My son is 12 weeks old and seems to have a problem everytime we feed him. First, the ped thought it was reflux, so he gave us medication but didn't seem to help. Then we switched him from Carnation Good Start to Similac Isomil Soy Milk. It definately helped, since everytime he ate he would cry hysterically as he was eating. With Soy milk, he eats fine and doesn't cry. But he still gets LOTS of gas. He eats a lot for his age, has 6 to 6 1/2 oz. at a time. During the day I try to give him 5 1/2 oz. at a time to reduce his uncomfortableness. Still he burps about ten times, then he wakes up from his naps crying, when I pick him up, he burps again. This goes on 3-5 times per nap. Now his crankiness has reached a new level. He cries stronger and it takes me a while to calm him down. I hate to see him tired and cranky because of gas that I can't control. I've tried different bottles, different nipples, mylicon, everything. PLEASE any suggestion would be great!!!!!
Thanks evreyone for the advise. Unfortunately nothing seemed to really cure the problem. Some things did help a little like the Mylicon drops in the bottle, not his mouth, seemed to help a little. I also tried the bottles with the diposeable bags where you can take all the air out, also helped a little. Other then that, time helped. When he hit 4 months, he stayed up more and he was able to let some of his gas out on his own. Thanks again!
Dear L.,
My son now almost 16 months old, went through the same thing... we got the pink pepermint candies from CVS and broke them up and put them in water and gave that to him.. would give it to him before he ate so it would start working right away... the pepermint helps with digestion. My husbands side of the family has done this for years,and it seemed to really work! Hope this helps!
Mine had gas problems at the beginning too, so we bought the cheap gas medicine you can get at any store (Mylicon, little tummies, or wal-mart brand). We would give him a little before every meal, and it made a HUGE difference.
Hi L.!!
Try Infant Mylicon drops, you can get these at any pharmacy and at Babies R Us. Give him one drop before his feeding and this should help. When my daughter was two months old, she developed reflux (she was 2 months preemie, so she was basically zero at this point though) and was aspirating fluid into her lungs. We had to thicken her formula...no fun. The gas and constipation was the worst. We used Mylicon drops religiously and they helped. Good luck!!!
-Char
Too bad IGA has gone out of business cause their store brand worked the best for this, but you can try other gas drops to see which will work best IN the bottle. I would put a few drops in my daughters before I shook it up so there wouldn't be that 2 inch thick layer of bubbles on the top and that helped SOOOOOO much. Mylacon didn't help with the bubbles as much as the IGA brand so you might have to play with which brand will for you. I also fed my daughter slightly tilted up. I dont know why but it helped as well.
Don't know if this will help but when my son was young I had some similiar problems. I found that the Lactose free formula (it came in a purple can) worked best for him. He had less gas, less spitting up, and it made him a little more regular for BMs. Maybe this will help, I hope so, good luck!
Do a google search for Gripe Water. It's supposed to be really good for gas problems. My mother swears by this stuff. It is a European remedy I've never had to use on my children, but I hear it works very well.
Get him some gripe water! You can find it in ethnic markets. It's made specifically for gas.
I can't believe Mylicon drops didn't work. My little one had reflux and would projectile vomit after every meal unless I sat very still for about 5 to 10 minutes. After he would eat, I would sit him upright for 10 min before standing, walking or ANYTHING...
I was giving the meds that didn't help also. He also became very crankly and upset if he couldn't burp or sleep. I found that a warm rice buddy "tube sock half full with rice in microwave for 5-10 sec" layed across his little tummy seemed to sooth him long enough to get a nap in. Now as for nights... that's another story.
Good luck!
I thougtht when someone else posted a question of this sort, gripe water was recommended...I personally have not used it due to not needing it, but I recall seeing it mentioned so much that that is the first thing I thought of when I read this. I saw it a Market Street too. My, now 10 month old, was like that even being breastfed...she was put on prevacid and has just weaned off it. I did not know about gripe water until recently, but I would have tried it. Good luck and welcome to Texas.
K.
I am curious where you are going to bible college....would like to get to know you....also LOVE God...he is awesome....I go to church in mesquite and they host charis bible college there.
Were you using the Good Start milk-based formula, then switched to Isomil soy? You might try the Good Start brand of soy formula. Like their milk-based formula, the proteins in the soy formula are processed a little differently to help babies digest it easier. I have a friend whose baby needs soy formula and hers is gassy on any brand except the Good Start soy. You can get free samples at your pediatricians office of the powdered formula so you don't have to buy it, or get one of the bottles of ready-to-feed that cost about $5.
Your doctor may have mentioned this, but try to keep him as upright as possible while he's drinking a bottle, burp him often, and try to keep him upright for about 20 min after eating. Also, make sure you're not feeding him then putting him right down to sleep. Try to keep him awake for those 20 or 30 minutes after a feeding to give him a chance to work out the bubbles.
You might also try letting him sleep in a bouncy seat to keep him upright while he sleeps (as long as he's buckled in and can't wiggle out). Gas bubbles are more painful when you're flat on your back. You could also try letting him sleep on his tummy for naps. I know it's against the "rules" but it worked for both of mine. For some reason the bubbles work themselves out better when they're on their tummy. We did this with my son for a while. You'll probably still want to put him on his back at night, though. My son was a tummy sleeper during the day for a while before he was on his tummy at night.
I had the same problem with my son at that age. He is now 7 months and is on soy formula. The only formula that will work is the most expensive one. My son took it for almost 8 weeks before I switched to soy. It's called Alimentum and it's got purple on it but I can't remember if it's from Similac? Dr.Brown's bottles are your best bet.
We had similar problems with my son, who is two now. I highly recommend a product called Gripe Water. It is a natural product and worked well to releave him. You can get it at most grocery stores. Also, we switched to goats milk for a while..... but one concern with that is not getting enough vitamins.
Welcome to Texas. Which bible college do you attend?
L.-
I am so sorry Caleb is going through this and sorry for you and your husband, too. My son had terrible gas for the first several months and here's what I did:
*We had him on Isomil Similac and that made the biggest difference. We tried many different formulas before we landed on that one. Give it a week to see.
*We put simethacone in every bottle (you can even see when you shake the bottle how the simethacone gets rid of the bubbles in the formula). If you ask for it at the Costco pharmacy counter, you can get it for about $3 a bottle compared to Mylicon or Little Tummies that are about $9 a bottle.
*We not only burped him, but also bounced him on our knee (kind of like "ride em horsie") which exponentially reduced the gas
*We use Dr. Brown's Bottles and Avent bottles.
*We did the bicycle with him (laying him on his back and moving his legs like a bicycle, extending his knees all the way to his chest)
*We tried the Gripe Water, but it did not help us, but I'm glad to hear it helped others!
These things worked for us, but of course every baby is different. It's so hard to see your little one uncomfortable, so I hope one or all of these things works for you.
Best of luck and happy holidays!
L.
Hi, you might want to try acidophilous granules in the mix (the active cultures normally found in yogurt. I found mine at a natural food store). Perhaps his intestinal flora is outta wack and producing too much gas. Add a teaspoon at every feeding for a week.
Also, I rub my baby's belly in a clockwise direction and then bend each leg at the knee against the stomach, then both together against the stomach several times (usually without diaper so baby is not constricted). This usually releases gas.
My son has alot of gas also. What I found that helps him is Gripe Water made by Baby Bliss it is all natural. You can only get it at natural food stores. I get mine at the Sunshine Store off Camp Bowie in Fort Worth. It works great not only helps gas but also helps him relax and sleep better.
It makes sense that he would get worse as he gets older if he is taking in air when he eats. My recommendations...
1) Don't shake the bottle to mix it...stir it with a spoon
2) burp at least half way through the bottle in addition to after the bottle (I usually wait for two burps at the end)
3) If there are many bubbles, you may try lying him down for a second just before you burp him (allow bubbles from the bottom to get to the top).
4) If he makes noise when he eats, you may try a faster flow rate (or poke a fork in the nipple hole)...noise can mean that he is sucking to try to get more milk than the nipple allows and instead of taking in extra milk he takes in air.
I hope that you find something that works for your little one.
My son was like this too. He was drinking 8 oz bottles the first week he was born. He had gas and colic very bad. We had to put him on a special formula called Nursoy and he was on a prescription medication for the stomach aches and colic. He would not go to sleep unless we drove him around in the car. He is now 12 yrs old. He still has problems and he has ADHD.
I would ask the doctor for some prescription medication.
L.,
My first born had lots of gas and spitting up at a young age. She ended up being allergic to milk and soy! Many kids these days have allergies. We have the best pediatric allergist in Dallas at Presbyterian hosp.-Dr. Elisa Lange. I am not sure how early they can test.
Best Wishes. I hope your baby gets relief soon!
My son had gas/colic really bad at 7 wks as well as acid reflux. I tried Enfamil Gentle Ease formula which helped w/the gas as well as little tummies gas drops, mylicon DID NOT help at all. My friend has triplets and used gripwater and it helped her a lot. I also used Dr Brown's bottles, I also agree to put the gas drops in the bottle everytime you feed the baby as well as burping the baby as often as possible. I would burp my baby before the feeding and after every 1-2 ounces and at the end of feeding. Rubbed tummy w/a little pressure, circulated baby's legs in the bycycle motion helps too.
Definitely sit baby in a upright position up to 30 min after feeding( in a bouncy) My son would sleep in those as well as his swing.
Good Luck and I hope this helps.
M.
This might not help at all, but when my son was little I was working and I breastfed and fed him formula. The formula always gave him a lot of gas and constipated him. Always. When I stopped the formula, his gas all but dissapeared. But, I know it's hard to breastfeed, so maybe you could buy some breastmilk (I know it's sold, I don't know where) to see if it helps. I don't know.
Jennifer
L.,
My daughter had similar symptoms as a newborn. Hers were due to a severe dairy allergy. We tried eliminating my dairy while I was breast feeding, multiple formulas when that didn't work, and finally, she seemed to get relief using Nutramigen. (I could be spelling it wrong.) If your son has not been tested for allergies, you might want to ask your doctor about it. For my daughter her symptoms went on until she was four months old and bleeding from her intestines before anything besides "bad gas" was considered. She is 8 now and did outgrow her dairy allergy.
