This is hardly a pleasant topic to write about much less mention, but I’ve seen both of my nephews go through similar problems involving projectile vomiting. Remember, spitting up is actually fairly normal for most babies whether they are breast or bottle-fed. We use towels and more to protect our clothing from these minor incidences.
But what do you do when it’s not just a little bit of spit up? What if it’s not just some gas pushing a bit of the meal up and your baby is actually vomiting up everything they eat?
Yes, It’s Scary
It was far from pleasant the first time I saw my nephew do this and it wasn’t just the mess, it was worry about why he was vomiting his food like that. The thing is, the force of it is what is truly terrifying – projectile vomiting is exactly what it sounds like.
So what causes it? There are a many causes and the most common is called gastroesophageal reflux and it’s a problem that my family is familiar with. So what is it? It’s a condition that causes the stomach contents to come out the wrong way and occurs because the sphincter (the muscle between your esophagus and stomach) does not always work well in babies.
So What Do You Do?
If your baby is projectile vomiting, you need to bring this up with your pediatrician because the vomiting itself is just a symptom and until you identify what is wrong – you can’t fix it. When a baby projectile vomits they are not getting enough calories, they can dehydrate and they can become extremely ill. Other causes of projectile vomiting can include allergies, including an allergy to their mother’s breast milk – so if your baby is projectile vomiting, do bring it up with your pediatrician and give them as many details as you can.
There are a number of ways to treat reflux including specialized bottles, smaller more frequent feedings and even adding Zantac to help reduce some of the stomach acid to minimize the chances of reflux. But you should never give your baby a medication like Zantac without talking to the doctor first. Your primary concern is making sure your baby is getting the nutrition they need and to avoid dehydration.
Most babies are going to outgrow the reflux problem within the first year, but there are some who will continue to have related problems and need medical care for it as they grow. This is usually the issue if there is a family history of the same problem. I’ll be exploring further causes of projectile vomiting over the next week or so.
Have you ever had to cope with projectile vomiting?
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