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Vomiting in a baby is called pyloric stenosis

Pyloric stenosis, or reflex vomiting in infants in the first weeks of life, is a complex process of reflex vomiting caused by stimulation of the vomiting center in the brain. This condition is considered a congenital malformation of the stomach, characterized by an excessively narrowed outlet in the pylorus (pyloric stenosis)—an opening with a muscular sphincter at the junction of the stomach and duodenum. The pylorus is responsible for holding food in the stomach for digestion and then passing it in portions to the intestine. In pyloric stenosis, the muscular layer of the pylorus becomes thicker than necessary due to genetic abnormalities during fetal development. Pyloric stenosis is a congenital disorder that most often occurs in male infants.

Signs of the disease may begin to appear as early as the second or third week after birth. Despite seemingly being healthy, the infant suddenly begins to suffer from bouts of vomiting, occurring daily. Vomiting begins spontaneously, and the vomit contains partially digested milk and mucus. This means that food doesn't have time to be fully digested and absorbed by the baby's body, as it doesn't reach the intestines in full for absorption.

The infant begins to feel hungry and loses weight despite regular feedings. Their general condition worsens and quickly becomes severe. The infant becomes restless, greedily latches onto the breast and sucks milk, and may suck on their fists out of hunger. Furthermore, in addition to vomiting, the infant's urination frequency decreases, and constipation develops. Reflexive vomiting in infants with pyloric stenosis should not be confused with regurgitation —these are different processes, as with pyloric stenosis, the infant's regurgitation frequency increases, eventually progressing to vomiting.

Pyloric stenosis requires immediate emergency medical attention and unscheduled hospitalization for surgical intervention. A modern method for correcting pyloric stenosis caused by genetic abnormalities is longitudinal dissection of the pylorus—a Pyloromyotomy.