New mothers often face the scene of babies spitting up milk, which is inevitably worrying. How to deal with it if the baby wants to eat after spitting up milk? First, it is important to differentiate between spitting up milk and milk overflow. Spitting up milk is usually a large amount and is accompanied by gastrointestinal problems, requiring consultation with a doctor; while a small amount of brief milk overflow is more common, originating from inhaling cold air during feeding, most of the time relievable through burping, avoid changing diapers immediately after feeding to prevent catching a cold and causing milk overflow.
Continuous spitting up of milk by babies may cause anxiety for parents, but it is important to pay attention to whether the baby shows any discomfort. Spitting up milk is more common in newborns, and correctly burping the baby after feeding can effectively reduce the occurrence of spitting up milk.
For infants under three months old, frequent spitting up of milk is considered a normal phenomenon. It is normal for the baby to feel hungry and want to continue eating after spitting up milk. Mothers can try holding the baby upright and gently patting the back, if the baby shows no signs of distress or even seems content, there is no need to worry excessively.
If the baby spits up a large amount of milk and immediately demands to eat, it may be due to overfeeding. Breastfeeding is recommended directly rather than bottle-feeding to avoid overfeeding, while meeting the baby’s need to suck, sometimes the baby seeks sucking not out of true hunger. Appropriately divert the baby’s attention, give time to digest, and then breastfeed.
Some babies frequently spit up a small amount of milk, this is due to the particular structure of their stomach – small capacity, positioned horizontally, and the immature development of the lower esophageal sphincter, causing food to easily reflux. As they grow, this situation usually naturally improves. Ensuring burping after feeding helps to reduce spitting up milk.
As for babies who still want to eat after spitting up a large amount of milk in the afternoon, this is more common in babies under four months old. Reasons include swallowing air, bloating caused by eating too quickly, etc. The baby feels hungry after spitting up milk, hence the desire to eat again. In addition, growth spurts may also lead to similar situations. Approaches should be adjusted for babies of different age groups.
