Mom’s Question:
Why does my baby want to throw up when she eats? I am worried that she is sick or that something is wrong with her.
Thanks,
Reccamae Marasigan
(trece Martires city, Cavite)
Baby Helpline :
Baby Throwing up or Gagging?
I am not sure if your baby is wanting to throw up when actually sucking/drinking or when she is eating solids, so I’ll provide some tips for both situations.
Is she actually throwing up, or just gagging? The gag reflex is at the back of the throat, so if a big amount hits her throat suddenly she may just reflex gag.
I know when my daughter was about 8 months she used to love banana and would shove it into her mouth in huge quantities, all the while gagging! She eventually learned to have smaller mouthfuls.
If the gagging/vomiting happens when your baby is drinking; are you breastfeeding or feeding formula? Some teats on bottles have holes that are too big for a young baby, and the milk may be coming out too fast.
If you are breastfeeding, you may have heaps of milk and again it is squirting and maybe she can’t keep up. You can try expressing a little first to ease off the pressure.
If it is when you introduce solids, it could be she is gagging because it is unfamiliar and she is not yet used to thicker food or textures. Just introduce small tastes in tiny amounts slowly until she gets used to it.
Some babies also have various degrees of acid reflux, which is when the stomach fluid goes back up into the throat too easily. This is quite common among babies, and often nothing to worry about unless then baby seems to be in pain when eating or doesn’t gain weight. Most children grow out of reflux without any need for medical help.
In conclusion, babies spit up. Almost all do, especially in the beginning. Unless your baby fails to thrive or seems to be in pain, it isn’t really a problem. Make sure you have towels within reach and maybe put a bib on your baby, so you can easily change to a new one and thus keep your daughter dry easily.
Hope this helps,
Paula
More About Vomiting Babies
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Paula Dennholt founded Easy Baby Life in 2006 and has been a passionate parenting and pregnancy writer since then. Her parenting approach and writing are based on studies in cognitive-behavioral models and therapy for children and her experience as a mother and stepmother. Life as a parent has convinced her of how crucial it is to put relationships before rules. She strongly believes in positive parenting and a science-based approach.
Paula cooperates with a team of pediatricians who assist in reviewing and writing articles.
My baby is one month old. Over the past week has been vomiting after feeding. When it began he threw up in a projectile manner. I called his pediatrician and he was diagnosed with GERD and prescribed Famotidine 40 mg. 1x daily. He has been taking it for 3 days. The vomiting has slowed as it is now not after every feeding but still occurs between 1-2x a day. It is also no longer projectile vomiting. I been giving pedialyte to keep hydrated. I also changed his formula to lactose free. Should I take him to the emergency room?
Hi Kristi,
Poor baby! If you think that he is ill or dehydrated, then yes definitely take him to the ER. He is too young to take any chances! And if not the ER, then definitely the doctor soon. Spitting up is normal at his age, and GERD is common. But projectile is not normal, and if he spits up enough to get dehydrated, that’s not healthy either.
Has his Dr recommended Pedialyte? Otherwise, don’t substitute formula with Pedialyte. It is generally meant for humans older than 1 year.
I understand that you are worried, so the more I think about it, just go to the ER immediately. It’s the best thing to do.
Take care!