Infant Vomiting

Susan recently gave birth to a sweet baby girl. This bundle of joy completely changed the lives of Susan and her husband Peter. They were extremely happy and took care that their baby did not suffer from any kind of medical disorder. But, one day while Susan was not at home, Peter fed the baby and he fed her too much food. This led to vomiting in the baby. Seeing the baby vomit continuously, Peter was extremely worried as he did not know what to do and why the baby was vomiting!

Like Peter, many people tend to feed the baby with lots of food, which can lead to vomiting in the infant. Infants vomiting is rarely fine. A bit of vomiting after feeding is observed commonly among most of the infants. They tend to vomit after eating, if the food is heavy and if they are unable to digest it. At times, the infants tend to spit out the food if they do not like it or if they are not willing to eat it. Reflux vomiting and projectile vomiting are common among infants. Let us know more about these two kinds of infant vomit in detail.

Reflux Vomiting in Infants
When the valve which is present at the top of the stomach opens accidentally, then the matter present in the stomach comes slowly back up the esophagus, thus leading to vomiting.

Projectile Vomiting in Infants
When the content present in the stomach comes out via the mouth forcefully, then it is termed as projectile vomiting.

Causes of Infant Vomiting

• Gastroenteritis is one of the reasons which can cause vomiting in infants.
• Also, feeding the baby with heavy and too much food can make him vomit. Hence, make sure that you feed the baby with light baby food.
• If the baby is suffering from any other medical condition, then there are chances that the baby will suffer from vomiting too.
• Eating food infected with bacteria and virus can also cause the baby to vomit. This may cause food poisoning which can make the baby also suffer from diarrhea along with vomiting.
• If the food habits of the infant are changed all of a sudden, then also there are chances that the infant might suffer from vomiting.
• Consuming too many medicines is also one of the reason which can give rise to the same.

Treatment for Infant Vomit

Feed the baby with food which can be digested easily. Make sure that you feed the baby in small portions. The baby should be well hydrated, hence, make sure that you feed him with enough of fluids. Allow the baby to take enough rest. Take proper care to keep your baby away from all these kinds of disorders.

If the infant is vomiting after eating any kind of food continuously, then it is a matter might be serious and hence appropriate treatment should be opted for. Also, if you observe blood or bile in the vomit, then it is a serious matter of concern. Since the infants' digestive systems are weak, make sure that you do not feed them with food which has too much of spices. Also, fried foods should be avoided.

Infant vomit should be treated as soon as possible, as it might affect the baby's health. Due to vomiting, the baby will not be able to gain enough weight. Also, since he will vomit out whatever he will eat, he will not get the nutrients, which are required for his growth. This might hamper the baby's development. Vomiting will also leave the infant irritated and since he will lack the energy, he will be least interested in doing any other work or playing. The baby will appear to be extremely weak. Hence, make sure that the vomiting is treated as early as possible. Take the infant to a pediatrician and take his advice on what to feed the baby and what not to.