While your baby's vomiting may cause you distress and worry, most of the time, vomiting is nothing to worry about, except for the danger of dehydration. Occasionally, vomiting has a cause that should be evaluated and treated by your baby's doctor. If your baby shows signs of severe dehydration, including sunken soft spots on his head, extreme sleepiness or sunken eyes, call 911 or take him to the emergency room. Baby Center also suggests calling the doctor if he has a tender or swollen abdomen, or if he vomits more than once after hitting his head.
Stomach Flu
A stomach flu, known as viral gastroenteritis, is caused by a virus, and is not at all related to influenza. According to Ask Dr. Sears, an information website produced under the direction of pediatrician Dr. William Sears and his wife Martha, a registered nurse, most of the time the illness is characterized by vomiting, along with a fever and stomach cramping. It also may be accompanied by diarrhea. The stomach flu may last for as little as 12 hours, or for as long as three days. For the first few hours, your baby may vomit every five to 30 minutes. After the first several hours of the illness, vomiting should not be occurring more often than once every hour or two. If constant vomiting lasts longer than eight hours in your baby, take her to the doctor or emergency room.
Gastroesophageal Reflux
Gastroesophageal reflux, commonly called GER, is usually the cause of spitting up in infants after eating. GER may also present itself when your baby cries or strains. The National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse states that healthy infants often spit up for the first three months of life. Most of the time, the condition clears up on its own with time, but some symptoms should prompt a telephone call to the pediatrician. These include refusing to feed, poor growth or a lack of weight gain, blood in the spit up and breathing problems.
Cough
Occasionally your baby may cough to the point of causing vomiting. KidsHealth by Nemours says that this is due to the gag reflex, and is not usually cause for concern. Another reason for vomiting with coughing is if your baby has asthma or a cold, and mucus builds up in her stomach. Contact her doctor if the vomiting does not stop, if she has a cough in conjunction with a high fever or if her cough lasts longer than three weeks.
Food Poisoning
According to the Ask Dr. Sears site, most poisoning is mild food poisoning, and is not cause for panic or concern. If your baby is eating a variety of solids, he may have eaten something containing bacteria. If he has food poisoning, vomiting should not last longer than 12 hours nor will it cause a fever. If your baby has contracted E. coli or salmonella poisoning from food, however, he will have a fever and stomach pain, similar to the symptoms of the stomach flu.
