How much spit up is "normal"?

RondackHiker · March 2014

I know there's a big range here, and I plan to talk to DD's doctor at her one month appointment, I mostly want to know if I should call earlier.

She's spitting up several times a day. Like a lot. It comes out her nose in her mouth and completely soaks my shirt and burp clause in her outfit.

She has wet burps and just seems uncomfortable. She's just fussy and a little unhappy. She arches backwards when nursing and kind of fights the boob.... But at the same time wants to nurse constantly.

She doesn't seem to be in severe pain like I would expect with reflux. But since DS never spit up I'm having trouble telling what is
normal. She is gaining weight and she is eating I'm not sure what is normal.

keags5496 · March 2014

Sounds like reflux to me. LO did that exactly and we put him on Prevacid and he's way more comfy. It doesn't affect the amount of spit up at all...that still happens a to ...but it doesn't bother him at all.

RondackHiker · March 2014

keags5496 said:
Sounds like reflux to me. LO did that exactly and we put him on Prevacid and he's way more comfy. It doesn't affect the amount of spit up at all...that still happens a to ...but it doesn't bother him at all.

Even though she's not screaming all the time? My friend's babies who had it screamed ALLL THE TIME.

Should I call? Or wait till the 3rd?

Soap1 · March 2014

I'll be the voice of dissent and say it doesn't sound like reflux. At 3 weeks, you're getting to the peak of early spitup and generally tummy trouble - babies are still learning how to digest at this age!

DS1 never spit up so it was a shocker when DS2 was constantly spitting up all over himself - coming out of his nose, etc. He also went through a really fussy, grunty, gassy, tummy achy period too. DS3 is also a major spitter (spitting up a large volume at least 2-3 times after every meal) and went through a really tummy trouble phase.

I had a friend with a baby with real reflux and the baby wouldn't eat, didn't gain weight, and wasn't thriving. If your LO is gaining and overall a content baby, I'd wait it out a few weeks.

I know reflux medications "have no side effects" but I'm more worried about long term effects on the flora in the digestive tract, which we don't have much data on because doctors haven't been prescribing antacids for babies in such high numbers for very long.

annie0714 · March 2014

That also sounds about like my LO. I'm doing laundry everyday since we seem to go through his entire wardrobe each day. He is gaining weight well and has plenty of wet/dirty diapers though so I was told it was ok. He can be fussy like you described so our pedi put him on Zantac. Like keags said, it doesn't really change the amount of spit up though. (And I can't really tell if it has changed his fussiness either)

slwprincess · March 2014

I just posted something similar. I called to come in early. Her next check up is 2 weeks away and I can't wait that long. That seems like excessive to me.. But then again none of mine have been big spit uppers so maybe I'm the weird one.

tangerinemachine · March 2014

When I asked my doctor she said some babies just spit up more than others. As long as your LO isn't it pain and is eating and has wet/dirty diapers it should be okay. She suggested burping more frequent because if there is an air pocket anything they eat after the air pocket can come up. I think it has helped a bit.

msenginerd · March 2014

I have a puker too. It freaks me out a little but she's gaining weight and generally happy so the pediatrician said it's just one of those things. You might call or email your pediatrician/advice line if you are worried. That's what I did and DD's pediatrician was comfortable waiting a week for her well baby check.

littlepig2 · March 2014

reflux doesn't always cause pain; that's the "silent" reflux but it can still cause a lot of spit up. it's worth talking to your doctor about - sorry I don't have better advice!

sdlaura · March 2014

We didn't deal with the arching while feeding, but our DD was perfectly happy and spit up A TON! Like we were all always covered in spit-up from probably 1-9 months. We wouldn't let other people hold her because of it, and our daycare provider charged us extra for spit-up clean-up. But she gained weight fine and it never seemed to bother her. She did it on both breastmilk and several different formulas, with and without reflux meds, and using all different bottles. So an absolute ton of spit up can be normal, but if I were you I would be more concerned about getting to the bottom of it if she seems uncomfortable.

RondackHiker · March 2014

Thanks everyone. I am reading and thinking about all this but she's been crying for two hours straight and I'm a little frazzled and can't respond more.

keags5496 · March 2014

@RondackHiker‌ just wanted to add that LO never screamed either. He'd make faces, grunt, squirm, and arch back. His little eyes would even get all watery. The nice thing is the meds are easy to try and you'll see a drastic improvement in 24-48 hrs if its reflux.

Magnolia+Mama · March 2014

Soap1 said:
I'll be the voice of dissent and say it doesn't sound like reflux. At 3 weeks, you're getting to the peak of early spitup and generally tummy trouble - babies are still learning how to digest at this age!

DS1 never spit up so it was a shocker when DS2 was constantly spitting up all over himself - coming out of his nose, etc. He also went through a really fussy, grunty, gassy, tummy achy period too. DS3 is also a major spitter (spitting up a large volume at least 2-3 times after every meal) and went through a really tummy trouble phase.

I had a friend with a baby with real reflux and the baby wouldn't eat, didn't gain weight, and wasn't thriving. If your LO is gaining and overall a content baby, I'd wait it out a few weeks.

I know reflux medications "have no side effects" but I'm more worried about long term effects on the flora in the digestive tract, which we don't have much data on because doctors haven't been prescribing antacids for babies in such high numbers for very long.

I agree - my LO was doing the same thing...I discussed with our pedi at her 1 mo appt and he said it was completely normal. All babies have at least mild reflux and in our case, required no medical intervention. He also reassured me by saying that since her weight gain was good, she's not spitting up any calories that she needs.

littlepig2 · March 2014

@RondackHiker‌ just wanted to pop back in and say that DD was eating regularly, gaining weight, and thriving and still had reflux. please do not go by those standards. if LO is uncomfortable and you're concerned, that's enough of a reason to talk to the pedi about it. Zantac in babies is not a forever thing - they can stop taking it whenever you want them to and will grow out of the reflux by around 7 months.

ETA: DD was diagnosed with reflux by 2 weeks old.

cksmith29 · March 2014

LO went through this at 2 1/2 weeks. The doctor told me it's really fast let down, and basically I was drowning her out. It was really frustrating, and one morning we were both soaking wet from spit up (projectile), and we were both crying. Talk to your LC and see if she can help.

We made the switch to formula, and the slow flow nipples help, but LO still spits up. It's not the crazy frustrating stuff, but she still oozes.

Altreed · March 2014

You might have forceful let down? My LO was spitting up much more until I tried some of the tricks (ie. having him nurse "uphill"): https://kellymom.com/bf/got-milk/supply-worries/fast-letdown/

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