Help with breastfeeding/spitting up in 2 week old?

[HappyMamaBeth]

This is the third baby I've breastfed, but my memory is a bit foggy as my first two are 8 and 5 now.

My daughter is nursing great, but spitting up a lot.  I know she's only 2 weeks old, so this is probably normal, but she's spitting up out of her nose.. and this morning when we were nursing in bed, I noticed that as she nursed, milk was constantly dripping out of her nose?  Is this normal?  I mean I know the nose and throat are connected, so I assume this is within the realm of normal but I just wanted to double check.

Also, I know it's normal at her age to eat very frequently... what I'm concerned about is that she wants to nurse constantly at night, but then she is also constantly spitting up as it seems like she's getting overfull???  She doesn't spit up nearly as badly if her feedings are 2+ hours apart.  But with the constant nursing, sometimes she's not even off the breast before she spits up.

Any advice??  Thanks!!

[CheriK]

Usually, spitting up is a laundry problem, not a medical problem.  But, if baby is not gaining well or is clearly uncomfortable and unhappy when spitting up, then it is more likely to be a concern.  It doesn't sound like this is the case for her, but projectile vomiting (when it flies across the room - if you aren't certain, then it's not ;-) is definitely a concern.  Has she been weighed since birth?  She should have regained any weight she lost by now, and be gaining an average of 5-7 ounces per week. 

I'm actually wondering if you might have an oversupply right now.  You can read about oversupply here: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/fast-letdown.html.  With a 2-week old, simply nursing on one side per feed might be all you need to change. 

As far as the milk coming out her nose, sometimes that happens when baby spits up.  It sounds like it's happening a lot, though, so it would be worth checking w/ her pediatrician.  A cleft in the soft palate, which could allow milk to flow into the nose while she's nursing, might not be noticed right away but definitely should be dealt with.  She would likely not be gaining well, either.

[Marissamom]

this wouldn't help an underlaying problem, but if you can elevate her head a little bit when nursing in bed (usually by placing a folded towel or blanket under the baby's head) it can keep the milk from coming out the nose. 

[HappyMamaBeth]

Thanks, CheriK and Marissasmom!

I already just nurse on one side per feeding, as I definitely have ample supply... both of my older kids also just nursed on one side per feeding.  With my son, at one point, it seemed like he was getting too much foremilk and not enough hindmilk so I was doing multiple feedings on one side before switching to the other side.  I don't think I'm having that problem with this one though....

I will try to elevate her head a bit in bed.  It's not spitup that's coming out of her nose at this point... it's just a steady (but slow) drip drip drip of milk LOL.

Oh--and the pediatrician who discharged us from the hospital did a really thorough check for cleft palate.  I specifically recall her mentioning that there was something about the uvula she was looking for that presented in infants with a really mild cleft.  Ella got the all clear though.

She's gaining well and pooping/peeing well, so I'm thinking everything is fine and that she's just a baby that spits up a lot for now.  Hopefully my supply will even out a bit with her demands and as she grows maybe it'll be less spitting up.  The good news is that she has been going for a couple hours at night without eating and I don't feel like she's eating more than her little tummy can handle anymore.  :)  Thanks so much for the support, info, and advice! :)