Baby over eating?

manna1212 · May 2014

I am wondering if my LO is over eating? We are EBF so I am not able to gauge how much he is eating at each feed. Since last night, he has been spitting up after each feed, which is not typical for him. He also has a pretty hard stomach after feeding, it does get softer with time. We are feeding on demand and he is eating about every 2-3 hours during the day and about 1-2.5 at night. Anyone with a similar experience?

usernewname · May 2014

You really can't overfeed a breast fed baby. When DS has had a lot or needs to burp he spits up.

Do you burp him during the feeding? I usually wait til DS unlatches, then burp and reoffer the breast.

Too much fore milk can cause spitting up too. Do you reoffer the same breast after burping?

Also, if you keep them upright for a while after a feed it helps with burps and reduces spit up.

All these things to figure out. This above has been the adventure and discovery of the week for me. He's so tricky to burp so if he doesn't he will spit up minutes later.

jenb_99 · May 2014

I've always heard that it's impossible for a BF baby to overeat. I don't know if it's 100% true and I haven't seen any studies to back it up, but BF advocates sure like to mention it in their anti-formula debates.

Could he possibly be getting too much air when he eats? That's common for aggressive eaters and could easily explain both the hard belly and the spitting up. Do you get a couple of big burps out of him during and after every feeding?

madelined633 · May 2014

My LO was doing the same thing. My pedi's nurse practitioner we saw the other day said he could be eating too much, sucking for comfort but then getting overly full. She suggested trying a pacifier... But I heard those can cause nipple confusion. As pp above said, I've heard that keeping him upright after and lots of burping can help. I think I also have forceful letdown which causes him to cough and spit up sometimes.

Marcella05 · May 2014

Spitting up is normal - especially after the first couple of weeks. They're trying to eat more cuz of growth spurt(s) and becoming more efficient at feeding, but their stomach size has not caught up yet. Definitely burp them when they're gassy, but burping too much or too forcefully will also aggravate the spit up situation. And, of course, talk to the pediatrician if there is a concern.

hbird0723 · June 2014

I just went to her 2 week appt on Thursday and found out that she is being over fed. She's having a lot of gas issues and reflux and he asked how much I'm pumping and in about 5 min I can get 4 oz. he was like like wow! Her little tummy can't digest that much right now so it's a lot to process. Plus my one side is like a hydrant lol and she's getting too much at once so she's gulping air. My LO was wanting to eat all the time though because she thought she was hungry since her stomach hurt. I've noticed a huge difference feeding only after naps and trying a paci to calm her when her stomach is hurting. If she's really hungry she won't take the paci so I know she just maybe didn't get enough at the last feeding. It doesn't sound like your LO is eating as much as she was though and lots of babies spit up after. My nieces had reflux pretty bad and they were bottle fed which made it easier to see how much they were eating. I would ask your pediatrician next time. Ours helped a lot. He could tell by how much she gained in a short amount of time and how much I was producing that this was the issue. Try pumping and seeing how much you get.

sthomas1222 · June 2014

florassecret said:

You really can't overfeed a breast fed baby. When DS has had a lot or needs to burp he spits up. Do you burp him during the feeding? I usually wait til DS unlatches, then burp and reoffer the breast. Too much fore milk can cause spitting up too. Do you reoffer the same breast after burping? Also, if you keep them upright for a while after a feed it helps with burps and reduces spit up. All these things to figure out. This above has been the adventure and discovery of the week for me. He's so tricky to burp so if he doesn't he will spit up minutes later.

Yep all this. You can't overfeed a EBF baby. Seriously, try it. They won't take the breast if they don't want it.

Ziegeficker · June 2014

My LO has started throwing up after feedings about once or twice a day. I suspect it's because I have a forceful letdown and/or an oversupply that hasn't worked itself out yet. Some tips I got from my La Leche League were to pump a bit prior to putting baby to the breast; only offering one breast per feeding; unlatching and burping 60 seconds into the feeding; and breastfeeding while lying down or reclined with baby on top so that anything she can't swallow can dribble out of her mouth. I haven't been able to get my LO to burp consistently, so I am not sure what's going on...but I am trying a few of these tips and will see how it goes...

eliak · June 2014

@Ziegeficker

I have been going through this my self for the past few days. I am up to the point i am afraid to breastfeed as much as he wants because we end up with huge spit ups and me crying

. So i just put him on one breast for 6-7 minutes and as soon as he takes a break i try to burp him. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. If he is fussy i put him on the boob again but usually end up spitting all over the place. I really miss those days where he fell asleep on my boob after eating. Now i am so stressed to the point i can no longer enjoy it.

Note: he has been gaining weight so his doctor said 6-7 minutes is fine as long as he is full (he wakes every 2,5-4 hours)

Ziegeficker · June 2014

@eliak‌, I know what you mean...breastfeeding my LOs to sleep is one of my favorite parts of breastfeeding...I did it all the time with DS and was enjoying it with DD until this started happening. I am hoping that the vomiting will stop once her stomach size catches up with her appetite or my milk production regulates a bit. I hold out hope! But it is stressful, like you said. Good luck to you! I hope both our LOs are doing better soon.

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