One Month Old with Terrible Gas Pains

Hi C.
ust had baby 6 months ago myself. Have a wonderful Ped-holistic dr.. Dr miles at progressive pediatirics on Beach and parental.
She recommended pro-biotics (for babies from health food store.) Please call her and make an appt. or leave a question on her message soemone will call you back to try and help you.
Pro-biotics worked for me.. I took them too as i am still breastfeeding.. Also, I rolled a blanket for back support and laid her on her side.. and since she was sleeping under ceiling fan.. I would lay on belly-,when she was around 5.5 months-mostly her side until she was old enough to lift her head..
she never like sleeping on her back and even today does not unless her legs are elevated.. that helps too.

My third son had this same issue. We found that bicycling his legs worked well. Also, I would take a recieving blanket and put in the microwave for 20 seconds. I would fold it over my arm and lay my son on my forearm face down. After a few minutes of holding him this way, the gas would usually come out and he would be so content.

I had good luck with camomile tea. It is safe to give infants. I would suggest going to a local herbalist for more information. Hope this helps.
Good Luck,
S.

My little one had a lot of gas, too. What helps is pushing her legs back and forth up to his chest and back down, but alternating them (like riding a bicycle). It helps get everything moving and you will probably hear gas bubbles coming out. Also, make sure you burp him a lot while feeding him. Check the angle that you are feeding him, as well. Babies with gas problems should be fed at a bit of a higher head position. Hope your little guy gets better soon.

Hi, my is N. My oldest son was like that too. My mother in-law told me at that time to massage him with a little bit ofcoooking oil. U r going to warm it a little bit ( like the warm of yr hang) then u r going to massage on his stomach from the his belly buttom to the opening of his stomach. Then u r going to do it for 2 or 3 mins in the evening before u put him down to sleep. He has gasthritis. ( u must massage his stomachfrom opening of stomach to the belly and then around back up) try it He may feel better). U can give him a little bit of water with salt (a pic) and a bit of sugar so it go taste mix together and give him some in stead of milk. Please dont take the milk away he needs that. my son is now a military he 21 yrs old and he dosnt drink milk since he was 6 months so please try new things but now so fast because the stomach will not get better. Hope he uhe feel better soon. take care. bye.

C.,

Hi, sorry that your little one is having problems. I had similar problems with my second son. I eventually ended up in the emergency room one night because he was in so much pain and couldn't keep the formula down. I found out that he had a lot of air bubbles trapped and that I was not burping him the right way. Here as an experienced mom I thought I had it figured out but I guess not. What you might try and it worked wonders for my son and we had no problems from that point and I didn't have to resort to Mylicon drops or switching formulas is the following and this came directly from the hospital. Hold the baby in a sitting position to eat, try bottles that allow the air to escape and the MOST IMPORTANT IS THE FOLLOWING: WHEN BURPING THE BABY CUP YOUR HAND TO BURP HIM. I know is sounds odd, but the cupping sensation helps the trapped bubbles come to the surface and escape and allows him to burp. Let me tell you when I did it there in the hospital the eleviate some of the trapped bubbles while doing the ultrasound they did on my son before and after there was a big difference. Just using a flat palm didn't make any difference.

Hope this helps. That is the only way I burped my 3rd son and we never had any problems.

Good luck.

S.
35 y/o SAHM of 3 boys
13, 6 and 3

Hi C.,

I would recommend chiropractic or cranial sacral. It helps tremendously with reflux and abdominal pain. He has a disturbance in his nervous system somewhere that is not allowing his body to function as it is supposed to. It is very very gentle and has lots of benefits. Also, soy is not good for babies, especially boys. It has an estrogen affect and can interfere with his hormones. Try any other hypoallergenic that you can.

All the best,
C.

There is something in the grocery store in the spice section call dillseed/or dillweed. it is very good and gives little ones relief especially the younger one. You boil it and give it to him as a tea. it's a natural remedy used by many in the caribbean. Also Mint is good as well.

I'm a mom of two, a 12 year old and 4 year old and I've been there with all the gas. We grow dill seed in most caribbean countries.

Hi C.. I am a 75 yo grandmother, mother of 4. For generations in our family we have used fennel seed tea for colic. Bye some fennel seed at the grocery store. Boil 2 tsp. in 2 cups water just like you were making tea. Add a tiny bit of sugar and let cool.Put it in a bottle just like you were offering the baby water. Warm it a little so it will be more soothing. It has worked in our family for 4 generations. Hope this helps.

B..

Hi C.,

This may seem like an odd suggestion, but you may want to take him to the Chiropractor for a check up. Very briefly... the brain and the body communicate via the nervous system which runs down the spinal cord and out to the rest of the body much like branches on a tree. If he has a spinal misalignment it could cause multiple problems. Remember the birthing process is not only traumatic for you but your baby as well. We own an office and my son was adjusted 45 min after birth. Every baby should get a spinal check up just to make sure his spine is in proper alignment. I would definitely try this since you don't want your baby being on medications. Mandy is also correct... avoid soy if at all possible. Try the chiropractic and switch back to a different formula. (I had trouble producing enough milk, so we supplemented with Enfamil Lipil. My son is now 9 months old and we still breastfeed and supplement with 1 bottle of Enfamil Lipil at night.) Hope this helps. Good luck.

I feel you pain, and his! My daughter, who is now 26 months, also suffered from gas and acid reflux as an infant. She still has the reflux, but no longer "suffers." Unfortunately you are doing EVERYTHING you can. You will just have to wait for his system to develop as he grows. Most babies will outgrow it by 6 months. We were not so lucky. My daughter didn't sleep through the night until almost 15 mos. If he is 1 month old and sleeping 3-4 hours at a time at night that is REALLY GOOD! Hang in there. It will get better.

TAKE HIM TO A CIVILIAN DOCTOR, UN LESS YOU'RE NEAR A BIG CENTER IE: WALTER REED, WILFORD HALL, KEESLER. iF YOU CAN GET A LOCAL MIITARY DOC TO SIGN FOR YOU TO GO TO A BIG CENTER, YOU CAN GET FREE FLIGHT, ROOM AND BOARD. I HAD TO DO THAT TO GET MY TRANSPLANTS. I TRUST VERY FEW MILITARY DOCTORS, MOST ARE JUST IN THE MILITARY TO PAY BACK COLLEGE LOANS FROM THE MILITARY . MAJORS AND ABOVE ARE USUALLY IN THE MILITARY BECAUSE THEY LIKE IT. YOU CAN USE ANY MILITARY HEALTH wE WERER USAF, SON BORN IN ARMY, DAUGHTR IN USAF, TRANSPLANT ARMY, oVERSEAS NAVY/MARINE.

Soy has hormones that are not always good for little boys...

My last son Wyatt was so bad too - he ended up taking prevacid and we put him on Similac Alimentum formula, you could see the change in 24 hours - it worked wonders for him!! Please go out and buy a tin it's the purple one...

One thing that helped with our 3rd child was switching the type of formula we gave him. We switched to the ready to feed liquid. The powder needs to be shaken to mix it up and that infuses air into the milk and he's drinking that down. Once we switched to the ready to feed liquid, and the Dr. Brown bottles, we still gave the mylicon drops at feeding time and things greatly improved.
Good luck!
A little soothing trick is to lay him down on his belly across your knees and either sway him or bounce a tiny bit to help him work it out.

My daughter was like that at that age she has reflux too. What works for me is feeding her very little more ofter (she is 5 months and she eats 4 oz every 2 hours); it helps her to avoid the pain, remember that reflux is painful too. I raised her bed on 1 side, she does not sleep flat. When I am with her, she sleeps in a pillow and/or on her tummy. ( Mostly when she was smaller....now she turns and prefers to sleep on her belly, I do still watch her on a pillow)
I started using Probiotics and even taking the reflux meds the improvement is amazing! Also, when she was smaller, she slept longer in her bouncy sit.
Good luck! It will get better.

this is what I do:)
help parents of babies w/ reflux
are you near miami?
http://www.mamasource.com/business/14059862321568677889

My son had these same issues. I got a book from the library on giving baby massages. We did warm baths 1-2 times a day because the warmth helps (that's why they like being against your body). I also used a 'bug' it's actually a foot massager but I would put him in his swing (which he liked I think because of the movement) with the bug on the side of his tummy vibrating and within a few minutes I hear a burp. I made sure his bottles were warm because if they are cold or cool it actually causes more gas. I burped more often; I'd give him 1 ounce and burp, then give 1/2 an ounce and burp and continue with the 1/2 ounce then burp. If you don't get a burp after a few minutes then feed him another 1/2 ounce. My son cried everytime I took the bottle away but I took comfort in knowing that his stomach ache wouldn't be AS bad as a result.

Try to rest when you can - Don't feel guilty about the laundry that needs to be done or the dinner that needs to be cooked. You need lots of patience to deal with an upset child and the best way to have lots of patience is to get lots of sleep.

Hi C.
My youngest 2 had acid reflux and colic, both were put on medicine and it did help but took a few weeks. Both were nursed. I found that "bicycling" that a few people suggested did help but in between I would rub their tummys gently left to right and I could feel the bubbles moving. Then slowly lift their little legs up toward their tummy and it would pass. Also, after feeding prop them up in one of those cloth bouncy seats and do NOT move them for about an hour to let the liquid go all the way down into their tummmies. Remember, this will soon be a memory! Till then, God bless
L.

Your son's symptons sounds just like my oldest son's(he's now 21)symptoms at 1 month. He ended up being lactose intolerant and it seemed the milk I was drinking while nursing him was affecting him. So if you are still nursing, you might stay off all dairy. Soy formula did the trick and relieved him of all the symptoms. Even at 1 year, he was not able to tolerate cow's milk without severe gas and constipation. One thing I learned was that the enzyme in cow's milk takes a few days to build up in the system of a lactose intolerant person b/f it causes the gas pains. As he got older, he was able to tolerate ice cream but never cared for milk. He's at College now and was on the Wrestling Team/ Swim Team in HS. Your son will be strong and healthy,too. Hope this helps you find a solution to your son's trouble.

A little about me:

I'm the mother of 3 children-2 sons and 1 daughter- all in college. My husband retired from the military 6 years ago after 21.5 years- civilian life is good, too. Our 2 sons plan to follow their Dad in the military after College as Officers. I'm a Math Teacher.

I used fennel seed tea with mine. If you go to someplace like Fresh Market or I used to get mine at a Farmer's Market where I was sure the produce was locally grown, you should be okay. I used it withy all mine and we have never had any seizures. Also, you could try wrapping a small blanket around his tummy area. If it is firm enough; it helps. We did this with one of mine; did not work with the others. But it did with my eldest.
Good luck.

Hi C.,

You've had good suggestions with the teas, the chiropractor, and switching to goat's milk. I would second and third all of them! I would remove him from the soy because there is too much estrogen it it even for baby girls. It causes them to have their menses earlier and no little boy ever needs soy.

The next thing I want to make sure you know is that pharmaceuticals that are ANTacids actually stunt the ability to produce acid and will give a rebound effect with the reflux. The tummy needs acid to breakdown and digest food, even formula and breastmilk. Mylicon and the others can do long term damage as well. The meds are actually causing the food not to digest and the pain and reflux comes from the fact that it is actually rotting and fermenting in the tummy. Fermentation produces all types of gases.

God bless you!

M.

Hi C.,
If you would like to discuss this with me, please feel free to call me ###-###-#### and leave your call back number if my message phone is on. I have a lot of gas and colic relief stories and experience to share if you haven't yet found a way to ease your baby's gas pains. Sinerely, H.

One of my twins had the same thing and I don't know if this is something you want to do, but we just had him sleep in his bouncy chair for a few weeks, until he outgrew it. I think being semi-upright was more comfortable for him, so he slept better (but still not great).

Also, try doing a bicycle-like movement with his legs when he's on his back. Our doctor said that it kind of kick-starts digestion, which can help. And being on the tummy helps, because the position makes it easier to pass the gas.

The good news is, it will go away eventually. I hope you figure something out in the meantime.

Have you read any information on baby/toddler massage? Baby Yoga, too? I understand that both can be beneficial to the digestive system. At this point, I'm sure you're ready to try anything... especially noninvasive.
Good luck to you, so sorry that your little one suffers so much.

When my son was about 3 weeks old, he got colic to the fullest degree! Every single night he was inconsolable until midnight or later. After five different formulas, we tried Neutramagen (not sure about spelling). His colic was instantly gone! I've never seen anything like it. That formula is pretty expensive but we gladly paid it to ease his pain. He stayed on it until he turned one and we switched to milk.

He is about to be six next month. It turns out that he has many food allergies that we had no idea about when he was little. His system is very sensitive. Soy was horrible for my son. I've never seen him so sick in all his short little life as when we tried soy formula.

Hope this helps!

C. B

Hi C.-

When my son had gas, infant massage to the abdominal area sometimes helped. You can find books on it, or probably look it up on line.

I have given my daughter a 1/2 tsp of mylanta for very bad reflux.

My advise, he might be that way until he starts to eat. My son had lots of problems until he started eating. Its a rough time but it DOES end. Good luck.

Try Bio Gaia. You can get it from the pharmacy, but it is not prescription. They are probiotic drops. It really helped my babies gas pain. And at least it is natural. The gripewater, etc. did not work very well, but this works whenever I need it. It is kept in the refrigerator, if the pharmacist doesn't know where it is or what it is. You may have to try a couple of places, I know I did, but it is the only thing that worked for me. Look it up online for more info.

Was your son actually diagnosed with milk protein intolerance, or are you just trying soy formula to see if it will help? If you did not notice an immediate difference (within 24 hours) once he was on the soy formula, then milk based formula may not be the problem. Soy is actually one of the top eight food allergens and should only be used as a last resort in formula fed infants with milk protein intolerance. A better option would be a hypoallergenic formula, if in fact he has milk protein intolerance. I would check with your pediatrician to see of soy formula is really necessary.

Don't panic. My son has 34 years now. When he was that age, he suffers from gas pains also. The formula change to Soy will help him as it helped my. You have to watch his food for his entire life.

Marta/Puerto Rico

Hi,

Have you tried goat's milk? To make a long story short, my SIL, who has been in the health food industry for 20 years, raised her baby on goat's milk when she couldn't produce enough milk, and suggested it to me when my fourth baby had bad colic. I supplemented her with one bottle of goat's milk a day (I still do, she's 4 1/2 months old now and colic-free!) and it helped the most out of everything I tried.

Goat's milk is the closest thing to mothers' milk, and most people who can't tolerate cow's milk can use it. It is lacking a few nutrients, so I add a dash of sweet almond oil, a dash of organic molasses and a pinch of brewer's yeast. Baby loves it!

I also am against too much soy, especially for babies and males. My SIL confirms this, and when I worked for a health magazine (before kids), we used to run stories about soy as a natural hormone replacement for menopausal women. The phytoestrogen is good for menopause, but what if you don't need the extra hormone? No studies have been done on soy's estrogenic effects on babies or males, unfortunately.

HTH,
Peg

Hey C.,

I know that a baby with gas pains can be so tiring! Have you ever heard of giving your baby probiotics? Sometimes if the mother had to take any antibiotics during pregnancy or if the baby had to have any, or if the mother had a c-section or epidural, the enzymes in the baby's tummy can be destroyed and that causes a LOT of babies to have gas and digestive problems. If you go to a health food store, you can get some that goes in the refrigerator and add it to the babies milk. This will restore all the good enzymes in the babies tummy. It's the same as eating yogurt after taking antibiotics to restore the good bacteria in our stomachs. Just a thought for you.

I hope you find what works soon!
Have a great day!
T.

Have you taken him to a pediatric gastro? We had the same thing with my son and they have him different meds and also had us adding cereal to his bottle. Because of his age, a pediatric gastro would give the best advice as to what to do. If you live in Broward County, I highly recommend Dr. Tano's office.