What comes out

Almost all babies spit up from time to time, but some seem to have a real knack for messing everything they wear (and everything you wear for that matter.)

The most common cause of spitting up or regurgitating part of a feeding is bringing up some air that the baby has swallowed during the feeding. Frequent attempts at burping during a feeding, slowing down a "gulper" by using nipples with a smaller hole, placing your baby on his or her abdomen or right side or in an infant seat after a feeding may help if this is a problem. A certain number of normal infants spit up part of feedings for the first year of life regardless of what is done. Continued forceful vomiting is not normal and should be reported to your doctor.

The frequency and consistency of the baby's stool may vary from day to day. Some babies will have a bowel movement seven to eight times a day while others will stool only once every few days. Some babies will have formed stools while other will have loose ones. Constipated stools are hard little balls. Diarrhea stools are watery-green.

Having a bowel movement is a major event for many babies. They may grunt, turn red and make faces even when their stools are perfectly normal. True diarrhea, constipation and any presence of blood in the stool should be reported to your doctor.

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