Gassy Baby?

If you are gassy too, take BEANO right before you eat anything! It made a huge difference for my baby boy. And if I took one bite and then the beano, it didn't work. Good luck!

The only thing I can think it is food...if he wasn't latching on properly and getting only air, you'd know because he'd be hungry (and he'd do much more than squirm if he was just getting air!).

As a mother of a 12-month old, the first few weeks/month may be a little less smooth...but luckily babies get over all their issues. My son was gassy, but as he got older...he got over it. However, I do know there are over the counter drops that you can give him, I think its called Mylecon. Read the label :-)

For the squirming and wriggling while he sleeps, it might be gas, but it also might be him working on going to the bathroom. All three of my kids were extremely sensitive to having to pee or poop, and would wriggle around before they did their business. Especially when he's so young, this can be kinda strange to watch, but he'll either get used to this "new sensation", or he'll wake up and let you know that he's really uncomfortable and you can try to hold him over a bowl. That's what I did when my three got too fussy, but I didn't obsess over it either. Hope that helps!

If it is gas, burping is one thing to definently do. Also, as said before, placing them on their stomach and patting their back or bouncing them on your knees helps. If the baby begins to get very irritable, as well as gassy, it definently could be dairy. I could not have dairy products until my son was 3 months old, that is when he grew out of the intolerence.

hi J.,
As a breastfeeding mom of three and my youngest being weaned at 16 months... i can tell you that burping more often helps them.. as my youngest would spit up almost all the time inthe early days ..i would let her nurse on one side and the burp her then after a good burping let her nurse on the other breast and again after wards burping her again and waiting for the "burp". Also if your husband is home have him help with it. I did with my husband and all three love to 'puke on daddy'(lol)

We had this prob! I ended up having to remove all dairy from my diet & it helped greatly! Start by removing the major things - go to 1%, skim or lactaid milk, skip cheese & yogurt, etc, etc

Hey! My son is a 6 month old breat fed baby who was like the king of gas in his early weeks...well, months...of life. I know they say that breast fed babies just don't get gas like formula fed babies do, and maybe that's true for some, but definitely not for mine. I think a lot of it has to do with how mature their digestive systems are. Once he hit the 3 month mark his gassiness went away considerably. I mean, he used to scream and cry from gas pains, even if we burped him (although burping always helps and I highly recommend it). At 3 months though, that pretty much stopped. You might want to try Little Tummies Infant Gas Drops as well, it seemed to work for our son. Good luck! :)

Hi,

My name is J. and I also live in the Pikesville area. My daughter is 16 weeks. I am breastfeeding her and giving her a bottle. I encourage you to burp your baby. That is very important. You can burp your baby on your shoulder or some babies like it better when you lay them across your knee and tap them on their back. Also, if you know your child is really gassy. Go to CVS or the Dollar Store and get Mulcus. I know I am spelling it wrong. Put one drop in their bottle and it will help them with the gas. Your baby will not squirm anymore after that.

Try Mylicon (get the dye free)! It's worked out well for our baby (now 3 1/2 months). He would also try to position himself on us while lying on his belly. This helped him feel better. It's probably just his body getting used to the milk. You can journal your food intake too, if you think it's something you're eating.

To settle down my similar baby I used babies magic tea with great success. Now he can easily release gas and is healthy.

Hey J.,
my second baby was much gassier than my first, and diet didn't seem to make much of a difference. Eventually I asked my doc who said I could use gas drops but he didn't think they would be much of a help. Well, the first time I used them I could see it rumbling through her body (which was really weird) and I think all kinds of gas she'd been storing her whole (short) life came out. Wild!! After that, I only used them sporadically, as they would not always help or sometimes provoked the hiccups (which, from my husband's side of the family, can be a multi-day ordeal... it's a bit strange...). In any case, I think you could ask your pediatrician if these other (great!!) ideas don't seem to do it. Mine had some good alternate burping techniques. It turns out my little number 2 was just a gassy baby.

You can also burp him part way through the feeding and again after. That was very helpful for us. I think the idea is that bottle-fed babies need burping every ounce or so, and breast-fed every couple/few ounces (I read that in some literature once) so I think that burping once or twice every feeding is a good guideline. You could also see if he seems to latch on to your whole nipple and the area around it - that's a good seal for feeding. If you have further breastfeeding questions I'm sure you can talk to a lactation consultant, but try to burping partway through (I nursed on each breast with each feeding, so I would nurse one side, burp, then nurse the other - sometimes the gas was slow to come out, but it was usually there in the middle of the process). If you nurse just one side you can pull him off gently by pushing on the crease of his mouth to break the suction and then burp him, and put him back on. He shouldn't fuss too much over the interruption.

Good luck!

My youngest daughter was like that. Ask your pediatrician about acid reflux becasue that is what my daughter had until she was about 5-6 months old really bad

Walmart makes a brand of gas drops that work just as well. you get twice as much for the same price of mylicon drops. they are only sold over in the "pharmacy" dept next to the kid section of drugs. As far as the burping goes, they may not burp as much as when breast fed but i would still try after or between sides. Also, my baby was very gassy and i would rotate his legs and press gently against his stomach with the legs and it would help release the gas. That seemed to help tremendously. hope this helps

I don't know about breastfeeding, but i do know about gas.
My kids had alot of gas. They have special drops you can give your baby (ck with your doctor fist ofcourse) and a warm towel on your baby's belly can help (i heat a towel in the microwave for a few seconds just to warm it) Also, pushing your baby's legs to his chest and holding them there for eight second (repeat) can help move gas. Also rubbing baby's belly couonter clock wise can help move gas. Hope this is helpful

T.
the MOM Team, Helping MOMs Stay Home
www.cheerforyourfuture.com

This sounds just like my baby (now 1 year). I always thought he was gassy but it turns out he had acid reflux. The pediatrician prescribed a low dose of Zantac which helped him tremendously. We also took other action like raising the head of the mattress a bit and keeping him upright after eating.

Hi there! Well, a few things I've learned include that all babies need to be burped even breastfed ones AND squirming is completely normal! I used to wonder why my son stirred so much and grunted at night and I started to worry but it turns out, that's what newborns do!

Don't worry :) he'll stop squirming in about 2 weeks.

I had these same problems 30 years ago with my now 30 year old son. I commend you for breastfeeding. Keep it up. Turned out my boy was extremely sensitive to dairy. To this day, he can't drink a lone glass of milk without severe stomach issues. I, of course, was ingesting lots of dairy. Hindsight is 20/20. If I would have known his lactose intolerance, I would have discontinued dairy and would have saved myself many months of grief. It might be worth a try to cut all dairy from your diet for a month, see if he doesn't improve and then introduce these items back into your diet, one at a time, in small quantities.
Also, consider that many babies in the first few months of life have a hard time adjusting. My boy also turned out to have an extremely active personality, always needing motion, so I blame some of his squirming, fussing, on his just requiring more stimulus.
It's funny, because when his younger brother was born just 21 months later, he was exactly opposite, no stomach issues at all.
Best of luck. I'm sure you'll get through this just fine and your son will turn out to be as wonderful as mine is today.

I use to give kids what they call gripe water ask your doc. or pharm. it is made with ginger and fennel and it is drops I believe in them.

*laugh* My little girl was also a VERY gassy baby. It's better now but she still has lots of gas (she's 7 months now). My pediatrician said it was perfectly safe to use Mylicon if the gas got too bad for her. It doesn't go into the blood stream so it works fast (almost immediate).

Also, I burped her a lot.

Congrats on your little bundle of love!

Babies grunt and gurgle and stretch and do all kinds of things while they sleep. He's probably just fine!

Newborns are noisy and squirmy when they sleep. They have lots of spasms that cause them to wake up. That's why they swaddle babies.

I wouldn't worry about your diet unless it is causing him pain. Also, if he does start acting colicky, the most likely cause in your diet is dairy, not spices or vegetables.

I don't know about bottle fed babies since I still breastfeed my now 15month old. She has always had gas. It's the normal process of a developing digestive system. I would take the time to burb him if he seems uncomfortable.

~L.
www.accesspilates.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/businesssavvymoms/

My now 3 year old used to cry almost every time I nursed and her tummy would bloat. I stopped eating food with msg, modified anything or hydroginated oils and she got better immediately. The gas drops didn't work for her. Some babies are allergic to gluten or dairy.

I now have an almost 5 month old baby who is doing great. He has no problems eating or sleeping. I pretty much don't eat at restaraunts and I've continued to cut the food products I mentioned above out of my diet because I think they are not healthy anyway and I feel a lot better when I don't eat them.

I do eat lots of fresh fruit, vegetables and whole grains. My son has never reacted to anything I've eaten except chocolate.

I recommend the book "On Becoming Baby Wise" by Gary Ezzo and Robert Bucknam. I read it just after having my second baby and it helped tremendously. I attribute my baby's calm demeanor, great eating and sleeping in large part to what I learned by reading that book in addition to a healthy diet. I wish I had read it before having both my kids.

Hi J.,
I am the mom of a 2 1/2 yr old and a 6 month old. I breast fed my daughter until she was one and am still breast feeding my son. He is a gassy baby and used to squirm while feeding him and when he laid down. He does need to be burped all the time where my daughter didn't. All babies are different. After talking with my DR about my son we decided that is has acid reflux and has been on Axid since he was very small. This has helped tremendously. So I advise you to talk with your DR about the squirming and GERD. I have also found that what I eat really does effect my son. I can't eat anything spicy, dairy, or Chocolate. It does seem like too much sometimes and I will cheat and then my son spits up a lot for a few days. It is so worth it. It is only a short time in your overall life. Hope that this helps.
Megan

J., I don't think it's gas, My daughter is 3 months she's also a breasfed baby and she use to do the same exact thing while she would sleep. The grunts, squirms and stretching all at the same time. I mean lips poked out arms in the air making all this noise while moving. I didn't do anything for her because she wasn't looking uncomfortable to me acutally i thought it was cute. However like i said she's 3 months now and it don't happens that often. ESP. when she's waking up.

Hi J.,

Please burp your baby after breast feeding. Keep the baby upright for awhile before laying the baby down to sleep to helps the gas to be expelled.

Call the La Leche League to see if they have any suggestions.

Hope this helps. D.

i breastfeed both my boys and they suffered with gas first it is something you are eating think about what gives you gas might do the same for the baby like onions, cabbage, mild etc.
the way i would help is wrap him in a receiving blanket put a little pressure on the belly (not to tight) and lay him across your lap and pat his back for a few and it will usually pass. now etched in stone but it worked for me. and be sure to watch what you eat.

Hi - my four week old is the same way. Every baby needs to be burped after feeding regardless of breastfed or not. This is really important so that they don't aspirate the spit-up when they are in their cribs. But my daughter needs to be burped numerous times after feeding and will act very constipated during a feeding. My first daughter almost never spit up or had any digestion problems, so every baby is different. I suggest that you elevate his head after feeding (my pediatrician suggested this) and make sure you burp him after each breast, and even take him off mid-feeding on each side to do it. Maybe try some different burp positions too (on your lap, football, or shoulder). I am also trying to simplify my diet to see if this is causing any issues - for instance, I already think she doesn't like onions! Good luck and congrats on the new baby!

Hi J.,
I would suggest you stop eating all beans, corn, brocoli, and dairy products (milk, yogurt, ice cream, etc). My daughter Ariana is 21 weeks old now, and this same thing happened to me when she was around 2-3 weeks old...all of the sudden, she became extremely gassy and fussy whenever I breastfed her (which I did exclusively for 3 months), and she stopped sleeping well. After talking to her pediatrician, I realized Ariana was gassy and fussy because of the foods I was eating. The only safe vegetables for me to eat (raw or cooked) were carrots, spinach, and salad greens. Potatoes were okay to eat. And meat is ok too, but nothing too spicy. I also cut out all my dairy products, and after about a week, Ariana stopped being gassy and fussy, and began to sleep better, which was a HUGE relief, because I was a walking zombie during this time. Around four months I started introducing the things I had eliminated back into my diet, but NOT all at once...for instance, I would have a cup of yogurt as my only dairy product for the day, and it wouldn't upset Ariana. Now at 5 months, I am back to eating beans and dairy, but not a whole lot in one day. I haven't tried corn yet, which was the main thing that would upset Ariana after I ate it. Hope this helps...good luck! By the way, it DOES get easier...after the first two months, it's smooth sailing! But those first two months are definitely a trial by fire, hazing period for parents in my opinion! :)

Yes - it definitely COULD be what you are eating. Everyone is different, just like some of your favorite foods don't bother you, but may bother your husband. My girlfriend had to cut out broccoli (even cooked) garlic, chocolate, - a number of things! I would google breastfeeding causing gas, or something similar and see if you can find a list of the most often culprits - and try to eliminate from there. Foods that you don't think bother you could him.

On a second note - NOTHING makes as much noise as a newborn sleeping! They grunt all night and kick and squirm. I don't know if this is the only factor for determining gas - does he cry a lot during the day awhile after you have fed him? Sometimes massaging the tummy in a downward motion works, as does laying them horizontal in your lap across your knees - almost like the pressure on their tummy helps push it out. And I would ALWAYS burp him. He may not burp as loudly or as much as a bottle fed, but he should still get the old college try. (unless he has conked out and you are blissfully tucking him in bed!)

i dont think it matters what you eat it can be many things. i had a friend that couldnt have broccoli like you said. and yes maybe try burping between breasts every baby is different and if he is breathing and swollowing which you have to do to drink for more than a few seconds you can and probably will swollow air. writ down everything you eat and when he acts or doesnt act gassy. it could be your drink. could be a dessert never know.

burp him more just like you would a bottle fed baby. there are also drops you can get to stop the gas. you give it to them before they eat. his enzymes may not be breaking down the food yet as well as they should be and this will help him and you alot...blessings, L.

All babies need to be burped and it shouldn't have anything to do with how they nurse. There system is just not mature enough to pass gas easily on their own. Try mylicon drops. They are very safe and babies love the taste. I would give my son mylicon before I nursed him then burp him and he would sleep a lot better. The grunting and squirming is ok as long as it is not waking him up...but if he's in a bassinet in your room I'm guessing you are not sleeping!

When my daughter was a newborn, we had a couple weeks that were like a nightmare!! She would start screaming EVERY night at the same time and when I tried to nurse her, she would eat for a second and then shake her head and cry. She also did the "Linda Blair/Exorcist" projectile vomiting thing. We tried formula and everything we could think of to comfort her! She had reflux and she was in pain when she would lay flat after eating. If you've eliminated all the foods you think might be making him uncomfortable, ask your doctor about reflux. Also, try getting rid of dairy in your diet...my daughter also was intolerant of any dairy I ate.

All five of my babies needing burping, the air comes through their nose! You can tilt your body while you hold him so he is slightly elavated and that might help. Warmth will help him expel gas too. Like putting a heating pad on a blanklet, warming it up then putting on his belly...warm bathes too! If he screams because of gas, which I am glad he isn't once In a while try using a thermometer to help him expel...rectum...but not often!!
My kids did that but they out grew it.
Also if he is awake you can gently push his knees onto his belly then down a gain repeatedly and that helps expel gas!
He will be fine! God Bless! Adn keep nursing!

J.,
My oldest had Colic and was diagnosed with Acid reflux. After all was said and done Four months later it was my chiropractor who fixed him up not the medication. I know it sound odd but I recommend chiropractic care for all infants.

My second.....sounds just like yours. I couldn't eat chocolate. He just couldn't handle it from my milk. I did a food diary and found Chocolate and mixed salad greens where the worst. It's hard to give up chocolate but It's only for a year.
Good Luck
S.

Hi J.,

Your baby sounds like my son. He was an extremely noisy sleeper. Always moving and grunting all night. It could be gas, it could be just they way he is, or that he cannot get comfortable. For my son it turned out to be reflux. It really helped to swaddle him and prop him upright. Both my kids were breastfed and burped them just like they were bottle fed. Try burping him better, and watch what you are eating too, and try swaddling him when he sleeps. If your still concerned after making a few changes talk to your dr.
Good luck

Mylacon drops are awesome. They are in the drug store. They are great for gas, and the babies usually love them. Always keep some on hand.
There is also "little tummys" it is a little cheaper, but I had trouble finding it. It is at ToysRUs.
Good luck and Congratulations!
Patty

When our son was born he had an underdeveloped digestive system even though he was only born 2 weeks early and not a preemie. This would give him painful gas when he was lying flat on his back. Our pediatrician had us put him to sleep in his infant carrier so that he was slightly elevated. He slept like that til he was about 6 months old and started really squirming and I was worried about him falling out of his carrier. I breastfed him til he was 1 and he had no problems with nursing. But being elevated like that helped him a lot you could see him totally relax when he was sleeping there. So we just put his carrier in his crib so he was used to his own surroundings. Good luck.

Hi J.,
I have a 4 month old and went through the same thing with my daughter. I know this is tough, but try to cut out caffine, tomatoes, onions, and watch your dairy. Once I cut out all these things my daughter felt so much better. Also consider trying Gripe Water...avaiable at Whole Foods.

My son, now 10 was a very gassy baby and I also breastfed. The doctore at that told told me to of course watch what I ate as you have been doing but also to try using Mylicon drops and that seemed to really help him.

I hope it works for you.

A.

use Mylicon drops before each meal they seem to help i had a very Colicky baby we lived on these ,they we a blessing to us .The Doc suggested them to us .......

myclom drop will save your life and won't hurt your baby abd they are not habit formaing

My daughter was a continuous bomb of gas build up and more often then not uncomfortable from it. She is still breastfed and burping was next to impossible with her. I was so concerned that I told the dr how I could rarely get her to burp and was glad to hear our life did not depend on it. My dr proceeded to tell me it is overrated and "never done in some cultures and there children are just fine."

My dr., her pediatrician, and lactation consultant also all told me to eat a normal. They all said I would drive myself crazy trying to figure out what gives gas and what doesn't. I simply watched and minimized to omited the obvious ones like broccoli, cauliflower, beans, sauerkraut, etc. I also take Caltrate +D supplement and limit milk intake to 3 glasses a day. Drinking lots of water is what promotes milk production not drinking milk.

So what to do to help your son with gas.
1. Leg presses-lay him on his back and do bicycle motion with his legs pressing firmly, but of course not too hard, into his abdomen. This helps them to release the gas.

2. Gas drops. My dr. said they could be given regularly through out the day-every 2 hrs-not to exceed 12 doses a day. Some times it seemed they provoked my daughter to spit up more but we have also found she has acid reflux. After about a month of regular dosing I reduced to as needed.

3. Swaddling at night. As others have said, your baby is so young that it is normal for her to make noises and squirm while sleep even make a few squaks her and there. My husband drove me nuts the first month we had my daughter home. She slept in our room in a bassinet and every little sound, he was shaking me, "is she ok? you going to check on her?"

You know that it's what you eat that can cause a gassy baby. Broccoli, cabbage, sweet potatoes and spicy foods even cooked can cause this problem. When you feed, is it skin to skin or do both of you have on clothes. The best way to feed is skin to skin. Breast fed baby's will need burping occassionally.

My question would be is he just grunting and squirming or does it wake him up and act like it's painful. If it's just the noises etc, I wouldn't worry about it. If he's acting like it hurts - and keeps him up - you can try giving him the gas drops. When you are breastfeeding, anything and everything goes to them. With my younger son, I had to limit all milk products and tomato sauce. That helped him a lot. (He was waking up at night in pain.) I would suggest if it doesn't bug him, don't worry about it. If it does, try gas drops and experiment with what you eat.

We had the same issues with our second child and it turned out that he was Lactose intolerant. So I cut out dairy products from my food so it wouldn't transfer through the breast milk. It's easy to try for a week. There was an immediate difference. BTW Soy isn't that great. If you have to have your milk Lactaid works really well. My son's 5 year's old now and still Lactose intolerant and I found that I'm not as gassy or queasy when I don't have dairy products. I hope this helps.

Breastfeeding makes babies very gassy...something about the lactose levels and the sugars in the milk. They are supposed to make all sorts of uncouth noises and need to be burped a lot until their muscles develop enough to let them do it alone. So I guess you could say that what your baby is doing is natural. Especially at three weeks old babies are still adjusting to being out in the world instead of in the womb. The noises and the squirming, I have read, are in response to the brain development, developing body control and learning to differentiate between night and day.

Don't worry. Keep boobing the baby, keep burping (soon you won't have to anymore) and remember that sleeping like a baby actually means being very loud and squirmy.

I've never had a time when I didn't have to burp my babies. I'd for sure burp him. Food can be up to the individual baby but for mine, broccoli and garlic were not agreeable. Before eliminating any major food group, start keeping a food diary and noting when your little guy seems to react. It is the only real way get to the source, if it is food. When all else fails, go to the Pediatrician. My son's doctor (female) had me demonstrate nursing in front of her to see if it was a latching problem (it wasn't). Don't be shy, it's worth the knowledge. They may suggest Mylicon drops, which is a very simple/safe form of anti-gas medication (over the counter). All 3 of my kids needed it. Good luck!

An old remedy, tried and ture. I have children 25, 27, 29 and I did it for all. A pinch a baking soda on the baby's tongue.

My breast-fed boy was very gassy and uncomfortable when he was laying down. It was difficult for him to sleep, I believe he had some reflux problems, but I wanted to avoid medication if possible. We propped his bassinet up at the head, which helped a bit, but mostly he had to grow out of it and spent a lot of time sleeping on our chests so he could be upright! Burp him often, even before he is done feeding from each side. Try putting his lower belly right on your shoulder as you gently pat him and bounce - that really helps get the air out!
ps - If he is sleeping without a lot of crying and waking frequently, he may not really be uncomfortable. He may just be squirmy! :-)