Throwing Up Baby

Hi all,

Just reaching out to share what we're currently experiencing with our little'un.

Monday night we put her down at 7pm. We came upstairs at 10pm to go to bed and we wake her up to feed her as she's only a small baby. We were presented with three areas of vomiting. This was 100% vomit, not spit up. Also, she has never vomited since she's been born, she's not a vomiting baby.

So obviously we woke her up to see how she was and then she violently threw up twice. We called 111 and they said to go to out of hours at our local hospital. We went (waited three hours) and the doctor just said it's probably a virus and will be gone in the morning. I wasn't happy with him to be honest, he was quite incompetent.

The following day she was at home with my wife and she had milk but refused solid which she normally doesn't do (she's a cheese addict). That night she didn't throw up once.

Then yesterday she was at nursery. She didn't have a single ounce of milk. She normally has a low amount anyway around two ounces but she had none. She did have a lot of solids though. Then last night when we picked her up she was just so cranky. I've picked her up tired from nursery before and she normally snaps out of her crankiness but she didn't so we fed her milk with no issues and put her to bed at 6:30.

We went up at 10pm fed her again no problem but at 12am she woke up and threw up again. I'm concerned now. She just doesn't normally throw up. That's two out of three nights she's thrown up. She does have conjunctivitis but she's had it since Saturday without throwing up and to be honest I can't see why it would make her throw up. I'm also super worried she has a low key flu. Has anybody experienced something like this before? She's 9 months old by the way.

Oh yes.  It is so awful when they are unwell and it's hard to do anything.

Vomiting in kids is quite normal I'm afraid.  And my daughter was always the same when she was ill, she'd vomit in her cot and I'd be none the wiser (at least for the first 18 months or so). 

The big thing to watch for is deydration.  Try to get water in her little and often and ensure she has wet nappies.  If she goes 24 hours without a wet nappy, they will take it seriously here.  But before then... not so much.

Try not to worry about food right now.  Keeping her hydrated is the most important.  Milk can be tough on a delicate tummy so maybe try water at first.

And we always bring home a big supply of Pedialyte from the USA (sachets you can mix into water).

The other concern besides dehydration is if she has an infection that needs antibotics.  If she doesn't have a fever, it's unlikely she has an infection.  If she does have a fever, I'd have her checked for tonsilitis, chest infection, ear infection, and possibly a UTI.

You can do this Daddy!  I know how worrying it is!

For the week prior to her vomiting she had the most solid stools to the point where she bled. She normally poos three times a day but she went two days. I wonder if it's related.

It's so difficult because they can't tell you what's wrong!

Thanks for the reply though KF.

For the week prior to her vomiting she had the most solid stools to the point where she bled. She normally poos three times a day but she went two days. I wonder if it's related.

It's so difficult because they can't tell you what's wrong!

Thanks for the reply though KF.

Did you tell the GP about those hard solid stools followed by none at all?  Has she had a dirty nappy since?  That, combined with the vomiting, suggest severe constipation...?  (She's a cheese fiend, you say?  That might be the culprit.)  But you should definitely take her in again and make sure she doesn't have impacted bowels.

Did you tell the GP about those hard solid stools followed by none at all?  Has she had a dirty nappy since?  That, combined with the vomiting, suggest severe constipation...?  (She's a cheese fiend, you say?  That might be the culprit.)  But you should definitely take her in again and make sure she doesn't have impacted bowels.

We went to the GP an hour ago. She gave her a check over and felt her stomach so I presume she was checking for an impacted bowel?

She said she just has a virus of some kind to see how she gets on...

The big thing to watch for is dehydration.  Try to get water in her little and often and ensure she has wet nappies.  If she goes 24 hours without a wet nappy, they will take it seriously here.  But before then... not so much.

Try not to worry about food right now.  Keeping her hydrated is the most important.  Milk can be tough on a delicate tummy so maybe try water at first.

Yes, milk is tough on little tummies because it's harder to digest. If you don't have Pedialyte, try Gatorade "G2" or equivalent because this has less sugar. Also, don't give any red/orange/yellow colored Gatorade G2 because these might affect the color of urine/stool when they're trying to look for any blood. So stick to the white or blue colored ones.

Below is the list our hospital nurse gave to us. However we are in the US, so I don't know what the guidelines are for the UK.

When To Call: 3 Months to 3 Years

Call the Appointment and Advice line if your child has a fever of 100.4°F or higher and any of the symptoms or signs listed below:
Trouble breathing
Wheezing or tightness in the chest
A deep cough with lots of mucus
Vomiting or diarrhea
Signs of being dehydrated (refuses to drink; has a dry mouth or cola-colored urine)
Severe headache
Stiff neck
Very sore throat or trouble swallowing
Skin rash
A bulging soft spot on his or her head
Severe ear pain
Painful joint with swelling or redness
Pain when urinating or urine that has a foul odor
Irritable or crying constantly
Does not want to be held or comforted
Seems confused or extremely sleepy
Lacks energy or is limp or listless
Also call if your child is not improving, seems to get better and then gets worse again, or has a fever that doesn't come down after 3 days of home treatment.

This is the UK guidance but interestingly the guidance we were given a month ago was 24 hours without a wet nappy. 

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/sepsis/

What kills me is how they blow off a fever that’s been persistent for 10 days here...   

How is she now Ben?