I need some insight from the breastfeeding moms. My son will be 5 months old on Monday. 3 days ago he threw up 4 consecutive times a little after I nursed him. We were both soaked! Called the doctor and they suggested pedialyte until his stomach settled. Tuesday he was fine. Yesterday morning around 6am he got sick again after eating. He threw up only once, but we were both soaked again. This isn't like him to get sick like this. I eat the same things all the time, so I don't think it was my milk. He's started cereal 2 weeks ago. I only give him a tablespoon of it (mixed with my milk). He's been fine with that so far. I was wondering if it's from teething. I know babies vomit, but this isn't like him. Any ideas? Thanks
I stopped the cereal for a few days and he has been okay so far. I'll start feeding it to him again next week. It could have been a stomach bug too. I am keeping everyone's suggestions in mind in case he gets sick again. Thanks ladies!
FOLLOW UP:
Well, almost a week after stopping cereal, I fed it to him in the evening and when we were getting all tucked in for bed, he got sick. Poor little guy was all upset and tired! Well, there will be no more cereal! I'm going to call the doctor to see what I should do.
Are you drinking orange juice? That would cause my daughter to cover us both. Her stomach could not handle it.
He might have a touch of a virus. Poor thing.
If it were me (and I was actually there when my son was around 7 mos old or so), I woul stop the solids & ONLY nurse! NOTHING else!
Breastmilk is absorbed SO quickly! Even if they throw up right away, they will have absorbed something. Plus, breastmilk is a complete food anyway. It will keep him nourished & hydrated. Breastmilk is THE best possible thing that you could ever give a healthy baby & without doubt a sick baby! Plus, he'll be getting antibodies towards whatever he's got, so it's like custom-made meds w/ every feeding!
Try to keep the feedings small & frequent.
I hope he feels better soon!
Hi T.,
I have always been told that throwing up is a food allergy even though you've been eating the same- he may have developed a food allergy. Do you eat a lot of dairy? It seems to be the worst culprit. Also, my son used to gag himself when he was teething- with his fingers and different objects. They also say the extra mucous from teething sometimes makes them sick to their stomachs. One more thing- I know it's rice cereal but check to see what else is in the cereal. It may have wheat in it which is another one of the allergens.
Good Luck!
P.
Random question: is he eating right after waking up? My son occasionally would projectile vomit if he nursed off my right breast first after being asleep for a while. I asked my pediatrician, and they said it had something to do with the stomach being off to one side and having been horizontal for a while (sorry, I don't remember exactly), but as long as I started on the left, it was almost always ok.
Another thought is that there seems to be a summer GI thing going around.
Hi T.,
I would say that if baby is acting normally before and afterwards, he is ok. My daughter is also breastfed and she went through a patch of vomitting also. It happened a few times over a month time period, but a little earlier than your son. I think my daughter was around 3.5 months old. I was worried too because it seemed like she was throwing up everything that she was eating. Afterwards, she was smiling and fine and continued to eat normally, so I stopped worrying. I never associated it with teething, but maybe that could have something to do with it. My daughter's first tooth broke through her gums a week before she was 5 months old, so maybe when the vomitting was happening was when the tooth started to make its decent...who knows! Good luck!
Hi T.,
It is highly unlikely that it is the breastmilk at least. Breatmilk is so much better for your little one than anything else, including pedialite. It dounds like it is a stomach bug.
If it continues, I'd try giving the cereal a rest for a while and see if that helps.
Definitely don't skip nursing sessions so that you can avoid mastits and so that your little guy gets the best tummy settlling food possible.
I have had lots of experience with a vomiting baby, unfortunately! My daughter is 15 months old and has been on Axig for reflux since her 1 month birthday. Once she started taking it, she didn't vomit at all except for when she had a stomach bug. Of course, your pediatrician should evaluate your little one, but this has been our experience.
Good luck!
Are you burping him enough? My son has GERD, and needs burped often (every 5mins seems to work). I've heard this works for other babies who don't have GERD, so its worth a shot. Also, the cereal is extra calories, so he may not need as much milk?? Good luck :)
I would think its just a stomach bug. If it happens over a week, I would take him to the doc.
Sounds like he may have a cold bug and that milk might be bugging him.
Hope he is better soon.
My daughter and a friend's baby had the same problem. For my daughter, it was a matter of her just getting too much milk. Especially when nursing, its tough to know exactly how much they are getting. With my friend's son, it was esophogeal... something or other. Basically - baby heartburn. He needed medication, it helped but did not stop it. He basically grew out of it, as did my daughter. If your baby seems to be in pain, consult your doctor, if not... try not to worry and have lots of extra shirts!
