spitup--what's the deal?

[magpiedee]

Cleo is 8 weeks old, and she has several new hobbies, including giggling, blowing bubbles and spitting up quite spectacularly. She has blorped all over the place once a day for the last 4 days, and it's got me minorly freaked out, since her previous spittupingness was practically nil. She has spit up 2 hours after nursing, immediately after nursing, etc., with no obvious pattern.

Does anybody know why an exclusively breastfed baby would begin spitting up for no obvious reason? Anybody else have a blorper? She doesn't appear to be in pain or mind the spitting up, but it's a bit much for us and our clothes. Is it a teething thing or an 8 weeks thing?

Please reassure me. Why is my baby a milk fountain?

[acupuncturemomma]

Can't say I have any good advice; just wanted to say that Lily (9 weeks) is doing the same thing. In the past she spit up maybe once a week, but now it's a daily occurrence. And just like you said: sometimes after meals, sometimes hours later.
Maybe someone else will have an answer!

[2 in August]

Ian too...none at all the first few weeks. Now about once a day. No pattern either. Wonder if it is a developmental stage their digestive system is going through. I will say that my friend's exclusively bf baby spit up every time he ate with no ill affects.

[Ursula Rose]

my docs say it is totally normal unless it shoots more than a foot across the room. read dr sears online. they have a great reassuring article on spitup at their website.

[magpiedee]

Thanks for replying, y'all! I feel much better to know your babies are doing the same thing at the same time! I read the Dr. Sears, too, and also found it reassuring... my worry is that it went from nothing to oodles, you know? I'm always slightly concerned when something in her routine changes, except for the addition of smiles and giggles, of course! And, yeah, it went from a teeny bit every now and then to quite a bit once a day, although it doesn't shoot a foot out, thankfully. I guess we'll just all have to be more vigilant with burp clothes, huh?

[marymamma]

Fiona does it too and has pretty much since birth. It can be pretty alarming especially when it seems like she spits up the entire contents of her tummy (usually right down my shirt or my arm, never on Daddy ).

[magpiedee]

Waaiiit... for those of you with similar recent spitting up, has your baby started drooling? Now that I think about it, Cleo started drooling, blowing bubbles and playing with her tongue at the same time as the spitting up began. Maybe her tummy isn't yet accustomed to the saliva draining down? Just an idea...

[marymamma]

No drooling here, but she does play with her tounge. She does it when she sees us eating. So cute!

[ktbug]

Mine's been doing it since the beginning ... it abated for a little while but came back, now that you mention it, right around the time he started drooling and blowing spit bubbles. Though it isn't as bad as it was when he was a newborn. And always on me, never on daddy.

I wanted to compliment you on the term "blorp" as well ... how apt (and funny!)

[rag & bone gal]

Originally Posted by magpiedee

Waaiiit... for those of you with similar recent spitting up, has your baby started drooling? Now that I think about it, Cleo started drooling, blowing bubbles and playing with her tongue at the same time as the spitting up began. Maybe her tummy isn't yet accustomed to the saliva draining down? Just an idea...

Finn started drooling two weeks ago, and our pediatrician says that babies this age don't know to swallow their saliva yet, so you're probably right about the draining part. Also, the speech therapist says that playing with tongues is either the beginnings of self-stimulation or signifying the need to swallow.

[peilover010202]

I've been blessed to 2 spit-uppy babies - multiple times a day that continues for months. My dr always said "it's a laundry problem, not a medical problem." Both of mine have gained weight very well, even though at time it seems they spit up their entire feeding.

[coop_mom]

hi magpie-

again, our babies are living parallel lives! simon began spitting up last week...it was kindof funny, a young friend of mine was holding him, and i'm saying "oh, he never spits up"...and he proceeded to sploop all over her shoulder...then she switched shoulders and he spit up again (all over her black sweatshirt!)

he usually only spits up once or twice a day...i've just got to get used to carrying around a clothie, and stop using up baby blankets to clean up the mess