How to distinguish vomiting from regurgitation in babies: characteristic features

Often, young parents are very similar to new recruits who first got into the "training" and are taking the course of a young soldier. Especially if in the family of one of them there were not much younger brothers or sisters. Everything that is connected with the child, not only seems to them surprising and strange, but sometimes frankly frightening.

Often the situation in which the child "gives back" just eaten milk, plunges the young mother in a real shock. All known fatal diseases come to mind immediately, and the hand reaches out to the phone with the intention of causing an ambulance.

Not every mother knows exactly how to distinguish vomiting from regurgitation in a baby. If this applies to you, then you just need to read our article. So you can not only save the number of nerve cells, but also protect your child from taking expensive, but absolutely unnecessary drugs.

What does normal regurgitation look like?

Before talking about how you can distinguish vomiting from regurgitation in infants, let's see what exactly this is, in fact, the process. It is diagnosed in three-quarters of all newborn babies and is absolutely not considered pathology. Regurgitation is a physiological variation of the emetic process. Characterized by a small amount of milk or lactation. At one time the baby's body can return no more than 30 ml of eaten.

Regurgitation absolutely does not bring a newborn unpleasant sensations. He has no cramps or anxiety. The food simply flows freely out of the mouth with a small trickle. At the same time the kid remains cheerful and active.

To know how to distinguish vomiting from regurgitation in infants (photo below), you just need to observe the occurrence of this phenomenon. As a rule, a child actively vomits immediately after a meal or for a maximum of an hour after feeding. Especially often this happens in those cases when immediately after feeding the child begin to brake, laugh or involve in active games. The imperfection of the infant's nervous system and the rather weak muscular valve that blocks direct access to the stomach are the main cause of this phenomenon in children up to a year.

Causes

To know exactly how to distinguish between vomiting and regurgitation in a baby up to a year, let's talk about the underlying causes of this phenomenon.

The main causes of regurgitation are quite commonplace and most of them can be safely avoided. It can be:

• Excessive feeding, because of which there is a hyperextension of the walls of the stomach;
• Swallowing excess air;
• Inept putting the baby to the chest;
• Forced physical activity immediately after feeding (inhibition);
• Shortening of the child's frenum;
• Physiologically short upper lip of the baby;
• Too tight swaddling;
• Gassing in the intestines of the baby (flatulence);
• A sharp change in the posture, moving the babies to a vertical position.

Symptoms

Well, with the reasons a little figured out. Now let's talk about the signs. So, how to distinguish vomiting from regurgitation in the baby. The signs of this phenomenon can be:

• The situation is repeated irregularly, no more than 2-3 times a day;
• The child always remains active and in a good mood;
• The child does not lose weight, but constantly adds weight in accordance with the age norms;
• There is no spasm;
• The output of food is of a one-time nature (it has also spoiled everything);
• Milk or other food flows freely from the mouth of the baby;
• The maximum volume does not exceed 20-30 ml (usually much less);
• The child normally sleeps;
• There is no diarrhea, bloating or other signs of the disease.

How to avoid trouble

Since you can practically tell how to distinguish vomiting from regurgitation from a babe, you can do everything in your power to minimize such a phenomenon to a minimum.

1. It is better to feed the baby often, but in small portions. This will not allow him to overeat, and the baby's stomach - to stretch.
2. Determine the right posture for feeding and try to stick to it. So the kid will not swallow excessive portions of air.
3. Make sure that the baby's nose is always clean and breathing is free. Otherwise, the child will have to suck in additional portions of air with his mouth.
4. Before eating, put the baby on your tummy for a while. This will help get rid of the likely colic.
5. After feeding, do not lift the baby too sharply, move it to the vertical position gradually.
6. If your child is an artificial person, only the replacement of the mixture will help. Also it is necessary to change the feeding regime: more often, but less.

Is it possible to treat regurgitation in newborns

Even if you know exactly how to distinguish vomiting from regurgitation in a baby, it is still better to consult a pediatrician. The fact is that if the regurgitation is repeated too often, then something needs to be done about it.

Since during the regurgitation of a child loses fluid (albeit not too much), it must be dopaivat. It is best to give pure boiled water. Also for this purpose, calming teas with chamomile, compote or mors are well suited. If dehydration is too strong, you may need to use chemotherapy drugs. Suitable "Regidron", "Glucosolan" or "Citroglucosolan". They need to be diluted according to the instructions, and apply only as directed by the doctor.

If your baby is an artificial person, then it is better to transfer it to a medicinal mixture. Suitable, for example, "Frisorm". It contains a substance such as gum. It delays food in the child's body and does not allow it to return. Nutrilon antireflux also works well, you can try it.

Most often, regurgitation does not require treatment and, over time, passes by itself. But in particularly difficult situations, medication may be required. Remember: only a doctor can prescribe medicines!

Causes of vomiting in infants

Vomiting is a rather complex reflex process. It has a direct dependence on overexcitation of the vomiting center or the vagus nerve. Most often, vomiting is accompanied by sharp and frequent spasms. Unlike regurgitation, the volume of outgoing substances will be too large. The fact is that when vomiting from the mouth, and often from the spout of the baby begins to act content is not so much the stomach as the upper intestine. This is the main indicator of how to distinguish vomiting from regurgitation. In the baby, the causes of this phenomenon can be very diverse. Most often, vomiting is associated with intoxication of the body as a whole or some pathology of the internal organs.
Here are a few possible reasons for vomiting:

• pneumonia;
• Concussion of the brain;
• poisoning;
• Respiratory tract infection;
• appendicitis;
• Otitis media;
• Urinary tract infection;
• meningitis;
• sepsis;
• Change in intracranial pressure;
• Pyloric stenosis;
• Abdominal trauma;
• Intestinal obstruction;
• Diabetic ketoacidosis;
• gastroenteritis;
• strangulated hernia;
• metabolic disease;
• hydrocephalus;
• Other ailments.

The reasons can be many, this is not a complete list. Here it is important to remember one thing - a healthy child can not vomit. Therefore, at the slightest suspicion the child simply needs to urgently show the pediatrician.

Characteristic features

So how do you distinguish vomiting from regurgitation in babies? The characteristic signs of this phenomenon in children up to a year are so vivid that it is almost impossible to mix up:

• The child does not gain weight;
• Meals can be accompanied by difficulty breathing, the child screams and gets nervous;
• There are cramps;
• The fontanelle is bulging and as if slightly swollen;
• There is a sour smell from the baby's mouth;
• The mass exiting outwards also has an acidic odor, bloody clots or yellowish spots (bile) can be observed;
• There is a clear violation of the stool.

The practical complexity of how to distinguish vomiting from regurgitation in the baby, is the individuality of the child's body. Since children react very differently to such phenomena, do not hesitate and try to justify the eruption of food with a good appetite. It is urgent to show the baby to the doctor and already with him to choose the tactics of further behavior.

What should I do if my child is vomiting?

There are several signs that you need to urgently call the emergency room. Procrastination in this case can end sadly. So, run to the phone if:

• Vomiting repeated more than 3-4 times in a row;
• The baby has a fever;
• In clotted food bunches of bile or blood are found;
• Vomiting is accompanied by severe pain in the abdomen, with no emptying of the intestine.

Before the arrival of doctors, you need to do everything to alleviate the condition of the baby:

• Do not leave a child alone for a minute.
• Put it on a barrel or hold on your hands in a vertical or semi-vertical position. So you can avoid getting vomit into the respiratory tract.
• After stopping the attack, rinse the baby's mouth with cool boiled water.
• Before determining the cause of emetic attacks, do not give the child any food or medicines. You can "lubricate" the picture of the disease and the treatment will be greatly hampered.
• If the doctor does not have a lot of water for a long time, pour the child clean boiled water. In the first hour, give one teaspoon every 7-10 minutes.
• Do not panic. The emotional state of the mother is immediately transmitted to the child and he too will become nervous and afraid. This will only worsen his condition and may trigger a new vomiting attack.