- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- babies today articles
- babies today q&a
- toddlers today articles
- toddlers today q&a
- breastfeed.com articles
- breastfeed.com q&a
- community & groups
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
From Our Sponsors
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
There She Blows!
Projectile Vomiting in Infants
By Shannon McKelden
Spitting up is a fact of infancy. Almost all babies experience some form of spitting up during and after feeding, 
whether bottle or breastfed. Parents adapt by using burp cloths and bibs to protect clothing. And they pack changes of clothing for when the burp cloths and bibs fail.
But what if it's not just spit up caused by air bubbles or a little too much movement right after eating? What happens when your baby actually vomits with meals? It can be inconvenient, if not downright scary. But it's not all that uncommon.
There are several causes for projectile vomiting. The most common cause in infants is gastroesophageal reflux – when stomach contents come back up the wrong direction. "This occurs because the sphincter [muscle] between the esophagus and the stomach does not work as well in infants," Dr. Sanders says.
For Catherine Schrader of Sanford, N.C., the projectile vomiting started when her daughter, Anya, was about 5 days old. "I became concerned when she was spitting up very forcefully and sometimes two or three times for every one feeding," Schrader says.
Appropriately, she brought up her concerns with the pediatrician at Anya's one-week checkup. At first he didn't seem too concerned, until he witnessed an episode of projectile vomiting after Schrader nursed her daughter. An upper GI scan with a barium swallow revealed that Anya did, indeed, have gastroesophageal reflux.
Want to see more?
Comments
There are no comments for this article yet.Be the first to 
|
Post As:
|
||
| Enter your comment below: | ||
| Title | ||
| Comment Text | ||
| CAPTCHA | ||
| Please note that any comments submitted become the property of Disney Family / iParenting and can be edited and posted at our discrection. | ||