said:

Both my kids have reflux and trust me... You will know if that is it! With reflux you'll notice some or all of these symptoms:

Excess hicuping, sneezing, coughing
LO often sounds congested
LO arches back/throws back head in pain and "climbs" up you when soothing is attempted
LO gags/chokes often while eating
LO throws up feeds (DD projectile vomits - goes a foot or more in any direction and out of her mouth and nose) or some babies swallow much of what they bring up (silent reflux - DS did this a lot)
LO needs to be held or placed upright for at least 30 minutes after a feed or stomach contents come up
You'll hear the contents coming up and baby either swallows or loses the contents (think of heartburn if you've ever had it)
LO is often diagnosed as colicky due to sever pain from reflux which can bring on HOURS of crying

Just spitting up doesn't mean reflux. Most babies spit up and even from time to time my babies would have what I considered normal baby spit up. Many babies are "happy sputters". It's the above symptoms (all or some) that usually point towards GER, but it can be other things as well. Talk to your pediatrician if you're worried. My LOs had to do weekly weight checks to ensure they're thriving given all the lost meals and fighting at the breast/bottle (latching and unlatching throughout). Also keep in mind that spit up often looks to be more than it really is. Try spilling a tablespoon of water on your counter and you'll note that it appears like more than you would expect from such a small amount.

My son has been doing basically all of these, though his leans more towards silent reflux. I didn't even know some of these things were indicators of reflux, so that's really interesting. We were just at the pediatrician on Wednesday to discuss reflux and clogged tear ducts and because my son is gaining weight on target he says there's nothing we can do other than make sure he eats slowly enough. I've been feeding him upright, taking breaks to burp, making sure he's sitting upright for a while after each bottle, but nothing seems to help. Not to jack this thread, but does anyone have any other suggestions I have missed? I am willing to try pretty much anything, because my little guy gets so miserable and I just feel so bad.

My DS leaned more silent reflux with only a handful of episodes that were so forceful he couldn't swallow it back down. DD just projectile vomits. We learned from the specialist that the sneezing, congestion and coughing are from trying to clear the nasal passages from debris and when contents are coming back up. We thought it was a cold! A high frequency of hiccups (with long lasting episodes) has also been noted in reflux babies (not sure if the specialist said why). The other symptoms hadn't surprised me too much.

Is your LO taking any medication? Both DS and now DD were put on Prilosec as symptoms were/are severe enough. It takes about a week or so to really see a difference, but boy does it help! The dose needs to be adjusted constantly as weight increases. We notice less vomit, spit up, pain cries/arching the back/thrashing about, etc when on the medication. Ask your pediatrician if it is right for you LO if not already being used.

I would also recommend an incline for your son's bed. Your pediatrician can discuss safe sleep options, but they make wedges and there are some bassinets with an incline. The bassinet with incline has/had helped both of our kids sleep better and longer.

The only other thing I would say is more of encouragement. Around month 3 we noticed an improvement in DS. By month 6 we were slowing taking him off Prilosec. As that valve in the stomach matures the symptoms subside and LO feels much better as the valve doesn't let stomach contents back up. Every day you get through just know that LO is getting better as that valve gets stronger. This too shall pass!

Yeah, I had thought his cold like symptoms were a cold originally and had no clue they were related to the reflux or the fact that his constant hiccups were either.

So far no medication for the little guy because his pediatrician said he would rather hold off since his weight is good and that we can reevaluate at his two month checkup if he's still struggling, but we have another month left until that because of their scheduling issues and not being able to get him in until then, so I'm just hoping this month isn't too hard on him.

And I'm so hopeful my little guy has the improvement like your son experienced and we've only got a month and a half until things take a turn for the better. I just feel so bad when he is hurting and miserable and there's nothing I can do for him. Either way it's good to remember that this isn't forever.