Is your baby vomiting frequently after drinking milk? It could be Pyloric Stenosis!

Is your baby vomiting and spitting up after drinking milk? Not only that, but is he also losing weight and looking thinner day by day? Sometimes these symptoms can be behind it, but today we are going to talk about a condition that can occur in small babies, but can be completely cured if treated. That is a condition called Pyloric Stenosis . Don't worry, let's talk about this in detail.

What is Pyloric Stenosis?

Simply put, Pyloric Stenosis is a condition where the muscle called the Pylorus , the opening where food passes from your baby's stomach to the small intestine, thickens and narrows. It's like a water pipe that becomes blocked and makes it difficult for water to flow. This is medically known as Hypertrophic Pyloric Stenosis (HPS) .

• Hypertrophic means thickening or becoming larger.
• Pyloric refers to the muscle called the pylorus we mentioned.
• Stenosis means narrowing.

So when this pylorus thickens and narrows, the milk that the baby drinks cannot pass down from the stomach. That's when projectile vomiting occurs. This can cause the baby to become dehydrated . But the good news is that this can be completely cured with a small operation.

What is really happening in this situation?

At the end of our stomach, where the small intestine begins, there is a muscular valve called the pylorus . It's like a door. It's a sphincter muscle, which means it can open and close. It's closed when food is digested in the stomach. When the food is digested, it opens to send the food into the small intestine.

However, in a baby with pyloric stenosis, the pylorus muscle becomes too thick. Then the passage for the food to pass through becomes narrow. So the milk that the baby drinks, whether it is formula or breast milk, cannot pass from the stomach to the small intestine and gets stuck. That is why the baby vomits frequently. When the baby keeps vomiting like this, the baby does not gain weight , because the body cannot properly absorb the food that is eaten. The baby may vomit every time he drinks milk, or he may vomit only sometimes.

When does this condition occur in a baby? What are the symptoms?

Babies are not usually born with this condition. The pylorus begins to thicken a few weeks after birth.

Pyloric Stenosis symptoms usually start when your baby is 3 to 6 weeks old . However, sometimes symptoms can start to appear as early as 5 months. If you notice any of these symptoms, see a doctor right away. It is best to treat your baby before they become dehydrated and malnourished.

Does this happen to older children? It is very rare for older children to develop a blockage in the pylorus. This is usually caused by a peptic ulcer . Sometimes it can also be caused by a rare condition called eosinophilic gastroenteritis, which is an inflammation of the stomach.

How common is this? This condition affects between 1 and 3.5 out of 1,000 newborns. It is also the most common condition that requires surgery in babies.

The main symptoms are:

Even if your baby is drinking well, they may still show these symptoms:

• Projectile vomiting: This is like being shot out of a fountain. It usually occurs within half an hour to an hour of drinking milk.
• Abdominal pain: The baby may appear to be in discomfort or pain.
• Dehydration: Symptoms include dry mouth, sunken eyes, dry skin, lack of sweating, and decreased urine output.
• Hungry even after drinking milk: After vomiting, your stomach is empty and you feel hungry again.
• Constant restlessness and crying (Irritability).
• Decreased and smaller poops.
• After drinking milk, before vomiting, the stomach may move like a wave (Wavelike stomach motion). Sometimes, when you feel the baby's stomach, you may feel a small lump that looks like an olive. That is the thickened pylorus muscle.
• Weight loss or weight gain.

Because babies often appear otherwise healthy, parents may not realize this is a serious problem until the baby becomes severely dehydrated or malnourished. Some babies may also develop jaundice (yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes).

Is this just a simple spill of milk? Or is it something more?

Many babies spit up a little milk after feeding. This is normal and nothing to worry about. However , forceful or painful projectile vomiting can be a sign of something serious. If your baby is vomiting like this after feeding, you should definitely talk to a doctor.

Why does pyloric stenosis develop? What are the risk factors?

Scientists still don't know exactly what causes pyloric stenosis, but it is thought that genetics and environmental factors are involved.

There are several risk factors:

• Family history: About 15% of babies with pyloric stenosis have a family member (blood relative) who has had the condition before.
• Gender:Male babies born at term and the first in the family are more likely to develop this condition. Female babies are less likely to develop this condition.
• Race: This is more common in white babies, especially those of European descent.
• Smoking: If the mother smoked during pregnancy, the baby is at greater risk of developing this condition.
• Antibiotics: Some babies who were given antibiotics at birth may be at higher risk. Also, if the mother took certain antibiotics late in pregnancy, that may also be a risk.
• Approach to feeding: Some studies have shown that formula-fed babies are at higher risk of developing this condition. However, it is not yet clear whether the risk comes from the bottle or the formula. If it comes from the bottle, it can also affect babies who are breastfed.

How do doctors recognize this?

Your baby's doctor will ask you about your baby's feeding habits and then do a physical exam . Sometimes, doctors can feel a lump in your baby's stomach that looks like an olive. That's the thickened pylorus muscle.

The doctor may also order a blood test . This can help determine if your baby is dehydrated from vomiting or has an electrolyte imbalance . Electrolytes are minerals that help your baby's body function properly.

What kind of tests are done?

If the doctor can't feel the lump in the baby's stomach, he will order an ultrasound to confirm the correct diagnosis.

• During an ultrasound, the doctor gently places a small instrument (probe) over the baby's abdomen.
• This device uses sound waves to create pictures of the inside.
• Thickened pyloric muscle can often be seen in these images.

Sometimes a physical exam and ultrasound may not reveal a problem. If that's the case, your doctor may order a barium X-ray (Upper Gastrointestinal (GI) series or Barium X-ray) :

• In this, the baby is given a special liquid to drink.
• The doctor can use an X-ray to see how this fluid moves from the stomach to the small intestine.
• This can determine whether or not the fluid is flowing down from the stomach through the pylorus. If it is not, it indicates pyloric stenosis.

How is this treated?

Pyloric stenosis is treated with a type of surgery called pyloromyotomy . This is a type of surgery called pyloroplasty . Once pyloric stenosis is diagnosed, your baby's surgeon will discuss this surgery with you.

What do you do before the operation?

Babies with pyloric stenosis may become dehydrated because they vomit a lot. Before the operation, the doctor will give the baby saline as needed to rehydrate the baby. The baby will often need to be given an IV (intravenous) saline solution in the hospital. During this time, blood tests may be done to see if the baby's dehydration is improving.

You will need to stop breastfeeding your baby six hours before the operation. This is to reduce the risk of vomiting while under anesthesia and aspiration of the vomit back into the lungs.

What happens during the operation?

During pyloric stenosis surgery, the medical team will do the following:

• The baby is given general anesthesia . This means that the baby is completely asleep during the operation and does not feel any pain.
• A small incision is made on the left side of the baby's abdomen, just above the navel.
• A surgery called a pyloromyotomy is performed. This means that an incision is made in the thickened pylorus muscle and it is loosened. This creates a path for food and drink to pass from the baby's stomach to the intestines.

This operation usually takes less than an hour.

How is the baby doing after the operation?

After the operation, your baby will need to stay in the hospital for one to three days. Here's what you can expect:

• A few hours after the operation, you will start giving your baby formula or breast milk. Give it in small amounts at first. Your surgeon will tell you about your breastfeeding plan.
• If you are giving formula milk, the medical team will gradually increase the amount and concentration of milk as the baby can tolerate.
• If you are breastfeeding, you will need to give the first few feedings in a bottle, as you need to measure the exact amount you are giving.

What if the baby keeps vomiting after the operation?

Babies may still vomit after pyloric stenosis surgery. This does not mean that the condition has returned. Vomiting can be caused by:

• The anesthesia given during the operation.
• Not urinating properly after drinking milk.
• Giving too much food at once, giving it too quickly .

If your baby continues to vomit a lot, more tests may be needed. The medical team will continue to try to correct the vomiting.

What will happen to the baby after this situation? Are there any long-term effects?

The outlook for babies with HPS (Hypertrophic Pyloric Stenosis) is very good . After a successful pyloric stenosis operation, most children do not have long-term problems. They eat well, grow well, and remain healthy.

Very rarely, the pylorus may still be too narrow after surgery. If this happens, surgeons may perform a second operation to cut it a little further.

After treatment, the baby does not have any long-term problems later in life. Later studies have shown that people who had pyloromyotomy as children did not suffer from stomach problems such as gastroesophageal reflux as adults.

Is there a way to prevent this?

There is no way to prevent pyloric stenosis. If you know that someone in your family has had pyloric stenosis, tell your baby's doctor. The doctor can then watch for signs of this condition.

Knowing the symptoms of pyloric stenosis can help you get help quickly. Getting treatment early can help prevent problems like malnutrition and dehydration.

How to take care of the baby at home after the operation?

After coming home from the hospital:

• Since the baby is breastfeeding normally, you can breastfeed without any problems.
• If your baby is in pain, give him a pain reliever such as acetaminophen (e.g. Tylenol®) as directed by your doctor.
• Give your baby a sponge bath the day after the operation. After three days, you can bathe him in the tub.
• A small piece of tape called a Steri-Strip™ will be placed over the incision. Do not remove it - it will come off on its own. If it does not, your doctor will remove it at your follow-up appointment.

When should you see a doctor again?

It's normal to have some swelling around the incision, but if your baby has any of these symptoms, call your doctor:

• Bleeding.
• A swollen or enlarged stomach.
• Excessive swelling around the incision.
• Fever.
• Urinating less often than usual (decreased number of diaper wetting).
• Frequent vomiting.
• Vomiting dark green or bloody.
• Increasing pain.
• The incision is red or pus-like discharge is coming out.

What questions should you ask your doctor?

If your baby has symptoms of pyloric stenosis, you may have several questions to ask the doctor:

• How do I know if my baby is just spitting up milk, or if this is pyloric stenosis?
• Is pyloric stenosis a painful condition?
• Does my baby need surgery? Are there no other treatments?
• Will my baby have to have another operation?

It's normal for a baby to spit up a little milk. But if your baby vomits frequently after every feeding, or after many feedings, he may have pyloric stenosis.

Finally, the most important things to remember

Although it is normal for a baby to spit up some milk, if your baby vomits frequently, especially forcefully (forceful vomiting), it could be a sign of Pyloric Stenosis. If you notice any of these signs, see your baby's doctor immediately. The sooner the condition is diagnosed and treated, the better. Delaying treatment can lead to dehydration and malnutrition in your baby. The good news is that Pyloric Stenosis is a condition that can be completely cured with surgery. We hope your baby recovers quickly, is healthy, and is happy!

` Pyloric stenosis, baby vomiting, infant diseases, stomach problems, surgery, dehydration, HPS