Medical Questions » Babies Questions » Question No. 110
| Question: | Why do babies vomit so much? |
| Answer: | It is important to differentiate between vomiting, positing and reflux. Vomiting is not very common, and may be due to some disease process (eg. infection, food allergy). The vomitus is usually altered food and may be green in colour, indicating the presence of bile. It may occur several hours after a feed.
Positing occurs in most infants, and is the regurgitation of milk and food from the mouth, gullet and upper part of the stomach during or immediately after a feed. It is caused by over feeding, rapid feeding or burping, and it does not require any treatment.
Reflux is the regurgitation of the stomach contents immediately after a meal, and for some time afterwards. It is distressing to the child, as stomach acid is bought up, and this burns the gullet. This can be helped by posture feeding, slow feeding and mixtures (such as Infant Gaviscon) that may be given after a meal.
If you are unsure about the problem, have your child assessed by your GP. |
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