Spitting up milk is a common phenomenon among infants, especially more common in babies under one year old. The scenarios of spitting up milk vary, sometimes occurring shortly after feeding, sometimes half an hour later, often accompanied by the baby opening their mouth, stretching their neck, and showing signs of discomfort. This phenomenon mainly has two reasons: one is as a manifestation of some illness; the other is that the special structure of the baby’s digestive system makes it easy to spit up milk.
The structure of an infant’s digestive tract is different from that of an adult, with low esophageal muscle tone and slow peristalsis, making food easy to accumulate. At the same time, the lower esophageal sphincter connecting the esophagus and the stomach is relatively relaxed, not tightly closed, so when there is a bit more food in the stomach, it may reflux into the esophagus. Conversely, the pylorus is relatively tight, sensitive to food stimuli, prone to spasms, making it difficult for food to pass through or causing it to remain, leading to reflux back to the pylorus. In addition, the infant’s stomach is in a horizontal position, not vertical, which not only reduces the stomach’s storage capacity but also makes food more likely to reflux.
Occasional spitting up milk does not necessarily indicate a health problem, but if it happens frequently, with spitting up milk after every feeding, accompanied by fever, abnormal stools, or changes in mental status, consideration should be given to whether there are gastrointestinal or other system issues, and medical examination should be sought promptly.
One effective measure to reduce spitting up milk is to help the baby burp after feeding. Typically, when the baby is 3-4 months old, with mature sucking techniques and improved pyloric function, spitting up milk will significantly reduce. Before that, it is necessary to help the baby burp after each feeding.
Frequent spitting up milk in infants may be related to various factors, including age (more common under 6 months), overfeeding, immature gastrointestinal motility patterns, horizontal stomach position and loose ligaments, poor control of the lower esophageal sphincter, and improper feeding practices, such as using a nipple that is too large causing excessive air intake, etc. If the baby spits up milk frequently, in large amounts, in a projectile manner, or with unusual color, accompanied by fever, diarrhea, and other symptoms, parents should promptly seek medical attention for the child to avoid delaying treatment.
