Or could it be reflux?
Ever since the time my milk came in (I am breastfeeding only), my 2 wk old does everything in his power to avoid a burp or spit-up from coming up. During and after feedings, I burp him for about 10-15mins. The whole time, he is writhing, grunting, holding his breath, swallowing - overall appearing very uncomfortable. I'm lucky to get 1-2 small burps out of him. I've tried holding him over my shoulder, sitting in my lap, patting, rubbing... nothing seems to get the gas out.
I can't lie him flat or he does the same things. And perhaps worst of all, he has the same symptoms when I try to get him to fall asleep. He'll be almost asleep in my arms, then suddenly his eyes pop open, his body tenses, he grunts/swallows and seems to be having reflux. This happens every few minutes, even if it's been over an hour since his last feeding. It takes over an hour to get him to fall asleep.
Please let me know if you have any advice or have been through anything similar! TIA
I found that I always had better results when I would hold them against my shoulder and give a nice little squeeze with my hand against their back. Also, Intead of patting their backs, I would press my palm firmly against their back, and run my hand in an upward motion, repeatedly. It seemed to move the air upward and outward. Hope it works!
i know many said it's probably not reflux but i would have that checked. my son has reflux and it's mild to moderate so we didn't diagnose it til late. but the meds worked so well i feel really bad for not figuring it out sooner. try some of the other methods first but if they don't work, go right to a GI.
He can't release his gas.
Gas can be released from burping or farting.
My daughter as an infant, RARELY burped or farted... even though I burped her.
His behavior: writhing/grunting/body tensing/ looking uncomfortable are classic signs of gas, and a baby acts like that because he has gas, but it can't come out.
What we used for my daughter is Mylicon Infant Gas drops. It works real well. You should get some. Any drugstore has it.
He is only 2 weeks old... so their system/digestive system is still very immature and not even fully developed yet. They don't automatically know how to burp etc.
I doubt it is reflux.
And yes, gas causes pain and discomfort. That is why he acts like that. Their body does tense up.
After feedings, don't lay him down right away. He just got his tank filled up. If laid down right away... then it can up-flow. Not necessarily meaning reflux. He is full after a feeding...
And yes, many babies spit up. Which is normal as well. My son was a big spitter-upper. He did not have reflux.
Your baby has gas and it is not coming out...
all the best,
Susan
I don't know any thing about reflux, so I can't comment on that. However my son was hard to burp. Check out the "happiest baby on the block". They show a technique for burping called the milkshake. sounds silly and gets kinda difficult when they get up there in weight, but it worked everytime for my son when nothing else did.
Its certainly possible but probably not reflux in the sense that he would need meds for it. Their little systems are so immature and he's getting used to eating by mouth. My daughter would take a bit to burp at times. And I couldn't lay her flat. We had a crib wedge that fit under the sheet and that helped.
Your little man is going thru a lot right now getting used to the outside world. Google 4th trimester and that will help make sense out of a lot of his behaviors. He needs/wants/craves the comforts of the womb while getting acclimated to this big world out here. I would try swaddling him before you get ready to get him to sleep. He could just be experiencing the startle reflex rather than reflux. It could be that he relaxes then he gets a little chocked by his saliva rather than true reflux.
And congratulations on breastfeeding! It is a wonderful experience. The best piece of advice I can give you is to be confident in your ability to feed your baby. Follow his lead/cues for feeding and you will do fine! It's amazing how you and baby will work together to get him what he needs! kellymom.com has great info on breastfeeding and breastfeeding questions that typically come up.
J.,
My son was the same way, he did not burp. I tried everything, he simply refused to do it or had no need. He finally came around after a month or so. Be patient, talk to his pediatrician.
Best of luck,
Ceci
I know this wouldn't be practical every time you feed him, but has his Daddy tried burping him? Our doctor said (long time ago) that there is something about the shape of a mans shoulder/upper chest area that puts the pressure on just the right spot for burping a baby comfortably. My son was colicky, and he seemed so uncomfortable sometimes. My brother lived out of town, but when he would come home for weekends he would come to my house first just to hold the baby because for whatever reason, it helped.
Good luck! :)
This method of burping worked soo well for us. Sit him on your lap sideways and cup your right hand kind of along his jaw line to steady his head. With your left hand gently lean him forward. I got the most amazing man-burps with this method and it seemed easy for him. If you want some good ideas for dealing with a reflux baby, check out some of my old posts on that. We went through it all.
best of luck,
S.
You can give him some gas drops. These should help eliviate most of the gas problem.
