Gas trouble...gripe Water??

Updated on November 10, 2015
M.T. asks from Kansas City, KS
17 answers

Hello fellow moms!
I always come here for my mommy issues. Here is my latest that I need help with. I have a 2 week old little boy. He is on Similac Advance and breastmilk (I can't feed him enough on my own yet!). He is having gas troubles lately. I called his doctor's office and they gave me a couple of ideas to try..heating pad on low with him laying on top of it on my lap, or something else warm on his abdomen. But these aren't working. He's been taking little tummy's, they seem to help after a while. But I was wondering if anyone else had suggestions. I hate to see him suffering! I've heard of gripe water. Has anyone tried this? Is he too young for it since he's only 2 weeks old? Any suggestions would be helpful!! If it continues, I know I'll have to take him in. I almost wonder if it's his formula. Thanks ladies!

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So What Happened?

Thank you to all the lovely ladies that responded! I did end up getting gripe water and trying it out. I purchased the kind that is completely organic, with no alcohol in it. I must admit it seemed to help. I only used it when he seemed to be unconsolable. Then this week we had our checkup at his doctor. We ended up switching formulas. He's now on Similac Sensitive. What a difference it has made!!! Very little spitting up and gas with the new formula. I didn't know this is what it's supposed to be like! So thank you all ladies! You're responses helped me out immensely!!

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J.J.

answers from Rockford on

Try switching formula...
I have a 6 month old that was having problems like that when she was born ( I was also breastfeeding and giving formula). It appears that she was lactose intolerant. My doctor switched her to Similac Sensitive. It's lactose free, but milk based instead of soy. It really helped!! No more gas, spitting up or tummy aches anymore.
It's the one with the orange lid and you may not be able to find it in all grocery stores, but Wal-Mart has it. It may be worth giving it a try.

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B.K.

answers from Los Angeles on

Gripe water helps but not perfectly. In my case when my DD was having bad gas pain, I used all things but got positive results after giving her babies magic tea.

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H.C.

answers from Oklahoma City on

Gripe water is mainly used for colicy babies and it has alcohol in it.

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K.B.

answers from Kansas City on

Hey there!
I feel your pain!!!
This will be super short & I apologize... heading out of town tomorrow morning!
My son had the same! My hub would work his legs (gently pushing his knees up towards his tummy) a bit which helped relieve some trapped gas. Gripe water & Gas Relief are fine to give... they say if you do the Gas Relief drops to be consistent...but they didn't really help my son.
Anyway- My biggest help was switching to Soy formula! As for breastfeeding- stick to if you can, it is the best but try to cut out onions, broc, cauliflower and dairy from your diet. That may help also!
Take care... Happy Thanksgiving!

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L.K.

answers from Springfield on

We used gripe water on both of our kids and thought it worked great - and can be used at 2 weeks old. We tried Mylicon drops too, and didn't think it worked as well as gripe water. After we would give them gripe water, you could hear there stomachs rumbling and then after about 30 seconds they went from screaming to happy.

My son was allergic to dairy products and after a few days of cutting out all dairy items in my diet when I was breastfeeding, he was much better. As he got older, I started adding a little bit of dairy back in my diet as he could tolderate it. You might want to try that too - it might not be the formula but the breastmilk.

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C.G.

answers from St. Louis on

When I had to start my daughter on formula (not enough breast milk production also) She had terrible problems, gassy, constipation, dry skin, etc. Her doctor suggested we switch to soy, and what a difference! Poor thing does not tolerate dairy, and actually you'd be suprised at how many adults and children are lactose intolerant. I'd make the switch to soy, and see if it helps.

Also, I wouldn't recommend gripe water, or anything other than breast milk or formula unless your doc specifically tells you to, adding anything to an infants diet at such a young age can alter the delicate carbohydrate/liquid balance they need in order to thrive and grow.

Good luck!

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S.S.

answers from Kansas City on

Hello! I know, it is painful to see your baby in pain. My 5 week old boy had bad gas issues the first couple of weeks, but I think it was just due to an immature digestive system. He was on breastmilk then, but after 3 and a half weeks I switched him over to formula because he was not latching on well to the breast. I had him on Enfimil Lipil, and the gas issues came back along with diarrea. I then switched him to Enfimil Gentlease, and he now passes gas with ease and when he needs to. The diarrea is off and on, but I think that is just him still adjusting to being on formula. Enfimil Gentlease is made for babies with fussiness and gas. So, yes, in my opinion, it could definately be the formula and that is where I would make a change first. Good luck!

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M.T.

answers from Kansas City on

Our little one had gas issues as well. We were breastfeeding/ formula, I had low production, for the first two months. It just so happened that she was lactose intolerant, so, we switched to soy, and I went on a no dairy diet. We also used mylicon drops and sometimes gripe wter for the real meltdowns. Check with your pediatrician, because it is a medication, but ours agreed that it would be fine to give. It really did seem to help her deal with her tummy issues. Now, she is 10 months old, and is on regular dairy products and formula. Good Luck!

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T.H.

answers from Kansas City on

Natural Treasures Gripe Water is the best(natural stuff and can use at 2 weeks!) the stuff you find at Whole foods and the like is black licorice flavor(who's bright idea is that for a baby anyway) but I swore by it with my guys! You can google it, it's a white and pink label! See if that helps(give it 5-6 days)and then think about switching to a more gentle formula- my boys couldnt do Similac and had to switch to Enfamil! Good luck!

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S.H.

answers from Wichita on

I had the same issue. My daughter was breast fed and was on formula. She seemed to have some (not a lot) of trouble pooping so I started watering down her formula. I have her in an 8oz bottle 2 scoops of formula instead of 4. It seemed to help and she never seemed to be extra hungry. It might help you as well.

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A.S.

answers from Peoria on

Hello and congratulations on your new little blessing.

Two things you said remind me of my son at that age. First, he was very gassy and uncomfortable with my breastmilk, even had an acidic smell on his breath. Be sure you're eating really, really low acid foods (no onions, etc...)

Second, my son didn't respond well to any formulas until we tried the 3rd or 4th one. He still has a touchy tummy and he's five now.

When I couldn't get him to sleep more than 30 minutes at a time due to gas, we had to put him on his stomach to sleep. He was an overdue, very strong baby who could turn and lift his head from birth. This is certainly not for every baby and we weren't happy to do it. However, it was the only position we found that he could sleep in...we tried everything.

Good luck and perhaps you'll find what's irritating his tummy.

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C.S.

answers from Peoria on

Hey there M.,

Our pediatrician recommended Gripe Water when my daughter was very young, too. We tried it and it didn't really work very well for her. Anything is worth a try though. Every baby is different. Have you tried using the simethicone drops? They are usually in the gas section of the medicine. I think the brand "Little Tummies" simply calls them "Gas Drops". That's the only thing that worked for us. It's safe to use for tiny babies too.

Good luck to you!

C.
www.EnhanceYourWayOfLife.com

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S.W.

answers from Kansas City on

All I can say is that I have been here and I TOTALLY feel for you. I was also recommended the gripe water, but it did not do any good. Our daughter was eventually diagnosed with acid reflux and was put on Zantac. She was also switched to Similac Isomil Advance after we went through all of Enfamil's products. For some reason, the soy formula from Enfamil did not work like the soy Isomil Advance. None of this was done until after we switched her to a different doctor. We were told that we just have a fussy baby and that we should learn to live with it. They said that she would eventually outgrow it. I knew that was not it, so I got a few different opinions. Also, I am not sure if you swaddle, but that was and still is a saving grace!! Our daughter is 4 months old and it still helps when she gets so upset and is not able to calm herself down. I tried to swaddle her with receiving blankets, but I could not do it as well as my husband. So, we bought a few of the Swaddle Me blankets. Last, I read The Happiest Baby on the Block. The five "S's" helped me A LOT. I never thought that they would help, but they did. They are: Swaddling, side/stomach, shushing, swinging, and sucking. Let me know if I can be of more help. You will live through this--I did and I really didn't think that I would :) Take care!

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A.B.

answers from Kansas City on

I totally feel your pain!

I have a wonderful doula who told me about gripe water. She said not to buy gripe water at a pharmacy or other store (babies R us) because some brands do have alcohol, sugar, or other ingredients not wonderful for gassy babies. She said the place to get gripe water is at a local India store. The gripe water sold in these stores is totally natural and it is much cheaper than the gas drops. There are a couple of India stores off Metcalf and I know of one in Olathe. Look in the phone book for one close to you. A bottle of gripe water costs between 3-5 dollars and lasts us for at least a month. I, along with the friends I have told about it, swear by the product. It doesn't keep gas from coming back, but does help soothe the stomach. According to my doula, y

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M.R.

answers from St. Louis on

maybe he is too young but my friend's baby had a big gas problem and it was helped immensely when they switched to soy milk. but like i said, yours may not be old enough.

it's been a long time since i had to deal with the baby stuff so i'm pretty fuzzy on the what and when of it all.
Good luck!

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M.P.

answers from San Antonio on

My daughter is now 10mths old but when she was a newborn we went through the same thing. We tried several different formulas and finally found one that works for her :) Nestle Goodstart has been our lifesaver. We also had to give her mylecon drops for several months, before we fed her and then again if she was in pain. Another thing that helped get the gas out after we gave her the drops was to lay her on our bed on her back and move her legs in and out. We were actually able to speed up getting the bubbles out which made for a much happier little girl. The good news is now her little tummy is fine, hope this helps :)

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K.J.

answers from Wichita on

Swicthing to SOY milk worked wonders for my fussy gassy little ones!
Kim

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