Infant Gas

L.,I know this may sound crazy BUT bring your little guy to the chiropractor. Going there really made a huge difference in my life. My baby stopped being so fussy, gassy and i didn't have to hold him ALL day. It was really hard to get a sitter because of the fussiness. The Doctor said he had acid reflux and took the meds for that and was on the mylicon drops. My friend suggested the chiropractor and it really worked. I have told all my friends that have had really fussy babies...good luck. M.

gripe water works great. The vitamin shoppe sells a great variety of brands.

My son was the same and we tried to elimate everything out of my diet and it didn't do anything, the drops didn't seem to make a difference much. We did a lot of bicycle kicks throughout the day. I also did baby massage. If you take 2 fingers and start just above the left hip and go over his belly button in a semi cirlce to the right hip you can usually feel the gas bubble. Most night I did this as part of our bedtime routine and it got rid of the gas before he fell asleep. Thankfully they get big enough that the gas doesn't bother them to much anymore!

I had this very same experience with both of my boys, who are now almost 6 months and 2 years old...The only thing that worked for me was putting them on their tummies. I know you're not supposed to, but as long as you don't have blankets, toys or pillows in the crib and your baby can turn his head, he will be just fine. It was the only way my boys would sleep or nap, except on car rides or being held...I think they feel cozier that way. I would suggest trying to put him on his tummy, but it's your call.

Hi L.!
I have a now 18 week old so I feel your pain :-) Like they say...this too shall pass! Here's what helped for us in the past: Chiropractor, Gripe water, sleeping on his side, pushing the little legs up to his chest while lying on his back and also he really seems to do well if I sit on a exercise ball and bounce with him. I've even used a probiotic at times when he really seems to be in distress.
Also I wanted to mention to you about your diet. I have a older, wiser pediatrician for my boys. He said that what we eat really doesn't have such a big effect on our babies as we are made to believe. As long as you keep things in moderation having a diverse diet with all different kinds of food is really good for baby. Certain foods doesn't make baby gassy, it just makes the milk taste a little diffent. Breatfed babies are likely to be less picky eaters later on if mom has a diverse diet. I used to be picky about what I ate and after I heard this I started eating normal and I didn't experience any change in my babies gas levels. I do think that some babies might be more sensitive to things than others so experiment and see what works for you. Best wishes to you!

As far as gas is concerned: You may want to consider that he has a lactose sensetivity or a milk protein allergy, non of which can be "fixed" by diet monitoring on your part. If he is truly uncomfortable, you may want to consider pumping for a few days and slowly introducing a formula like Nutramigen. I know that it is not ideal, but I needed to formula feed both of my children (and I was formula fed as well due to lactose intolerance) You will know if the formula is working within 3-4 days. By pumping you can keep you milk supply up if a the above is not an issue, and return to breast feeding, but at least you will know.

Regarding his sleep position, I would recommend something perhaps completely opposite of other posts you may have received. If his side works, keep putting him on it. For peace of mind, I purchased the Bebe sounds Angel Care motion monitor. It is a bit of an investment ($100 or so) but the best money I ever spent for my babies. It is a motion sensorplaced under your baby's mattress, so if 20 seconds pass and there are no breath movements a loud alarm will sound and will do two things: #1 startle the baby to rouse him #2 Alert the parents.

I love this thing as I have "tested" it and it works with removing my baby without turning it off or tapping ever so lightly on the mattress and then stopping. Thankfully, it has never gone off for reasons other than that!

This may ease your concern about side sleeping and the risk of rolling on to his tummy.

A cheap and easy way to get rid of baby gas is to make an 8 oz bottle of warm water with 1 tsp. sugar and 1 drop of mint extract. Mint is a natural stomach gas reliever.

My daughter had issues with gas too. She is exclusively breast fed as well. We had a few issues with her eating. She'd sputter and pull off many times during a feeding, often gasping for air. She was pretty noisy when she ate too. She was swallowing a lot of air. I read about the problems we were having on the la leche league website llli.org, and discovered that I made too much milk. The articles on overproduction suggested feeding from one side only per feeding, and if that didn't help, try feeding two or three times from one side before switching to the other. I immediately noticed a difference and it helped some with her gas. We also just gave her a whole dropper full of gas drops at every feeding. Simethicone, the active ingredient in it is an inert substance, so it just passes through the body. Its an anti foaming agent, so it helps the gas move through more easily.

Also, I know its a trying thing to go through, they're so miserable and it seems like there's nothing you can do to help them. However, Elisabeth just seemed to grow out of it. I think it was around 3 months when it just didn't seem to bother her anymore. She still is gassy, but I think her digestive system is mature enough to work the gas through by itself. We don't need to give her the gas drops anymore either.

Good luck and remember that this too shall pass.

a few drops of peppermint oil rubbed on his belly should help alot. It will stimulate the bowels to move and the gas will be relieved.

Why not let him sleep on his tummy? My son didn't sleep well on his back or side, but the first night I let him sleep on his tummy, he slept thru the night! That might also be more comfortable for him, too, if he's gassy.

put baby baby on his back with his head on your knees, his feet towards your stomach.... pick up his ankles and gently push his knees up towards his chest.....as they bend, he'll magically toot...this trick works, and it's great for parties to make your friends laugh....

good luck! i also remember rubbing my little one's tummy below her belly button....but i can't remember if it was clockwise or counter....but that helped too....

L.,

I swear by gripe water. Lonica mentioned it and it has fennel in it. It is all natural so you don't have to worry about chemicals. Mylicon drops never worked for my babies and back when my 6 year old was an infant gripe water was really hard to find, but once we did it did wonders. My littlest one got to the point where she wouldn't even go to bed without getting her dose of it. You can find it on drugstore.com It may seem pricey, but it is well worth it.

Good luck.

I just read some of the responses and I have to say I am so pleased at the women who had holistic, simple, friendly responses and also good for you for exclusively breastfeeding!!!! I am a long term nurser and it is a short time in your baby's life.
Is he uncomfortable or just gassy? I had a gassy one but she didn't seem to mind it. If he is in pain with the gas that is one thing but just gassy is another.
Another thought is ask Dr Sears Web site, he really has great insight.
Good luck to you and enjoy that baby!
J.

I would recommend bringing your little guy to a chiropractor. I had issues with both of my son's and my chiropractor helped me figure out what I was eating that was bothering him through a thing called contact relflex analysis (or muscle testing) and chiropractic adjustments helped his digestion as well. It is a great thing to try, especially if you don't want him to go on a drug. Davis Chiropratic is in St. Louis Park and the doctors there are GREAT with kids & babies. I'm sure you could just google them. Good Luck!

L.,

My first one had trouble with this, too. We never found a magic cure, but did find some things that helped. We put a warm washcloth (microwave wet for a few seconds, but not hot enough to burn skin) on our baby's tummy and did "bicycle exercises" with her legs. Just layed her on her back and moved her legs in a circular motion like she was pedeling a stationary bike. We would also move her legs from side to side when she was on her back so her body would twist at the waist. She would pass a lot of gas and feel better for a while.

We also held her tight enough against us to put some pressure on her abdomen or held her like a football with her chin resting in our palm so her tummy pressed into our forearm. Sometimes that helped.

If your son does better on his side, you can buy a sleeping wedge that will keep him there. That may be your best option. I remember how frustrating this is. Sometimes I had to just keep telling myself, "This too shall pass." (No pun intended.) :)

Good luck,
S.

at this young age, all he knows already is being held when he slept in your womb! the first 3 months (or so - it depends on baby and you will know when they get over this) are sometimes called the 4th trimester because of the high needs of baby... and the fact that they do not understand being their own separate person... they think mom and baby are one. so there is nothing wrong with carrying your baby until this time is over. trust me, once they begine to turn over, crawl, and walk, they wont want to be held so much anymore, and you wont regret holding him while you have the chance! :D

babies are not able to manipulate people, they dont think ahead and say 'well, if i do this i will "get my way" ' - they just dont see it that way. they see it as, 'i have a need' and depending on how you respond to it, that determines and builds trust!

trust your instincts, just keep doing what you are doing, maybe keeping baby upright after feeding is the best thing until his digestive system matures some more. he might be taking in air while nursing, and so check on your position while nursing, make sure he is getting enough breast in his mouth (this usually means the entire colored part will be in his mouth, though that isnt the rule for every baby...)

good luck, and KUDOS to you mom for breastfeeding! breast is best!
check out a la leche league group in your area. they will provide you not only with information, but TONS of support as your baby grows and the idea that you shouldnt be nursing anymore starts pressing on you... :D they are awesome!

It is definitely worth looking into as far as reflux. My baby battled with reflux from day one, but we didn't figure out that was what he had until he was almost a month old. He hardly ever spit up.

My son's gas went away almost entirely by three months. He still gets as now if I eat a lot of beans though (which is probably a main staple of your diet). However a lot of moms say their kids grow outof the gassy phase completely. I would prop my son up so he wasn't flat in the crib and that helped. making sure to put him in a position where he couldn't roll.

good luck!

My son had very bad gas too as an infant and we had to resort to a sleep positioner. We did discuss it with his Ped and she was ok with it. We did take it out as soon as he could roll in and out of it. We put it at his belly and hips so it wasn't up by his face. If he did move in the night he would roll a little and lean his back up against the positioner.
The Mylicon was also heavily used. The other thing that he liked was sleeping in his swing.
Good Luck!
R.

try eliminating dairy from your diet for three weeks- my son had gas problems almost immediately, and after an 18 month battle of searching for answers, it turns out he was lactose intolerant as well as having had some reflux issues. My son needed to sleep upright for several months- we used the baby swing and the baby bouncer seat (we put the bouncer seat right in the crib for a while).

good luck :)

Our son did not have too much trouble with infant gas, but we ultimatley did find that he preferred to sleep on his tummy. He had not been sleeping well and around 3-4 weeks old I flipped him on his tummy one day just for a different perspective and he almost instantly passed out -- we were scared at first, but we did let hime sleep on his tummy and he started sleeping better.

I did some reading on SID's around that time and sleeping on their tummy's is only one of the preventative things -- keeping a baby too warm as well as having things in their crib are other biggies -- so we made sure to be more careful of those things.

So -- a little off topic, but may help the sleeping!

I swear by gripe water as well. My son would sometimes calm down before I even finished giving him the full dosage. You can find it in the baby aisle at Walgreens. Our pediatrician told us that gas usually peaks around 6 weeks. For our son it seemed a little later, but we finally stopped using the gripe water around 9 weeks. I now pretty much eat whatever I want and he's fine (he's 4 months old). Good luck!

Hi L. -

My daughter, too, had horrible gas. We ended up taking her to the chiropractor, which really helped her out a lot (and us, too)!

Good luck!

try baby yoga -- bring one knee up to chest at a time - starting with right then left, then both knees at the same time.
also a great book for more yoga ideas is Itsy Bitsy Yoga

I heard somewhere that you should try to give the Mylicon/gas medicine BEFORE feeding. This might help. The thing that worked best for us was called Gripe Water. It has a ton of ginger in it to help soothe the tummy. It's a little more expensive than Mylicon, (around $10) but it was a miracle in a bottle for my daughter. I found it at Walgreens.

The other thing that really worked for us was laying her on her back and working her legs. We would make a game of it, even when she was crying and hurting, and it would help the gas to pass right through her. I would put her on her back and bring her knees up to her chest (all curled out), then stretch her legs back out and down so she was straight (like laying on her back flat). I would work her little legs back and forth and it seemed to help work the gas through her system. Another position that helped was if I would sit and lay her (face down) across my legs, head and arms dangling on one side and legs dangling on the other. Something about the pressure on her belly helped. I hope this helps. Good luck!

I posted a similar question a few weeks ago, but I can't recall in what area. I tried the Mylicon, too, but I wasn't ever sure if it worked, or anything else, as she may just be growing out of it! Have you tried the "baby exercises," like leg bicycles, etc? I was also advised to change how I breast fed - like only 1 side per feeding and express milk beforehand... meant to reduce the amount of foremilk the baby may be getting (which is supposed to great more gas). I am a vegetarian as well and have kept a journal for the past 4 weeks...I can't conclude anything, so I have stopped being so paranoid about my diet. For my daughter, my conclusion is that she just gulps too much air when eating (I recline while breastfeeding and burp at 5min intervals as well).

I can assure you that a good combination of baby-wearing (aka "wear baby in a sling") and baby massage will help your baby during these windy days. I had a tootie baby six years ago and the baby sling was a lifesaver. Email me if you need help getting one. I really enjoyed wearing her because I could get all my household tasks done while nursing and wearing her! Also, I very much enjoyed learning infant massage at our local hospital and I recommend learning about it if you haven't already. Good luck!

Even though he is not spitting up it does sound like reflux. That is why he hates the carseat because it pushes his knees up into his belly which causes him to reflux. Our doctor told us that one. The only thing that worked for us was putting him on his side in one of those wedge things. And once he could roll I let him go to his tummy. You could also try propping the mattress up so the acid stays down. I really don't think it has anything to do with your diet. And if it was just gas the mylicon would work. I would talk to you doctor about it. We also do a bottle of formula before bed because it is thicker and helps keep the acid down.