Patient's question:
I just had a little daughter, and she is 19 days old. After feeding, she often vomits, and you can hear a faint sound in her throat. After vomiting, she wants to breastfeed again. Her stool is a bit loose, and passing gas is often accompanied by bowel movements. What could be the reason for this? What should I do? Thank you!Doctor's answer:
Hello:Infants who are breastfed often experience spitting up, which is because their stomachs are like a water wheel—small in capacity. The cardiac sphincter (located near the esophagus, where it is soft and has poor closing function) and the pylorus (located near the small intestine, where it is narrow and tight) are both factors. Additionally, infants often swallow air while feeding, so after feeding, milk easily flows back from the cardiac sphincter into the mouth, causing spitting up.
How can you prevent infants from spitting up?
1. Control the feeding interval
Generally, milk takes about 2–3 hours to empty from the stomach. Therefore, feeding every 3 hours is reasonable. If feeding is too frequent, some milk from the previous meal may still remain in the stomach, which will inevitably reduce the intake for the next meal or cause stomach bloating, leading to spitting up.
2. Adopt a suitable feeding position
Some mothers prefer to feed while lying down. Using a face-to-face side-lying feeding position increases the likelihood of spitting up. If the mother picks up the child to feed, the chances of spitting up will decrease. This is because when the child is held, their body is tilted, and the lower end of the stomach also tilts accordingly. Due to gravity, some of the swallowed milk can flow into the small intestine, leaving some space in the stomach. Therefore, when feeding the same amount of milk, holding the child upright reduces the chances of spitting up compared to feeding while lying down.
3. Do not rush to put the child down after feeding
After the child finishes feeding, the mother should not immediately put them back in bed. Instead, the mother should hold the child upright, letting the baby rest on the mother’s shoulder. The mother should use her hand