How long does it take for a newborn to stop spitting up milk?

Every baby's physical condition is different. Some babies often spit up milk, which makes mothers particularly worried. Frequent spitting up milk not only makes the baby unable to absorb nutrients normally, but also affects the baby's health. In fact, the main reason why babies spit up milk is that their stomachs are relatively small. If they eat too much at one time, they will not be able to digest it easily, which will cause spitting up milk. So what should we do?

1. How old does the baby have to be to stop spitting up milk?

Spitting up is the most common problem among infants, especially those under six months old. This is because the baby's muscles are not developed enough, the contraction force is not strong enough, and the junction between the stomach and esophagus cannot be closed tightly. At the same time, the position of the baby's stomach is not tilted, but almost horizontal, so the milk can easily flow to both ends, especially when there is too much milk in the stomach or the activity is intense, it is more likely to flow to both ends and cause vomiting.

In addition, the baby's stomach is in a horizontal position, with a small capacity, which can store less food and is also easy to return to the cardia. Even under normal circumstances, if you eat too much or lie down immediately after feeding, milk can easily rush open the cardia and return to the mouth through the esophagus, causing vomiting. If your child spits up milk occasionally but is in good spirits, there is no need to be nervous. If the child vomits every time he is fed and the amount of vomited milk is relatively large, there may be problems with the gastrointestinal tract itself, or there may be lesions in other systems. You should take your child to the hospital for examination.

2. What should I do if my baby spits up milk?

1. It is recommended to hold the baby while breastfeeding. If breastfeeding in a lying position is necessary, the head should be high and the feet should be low. For breastfeeding, clean the nipples with warm water before each feeding, and hold up the breast with four fingers, with the thumb placed on the areola on the nipple to slow down the flow of milk. For bottle-feeding, clean the feeding utensils with boiling water before each feeding, and feed after the nipples are filled with milk. The nipple hole should not be too large. After breastfeeding, hold the newborn upright and pat its back to help it expel the swallowed air. It is not advisable to lift the newborn's lower limbs to change diapers within a short period of time after breastfeeding.

2. For infants and young children who vomit frequently, if organic diseases and gastrointestinal inflammation are ruled out, most of the cases are gastroesophageal reflux. You can choose the lateral position with the head high and feet low, with the head raised 15°; for children with gastroesophageal reflux, the head can be placed in the prone position, for 20 minutes each time, 2-4 times a day. However, there must be someone to take care of the patient during the prone position to prevent respiratory apnea. This can reduce the frequency of reflux, reduce the number of vomiting, prevent aspiration of vomitus, and avoid aspiration pneumonia and suffocation.

3. Recurrent vomiting and nervous vomiting: Strengthen physical exercise, improve physical fitness, lead a regular life, avoid overeating, try to keep your body and mind calm, and do not force yourself to eat. Also, be sure not to add any stress to the child, as this will make the vomiting worse. Children with the disease should arrange their lives reasonably, including diet, strengthen physical exercise and increase physiological sleep time. People around the child should not pay too much attention to the child's vomiting symptoms and should avoid showing nervousness and worry in front of the child to increase his confidence in treatment. At the same time, keep the environment clean, deal with the child's vomit in a timely manner, and replace contaminated clothes, sheets, and quilts in a timely manner to avoid further irritation to the child. When vomiting, you should stay by the child's side and give him/her mental comfort; after vomiting, help him/her rinse his/her mouth in time, bathe the child frequently, and remove the odor left on the body by vomiting.

4. For children who are prone to vomiting, especially those who vomit after catching a cold or coughing: they should strengthen nutrition and physical exercise to improve the body's immunity, or take bovine colostrum and transfer factor to prevent colds; meals should be regular and quantitative; do not eat too much; food must be fresh and hygienic; do not feed the children overly spicy, smoked, or greasy food.

5. Children who are prone to vomiting when taking medicine: When feeding the medicine, the liquid medicine should not be too hot or too cold. Children who are difficult to feed medicine can also be given small amounts and multiple doses. If necessary, they can take a mouthful and wait for a while before taking the medicine again. After vomiting, clean the mouth, face, and neck skin promptly, and change contaminated clothes and bed sheets.

6. Some children are born with a sensitive pharyngeal reflex, which can easily cause vomiting. This is manifested as vomiting when they catch a cold. Therefore, when seeing a doctor, you should explain this to the doctor. At this time, you should eat easily digestible liquid or semi-liquid foods, and don't eat too much, generally about half of your usual diet.