spitting up now that we started solid food?

[torontotwinmom]

So, DD used to spit up regularly when she was nursing (not vomiting, and it never seemed to cause her discomfort).  Ped said she would grow out of it, and she did after a few months.  But over the last month or so, it's started up again.  We started solid food 6 weeks ago - could this be related?  It doesn't seem like allergies (to me) as it happens regularly, regardless of what she's fed.  And she has had a bad reaction (throwing up) to one new food that I fed them, so we stopped that one and the throwing up stopped. 

Can the introduction of solid food increase spitting up?  Could it be that she's eating too much?  (they both eat what seems like a lot of solid food - and they'd eat more if I let them but I think too much of it would would be a problem - they're currently eating ~8 tbsp of food 3x a day, plus 4 milk feeds)

They are 8 months old (7months adjusted).

[~inbalance~]

Hi there.    What does your paed say about the spitting up now that she's on solids?  Was your LO ever treated for reflux?  Babies should outgrow the spitting up stage, usually not outgrowing it is a sign of reflux.  But usually starting solids helps keep spitting up down with a refluxy baby, so it is curious.  First off I think it's something to ask about at her next appointment.  Also, you said it happens regardless of what she eats, but do you think there are some foods that are worse than others?  Maybe try keeping a log to see if you can find a pattern.  Lastly, how is she besides the spitting up - happy, healthy, gaining well, reaching milestones, any rashes, difference in bowel movements, sleeping well?  And as for your other LO, does he/she spit up too?  Just looking for any other clues that might point you in the right direction. 

[torontotwinmom]

Thanks Martina.

-I haven't asked the pediatrician yet - we go see him in less than 2 weeks so I was hoping I could hold off until then.
-They were never treated for reflux - it didn't seem like they had it (they would spit up but not throw up, spitting up never bothered them, etc.)
-She spits up most in the morning, after her milk (before solids).  Sometimes more than others- this morning it was just a tiny bit, yesterday morning she got her shirt pretty covered.  I've been keeping a log but it's hard to find a pattern - I think I'll need to change my log and make it more detailed? 
-Beyond the spitting up she seems fine - happy little baby, sleeping relatively well (some tweaks to her EASY have helped recent issues).  She was constipated maybe two weeks ago, but I dropped the rice cereal and added prunes to the rotation and that seems to have sorted her out.  No rashes.
-DS spits up a lot less (1-2x week) but still more than, say, two months ago.

I was using up the milk that I had stored in the freezer (from about April) in their cereal.. I was wondering if that might cause it?  Or if microwaving the milk to warm it up a bit could cause it?   

[~inbalance~]

I'm assuming the milk was frozen in a deep freezer?  If not, it is only good for up to 3mos in a regular freezer I think.  Either way it could be a problem, I would stop using it if you haven't already.  And most definitely don't use the microwave to warm it up as it alters the properties of the milk.  I don't know if that would cause the increased spit up, but better safe than sorry, kwim?

One of the reasons I wondered about reflux is being twins I'm assuming they were born a little prematurely, and it's very very common for premature babies to have reflux.  But if it never seemed like a problem and they were thriving, then I would guess they didn't have reflux.  However, reflux can still be present with the absence of spitting up so it still could have been present.  Usually refluxy babies are in pain though, and you say they were always happy so that's a good thing.

What you could do if you want to know if a particular food is bothering her is go back to basics.  Start offering only one food at a time for a few days, and keep a log of that.  It should narrow down problem foods.

Otherwise, if she is doing ok I don't think there is cause for immediate worry.  Keep an eye on the spitting up as well as her behaviour and sleeping, and definitely mention it at her next appointment. 

[ole]

Are they recently crawling or creeping? I have the same question about my DS (7 months old) He was having a problem with milk-based formula (mucous poop) so we went to Nutramagin and his poop is better but he spits up way more.
I can't get a clear answer because we started solids and crawling at 6 months so I wondered could it be all the sloshing of food/milk in his belly and it comes out more? Just a thought.

[besjoux]

Is she also learning how to sit up without support? Sitting up without support causes spitting up because they have to use and build stomach muscles. Our pediatrician recommending keeping on reflux meds until DS has mastered sitting up well without support and also the spitting up has stopped. So it COULD be a coincidence

[torontotwinmom]

I agree, I'm starting to think it is just a coincidence.  My pediatrician told me that sometimes babies who are 'spitters' grow out of it before they start solid food, and for some it comes back when they start solid food.  He said that if they were actually allergic to something, there would be some sort of rash as well - you'd see it on their skin. 

Plus, they spend a lot of time now on their stomachs or bouncing up and down in activity time, it's jiggling all the milk around.  HOPEFULLY they'll grow out of it soon; it's a whole lot harder getting sweet potato spit up out of clothes than just milk spit up!