Thursday

Can Baby Gas Cause Vomiting?

One side effect of baby gas is spitting up. Spitting up is very different from vomiting and it’s important to understand the difference, since vomiting can be caused by other things.

Spitting up
When your baby has gas, he may spit up when he burps. This is not dangerous and doesn’t bother your little one, it’s simply that some of the liquid in his tummy is carried up by the rising gas. Here are the typical signs of spit up:

- Small amounts of milk come up with burps.

- Your baby doesn’t seem bothered by it.

- The liquid dribbles out of the baby’s mouth.

Vomiting
While there are occasions when your baby may vomit due to gas, these are fairly rare and vomiting often indicates an upset stomach. Call your pediatrician if your child vomits continually over a period of two or more hours, has a fever and/or diarrhea or cannot keep anything down. Here are the common signs of vomiting:

- Your baby may cry and acts uncomfortable before and after vomiting.

- A large amount of milk comes up, usually the entire feeding.

- There are usually two or more “waves” of vomit.

- Vomiting is usually much more forceful than spit up.

It is fairly rare that baby gas will cause vomiting, but spit up is a very common occurrence in babies with gas. Trust your instincts as a mother and you’ll know when things are a bit more serious than just a case of gas!