Baby Has Paiful Gas Pain?? Help!

-This presumably started 1 1/2 weeks ago? Was he on antibiotics before this started? Did the doctor do any stool cultures?
-The reflux is helped by the Prevacid, but he still has excruciating new abdominal pain, green stool, blood in his stool, no change with your change in diet, vomiting the new formula, and no improvement from probiotics, Mylicon, or Gripe water.
-I would continue the Mylicon anyway.
-I would also try the exercises mentioned by another writer, getting his little tush up in the air - but not within an hour after eating.
-If he's used to your milk and he's changing to formula, you may need to progress him slowly to the formula with each feeding. Start with a small amount of formula mixed in with the breast milk. Slowly build up the proportion.
-I would continue pumping in case the problem has nothing to do with your breast milk.
-I agree that he should see a pediatric gastroenterologist ... and soon!

-(Here are some of Mamasource's colic and reflux articles from the past couple of weeks.
http://www.mamasource.com/request/13165534727270039553
http://www.mamasource.com/request/13730499913706373121)
Some ideas for reflux that I wrote:
1) Make absolutely sure that he is well-burped after each ~ounce and after each feeding.
2) After the feeding, let him lie stretched out on his right side with his head up on your chest in a comfortable chair while you hold him and you both doze for at least the next half hour.
3) If he wakes up screaming and thrashing, hold his arms and her legs securely, pat his back or chest to try to burp him more, keeping him in that right-sided with him head elevated position.
4) Change his diaper before his feedings. Avoid changing his diaper for at least 30-60 minutes after feedings so his belly isn't squished and legs aren't lifted above his head. (You might need to increase your use of A&D, or whatever you use.)
5) Make sure that his diaper is lose and he has no waistbands or constricting clothes around his abdomen. Avoid letting his belly get compressed after eating.
6) Sing to him. Play calming children's music CDs softly in the room. Avoid letting him sense any tension or anxiety.
7) Mylicon (simethicone) helps get the bubbles out. They swallow air when they cry, increasing the bubble build up in their stomachs.
Good Luck!

2 moms found this helpful

There is a lot of good advice hear. I only have two things that I would like to add. First my daughters all were formula fed, but my last one had such an adverse reaction that I had to put her on Lactose Free formula, NOT soy, but Lactose Free it made a world of difference. Second bouncey seat with a vibrate setting is a God send. I used to have to lay on the floor beside my first daughter while she slept. It was the only way for her to get any rest for about 6 months. Good luck it's rough, but you will pull through it.

1 mom found this helpful

Went through the same thing with my now 10 month old. The green stool has nothing to do with a milk allergy. The baby is getting to much foremilk and not enough hind milk. I never switched my kids during feeding. I would let them nurse as long as they wanted on one side. When the came off if they were still hungry I would offer the other side. I talked to a lactation nurse about the gas. They have different oponions then doctors. Try talking to one in your area. The gas could be caused by crying. They gulp in air and it fills there little tummies. I tried not to let my little on cry to much and it helped. She is still gassy and I still breastfeed. It should work itself out. I he isn't latched poperly he may be getting air. Hope this helped.

A.

1 mom found this helpful

I have definitely heard of blood in the stool being an idicator of allergies, although my son never had that and was diagnosed with severe allergies to milk, egg, and peanuts. I'm guessing your son has not been formally tested for allergies(i.e. skin prick test and RAST) as they usually don't test until 1 year old. I was under the impression that it took up to a month for dairy protein to leave a mom's body? I'm not sure what formula you are using, but my son had his first allergic reaction to formula - it contained whey (a milk protein). If you don't have a list from your doctor of common milk words (i.e. whey, casein, etc.) you can probably get one from the Food & Anaphylaxis Network or an allergist. We use UNC's. Soy formulas may also present a problem, as many children are also allergic to soy. The neutral formulas smell/taste awful, but kids can get used to them :) Unfortunately, they are expensive. If you have been diligent about reading labels for all the milk specific words for yourself (if breastfeeding) and your child and notice no improvement, I would suggest a referral to a pediatric allergist for evaluation and further education. At the least, they can be helpful and reassuring. They may also suggest evaluation for any other gastrointestinal problems since milk allergy is not the only cause of blood in stool.

1 mom found this helpful

Teresa

Avocados can be very gassey and can cause pain. I remember eating them when I was nursing and my baby and she had really bad gas pain it was from the avocadoes but boy are they good, Hope that helps!

J.

I have never experienced the severe gas pains, but with milder gas massaging the belly in a clockwise motion can help. Look into a baby massage class in your area. Also, is he 19 weeks or 19 months - that is a lot of food for an infant, but okay for a toddler. You might try apple sauce instead of apples in case he isn't chewing them thoroughly. Good luck!!

I would check with the dr. about an intestinal problem. This could be a sign of something wrong with the bowel. He is still sooo young. I would be following up with a pediatric GI specialist too. I have not experienced anything like this personally. But, if you feel something is wrong, keep following up until something is done! Moms know best...

A friend's baby had painful gas. She would gently press her legs up to her stomach and pat or rub her belly and bottom. That seemed to help the gas release. Hope this helps.

Both of my boys dealt with similar pain... I would sit down on the couch, and scrunch them up, facing me on my belly (my thumbs under both armpits, their legs stretched out so their feet were at my chin) and gently bounce, folding them as tight as they could be, a lot of gas would come out; toots and burps -- that helped for a quick fix. some babies are just prone to bad gas and if they are making an "eh" sound or an "aier" sound, then it usually is gas. I never had to change my diet, I just bounced them with their tummy on my shoulder or the way I described above and we got through it :) good luck to you!!

I just read some of the responses. I will just second what someone had said to moving the babies legs up towrds the stomach. When my 9 year old was a baby, she had gas issues. It really helped. Just push the knees up and thighs up into the stomach. It really does help. Good Luck. It looks like you got a lot of good advice.

I had the same problem with my son but it began when he was about 4 weeks old. We tried AXID (didnt work) then Prevacid which has helped tremendously. I had to give up breast feeding completly because it seemed like everything I ate gave him gas and he would scream for hours. We eventually ended up on Similac Sensitive formula-It took some time be he got used to it. We put gas drops in every bottle! Also we laid him on his belly on top of those big exercise balls-This helped push some of the gas out without putting too much pressure on his belly. Good luck.

I like the comment that your doctor may not be the brightest. Don't switch to formula! We had almost the same issue and though, I wanted to stay as natural as possible, the only thing that worked for us were the gas drops that we bought at the pharmacy... we used the generic version and I found that I sometimes gave them up to 5 times a day. It didn't eliminate the gas, but it made the gas bubbles small enough to go through his little system and not be so painful. We also propped him up to sleep. It didn't last forever and he is doing great now. Good luck.

It could be an allergy to another food that you are giving him. My best friends son had so many allergies that it was easier to say what he was not allergic to. I would talk to the doctor.

I would contact your local la leche league, and see what they have to say. If there is any pain med your doc can give, I would insist on that. He may have constipation now. Keep nursing him. I really feel for you and wish I could help. It is so rough and scary when you have no support group. I raised my children away from family also. Try to relax, and only do for you and baby, you 2 are the most important beings right now. Do you have a swing? Get one, and use it. Heat of some kind may help,swaddle him, and keep him on you. Just keep trying different things to see what helps most. Good luck.

One of our babies (now a teenager) also had terrible gas problems when they were an infant. Our doctor showed us how to move their legs to help relieve the gas. We would gently press their knees (legs) up toward their stomach. This helped our baby pass the gas and feel more comfortable. We also changed to a low iron formula.

Good luck and hope your baby is feeling better soon.

Are you nursing? I had problems with my daughter when I nursed. I had to omit beef, dairy, green peppers and onions from my diet. I also noticed that some spices bothered her too - like seasoning salt. She still had gas until she was 2 1/2 yrs old. I later read that chicken is on the meats that gives infants gas. I wish I would have known.

I never found any products that really helped with gas. But I did smash up tums for my son and fed him the pieces in my finger. I started by cutting the tums in quarters and using only a quarter at a time. This helped better an other meds.

As for helping them release it. I agree with the other moms on pumping the legs. We have a foot stool that rocked. We would put our daughter on it, loosen her diaper and pump her legs and it would rock her at the same time. Sometimes we did this for hours. She would sometimes fall asleep doing this. But it really helped to relax her bottom muscles.

If you are nursing I would not stop since it is easier to digest then any type of formula. Other wise there are formulas that do not use soy or milk products, but they are about $33 or more per small container. Ask the dr about it. You need to order them online (normally), they only come in bulk and they are pricy (over 100 dollars for three small containers). But if it works it is worth it. Depending on the state that you live, it may be covered by insurance. Good luck!

My son had terrible gas as well and was a breatfeed baby. Gripe Water is all natural and is like a miracle in a bottle. You can find it at local health food stores and I think in some phamacies as well. Good luck!

You might try infant massage on his tummy to help gently push the gas bubbles out. Your pediatrician, or another mom may be able to show you the method, or perhaps by googling "infant massage".

T.,

What the other two ladies said are good suggestions. Have you ever tried gentle massage? You would move his legs in a circular motion one way and then the other. Then you gently massage the abdomen. This all helps the muscles to work properly. A lot of times, if a child is having problems, thier muscles get lazy and you have to re-teach them. It should help him move some of the gas out. It worked well for my daughter and she used to get such gas pains, she would scream at the top of her lungs in the middle of the night.

I hope your son feels better soon. You too!

E.

Could it be gluten in your diet? My daughter had so many problems--it was two decades ago, and her intestinal malabsorption wasn't found until she was 16.5! She cannot have gluten, dairy, soy or eggs.

I really feel for you both.

I'd consult with a pediatric gastroenterologist and nutritionist.

-J.

my son also has milk allergy, he is 2 now, but also had bad gas pain as an infant. if you were told to eliminate all dairy, just be sure to read ingredients on EVERYTHING. you will be surprised at the things that have milk in them especially. also with the chicken you eat, the breading may have milk/eggs in it. also which formula are you using? my son had to be on nutramigen due to the milk allergy. so you may have to switch formulas also. good luck, this whole mom thing can be hard sometimes!!!