The Truth about Infant Spit Up

If you have a very weak stomach... this might be a borderline blog to read... so beware.

"Infants spit up, sometimes after every meal. It is not harmful to them or any reason to be concerned. Usually it affects the parents more who now have spit up on all their clothes and their floor."

This is what many websites, doctors and other experts will tell you about infant spit-up. I guess it should reassure all new parents that the stuff coming out of their tiny baby's mouth is mostly benign, doesn't have the sting of vomit that we adults have and that we shouldn't be calling the doc for advice everytime it happens. But what you don't find out (until your new baby arrival comes) is that infant spit-up is not like the kind of toddler spit-up you expect when you put too much food in their mouth and they reject it by pushing it out of their mouth on a bib. No, infant spit up actually does come from their stomach and comes back up their esphogus and out their mouth. It is usually caused by gas, too much food (in E's case - a little of both of these) and also a still-not-fully-developed stomach/esophagus valve that should keep food in the stomach after it gets there.

So all that information is good and dandy. And yes it does prevent me from calling the doc for advice everytime it happens and has calmed my concern that anything is really wrong. BUT one thing all the sites, docs and other experts fail to mention is that the spit up can still be quite forceful, causing our Little E to cough and awaken from sleep AND not to mention... it still smells like vomit (because it is). Albeit it is a very mild smelling vomit as vomit goes... but when it is all over you, all over her, all over her bassinet, all over her burp rag, all over your hands and a little on your floor and furniture, it more than just mildy affects me ... because I can get over being covered in spit up and wallowing in "dirtiness" (babies are eating, spitting up and pooping machines) ... but smelling just a hint of something like vomit all the time can be quite disturbing. I hope it's not something I get used to... and she grows out of sooner than later.