Question
The baby has been experiencing frequent dry coughs recently and sometimes spits up milk. Even in the past two days, there have been several instances of spitting up. What might be the causes?
Answer
Babies often spit up after feeding, which is due to the baby’s stomach shape resembling a waterwheel, with a small capacity. The cardia (the area near the esophagus) is wide and has poor closure function, while the pylorus (the area near the small intestine) is relatively tight. When a baby feeds, if air is inhaled along with the milk, it can easily reflux from the cardia to the mouth, causing spitting up. To prevent baby spitting up, the following measures can be taken:
- Control the feeding interval: Generally, milk is emptied from the stomach in about 2 to 3 hours, so feeding every 3 hours is relatively reasonable. If feeding is too frequent, there may still be some milk from the previous meal remaining in the stomach, which could affect the amount of milk taken in for the next meal or cause stomach discomfort.