How many times a day is normal for a baby to spit up?

Parents often encounter many problems when feeding their babies. Many young parents are often at a loss when their babies spit up milk. In fact, there are two major types of baby spitting up milk, normal and abnormal. In many cases, it is normal for babies to spit up milk slightly, but if the spitting up milk is severe, pathological factors must be considered. So how many times a day is normal for a baby to spit up milk?

How many times a day is normal for a baby to spit up?

Because the baby's digestive system is not yet mature, his stomach is small and flat, and his cardia is relaxed. In addition, the baby's larynx is relatively high. Therefore, when the baby is feeding, air is easily inhaled into the stomach along with the milk. When the baby burps or shakes his body, he will vomit milk. So, is it normal for a baby to spit up several times a day?

Is it normal for a baby to spit up several times a day?

Because the baby's stomach is lying horizontally and is in an unstable state, and the cardia (the entrance to the stomach) is relatively loose, milk spitting up often occurs during feeding. For mild spitting up or regurgitation, the baby will usually adjust his breathing and swallowing movements by himself, so there is no danger of aspiration into the trachea. Parents only need to closely observe his breathing condition and skin color.

However, because the opening of the esophagus and the opening of the trachea are connected in the throat, the most feared thing when spitting up milk is that the milk suddenly flows back from the esophagus to the throat and enters the trachea by mistake when inhaling, which is the so-called choking. If the amount is large, it will cause trachea obstruction, breathing will be impossible, and hypoxia will immediately endanger life. When the amount is small, it can be inhaled directly into the deep lungs and cause aspiration pneumonia.

Therefore, mothers should do the following to prevent their babies from spitting up:

1. Don’t breastfeed while lying down

If your baby feeds while lying down, the possibility of milk reflux increases. The first way to deal with newborn spitting up is: don’t feed while lying down. After feeding, it is best to hold the baby upright for about 30 minutes, then put him on the bed with his head slightly raised. As the muscles in the gastric cardia develop fully, the symptoms of milk regurgitation will gradually ease.

2. Feeding details are important

If there is too much breast milk and the flow rate is too fast, the mother can use her hands to slightly press the breast to slow down the flow rate. If the baby is bottle-feeding, the nipple must be filled with milk during feeding. Generally, the bottle should be tilted more than 45 degrees and must not be placed flat.

3. Burping

Burping will help expel any air your baby swallows. The specific method is that the baby lies on the adult after feeding, and the adult pats the baby's back from bottom to top with his empty palm until the baby burps.