Vomiting in an infant: main causes and what to do

Fountain vomiting in an infant can occur in different situations - for example, during teething or appendicitis. One way or another, frequent vomiting leads to severe dehydration of the body, which is fraught with unpleasant consequences.

If frequent vomiting in a baby is accompanied by lethargy and fever, and he refuses to breastfeed, immediately call an ambulance. The longer you delay calling a doctor and try to determine the reasons yourself, the worse the child may become.

Causes of vomiting

Teeth cutting

Most often, vomiting in an infant occurs during teething. Usually it is short-term in nature and passes quickly.

It can be very difficult to determine that frequent vomiting occurs precisely during teething. The only sign indicating teething is a change in the child’s behavior: he becomes restless, irritable, constantly cries, and sometimes there is a rise in temperature.

If at this time you carefully examine the baby’s oral cavity and notice swelling of the gums, then your diagnosis has been confirmed - the fountain of vomiting that appeared was indeed a warning of teething.

Overfeeding

Due to the large amount of food the baby eats, there may not be enough space in his stomach to accommodate and digest it, which causes vomiting, which is also called regurgitation.

To prevent regurgitation, try to follow the baby's feeding schedule and allow him to lie down and rest quietly for 30 minutes after eating.

Vomiting during overfeeding and teething is the most harmless and goes away on its own.

When to see a doctor

If the newborn vomited once after feeding, and the attacks did not recur during the day, then there is nothing to worry about. If your baby is constantly vomiting, you should pay attention to secondary symptoms. Reasons why you should immediately consult a doctor:

• temperature rise above 37.50;
• change in skin color;
• constant crying;
• constipation;
• rare urination;
• drowsiness;
• diarrhea;
• weakness;
• refusal to eat;
• there are streaks of blood in the vomit;
• vomit contains gastric juice;
• attacks occur more than once a day.

Any of these symptoms may indicate problems with the baby's health. After an examination, the doctor will prescribe temporary therapy until an accurate diagnosis is made and a course of treatment is drawn up.

Important! Milk vomiting should not be ignored.

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What to do to make your baby stop burping

1. Shortly before feeding, place your baby on his tummy at a 45-degree angle.
2. Don't give your baby food while he's crying - calm him down first.
3. To avoid accidentally overfeeding your baby, give him food often, but in small portions.
4. Do not place your baby horizontally when feeding. It is better if he eats in a sitting or semi-sitting position.
5. Make sure that air does not get into the baby's stomach along with the milk - this is the main reason for regurgitation. If your baby is bottle-fed, give him formula from a bottle with a small hole or one with a special valve on the nipple.
6. Monitor your breast milk flow. If it is too strong, you can express a little milk before feeding.
7. The baby must spend 15 minutes after feeding in an upright position so that the air can escape.

8. It is better to change clothes, bathe and swaddle your baby before eating, rather than after feeding. Otherwise, regurgitation is guaranteed.

Mother's failure to comply with hygiene and proper diet

Violation of hygiene rules by a nursing mother can lead to the development of a serious infectious disease in the child, the main symptoms of which are vomiting and fever. To prevent this from happening, be sure to wash your breasts before and after feeding.

The quality of milk and, consequently, the health of the child depends entirely on how and what the young mother eats.

Any fatty, salty or spicy food in the diet can spoil breast milk and cause the baby to vomit and have diarrhea.

Changing mixtures

Often bottle-fed babies (especially those under one year old) react very sharply to frequent changes of formula.

This can lead not only to vomiting, but also to other serious disorders - for example, allergies, dysbiosis, gastrointestinal dysfunction - many of which are accompanied by diarrhea.

To prevent this from happening, you must do the following:

1. Feed your baby only one carefully selected formula. It must include thickeners - for example, gum, starch or casein. The latter has the property of quickly curdling in the stomach, turning into flakes that inhibit food. If there are no thickeners in the mixture, you can thicken it yourself using rice powder in a proportion of 1 tbsp. spoon for 60 ml of mixture.
2. If you need to change the formula, be sure to consult your pediatrician.

Symptoms

Vomiting in an infant without fever is accompanied by characteristic symptoms. Therefore, it is important to know what exactly they are in order to be prepared for such a phenomenon.

• The skin becomes pale.
• The baby becomes lethargic and weakened. Sleeps a lot.
• The toddler has increased salivation.
• The child begins to sweat heavily.
• Characteristic involuntary contraction of the pharynx, as if the baby is swallowing saliva.
• Tachycardia.
• Changing the breathing process.

There are often cases when young parents mistake typical regurgitation for vomiting. Therefore, it is extremely important to know the characteristic symptoms of this process:

• The baby's tummy suddenly becomes hard and tense.
• The child appears absolutely healthy.
• Regurgitation occurs immediately or some time after feeding.

Vomiting differs from regurgitation:

• The volumes of fluid released are much larger.
• Possible increase in temperature.
• Repeatability.
• Unlike curd contents, mucus or bile may be present when regurgitating during vomiting.
• The baby is not feeling well. The baby becomes capricious and restless.
• An increase in temperature and development of diarrhea are possible.

If you have the following symptoms, especially if they are not related to feeding, you should consult a doctor:

1 The baby becomes capricious and restless.

• Blueness of the skin.
• Decreased body temperature.
• If regurgitation has a clinical picture of repeated vomiting.

In the first year of his life, my son did not have any bouts of vomiting. But regurgitation after feeding did occur. This condition was observed for up to three months, and then not constantly. The doctor explained that this is a physiological norm and there is no need to worry.

Vomiting due to complementary foods

A single vomiting after the introduction of complementary foods is a natural reaction of the body to new food, but if the gag reflex is repeated in children over and over again, despite the fact that the baby does not experience fever or diarrhea, this fact cannot be left without due attention.

Most likely, you have violated the recommended complementary feeding rules:

• the introduction of complementary foods should begin with a single-component product (apple puree, pear juice, etc.) - this way it is easier to determine the body’s reaction to each new component;
• feeding the baby should be from a new, just opened jar;
• always check the expiration date of baby food;
• do not skimp on the quality of the product;
• feed your baby small portions.

If you do these simple procedures, the introduction of complementary foods will take place without harm to the body.

When should you call a doctor immediately?

You need to urgently call an ambulance if your child:

• Sluggish, as if he cannot sleep, does not eat, does not drink;
• She cries a lot, it is clear that something is in great pain;
• Doesn't go to the toilet, he's vomiting;
• Fell, hit himself, lost consciousness, vomited;
• Fell into a state of dehydration, very weak and lethargic;
• After nausea, the temperature rose;
• Following vomiting, diarrhea began;
• Vomiting repeated more than 2 times;
• There was profuse vomiting in a fountain;
• Drops of blood are noticeable in the rejected masses; the color of the mass is brown or black;

What should you do before the doctor or ambulance arrives?

Adults should stay close to the baby and monitor the slightest changes in his condition. Because dehydration occurs very quickly, it is important to give your child something to drink immediately after vomiting. Even if the baby vomited after eating.

• Babies who are fed breast milk need to be put to the breast. Give water from time to time.
• For bottle-fed babies, offer formula. You cannot change the mixture to another. Additionally, give the baby a solution of Regidron (60-120 ml). This is the only drug allowed in this case. It is intended to avoid dehydration after vomiting.
• Children who have been introduced to complementary foods can be offered applesauce, banana, and rice. Give Regidron solution.

You can drink from a spoon or bottle. It is allowed to use a syringe without a needle. Draw a little solution into the syringe and slowly squeeze it into the baby’s mouth. If the child wants more to drink, give more.

You can give rehydron. Instructions: take 1 liter of chilled boiled water and dilute 1 sachet in it. Give to baby in small portions. Store in the refrigerator (2° to 8°C) for no more than 24 hours. There is no need to interrupt breastfeeding or formula feeding. Rehydron can be given before and after meals.

Note! It is forbidden to feed a newborn with honey, juice, tea, broth, cow's and goat's milk, and various folk decoctions. They are not able to replenish the supply of lost electrolytes and will significantly harm the already weak baby.

You cannot give your baby anti-vomiting pills, anti-diarrhea pills, or lower the temperature - you will only harm him.

Poisoning

Poor quality food that enters the child’s stomach is immediately rejected by the body, and as a result, a gag reflex occurs like a fountain. Treating poisoning in young children on your own is very dangerous and risky, so the first thing you should do is call an ambulance.

While the ambulance is traveling, give your baby a teaspoon of clean boiled water every 10 minutes. As soon as the urge to vomit passes, you can increase the portions of water to a tablespoon.

When children are poisoned, fountain vomiting is often accompanied by fever and diarrhea.

To slightly reduce diarrhea, you can dilute “smecta” or activated carbon in a bottle of water. But in any case, calling a doctor at home is mandatory.

First aid at home

If a baby vomits after feeding breast milk in the form of a fountain, then you need to lift it up, remove the vomit, call a doctor or an ambulance at home. While they are on the way, the mother needs to measure the body temperature and try to calm the child down. It is advisable to place it on elevated surfaces so that the head is slightly higher than the body. It is prohibited to give any medications without consulting a doctor. Newborns are prescribed drugs in very low doses.

Newborn in arms in a column in yellow

How to help infants

If the baby vomits, you should pick him up and carry him in a column. If the attack is one-time, then the baby will remain cheerful and cheerful. The newborn is calmed down and observed for 24 hours. If vomiting recurs, consult a doctor. It happens that mother's milk is not suitable for a newborn; it is also examined in the laboratory.

Help for bottle-fed/mixed-fed children

Vomiting in a newborn after feeding with formula signals that it is not suitable for him. It is worth changing the manufacturer or type of dairy product. It also happens that a baby cannot digest cow protein, but he tolerates goat protein well.

Important! Anti-vomiting and anti-reflux mixtures are therapeutic in nature and can only be prescribed by a pediatrician.

How to help children who have already been introduced to complementary foods

If the baby is already six months old, he has started eating complementary foods, and vomiting still continues, then you should gradually increase the amount of adult food and give less milk or formula. This will help you get rid of regurgitation by the year.

Baby with a spoon in his mouth

Concussion

If newborn children fall from any height (bed, chair, changing table), serious consequences can occur. It is urgent to call an ambulance if, after a fall, his condition worsens sharply, namely:

• he began to lose consciousness;
• began to cry for a long time and for no reason, constantly clutching his head;
• his coordination of movements was impaired;
• frequent vomiting appeared;
• an increase in temperature is observed.

The baby probably suffered a concussion, and a clearer picture can be obtained after an X-ray and ultrasound of the brain area.

We looked at the most common reasons why babies vomit. Some of them are completely harmless (for example, during teething). Others are very serious and require immediate medical attention (appendicitis, intestinal infection, concussion).

It is worth taking a responsible approach to determining the cause of gag reflexes in children, especially since we are talking about tiny people who do not yet know how to talk and explain what hurts them.

Sometimes it may seem that vomiting occurred due to overeating or teething, even swollen gums are visible, and then it turns out that the disorder of the body occurred for a completely different reason. Therefore, it is better to play it safe and call a doctor at home so that he can accurately determine the cause of the ailment and prescribe the necessary treatment.

Diagnostics

In order to be able to make a correct diagnosis, a consultation with a doctor and some research is necessary.

• Initially, the doctor should evaluate the nature of the vomiting. Depending on the presence of any impurities, a strong odor or its absence, consistency, the probable causes that provoked vomiting will be established.
• Study of vomit in laboratory conditions.
• Ultrasound examination of the gastrointestinal tract.
• Gastrofibroscopy.
• X-ray of the abdominal cavity.
• If a concussion is suspected, an X-ray of the head is taken.

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Hygiene

• To avoid contamination with microbes that cause acute intestinal or infectious poisoning, wash your hands, feeding bottles, cups, spoons and pacifiers more often. At the same time, it is better to allocate a special place in the house for them.
• Children need to wash their hands after using the toilet, before eating, and after going outside.
• After feeding, you need to thoroughly wash the dishes using a soapy solution, and in the first year they need to be periodically sterilized. All these actions are necessary in order to remove milk residues, because dangerous microorganisms quickly multiply in them.

Carrying out prevention

Prevention of vomiting is associated with preventing the occurrence of all possible diseases that can provoke it. It is important to adhere to the correct feeding technique, the age-specific amount of food consumed, and the interval between meals. It is necessary to carefully monitor the hygiene of the baby and mother.

After vomiting, be sure to rinse the child’s mouth with water from a syringe without a needle. You should not massage, rock or bathe your baby less than an hour after feeding. In infants, the vestibular apparatus is quite poorly developed, which can cause vomiting.

It is impossible to independently determine the cause of the problem, so after a vomiting attack occurs, you need to visit a pediatrician.