Milk Spitting in Babies: When to Worry

Babies spitting up milk is one of the most common issue faced by parents. It can cause fair bit of concern among first time parents as they feel that baby may be having some issues or there is something wrong with the milk. Well its not. Mostly spitting up milk is as normal for a baby as drinking milk. Most babies don't feel any discomfort while spitting and are thus sometimes called as Happy Spitters :p

So lets find out if your baby is indeed a Happy Spitter... :)

Babies in the initial months are still developing there digestive system. Also since milk (Mother's or Formula) is the only source of food for them, they tend to be a bit aggressive whenever they are being fed in order to take in as much as they can. During this process of feeding, babies inadvertently gulp in air along with the milk. Since this air cannot be stuck in the system it sometimes comes up through the mouth bringing along some quantity of milk with it. It is very common for infants to spit up milk till the age of 6 months.

Is it a cause of concern?
It is always better to consult your pediatrician for any unusual behavior but I will put down the things I learnt in my experience.

• If your baby is spitting out milk casually without any crankiness it is generally just gulped air. 
• If the baby is gaining weight normally then doctor may simply ask you to tolerate spitting.
• If the spit milk is curdy in nature then its a good sign about baby's digestive system. 
• If the baby is urinating with normal frequency, this also indicates baby is getting adequate milk.

When is it abnormal?

Spitting can be indicative of some trouble if: 

• If baby gets uncomfortable while spitting or gets cranky.
• If baby seems to be vomiting forcefully instead of spitting up milk passively.
• If baby isn't gaining weight according to the normal growth chart. 

For any of these symptoms please consult your doctor immediately. Even if your baby is otherwise a Happy Spitter, in case you notice an unusually high frequency of spitting, please consult your doctor immediately.

What can you do to prevent or minimize this?

You may take care of following things to minimize spitting:

• Take some time to get baby to burp after feed. This helps in preventing air build up in stomach.
• Make sure the bottle(if baby is on top feed as well) nipple has an adequately sized hole for baby's apetite. A small hole would mean baby has to exert more and thus ends up sucking in more air. While a large hole would mean baby will be drinking up faster than the little tummy's capacity to take in :)
• Try to keep baby in upright position for atleast 30 mins after feed.

You may consult your doctor for the most effective way to get a baby to burp. However please understand it differs from baby to baby and may require a lot of patience on your part :)

Disclaimer:

Via the contents of the article above I am sharing my experience with my own baby. Please consult your doctor for any abnormal behavior and ask about what constitutes an abnormal milk spitting.