Advice for Gassy Baby

When my daughter was a newborn Nestle good start worked very well for her little tummy...we also put mylicon drops in almost all her bottles until she outgrew the gassy stage. You could also use gripe water, its in the baby aisle at Fry's. Good luck and congrats on the new baby :)

I also have a very gassy little 7 week old boy and I breastfeed and give him formula as well. I have to put him in a face down football hold with my hand on his tummy when he is really fussy...it helps for a little bit. Also, lay her on her stomach that seems to help my son. I switched to Isomil and it has helped tremendously but, I was talking to my bestfriend the other day and both of her boys were having a hard time even with Isomil so she eventually put them on Neutragama. (I don't know if I spelled that right.) She says it is expensive but it worked great for her.

As for the breastfeeding, don't feel bad! Even breastfeeding can result in a very gassy baby. I had trouble getting my son to latch on so I pumped and pumped while still struggling with trying to get him to latch on. I too only expressed a little bit. Eventually, he latched on and my milk came in but, I was ready to come to terms that it just wasn't going to happen. At least you tried. Also, the breast knows the difference between pump and baby so that could be why you only pump so little.

My daughter was the same way and the doctor put her on a soy formula and that ended our problem.

Mylicon Gas Drops!! It is esp. made for infants. You can give the drops directly to you little one, or as I use to do for my son, place in the bottle with the formula. You can purchase the gas drop at a grocery store or drug store. I think this stuff is awesome. I don't know what I would have done without that stuff!!

M.,
My babies also did seem to have gas early on, which I learned was actually colic. Sometimes it helped to place them on their tummies over my knees and pat their backs. This provides counter-pressure to the abdomen (as well as a new view of the room). You may also want to try a warm water bottle or warm bath to help relax her tummy and let the gas pass, if that is the issue.

I already see that you have many suggestions to try Gripe Water. It is a great natural alternative to the medicinal gas drops. I have been able to find it at my local Fry's grocery store as Gripe water is growing in popularity. It is usually with the teething gels on the baby aisle.

As for the feeding...you are not alone in struggling to provide enough breastmilk for your baby. Do not feel guilty. But before switching formulas again, consult your pediatrician. They might have more ideas for you on helping your daughter adjust to formula feeding. My sister-in-law also tried Dr. Brown's bottles (after Ventaire did not completely relieve the gas) and that helped her daughter be less gassy.

I had my first daughter in Germany, and Gripe Water was readily available in the UK, so I started using it then. (2001)It's an amazing product. It wasn't available here yet for my other two, so my family would send it from Canada. Now it is available at Babies R Us. I would highly recommend you try it.

I don't blame you for being leary of changing formula. Keep in mind it takes 3 days of feedings to see if the change even worked! I changed my twins formula a couple of times because I was not sure what was causing the gas and tummy troubles. (the were premie and I hated giving them medicine to mask the problem)I learned that the iron in the formula is what was causing the gas, and after a lot of label reading I started to use "GentleEase", it has the lease amount of iron and it comes as a doy base and a milk base. I chose the soy (since i am lactose intollerant and didn't want to switch again). You can even get it in generic form at Walmart and it is about $14 per can.

HEy M....

GRIPE water is a GOD-SIN! With my first son all I used was Mylicon but after starting my own daycare a parent introduced me to Gripe Water and it is all natural...and it works faster than Mylicon or Gas X. I have been using it on my 4mo old since birth and I use it on all the daycare kids. I know we by it at Sprouts and I have heard of it at Babies R Us! I know what this is like...hang in there and dont beat yourself up about not breastfeeding...I have to supplement too! And I would not advice changing her formula again it might only make the problem worse...give her some time to get used to the Isomil.
T.

I know that giving your child Medicine is never easy. I will let you know that my sisters brother-in-law is a pediatrician and he has always said that you can never give a child too much mylicon. He said that what a baby doesn't need their bodies will naturally process out. It really is a life saver. We reluctantly started giving my daughter it before and after every meal. It really does work. As a baby she was one to sipt up alot. Especially in the car. He stated that it will help with car sickness as well. Keep up the good work. Sounds like you are doing a wonderful job with yours.

I don't have any formula advice since I breast-fed my guys-- just wanted to say-- don't feel guilty. Breast-feeding doesn't always work out. My son even though he was breast-fed- was extremely gassy. SO don't beat yourself up over the decision to use formula- it sounds like you tried really hard to make breast-feeding work.
Good luck!

HI M.! I've been there, so I understand how frustrating this situation can be! I had the same problem with my 3rd (now 21mo).
IF you don't want to switch her formula, you might want to try giving her an all natural product called GRIPE WATER. Sounds weird, I know. (I got it online through BABYCENTER.COM. But you can get it other places, and I would recommend the WELLMENTS brand.) But you can give her a few drops and it works right away. And since it's all natural you can feel good about giving it to her.
When we told our pediatrician about the Gripe Water and how much it helped, she started recommending it to her patients!
Anyway, hoped that helps, and hang in there!

Try making her formula in bulk. My doctor said the gas comes from shaking the bottle right before they drink it. There isn't enough time for all the air to settle. I bought one of those rubbermaid containers with a lid/spout. It already had measurement markings on it, so I would fill the water to the amount she drinks a day, add the appropriate amount of formula, shake/stir away and put it in the fridge until needed. Then when it was feeding time, I would give the container a gentle one or two shakes, pour it into a bottle and feed as usual. Worked for us and if anything else, saved time fixing all those bottles.
J. S

I haxe three children 9,6 and 2. All were extremely gassy babies up until about six months old. I was a firm believer in Mylacon drops. My Dr said it was perfectly safe to use with each bottle. Try putting a few drops in the bottle before giving to baby. You can actually see it remove any bubbles. I did not change formulas because that can be harder on the tummy. Also, try putting baby on tummy for awhile. Its been awhile for me but I still remember. Good luck

Hmmm. Just thinking about this one. I never used anything for my two boys. Just a lot of lifting the legs over the belly seemed to help them both - a lot. I don't like medicine either. I never gave either of them anything.

What about some extra tummy time - supervised of course. It will help strengthen her neck but also naturally press on her belly and she may wiggle a little more to help move those bubbles on outta there.

How are you holding her while you feed her a bottle? What type of bottle are you using?
My daughter was horribly gassy on my breast milk and when we tried Similac products. It could be the formula. We also switched to playtex drop in bottles from Advent-this helped a lot. If you don't have her head elevated (imagine her sitting next to a clock) to about 10pm, she will swallow more air as well. We also used to bounce our daughter on our leg to get the air to come up-she never spit up from this method either.

you can use the herbs fennel and catnip. Make a tea with the bruised seeds of fennel and the leaves of catnip then dip a washcloth in the tea. apply it to the top of your baby's head (over the fontanel) it will soak in through the mucous membrane and stop the gas and pain. When your baby is 3 mo old you can give the tea in a bottle. check out the book kids, herbs and health it's amazing.

Try putting the mylicon drops in every bottle, formula or breast milk, at every feeding. Shake the bottle and feed baby. This worked really well for our fussy, gassy little girl.

Hi M.,

Have you tried probiotics?

Sincerely,
Life Sculpting Team
www.lifesculpting.biz

you might try stroking the arch of her foot.....use gentle but firm pressure. i was a gymboree instructor for many years, and in the infant class we did baby massage. the babies always loved having their feet massaged, and stroking the arch is supposed to help digestion. one day in class the moms were all busy massaging their little one's feet....when they did the arches, all the babies started to toot....it was really pretty funny.....the babies all seemed very happy after that. it's worth a try!!!

hugs!
sally

You can also try buying a baby carrier that will allow you to carry her tummy-to-tummy, upright. This really helped my son. Watch out for Bjorns, and they do not support their full bodies, and instead hang them by their crotch (literally). They can also cause him displacia. I would look at an Active Mom Carrier (these are AWESOME), or an Ergo or something. Good luck!

Try Dr. Brown's bottles. They really work well, I swear by them. Also, we were having a similar problem that we thought was just gas and it ended up being (GERD) for babies. It is a gastroesphogeaul reflux that causes them to be in pain mostly at night because they aren't upright for long enough after they eat. This is only the second day of my son being on the medicine (Zantac) and instead of waking up 5-8 times in the night it has been once, maybe twice. He is 9 months old.

You should be proud of yourself for trying to breast feed! Any amount of breast milk is better than none! After we switched from breast milk to formula, I put 3 drops of Mylicon in each bottle. Also, try using a nipple with smaller holes so she doesn't drink so quickly/gulp too much air. Good Luck!

You can also get Gripe water at most Walgreens now...it's the best!