March 2017 Birth Club

Lots of spit up....But still hungry?

LO is 5 weeks old. She has been spitting up a LOT. By that, I mean both in frequency and amount. She is EBF. It even comes out of her nose sometimes. Earlier today, it was like she was vomiting milk from her mouth and nose. It really scared me.

Should I be worried about all that spit up?
What is a "normal" amount of spit up?

My other question is about hunger. She spits up and immediately starts rooting around. I don't know what to do. I don't want to deny her milk if she is hungry, but does the spit up mean she has had too much? I don't want to upset her stomach more! When I try to just hold her for a few minutes to see if she will settle, she screams and roots around. Should I feed her even when she has just spit up a bunch?

comments (15)

  • I don't BF but I would try burping her very often untill I get a burp and then feed her. My son spits up but nothing like you described. Maybe she has acid reflux or an allegry? You should speak with your pediatrician. Is she wetting diapers and pooping?
  • thissladyy said:
    I don't BF but I would try burping her very often untill I get a burp …
    Yes, she has wet and dirty diapers all day long
  • Mine is ebf and only 3 weeks, but she has had similar issues here and there. Somers it seemed like she spit up everything she just ate and then is looking for more. I asked the pediatrician and she said as long as there's no screaming or crying / acting like she's in pain then it's normal. She also said to offer a pacifier first and if that doesn't work then it's ok to feed her again. Like PP said, try burping more. If LO seems to be in pain it could be reflux or something you ate.
  • CarrieM37 said:
    Yes, she has wet and dirty diapers all day long
    I just spoke to my pediatrician about my LOs throwing up and she said that as long as he's not vomiting it's okay and as long as he is wetting diapers. I would call the pediatrician just to be safe in the morning because idk about it coming out of her little nose. It could probably irritate it or something.
  • My girl is the same. She spits up often and a lot. Make sure to burp, that will help. My ped said sometimes their stomachs get full and since their digestive system is so immature it will eject substance in either direction, so they either crap themselves or puke. And yes, when it comes out their nose it's freaky as hell, my girl does it and it doesn't even phase her. All the sudden I look and it's just pouring out, just wipe it up and move on. You're doin eberything right mama
  • My girls used to do this in the early days. It lasted about 4 months actually. I had a lot of milk and an overactive let down, so my babies had a hard time keeping up and would tale in a lot of milk really quick. Has your baby ever unlatched during your first letdown? Does your milk spray everywhere? When they would spit up, it would be A LOT, like the entire feeding. It never seemed to both them and they would want to nurse again right away and I would always feed them again.

    Here's what I did to help my situation was wait until I felt my first letdown coming and then I would unlatch her and let my milk spray unto a burp rag. Then i would latch her again and burp frequently, like every couple if minutes. As they got older, they were more able to keep up to my milk flow. I also stopped pumping because that only makes over supply worse. My girls did not have reflux or anything like that, so male sure you rule that out first. If you don't have an overactive letdown, then just start burping frequently.
  • You might have a strong let down. I had this issue and my LC told me to only feed on one side per feeding so that LO doesn't take in more than she can handle. Also make sure when you feed her she is positioned with her head above her stomach. Tim this day if i feed LO laying down she spits up a lot. And be sure to burp! Each time LO de-latches take a break and burp. They are likely to be full (at the moment, may still want more) but need to digest a bit.
  • I should add, you're totally right to feed her again if she wants to, just slow her down with lots of burping, but never limit her nursing time or frequency. You can also try nursing in a laid back position.
  • clobot said:
    Mine is ebf and only 3 weeks, but she has had similar issues here and …
    This is what I do. It happens for our little one occasionally then gets better. She hates those days, as do i... I also keep her up right a lot when she's having a spitty day.
  • We have similar issues due to an overactive letdown/oversupply issues. He has good days and bad days. But at 6 weeks we seem to be starting to get in a better supply/demand situation. Basically he spits because I make too much milk and he over eats then pukes it up and immediately wants more because he didn't get enough hindmilk To keep him full.