My 4 Month Old Little Girl Keeps Throwing up and Has a Big Cough & Congestion

Reflux will cause the vomiting and spitting up. Often it is because the esophagus sphincter doesn't close all the way. I had 2 kiddos with it, so I know how you feel. Milk PROTEIN is one of the biggest mucus makers in little ones. I would cut out all dairy in her diet, so if she is on formula go to either the Alimentum or the Nutrimigen. DO NOT USE SOY!!!! Soy mimics estrogen in the body and is causing a lot of problems for kids as they get older. It is also an allergen that can have a lot of problems for kids. My son is allergic to it, and it makes my daughter so constipated that we ended up at the ER with a bleeding rectum from the poop being so hard and big for her little 6 month old bottom.

If you are breastfeeding, then you need to cut all dairy out of your diet. This can take a couple of weeks to do though, even if you start today, so, you may need to supplement with formula until then. Many times doctors will diagnose the reflux but don't look at milk protein allergy, which is not the sugar Lactose, so lactose free or lactade or senstitive formulas will not work if that is the problem.

Personally, I would go buy a can of Alimentum and give it to her. I have a feeling you will see a difference in her pain and discomfort level within hours, but certainly within a full day. This is really the best way to figure out what is going on.

Get a Nose Frida (http://www.target.com/p/nosefrida-nasal-aspirator/-/A-113.... It is a better device to suck out the yuck, and I think that in the next 10 years it will replace the bulb sucker all together. It should!

Again, like others said, she needs to sleep upright at a 30 degree angle, so the infant carseat, or swing is good because it will help keep the reflux down instead of coming back up. But, first, I would get rid of the milk and see what a difference that makes.

Please let us know how she is doing after you try some of the suggestions here. You are not alone!

the medicine for reflux doesn't stop the spitting up, it counteracts the acid sowhen baby spits up it doesn't burn. it's a common misconception that the medicine makes them spit up less..... just isn't true.

try what the other mom's suggested.... wedge under mattress, hold upright for 30 min after eating etc.
oh- and don't let her getfrantic before you feed her. when babiescry to be fed you are about 30 min too late. when they cry, the stress releases more acid in their tummy, making reflux worse.

also..... ease up on how much you give her. how much is she eating at one time? if typically a 4mo old eats 30oz/day..... do 4oz every 3hrs (8 feeds) instead of upping her to 6oz less often. Also, burp more often.

Also.... is it *trowing up* or *spitting up*? regardless of amount, there is a difference:
throwing up is the result of stomach muscles rejecting undigested food from the stomach. Kids ONLY throw up when they are sick or have eaten bad food.
Spitting up is either from
1. baby drank more than how big the tummy is
2. baby's esopheogus muscles are under developed, so when they aren't upright, the milk can slide back out
3. reflux - bby has too much acid in the belly, which causes a *volcano* and forces some of the food back up
4. air bubble reaches the surface, but had food on top, so food comes out first.

good luck.

I would suspect a milk allergy too. Try to eliminate milk from your diet if you are nursing, and if you arent I would try a different formula.

More likely it's a food allergy causing her symptoms and the reflux is just a symptom of the allergy. If she's breast fed then you need to eliminate things from your diet to see if it makes a difference in her health. Google to see what the common triggers are. If she's formula fed then change her from milk based to soy and see if that helps. If it doesn't then soy may be an issue too and you'll need to try something else.

One of my grandsons was treated for reflux for years until my daughter did a little research and figured out it was actually a milk allergy. Stopped giving him milk and products containing milk (boy did we become great label readers) and he was better overnight.

Talk to the doctor about the possibility of reactive airway disease. It's a precursor to asthma, though sometimes children grow out of it and never get the asthma (my son included).

Good luck figuring this out.

Of course the slimy mucus makes gagging and puking worse. It's nasty and clogs her throat. You'd puke too!

I think you need to suction our her sinuses every couple of hours so she doesn't have that mucus to start with.

My daughter had reflux. Sometimes, when it was really bad, it would make her cough and sound congested... So while I can't say that IS your daughter's problem, I wouldn't discount it.

I agree to see a doctor as well.

Like Mom B. said, keeping her upright will help a lot. My daughter had to sleep in her bouncy seat until she was around six months old... And even after that, she still occasionally needed it.

Another BIG culprit was my milk. I don't know if you are nursing, but if you are there is a chance that she is reacting to something in your diet. For me, it turned out to be dairy. After I cut out most of the dairy in my diet, she got SOOO much better! She still had reflux, but didn't need medicated for it any more. All she needed was to sleep on an incline, and to be kept somewhat vertical after her meals.

For a child this young, I don't know how much help we can really be.

You need to take her to the doctor and have them help you resolve this situation.

Are you also doing other pallative measures for the reflux, such as having her sleep more upright, like in a car seat or a swing? Keeping her more vertical will also help with the reflux until her body matures. I am sure there are plenty of parents on this website that can help you with the reflux issues.