baby is always hungery, and theny throws it back up

I need help. My wife is breast feeding and my 5 week old son is always hungery and when he is done eating he throws it back up then wants more. We have tried formula does the same thing. When he is not eating he is crying all day. We dont know what to do and it is stressing my wife outl, and i am never home, i am always at work. If any one can help i would greatly appricate it.

[Annice1234]

Mine is doing the same thing!!!  Well, he sleeps all night, so we're lucky.  But during the day all he wants to do is eat..then spit up..then eat more!  I'm sorry I don't have any advice, but I just want you to know we're in the same situation! I hope you find some answerss.

[AnnieBrooke]

Is it forceful vomiting (the kind that shoots through the air and lands a ways out) or basically just spitting up?  (Spitting up is kind of normal.)  How is his weight?  (If he is gaining, that's good, he is obviously not throwing up everything.)  What has his pediatrician said?  Depending on the answers to these questions, it sounds like as much air is going in as food, and that when the air comes out so does some of the food.  So the trick is to try to reduce the size of the burp, so it doesn't carry out so much food.

Sometimes there is a feeding/ burping pattern that can help (possibly one of the ladies on the site will know the best way to do it) -- try nursing for only 4 or 5 minutes and then stopping the feeding and burping him, then nursing him some more and stopping the feeding after a few minutes and burping him some more.  Just be sure he stays on one breast at a time until it is empty, because of the rich nutrients in the "hind milk" in the breast.  Do absolutely burp him in between breasts.  Try lying him on your knee and thigh to burp him and bringing your the knee upward while you are patting his back so he winds up upright (supporting his head of course).  Try a tummy to tummy position for burping him and breathe in deeply and stick out your tummy as you pat him, pressing on his tummy just a little with the air from your tummy.  Vary your burping methods until you figure out the best for him -- the basic idea is to get the air to come out more often, during the time the milk is going in.  

Also, check his latch -- if you haven't seen a lactation consultant, your hospital can certainly recommend one and it could well be part of your insurance package.  If you are hearing a lot of clicking sounds, he might be not latching fully and letting too much air in as he drinks.

If you have not, this would also be a question to post in the Breastfeeding forum.  

Good luck!

ps -- a dad who is actively helping his wife problem-solve issues of the baby is not a "helpless dad," he is a "helpful dad," and don't think your wife doesn't notice.  You are doing a wonderful thing to be concerned along with her instead of just standing by crossly and telling her how early you have to get up in the morning.  Sometimes sympathy and concern *is* a whole lot of help.

[AndiJ78]

Make sure she is burping, that can be a major cause to this forceful spitting up. Some babies intake a lot of air while nursing, mine always did ;-)

Also remember that infants have an immature digestive tract, which also translates into a stomach that doesn't close completely at the top, so you really should keep the baby upright for as long as possible after feeding.

As a general rule, it is a really common issue with infants until they hit 4-6 months of age and their GI tracts mature a bit more. Have her burp when the opportunity presents (don't have her break a latch, but if the baby does use it as a chance to burp) and keep baby upright for at least 10 minutes, preferable 30 minutes, after a feed.

I had one baby who did not burp when placed over a shoulder, but rather burped best when sitting up with support.

[1nana]

If he is in deed having projectile vomiting, (and not just spitting up) this has to be brought to the pediatricians attention.

There is a condition (Pyloric Stenosis) that can be causing this and it is more common in boys (first born).

Hopefully it's nothing serious and the advice given above will help you out.