Baby Spit-up Through the Nose. Is It Normal?

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As a new mother, you’ve likely witnessed your baby vomit more than once. But have you seen your baby spit-up through the nose?

Seeing all that milk or formula resurface can be rather frightful, especially if it flows from the nose. Although it could distress your child, understand that it happens frequently and naturally.

Baby Spit-Up

Babies frequently spit up. We’ll go over the reasons it occurs and how you can lower the likelihood that it will happen again.

Baby Spit-up Through the Nose — Is It Normal?

It’s not unusual for babies to spit up through their noses, especially after feeding. This is because the muscles in the esophagus that push food down to the stomach are still developing and may not be strong enough to keep everything down. Additionally, when lying flat on their backs, gravity can cause spitting up.

For most babies, this is nothing to worry about and will resolve itself as their muscles develop. However, if your baby is spitting up large amounts or seems in distress, it’s important to speak with your pediatrician.

Additionally, if your baby is spitting up blood or greenish-yellow fluid, this could be a sign of a more serious condition, and you should seek medical attention immediately.

How To Reduce How Often Your Baby Spits Up

You can take the following actions to lessen the likelihood that your child will regularly spit up:

During feeding

  • As much as you can, try feeding your baby on a schedule. If your baby is too hungry, they can gulp and end up swallowing air, making it more likely that they will later spit up.
  • If you bottle-feed your infant, check that the nipple hole is not too big. If it is, your baby can receive too much milk too rapidly.
  • Feeding your infant in a space with few distractions will help them concentrate on their food rather than what is going on all around them.
  • Don’t overfeed: Observe your baby’s cues if they seem full, even if they haven’t eaten as much as normal. Don’t make them consume more food than they require or want.

After feeding

  • Burp your baby right away. By ensuring that your baby has been appropriately burped, you can drastically limit the amount of spit-up.
  • To ensure that the milk enters the stomach and not the esophagus, hold your infant upright for several minutes.