A child spits up blood - what is the danger?

Usually, vomiting in young children is very frightening for parents. Doctors reassure, claiming that the presence of vomiting is not always a symptom of the disease. Most often, it helps rid the body of toxins. The situation is much worse when a child vomits blood. This is always a signal to immediately consult a doctor.

Vomiting blood in a child is a dangerous symptom that signals problems in the body.

Mechanism of vomiting

In order not to worry in vain, parents need to understand that the gag reflex is a protective reaction of the body, which receives signals about the need to empty the stomach. Such signals enter the brain, where the center of the gag reflex is located, from different places in the body: from the vestibular apparatus, from the stomach or intestines. Figuratively speaking, the center gives a command, and the stomach empties.

The vomiting process occurs during strong peristalsis of the stomach and esophagus when the vomiting center is excited. The vomiting impulse has a relaxing effect on the walls of the stomach; in a similar way, the muscle ring in the lower part of the esophagus relaxes. The muscles of the abdominal wall and diaphragm contract, and the contents of the stomach are expelled through the mouth and nose. In this case, the root of the tongue blocks the airways to prevent asphyxia, that is, suffocation with vomit.

For your information. A warning about the vomiting process comes through nausea, involuntary swallowing movements, increased salivation, lacrimation, trembling, cold hands and feet, or, conversely, increased sweating.

Symptoms and signs of hematemesis

Parents are most concerned about why their child is vomiting blood. Bloody vomiting in babies often indicates damage to the stomach walls or rupture of the esophageal mucosa. This can happen due to mechanical trauma or infection. If such a symptom appears, you should immediately seek medical help without self-medicating.

Important! Parents should be alert for signs of blood-streaked vomiting in their child. Before talking about the reasons for this phenomenon, it is necessary to determine the amount and saturation of blood in the vomit. In order to tell the pediatrician everything in detail, you need to carefully examine her appearance.

Difference from hemoptysis

Sometimes bloody vomiting is compared to a gut-wrenching cough, in which the discharge is colored red. In order not to confuse hemoptysis and the moment when a child vomits blood, you need to know the differences between these two processes.

Vomiting blood should be distinguished from hemoptysis

For your information. Doctors define hemoptysis as the release of sputum, that is, a clot mixed with blood from the lungs and bronchi when coughing. This symptom can occur with various inflammatory diseases, for example, bronchitis, pneumonia. Blood may appear due to bleeding and disruption of the integrity of the walls of blood vessels due to injuries or bruises.

When should you see a doctor?

Regurgitation without pathologies does not bring any worries. That is, in most cases this is normal and there is no need to worry about it. There are cases when a child burps not only as a result of poor digestion, but also with significant disorders of the digestive system.

It is necessary to pay attention to the amount of regurgitation and frequency. Normally, this should not exceed 1-2 teaspoons of food.
You should carefully monitor the baby's weight if there is frequent regurgitation. If a child begins to lose weight, or does not gain weight to normal levels, and often spits up, then it is necessary to consult a doctor. You should also be wary of vomiting, since its amount differs significantly from normal regurgitation after eating.
You need to monitor the color of the vomit.

Such little things can signal problems that are already present, the solution of which should only be addressed by a doctor. It is better not to self-medicate, as you may not only fail to help the baby in a timely manner, but also cause harm.

Causes of vomiting streaked with blood

If a healthy child vomits blood, this frightens the young mother. To give parents peace of mind and to warn them against rash actions, pediatricians identify the most common causes of hematemesis:

A common cause is damage to the mother's nipples, such as cracks. A newborn on natural breastfeeding can swallow blood with milk. In such cases, bloody streaks are not only released with vomiting, but are also found in diarrhea.
Sometimes the cause is nosebleeds due to the close connection between the upper respiratory tract and the nasal cavity, that is, the nasopharynx. Therefore, nasal blood entering the larynx can cause gag reflexes.
Psychologists cite severe overexertion, stressful situations, anxiety and fear in young children as significant reasons for the appearance of bloody vomiting.

Important! At one year of age, a child becomes extremely active, and parental neglect can lead to dire consequences. For example, a common cause of a situation where a child vomits blood is objects with sharp edges, small toys, or berry seeds that the baby can swallow.

The baby spits up blood

Newborn babies have the physical characteristic of burping after feeding, which is a long-known fact. This process can occur in different ways, differ from each other and not be entirely normal. How to recognize the problem in time if a child vomits blood?

When to be wary

There are several factors that indicate that the process of regurgitation of a baby is not normal:

upon completion of feeding, the newborn baby burps, but there is increased excitability and crying;
contrary to standard indicators for age, the child is not gaining enough weight;
direct regurgitation of blood after eating;
an increase in the frequency and amount of regurgitation, in which the milk that comes out looks more like vomit.

When overfeeding or the presence of factors compressing the stomach, involuntary emissions occur, which are called regurgitation. These processes are often characteristic of infants, but during the procedure mothers may become suspicious. Basically, such cases are presented as something natural, so the parents’ worries seem completely in vain.

Crying after feeding

When a child reaches two years of age, he stops burping after feeding. But this process should also not be confused with vomiting. In such cases, the masses can exit not only through the oral, but also the nasal cavity, and their composition will include not only dairy products, but also, perhaps, bile and blood.

Causes

The above already indicates that regurgitation by a child after feeding is a natural process. Due to the fact that when soaking, a small part of the air penetrates, which comes out back along with the food. Basically, the amount of food that comes out does not exceed a few spoons, so there is no need to worry about the baby not having enough to eat.

However, if a child burps blood, then panic should not arise contrary to common sense. After all, the reasons for regurgitation of blood in a baby are often much simpler than it initially seemed. One of the main reasons is cracks formed on the mother’s nipples. The baby unintentionally ingests milk from the blood secreted. Subsequently, after feeding, blood clots are visible when regurgitating.

Minor damage to the smallest vessels of the digestive tract is the second reason for such situations in children. These processes for detecting blood during regurgitation are much more serious than the reason described above. This is due to the fact that it is much more difficult to independently detect the factors of damage.

Some mothers, while caring for their babies, are often able to overdo it when feeding. This behavior is understandable - you want the child not to starve and to be sufficiently fed.

But such cases can lead to the fact that the baby collects a large amount of milk in the cheeks, but it comes out through the corners of the mouth.

In this case, mothers mistake the escaping fluid for vomiting or regurgitation, which by its nature is not valid.

Improper latching on the breast is another reason why a baby spits up blood. In such situations, the child takes in an excess amount of air, which leads to poor absorption of food and regurgitation. When feeding from a bottle, you must hold it correctly to avoid unexpected incidents. If the container is in the correct position, the baby will not vomit and will not burp.

Incorrect chest grip

What to do

Mostly, incidents where a baby spits up blood puts mothers in a state of panic. But initially you need to monitor the process: find out its frequency, the condition of the baby, etc. After all, if a small amount of blood is present, then this state of affairs does not indicate any disturbances or damage to the digestive system.

Naturally, consulting a doctor is a mandatory procedure, but often practice indicates that the baby is in a healthy state, unlike his mother.

After all, the detection of blood impurities mainly occurs from the delicate skin of the nipples, which simply burst during the absorption of food.

If this is not the reason, then timely intervention by a doctor is mandatory.

The case when, instead of regurgitating, the baby vomits blood, is more serious than the one described above.

You shouldn’t delay going to the doctor, because if you let it happen again, it could lead to unforeseen complications. Even if the amount of bloody discharge during regurgitation seems insignificant, you should consult a doctor.

How to reduce the frequency of spitting up

Every baby has the habit of burping, for this reason mothers are interested in this issue. This process ends at just under one year of age, but can last longer. Vomiting, ideally, should not occur.

Regurgitation is the swallowing of excess air; in order for it to come out, you need to hold the child in the “soldier” position. With this procedure, the air will come out on its own, and accordingly the frequency of regurgitation will decrease. If you hold the baby in an upright position, it is difficult for the stomach to push the excess air out on its own, which leads to the fact that it comes out with some food.

Vertical position of the baby after feeding

In what cases should you consult a doctor?

The normal processes of regurgitation of a baby do not pose any danger. Since this action is typical for most children, most of the worries are in vain. But if a child spits up in abnormal quantities and very often, then such symptoms can serve as serious disorders of the child’s digestive system.

In such situations you should:

closely monitor the size of regurgitated substances and the frequency of the process;
With a high degree of activity, you should monitor the child's weight gain. If he loses weight and it does not reach the required level relative to his age, he should consult a doctor. There is also a significant difference between vomiting and regurgitation, since their quantity varies;
Particular attention should be paid to the color of the vomit.

It seems that all these small and, at first glance, insignificant signs are not related to complications and problems with the digestive tract.

But in fact, at the first symptoms of unusual regurgitation, it is better to contact a qualified specialist.

Self-medication is not recommended, because in such situations you may not only not have time to provide the necessary help to the child in time, but also aggravate problems for the baby’s health.

Recommendations from experts

Pediatricians recommend the following:

carefully monitor the child’s feeding, the amount and the process itself;
when eating food, the baby must swallow correctly to avoid air getting in;
proper holding of the child for his own comfort;
carefully monitoring the condition of the mother’s breasts, because this can cause blood to appear in the regurgitated masses;
when feeding a baby from various types of containers, you should not leave the baby alone with the baby, because he can swallow more air than necessary;
one or two spoons is the permissible amount of regurgitated masses, everything above this norm is vomiting;
at the end of the eating process, it is advisable to keep the baby in an upright position so that he burps the air;
if the vomit is unnatural, then you should immediately consult a doctor;
A large amount of food can harm the child, the poet needs to carefully monitor feeding and weight.

Assessing the appearance of vomit

Various reasons can contribute to the appearance of vomiting blood. Pediatricians warn what signs to look for when examining vomit.

Examining your child will help you understand the reason for the appearance of blood in vomit.

Examining the appearance of blood impurities will help understand the cause of vomiting:

Small streaks of blood in the vomit are often observed in patients with erosive gastritis.
The pink tint of the blood veins indicates minor bleeding in the gastric mucosa.
Scarlet blood may indicate damage to the integrity of a large vessel due to injury.

Important! The presence of red blood in the vomit is an emergency and requires immediate medical attention.

Damage to the lungs is indicated by vomiting bloody foam.
Dark, brown blood that resembles coffee grounds indicates bleeding in the stomach.
Bright red, rich color of blood in vomit indicates bleeding in the pharynx, upper stomach or esophagus.

The child burped with blood: cause and treatment

Everyone knows that newborns experience the phenomenon of regurgitation after feeding. This process can be normal and pathological. In what cases should such regurgitation raise suspicions?

After eating, the child burps and there is an increase in excitability, and all this is accompanied by crying.
The weight gain is too low according to the norms at his age.
The child vomited blood just after eating.
Spitting up too often and too much, which can feel like vomiting.

In our article we will talk about the alarming case when a child burps with blood.

What is regurgitation and how does it manifest?

Regurgitation is an involuntary reflux of the stomach, which occurs as a result of squeezing it or after overeating. This condition is quite common in infants, but it also often causes suspicion among mothers about this. In most cases, there is no need to worry, as most often this is a natural and normal process.

Typically, a child stops burping before the age of two.

Do not confuse regurgitation with vomiting, since during the natural process the abdominal muscles of a newborn do not tense and he manages to do this without additional effort.

During vomiting, food can even come out through the nose. Vomiting may also be accompanied by an increase in temperature. Such phenomena may contain not only unchanged milk, but also an admixture of blood and bile.

What are the causes of regurgitation with blood?

Since it was already described above that newborns often burp and more often the child does this immediately after eating.

This is due to the fact that during soaking, some air gets in, and it can come back out along with the food.

As a rule, the amount of food is quite small, so there is no need to worry about all the milk coming back out. This amount is much smaller and normally should not exceed 1-2 teaspoons.

If your baby burps up blood, you shouldn’t panic right away. The reasons for this may be much simpler than you might imagine. Most often this happens due to small cracks in the mother's nipples.

The baby swallows blood along with milk, and then when he burps, there is an admixture of blood. This may also be due to small ruptures in the blood vessels of the child’s lower digestive tract during regurgitation.

This reason for regurgitation with blood is a little more serious, but it is quite difficult to identify it on your own.

A child can also burp during overeating. Mothers always think that the baby is not eating well and want him to be full. But in such cases there is no need to overdo it.

There are children who eat quite a lot themselves, and this consists in the fact that they suck a lot of milk into their cheeks, like hamsters, and then release it through the corners of their lips.

Mothers think that this is vomiting or regurgitation, but in fact this is the intuitive greed of the newborn. This also needs to be carefully monitored.

The cause of regurgitation may be improper latching on the chest, when too much air gets in and this interferes with the absorption of food. If you are feeding your baby with a bottle, you need to hold it correctly to prevent air from getting into your baby's mouth. Then the baby will not vomit or regurgitate.

Most often, the mother begins to panic in this case. But you don't need to do this. Initially, you need to notice for yourself how often the child does this and how exactly it happens. If after eating the baby burps just a little and there is blood, then this is not an indicator of serious disorders of the digestive tract.

Of course, it wouldn’t hurt to consult a doctor, but the main thing is not to worry, since for many babies everything is fine, but the mother’s nipples are quite tender and simply burst during feeding.

Then the reason for everything is the individual characteristics of the mother, not the child.

As for the burst blood vessels of the baby, this is already a serious matter, but in this case, only a doctor can provide significant help with a timely examination.

Vomiting blood is a more than serious phenomenon and cannot be repeated. That is, after the first time, it is necessary to urgently consult a doctor, because the amount of blood in this case may exceed the norm and indicate some disorders of the child’s digestive tract.

Many mothers are interested in this issue, because almost every child spits up.
A child, as a rule, stops burping after 7-8 months, but it happens later. But vomiting is an uncertain phenomenon, so it can occur at any time. But don’t forget that normally it shouldn’t exist at all. As for regurgitation, after eating the baby needs to be held upright for a while so that excess air comes out. If the newborn lies down after eating, then the likelihood of regurgitation is much greater. In this case, it is difficult for the ventricle to get rid of possible air on its own, and it comes out along with the food.

If the baby eats intermittently, then during each break it is better to hold the child upright so that the trapped air can immediately escape. Such simple actions will help to significantly reduce regurgitation, and even more so with regard to blood impurities.

When should you see a doctor?

It is necessary to pay attention to the amount of regurgitation and frequency. Normally, this should not exceed 1-2 teaspoons of food.
You should carefully monitor the baby's weight if there is frequent regurgitation. If a child begins to lose weight, or does not gain weight to normal levels, and often spits up, then it is necessary to consult a doctor. You should also be wary of vomiting, since its amount differs significantly from normal regurgitation after eating.
You need to monitor the color of the vomit.

What do experts recommend?

carefully monitor how the child eats and how much;
the baby must completely swallow the nipple and not let go of it so that air does not get in;
hold the newborn correctly so that he is comfortable;
monitor the condition of your nipples, as small cracks can be a direct cause of the baby spitting up blood;
- when artificial feeding, do not leave the baby alone with the bottle, as if it is held incorrectly, more air than food may get in;
it is better to purchase special bottles that do not let air through with food;
the amount of regurgitation should not exceed 2 teaspoons, and anything more than this norm – vomiting;
after each feeding, hold the baby upright for at least a minute so that he can burp up air on his own;
do not overfeed and monitor the baby’s weight;
at the first detection of an unnatural vomiting reaction, consult a doctor;
Vomiting is not a normal phenomenon, so if it occurs, consultation is necessary.

What not to do

Most importantly, parents need to understand: if a child vomits blood, no independent treatment should be used. In order not to aggravate the situation, he needs to be laid down and ensure maximum rest until medical help arrives.

Important! Pediatricians warn that no medications should be used for bloody vomiting. The specialist will conduct the necessary examination and prescribe treatment.

You cannot force a child to eat if vomiting occurs. You can stop the vomiting process by holding the baby in an upright position. Liquid food can be given no earlier than two hours after the end of vomiting.

Should I call a doctor?

Pediatricians warn parents that vomiting blood is a reason to immediately seek medical help.

Advice. While waiting for the doctor to arrive, the mother can help the baby drink plenty of fluids. It is better if it is water at room temperature. Water will help relieve the gastrointestinal tract, remove toxins, replenish fluid loss and lower the temperature if it suddenly rises in the child.

Before the doctor arrives, the mother must provide all possible assistance to the child.

What can a mother do while waiting for a doctor:

Place the child in a comfortable position so that he does not choke on vomit, for example, on his side or in a reclining position;
Rinse your mouth and clean your face of vomit;
Offer to go to the toilet if your baby has diarrhea.

Important! There is no need to use independent gastric lavage, since all prescriptions will be made only by a doctor, having established the causes of vomiting.

Help at home

A thorough examination of the vomit can tell the mother what kind of help she needs to provide to the baby. Pediatricians advise:

If there is a small amount of blood in the vomit, you need to examine your chest. It is possible that the blood in the vomit appears due to cracked nipples, or it is a consequence of a nosebleed in the baby. Mom can cope with such problems herself.
Other cases require medical intervention. However, before the pediatrician arrives, the patient’s condition can be alleviated. It should be placed on a hard surface in a comfortable position for bowel movements.
Be sure to monitor the baby’s condition and calm him down if he is scared.
Give warm and plenty of fluids more often.

What liquids should I give?

If a child vomits blood, the mother should not panic, but alleviate his condition. It is useful to give plenty of warm drinks, but you need to wait about half an hour.

For the baby's first intake of liquid, a few small sips of boiled water are enough. If trouble happens outside the home, for example, on a walk or during a trip, you can use filtered or still water.

The frequency of drinking is dictated by the presence of vomiting. If it does not recur, you can give water in doses every 15 minutes.

Important! Parents need to know that drinking regime is mandatory to prevent dehydration.

Not only ordinary warm water is suitable as a liquid, but also the following drinks:

warm green tea;
mineral still water;
chamomile infusion;
cranberry juice;
rosehip decoction.

Drinking plenty of warm fluids is an important condition for bloody vomiting in a baby.

Why did the child vomit with blood and what are the reasons for this?

Some young mothers encounter this problem when their baby spits up blood after eating. This phenomenon can be both normal and pathological.

When should you see a doctor, and when should you just turn a blind eye to such a process? Parents should begin to sound the alarm if regurgitation of blood is accompanied by the following features in the baby’s behavior:

After the baby ate, he burped and became very excitable. In addition, he began to cry a lot.
The baby's weight gain occurs very slowly and does not meet accepted standards.
The baby spits up streaks of blood immediately after eating.
The presence of large-volume regurgitation, more similar to vomit.

What is regurgitation and how does it happen?

The process of regurgitation can be called the result of accidental reflux of stomach contents into the esophagus, resulting from squeezing or due to overeating. A similar phenomenon can very often be observed in infants, which haunts their parents. Often there is no reason to worry, because this is a natural process.

Usually the baby stops burping by the age of two years.

But remember that you need to be able to distinguish between regurgitation and vomiting: during the normal process, the baby’s tummy does not give in to tension at all and food comes out without any effort.

But when vomiting, food can fly out even through the nasal cavity. In addition, when vomiting, an increase in body temperature is often observed, and the vomit contains not only milk, but also bile.

What are the reasons for regurgitation of blood?

As mentioned above, a newborn burps a lot and often, which happens almost immediately after eating.

This is due to the fact that when sucking, the baby swallows air, which comes out back, taking with it a certain amount of food.

Often the amount of food returned is small, so there is no reason to worry that the child is not full. The normal amount of regurgitated milk is up to 2 teaspoons.

If you notice that there is blood in the leftover food, then do not become hysterical. The reason may not be as bad as you made it out to be. Quite often, blood appears due to the presence of small cracks in the nipples of a nursing mother.

During feeding, the baby absorbs the protruding blood along with milk, and then successfully regurgitates it. In addition, blood may appear if there are small tears in the vessels located at the bottom of the child's esophagus.

This problem is a little more serious and it is impossible to detect it on your own.

It also happens that newborns spit up because they have eaten too much. Mothers think that the baby is hungry and try to give him more food. There are children who eat a lot and for a very long time.

They hide the milk behind their cheeks and then blow it out of the corners of their lips. Parents think that this is regurgitation, but in fact it is the result of the baby’s greed. Such actions need to be closely monitored.

The reason that the baby spits up blood can also be an abnormal latch on the mother's breast. Here, a lot of excess air enters the baby’s mouth, preventing food from being absorbed. If a mother feeds her baby with bottles, she must learn to hold them correctly to ensure a natural feeding process. It is then that the baby will not burp.

What to do if a child spits up blood?

The main thing is not to panic. Try to determine for yourself when this happens, after what and how often.

When a baby spits up little by little after eating, this does not mean that his body has serious problems with the digestive tract. Of course, consulting a doctor won't hurt.

But don’t worry in advance, because for the majority everything is fine and the only reason is that the skin on the mother’s nipples is too soft.

Remember that most newborns swallow amniotic fluid and get rid of it by regurgitating blood on the first day of life. This occurs in 96% of newborns.

Blood in the vomit is urgent. This is very serious and requires an immediate visit to the doctor. The presence of blood can indicate serious problems in the functioning of a small organism.

When examining small patients, radiography of the stomach and esophagus is prescribed. Before these procedures, the baby is given a small amount of a substance that contains barium to drink, and only after this the doctor begins to observe the process of food entering the digestive system.

What to do to ensure that your baby spits up as little as possible?

Most couples are interested in this issue, because regurgitation occurs in any child.

Experts recommend choosing the correct position for your baby after eating: lift him up and hold him until excess air comes out of the mouth.

If you leave the baby lying there, there is a high probability of regurgitation. After all, the ventricle cannot cope with a large flow of air and pushes it out along with food.

When a child eats with short breaks, it is better to carry him vertically during these breaks so that the air does not have time to reach the stomach. Such actions by adults protect the baby from regurgitating blood.

Another significant nuance: you should not feed newborns according to a schedule, it is better to do it according to their needs. After all, if you take too long intervals between feedings, then the baby begins to eat greedily, as if stocking up. A newborn's esophagus is not ready for this, because it is designed for small but frequent portions of food.

Before breastfeeding, try placing your baby on his tummy for 5 minutes. Pediatricians say that this is a very effective way to prevent regurgitation.

Don't swaddle your baby too tightly. Such actions tighten his tummy and provoke belching. Buy rompers that fasten at the shoulders. In addition, you should not shake the child very much when rocking.

A breastfeeding mother should adhere to a diet and not eat foods that cause increased gas formation. It is forbidden to eat black bread, salted cabbage, kvass and baked goods.

Tips and tricks

Experts recommend adhering to certain rules for handling newborns. Parents should carefully monitor how, how much and when their baby eats.

If the baby burps blood, then the mother should pay attention to how he swallows the nipple. It must provide a grip that allows as little oxygen as possible to enter the baby's mouth.

Ensure correct posture for your newborn during and after eating. Pay attention to the skin around the nipples and take proper care of it to avoid cracks.

If a child eats from a bottle, he should not be left alone. Otherwise, he may swallow a lot of air or choke. Buy professional bottles that do not allow excess air to pass through.

Remember that if the volume of mass released during regurgitation is more than 2 teaspoons, then this is vomiting.

Strictly monitor your child's weight: do not overfeed him or leave him hungry. Do not delay visiting your local doctor if any unnatural behavior of your baby occurs. Do not forget that vomiting is not normal, its occurrence should be thoroughly investigated and suppressed.

Knowing all the nuances and rules of behavior with infants, you will be able to enjoy life with a new family member and protect your baby from all unpleasant moments. Read literature, communicate with specialists, delve into the life of a child and you will be able to become good and attentive parents.

Possible complications

Parents need to remember that severe vomiting and self-medication can lead to complications:

Dysbacteriosis appears, since all beneficial microflora are destroyed by infection;
Weakened immunity, as the intestinal wall cannot protect the blood from viruses or bacteria.
A large amount of toxins enter the blood, which can lead to cardiovascular failure, since a decrease in blood volume in the vessels reduces its cardiac output, and the body tissues “starve.”

There is no prevention against blood-streaked vomiting, as it occurs as a result of various reasons. Parents need to apply general measures to prevent such vomiting in children: this is a safe environment, avoiding food poisoning, timely prevention of gastrointestinal diseases, and scheduled examinations by specialists.