3 Week Old Baby Very Gassing After Breast Feeding Cries After Every Fedding

Updated on April 18, 2008
D.M. asks from Brick, NJ
67 answers

My 3 week old son is having so much pain after he eats. He is swallowing so fast when eating that after every feeding he wails in pain due to the gas he has. I burp him after every feding and have tried Mylicon nothing seems to be working, I feel so bad for him because I know he is in pain I was hoping to get some advice from moms on any tips. I am breast feeding and even tips on getting him to slow down when eating would help. Thanks

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So What Happened?

Thanks for all the responses. He is doing much better. It seems gripe water has helped so much that he is now so happy and content. We finally had more than 3 hours of sleep last night.

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K.M.

answers from New York on

Are you watching what you are eating? There are so many foods that pass into breast milk that babies can't handle. the obvious ones are broccoli, peas, onions, ... but you also need to consider spicy ones like spagetti sauce, peppers, tomatoes. Another possibility could be an intolerance to dairy. Just try to pay attention to what you are eating, and see if you notice any connection. My first child was sensitive to everything - I lived on bread, water and spinach for about 4 months. The good news - you will lose all that weight so fast!

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A.V.

answers from New York on

I had the same problem with a premee who is now 27 years old. We had to bottle feed him with a platex product at the time (bottle with disposable liners) The liners prevented less air and therefore less pain.

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C.L.

answers from New York on

My son did the same thing. I tried Mylicon which didn't help. My doctor had me keep a diet diary but I couldn't find anything that was directly causing the pain. Eventually I learned how to calm him using a pacifier and rubbing his tummy. It was hard to see my son in pain but he eventually grew out of it (2 months).

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H.K.

answers from New York on

There's some terrific advice posted here already...especially LLL meetings ( www.llli.org) is important even if you don't have any problems!

There might be other reasons and since your baby is still so young, it would be best to figure it out quickly.

A good Lactation Consultant could help you figure it out. To find a local one go to www.ILCA.org and click "find a local LC", put your zip code in.

Hope this helps!
H.

H. K., BS, IBCLC, RLC

Princeton Lactation Consultants, LLC

Princeton, NJ 08542

office: ###-###-####

____@____.com

http://healthprofs.com/504190

office & home visits by appointment

1 mom found this helpful
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D.S.

answers from New York on

Congrats on your baby boy!! My daughter was very gassy (she's now 6mos.) and I had a very fast letdown. She would choke and swallow alot of air and was not a good burper. So the gas just mounted throughout the day. I used a product called Colic Calm that you can find at coliccalm.com. It works great and is homeopathic. It is used for gas, colic, reflux and even teeting. Check with your ped. first before giving anything like this to your baby.

Also, kellymom.com is a great web site for all of your breastfeeding concerns/questions. I agree with pp....hire an LC. they will help you solve this problem and get you and your son more comfortable with your breasfeeding realationship. Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful
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L.D.

answers from New York on

You may be experiencing 'over supply.' This happens to a lot of women around 3 weeks. You are probably making a lot of milk (which is great!) but it causes an extremely fast 'let down'. This happened to me & I worked with a lactation specialist on how to slow it down - & it worked. First, I did same-side nursing. This means that you feed from one breast only at a feeding, even if it's 30 minutes long. You don't want to stimulate both breasts. Second, I worked with gravity. I would lie almost flat on my back and have my baby nurse on top of me - so she had to suck up, instead of it rushing down her throat. Also, if you are pumping after feeds - STOP - at least for now. That creates over supply. When my baby was older (about 3 months), she was able to handle the faster let down. Good luck & hope this helped!

1 mom found this helpful
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K.E.

answers from New York on

D.,

I'm a mother of 4 and 2 of my children had severe reflux. The pediatric GI explained to me that babies with reflux are in pain and that the milk is soothing, this is why your baby gulps like a starving little man, it feels good going down....inevitably though it refluxes and causes awful pain. I went completely dairy free with my last baby in addition to giving him reflux medication and he did remarkably better. 50% of babies with reflux are also lactose intolerant (according to my dr.) going dairy free meant all dairy products and beef products (same protein string). I had to read labels and avoid all products with any dairy product in them (casein,whey, etc.) It wasn't easy but once I was used to it it was fine, added bonus I dropped all the baby weight quickly. Both boys have outgrown both the reflux and the lactose intolerance. Mylicon has never worked for any of my babies, I would highly recommend finding a good pediatric GI in your area.
Good luck,

1 mom found this helpful
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K.H.

answers from New York on

HI! My son had the same symptoms and the doc said he had acid reflux. It is very common in newborns. The doc gave him some zantac (liquid base). It helped but it does take awhile. The bottom of the esophogus (sp) has a tiny flap that keeps the bile and stuff in the stomach, in the stomach. Sometimes it is not completey developed when child is born and so when the baby has to burp the stuff from the stomach regurgitates back up in the esophogus. It is very uncomfortable for the baby cause it burns. You may want to prop one side of the crib mattress up too. So the baby's head will be slightly elevated. Check w/ your doc b/4 doing any of this to be sure that is what your baby has and needs. Good luck it gets better!!!!
K.: Mom of 3

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C.K.

answers from New York on

Try burping him in the middle of feeding instead of waiting until he's finished. Too much gas is building up by the time he's done. Maybe you can switch to a vented bottle instead if he's in that much pain. Poor baby! Good luck.

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M.P.

answers from New York on

One thing that my help is watching what you eat. I know I stayed away from broccoli, garlic and to much dairy. Hopefully that does the trick. My son was gasses but more toward the evenings so my ped. told me to ease the gas pain start giving mylicon around noon, b/c once they have the gas pain mylicn doesn't help. Have to give it before the gas is bad. Also try burping him more frequently during a feeding.

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A.M.

answers from Elmira on

Congrats on your baby boy! Have you looked into the possiblity of reflux, or acid reflux? Even if he isn't spitting up all the time he could still have the pain from the acid. Both of my boys had reflux, one had acid reflux and was on meds the other just had reflux and wasn't bothered by it or in any paid.
Good luck!

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L.R.

answers from New York on

my 5 month old was very gassy in the beginning as well. i was only breastfeeding him, so I took out gassy foods from my diet and when i started supplementing formula, I switched to the enfamil powder brand with the purple label. i think it is called lipanese or something like that. it's for gassy fussy babies. maybe you want to try that, but ask your dr and if you go to the enfamil website and register your information, they often send good coupons to you for $5 or $7 off. babies r us stores sell the product.

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A.B.

answers from New York on

Hi D.,
Congratulations on your new baby! The good news is that most of these funny little blips on the screen will disappear rather quickly by themselves as they get a bit bigger. You might want to remove everything from your diet that could be producing gas- from broccoli, cabbage, spicy foods, to dairy and soy. It may seem limiting at first, but once he starts to respond it will be worth it. We used the Bjorn A LOT with our baby (still do!) and I found that it was an awesome place to breastfeed our daughter. I think the positioning was great for her, as she was basically upright, but really easy on me. I just lowered the straps unitl she was a nipple level and off she went. I think it helped us avoid a lot of feeding troubles.
Finally, have you thought of seeing a body worker that can help relieve any tension in your baby's body that may be creating difficulty in the way he's digesting. Chiropractic, osteopathic and cranial sacral practitioners might all be able to really help. www.icpa4kids.com, and www.hpakids.com are great resources.
Good Luck,
A.

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N.M.

answers from New York on

I have two thoughts.
First, possibly you have strong let down which makes the milk flood his mouth quickly, causing him to gulp to keep up with the let down. If this is the case, you could pump until after you initial let down has happened and then put him on the breast when it's flowing more slowly.

But, my stronger idea is that possibly he's having a reaction to milk in your diet. This happened with my second son. Within a week of my getting off ALL milk products, no more gas for him or post-feeding screaming. It's an easy test to do. Just stop eating all milk products for a week or two and see if you notice any changes in him.

Also, you might want to attend a La Leche League meeting. I received so much support over the years from them.

Good for you for breast feeding!
-N.

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H.Y.

answers from New York on

Hello D.,

I had a similar problem with my son. It can be from several things. It is not likely because he wants to swallow fast, but because he is either getting milk too fast (the most likely reason) or because he has reflux or another allergy and is having discomfort when he eats.

Are you nursing on one side at a feed or on both sides? You should only nurse one side at a feed until your supply slows down.

Best of luck.

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K.W.

answers from New York on

For gas try giving him a dose of "Gripe Water" found in most produce markets (east coast) or buy it online. (no sugar, no alcohol-all natural)

To slow down his intake pump your milk and put it in a slow flow- no bubble bottle and ou will be amazed at the difference.

He can still breast feed but at least one a day of the slower feeding will help train him to slow down

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L.A.

answers from New York on

Maybe what you are eating is causing all that gas in your baby. You may need to limit your intake of broccoli,cabbage or beans. Also, are you feeding him from a bottle or actually breast feeding. If you are using baby bottles there are some that actually cut down on the intake of gas for example the playtex brand or the new one out there that I have heard is very good is called dr browns natural flow bottles. Don't forget that babies shouls be burped after every 1/2 ounce. Good luck,
L.,R.N.

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A.B.

answers from Utica on

Hi. I am now Grandma to 5 and thought you might be helped by something my son and his wife endured with their middle son. He was born with reflux disorder but more importantly, he was a severe cholic! I have new respect for parents of a cholic baby now. They went through almost a year of it with him until finally we found something online called "colic-ease". It is a liquid, all natural formula, has been approved by the FDA and it was a miracle in a bottle for him. It cost about 22.00 with shipping and handling, but I used to buy two bottles at a time to make sure they always had one on hand because it worked that well. The baby's pediatrician liked it so well he started telling other patients' moms about it. The link is http://www.colicease.com. Good luck and may God Bless.

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J.A.

answers from New York on

sorry for responding so late, i'm new to this site. the best thing i can tell you is make chamomile tea and water it down so it looks like apple juice and give him about two ounces about an hour before his actual feeding. this will help with gas and bloating it works like a charm....good luck!

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P.N.

answers from Glens Falls on

Hi,
Are you drinking cow's milk? My daughter had a terrible time with gas and pain until my Dr. told me to stop all dairy products. The lactose crosses into the breast milk.
Within 12 hours she was a new baby ! Her intolerance continued until she was a toddler, but with careful introduction she is now able to eat/drink any dairy.
Good luck !
P.

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J.H.

answers from New York on

Hi D. - My 3 week old is also a gulper and I notice is gassy worst when I've had a lot of dairy 1 or 2 days before ... I dont know if I'm imagining it, but the few times that she's been that way is when I overindulged on cheese and cream ... could that be it with you too???

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J.A.

answers from Syracuse on

Keep up the good work! Check your diet. There are many foods you may be eating that cause his gas. I know that too much milk in your diet can cause gas as well as peanut butter. I had PB&J sandwiches every day when I had my first son then I realized it may be causing him gas. Also some vegetables can like brocoli and asparagus. I am sure you could find a baby friendly diet for breastfeeding on the internet or if your hospital/docotr's office has a lactation consultant she can provide you with a list of foods to avoid initially. I still ate some of those things but not too much. Breastfeeding is so important and don't give up. You can figure this out. I did use the gas drops as well as some belly massage (also rotated legs in a circle) to release gas. Definitely burp him often too.

C.B.

answers from New York on

Try stopping the feeding and burping after every five minutes.

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T.W.

answers from Buffalo on

Is it possible you have overactive letdown? This is when your letdown is so forceful that baby ends up gurlping fast to keep up and in turn takes in a lot of air. Some Mom's will have a burp cloth handy and just before letdown, will pop the baby off and spray into the cloth until the spray slows down a bit and is more manageable for the baby. Some will do this but spray into a bottle, so as not to waste. Here is some info on that.
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/fast-letdown.html
http://www.llli.org//FAQ/oversupply.html

If it doesnt seem like this is what you're experiencing, message me back so we can get to the bottom of this. Good luck, hope this helped!

~Tara Breastfeeding Counselor Buffalo NY

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S.D.

answers from Syracuse on

D.

I also breastfed my children. I did not have this problem, but with babies that are formula fed you should do the same thing. When your son is halfway through his eating, take him off your breast and burp him. This gives him the opportunity to burp before he's done, and it might help him to slow down.

S. D.

R.D.

answers from Phoenix on

I have a very gassy 5 month old little girl. I pump at night so her daddy can feed her, and I've noticed that she has less gas when he feeds her. We use the Dr. Browns bottles. They are really good. She usually doesn't have to burp when we bottle feed her, but when I beast feed her, she does. It doesn't take care of all the gas, so I give her Mylicon. It only works if I give it to her with every feeding. I hate having to give my baby medicine so many times a day, but she is in so much pain that I feel bad if I don't. I lay her on her back and "pump" her legs- pushing them into her chest and pulling them back down. It helps loosen up the gas bubbles so she can push them out. Nothing elsde works on her either, so I don't really have a lot of advice that you haven't already heard from other moms. Just be patient. It'll get better.

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D.K.

answers from New York on

hi
My son was very gassy too, and it was not reflux, just gas. My pediatrician was quick to suggest dietary changes for me, but what did the TRICK was speaking to a lactation consultant (if you can find one), and I suggest you do the same before you proceed with medications and dietary changes. I was told to feed from only one breast at each feeding, and within days, that did it. I had been up every night for hours because he couldn't get back to sleep without burping/passing gas and he was unhappy. Maybe your letdown is too fast and you the lactation specialist can help you find a way to slow it down. Not sure if this will help, but the advice of a lactation specialist (pediatricians know very little about the technical aspects of breast feeding) is a good first step before you try other routes. Good luck, and remember, this will pass.

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S.T.

answers from Albany on

I feel bad for the baby too because my second son had that problem and Mylicon helped. But, I know that foods we eat causes gass and can be a problem. Broccoli, onions, beans, chili, radishes, soda, pizza, just naming a few. So, have you tried eliminating foods that are gassy? That would be one of the thingsand you may want to nurse him shorter minutes. I mean, if you nurse him on one side for 10 minutes, cut it down to five minutes, then take him off, burp him and feed him another five minutes and then burp him, switch him to the other side, and do the same thing. If you have done all you have been given tips from a lot of mothers, go to the pediatrician and tell them and don't let them brush you off or anything. You are the only advocate this precious baby of yours has. SPEAK UP and defend him and go to another pediatrician if you haveto. DON'T GIVE UP!!! Try the foods and see if that helps...what other tips other moms given you? Ck them out too. Pray for you and your baby...

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H.J.

answers from New York on

Hi D.,

I had the same problems with my son when he was a week old. I found that my son had really bad gas when I ate anything with tomato sauce, milk products especially cheese (cheddar cheese didn't seem to bad but mozzerella & velveta cheese were bad), caffeine (chocolate, coffee, tea, etc.).

Besides cutting these out of my diet, I would give my son Baby's Bliss gripe water before I fed him and sometimes just before he went to sleep. Mylicon did not seem to help us much. You can purchase Gripe water for about $11.00 at most organic health food stores. If decide you want to purchase a large supply of gripe water, check out viacost.com. Viacost.com sells gripe water for $7.08 per bottle with a minimal shipping charge of only $4.99. I would purchase 10 bottles of gripe water at a time. Gripe water can be given to infants up to 6 times a day.

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T.B.

answers from New York on

mylicon worked for my daughter - do you give it to him before he feeds? maybe that would work - prevent the gas before it happens - you also have to be very careful of your diet - anything that might cause you gas - you have to stop having....hope he feels better soon

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S.S.

answers from New York on

Did you consider avoiding dairy products yourself? I breast fed 2 out of 3 of my children, all now in their 20's - they were all lactose intolerant and 1 still is at 29. My oldest (the 29 year old) went on a soy based formula, then the breast fed two (now 24 and 26) did better if I avoided dairy. I got my necessary calcium via a vitamin until they were finished breastfeeding.

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C.B.

answers from New York on

Congratulations on your new baby! I highly recommend going to a La Leche League meeting, or at least calling a LLL leader. They know tons more about bf than any one mom, and since there are several possible causes (overactive letdown, dairy intolerance, etc.), it's best for you to speak to an expert.

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J.T.

answers from New York on

hi D. -

first off, congratulations on being a new mom!!! i had this problem with my daughter, lily, since my let down came very fast, too, and she was gulping so loudly, making sure to get every last drop of breast milk, and swallowing lots of air in doing so. try pumping a little first to get the milk going. usually, the milk will slow down after a bit of pumping. then latch him on. that worked for us. good luck!

- jenny & lily (12 weeks)

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K.F.

answers from New York on

Think of what you may be eating. Broccoli, beans, cabbage and such foods that give us gas may give your baby gas.Heavy spices, and foods that are acidy such as oj or spaghetti sauce. Chocolate and onions may make your milk taste bitter. Avoid sugar drinks, caffiene and sodas. This may help.

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M.M.

answers from New York on

Watch what you are eating a meal or two before the babies problem. If what you are eating would give adults gas, so too the baby. If it is what you are eating and you just can not pass it up, pump milk of a gas free meal, freeze it and use in place of babies feeding after your meal.

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L.C.

answers from New York on

Hi D.,
Have you tried to take "breaks" while feeding? If you have him stop, try to burp, then begin again, it will help slow him down.
L. C

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A.A.

answers from New York on

Sounds like he is swallowing some air when he is feeding. Is he latching on properly? Is he pooping regularly? Maybe a little stomach massage, always massage to your right like an upside down U. I used to do an I a I love you pattern (ILU). Dont give up! You are doing the right thing! It will get better as his system get more mature.

All the best,
A.

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E.S.

answers from New York on

Hi D., I see that many people have suggested dietary changes, one that I did that worked was removing ALL dairy from my diet, instant success within 24 hours. Some babies cannot digest the enzyme in milk products. I thought that dairy wasn't a huge part of my life, but once I took a hard look, it showed up everywhere. So I switched to soy this and dairy free that for 3 months. Give it a try! Good Luck.

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M.C.

answers from New York on

Try avoiding milk products and eggs for a while!! Also try pumping some milk prior to feeding so he does not swalow as much.

Thanx

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J.B.

answers from Albany on

Hi D.

Congratulations on your new bundle of joy. I am a mother of two ( 3 year boy and 4 month old girl). I found that my second baby is alot has alot more gas / colic. I generally use a combination of gripe water and a colic homeopathic medication by 'BOIRON'. It seems to settle her down.
I also started taking break in between the feeding to help her digest.

Hope this helps...Good Luck

J.

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D.S.

answers from New York on

I wonder what you are eating in your diet that is being passed to the baby. My little baby too was very gassy after breast feeding and he also was in alot of pain. I realized that vegetables like broccoli and lettuce that were so healthy for me to eat were causing gas in him. Once I ate Chinese food and he was in the most pain ever. I did use Mylicon which seemed to work and also gave him a little bit of Gripewater before each feeding.

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J.B.

answers from Albany on

It might be something in the food that your are eating that may be creating the discomfort for him. I had to really pay attention to what I was eating and how my daughter was responding to it. I quickly learned that she (unlike her 2 siblings)she was very sensitive to a number of different foods; dairy, wheat products, corn, chocolate and a few others. Once I figured out what she could not handle, I stopped eating those things and her tummy stopped hurting. She was like a different child after this. This process took a lot of patience and time. I used info I found in a Achademy of Pediatrics book. It had a list of items that commonly upset babies stomachs when eaten by a breast feeding mother. I started there one item at a time.
I would remove it from my diet completely and try it again three days later. I got very clear results with this. Talk to a professional (LLL or your pediatrition) about it.
Good luck.

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J.W.

answers from New York on

I was having the same problem with my son until the doctor told me that anything acid in my diet will give the baby gas. I was eating ziti, lasagna & pasta almost every night b/c it was easy to make, or someone else dropped it by. Turns out the tomotoe sauce was the culprit. Other culprits were coffee, OJ, Grapefruit, cola and broccoli. I have heard that some babies are also sensitive to any dairy products the Mother eats.

Think of the one thing that you are eating the most of that could cause your baby's tummy upset and cut that out of your diet for 3 days. Your baby may just be sensative to whatever it is. If nothing changes then cut something else out. Only cut out one thing at a time though or else you won't know what it was that was causing your baby's tummy upset and you'll end up eating nothing but dry toast!

Good Luck!

J.

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J.C.

answers from New York on

Hi D.,

This sounds very familiar--I had the same problem with both of my children when they were newborn. I finally went to a lactation consultant and it turns out to be very common. It could be that you are overproducing milk, and the flow is very fast and very hard and your son is doing his best to keep up. The other tricky part of this is, if you're feeding both sides each time, he's getting mostly foremilk which is more sugar loaded and more gassy. Their suggestion to me was to feed one side only at each feeding (and if he needs a supplement before the next feeding, to do that same side again). This will eventually slow down the production and flow, and it will give him more of the nourishing hind mild. Whatever you do, do NOT pump off the other breast or you will simply continue the problem. It takes a little while, but your body will adjust and you will not walk around uneven for months. It will take a little while for your son to feel better with this too. You can also nurse him on top of you, so that he can use gravity to help him control the flow. Also, keep in mind his digestion system is very immature, so he's going to have some issues until 4 or 5 months. Stick with the whole thing; it becomes so easy. And ask your hospital or ped for a lactation consultant--they're usually covered by insurance and can make a world of difference.

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T.C.

answers from New York on

WHat are you eating? tomato sauce onions broccoli cabbage. CHeck your diet because wqhatever you are eating so is he. ____@____.com

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D.G.

answers from New York on

Oh gosh, hang in there! Random thoughts: try nursing in different positions? Try changing your diet? Maybe he's getting gas from dairy or beans or something else that you're eating? Good luck!!!

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C.M.

answers from Rochester on

D.,
My first daughter would always scream and pull her legs in after she would feed. After a lot of trial and error, we discoverd that she was reacting to what I was eating. Everytime I would have any milk product, she would be very gassy and scream. As long as I din't have any dairy or any kind, she would be fine. As she got older, I would try and reintroduce dairy and watch for a reaction. She was about 7 month old when I was finally able to begin eating dairy again. Take a look at your diet and see when it is the worst. It could be dairy, it could be spicy food, just about anything. Good luck and stick with it, you will figure it out

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A.L.

answers from New York on

Hi D.,

My three month old daughter was diagnosed with reflux at seven weeks of age; I really feel for you and yours! My daughter's colic kicked in at two weeks and was terrible for her and awful for me to see her in such great discomfort.

We tried Zantac with Mylanta and it yielded no results. Same with Axid. It was only the Prevacid that has helped her tremendously. If you are contending with colic, as we have, gassiness, fussinss and crying are par for that course ;-(. Mylecon infant drops MAY help with the gas. My lactation consultant told me that crying when nursing due to reflux is completely common; the spray of the milk, gulping, etc., are par for the course. It's important to watch your son's weight gain to ensure he's eatnig enough (colic and reflux babiss often have a hard time in this arena).

I'd suggest speaking to your pediatrician. Levsin drops are helpful for colic and I really did become quite a "believer" in the Prevacid (which is a proton pump inhibitor while Zantac is not). As for colic, it resolves in 60 percent of babies between 3 and 4 months of age and 90 percent by one year.

I wish we could have gone a route with less prescription medicines but I am grateful to have found one which still helps my daughter. A few other things that help? Sleeping in the swing (its position is far better for reflux than on her back), running water and/or running the hair dryer during crying proved great (white noise!) and, if you supplement with formula, try Alimentum or Neutramigen. Whether it's expressed breast milk or formula, if using a bottle, Dr. Brown's wide neck bottles are phenomenal for these symptoms!

I'm confident that you, too, will resolve this and I hope that these suggestions will prove helpful :-)

Best,
A.

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E.A.

answers from Rochester on

i found it helpful to express a little before nursing because my initial flow came out so fast.

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C.R.

answers from New York on

You should watch what you're eating.

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C.M.

answers from New York on

The same thing happened to me. I'm still not sure if it was GERD or dairy intolerance. Basically, I started to feed my baby at a 30-degree angle and burp her for 15min after feeds--this helped. Cutting out dairy altogether (in addition to other foods--can be useful to keep a food diary, my baby was sensitive to spicy food, coffee, onions, and OJ!) was actually really helpful. That meant (per a La Leche leaguer) no milk, yogurt, cheese and (if you're hard core about it) nothing that contains these items. Apparently, you can reintroduce milk products after 4 months when their GI tract is more developed. I did this for my baby and she was better in about 1-2wks. Hope this helps. Good luck!

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K.S.

answers from New York on

It may be more than the gas. Possibly Reflux? Does he arch his back when he cries? Hiccup? Try keeping him upright for as long as possible during and after feedings.

If it is reflux, he will most likely need some medication to help it.

Another thought is maybe a milk allergy.

GOOD LUCK!

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D.H.

answers from New York on

I breastfed both of children and one thing to mention is that sometimes it takes a while for the flow of your breastmilk to adjust to your baby. My daughter often gulped and choked for a while because my breastmilk flow was very heavy. Also you might want to watch your diet - with my son I was very limited for a while as to the foods I could eat. A lot things you eat make the baby gassy too. It will get better - don't give up on the breastfeeding - it's the greatest gift you can give your child and yourself. Take care!

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S.D.

answers from New York on

Congrats! I too have a 3 week old little boy that I am breastfeeding. He (Jesse) is also very gassy, his is mostly bowels - he does not burp much. For him I mostly hold him in different positions to help release it - such as on his belly over my knee, as well as flat on my lap with his legs tucked up. You can also see if changing things in your diet changes the amount of gas he has - such as eliminating broccoli and other gassy foods which pass along through your milk. I've been this route with my other two kids and know what works for us, it's just a matter of what works for each mom and baby. I also highly recommend Hyland's Colic tablets (it's homeopathic - completely natural disolvable tablets) - of course check with your pediatrician before using anything ;-)

Best wishes!
S.

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K.E.

answers from New York on

Try burping him more often. Also, definitely discuss this with the pediatrician. He may have reflux. Good luck.

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C.F.

answers from New York on

Hi D.! First, Congrats on your new little baby boy!! How exciting!! I am a maternity nurse who helps with breastfeeding all the time. Are you nursing long enough? You want to make sure you completely empty the breast, otherwise he's just getting hte fore milk which is thinner and causes gas. You want to make sure he gets the hind milk which is creamier and has all the fat in it. So, make sure you are feeding a good 20 minutes on each side (maybe you need to feed longer to empty your breast). Also, are you feeding him often enough? If he's gulping that quickly, maybe you need to feed him a little more frequently? Another thing to consider is maybe you have TOO much milk. Do you live around the Stratford, CT area? If you do, email me as I have a number for a great lactation specialist. If not, ask your pediatrician for a number for one. They're a great help!!! I hope that was some help to you. Let me know how it goes!

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N.G.

answers from New York on

The majority of simple digestive complaints can be handled easily with homeopathy. Moms can learn a few remedies that fit broadly cases such as reflux, gas, diarhea, teething, sleep issues etc. My advice is to find a certified classical Homeopath to work with as you go along. Homeopathy is safe and effective and empowers you to be a co-creator in your healthcare for your family. Go to www.nationalcenterforhomeopathy.org to find a practitioner near you and a sampling of books etc. I practice in NYC and Rockaway Queens and you can contact me for any information.
Dr. N. Gahles, President , National Center of Homeopathy, ____@____.com

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B.W.

answers from New York on

Hi, Congratulations on that beautiful little baby of yours.
Very often it is the food that mommy eats that causes baby's gas after breast feeding. Try to keep away from foods that normally would cause gas in adults such as beans, broccoli, cabbage; also limit garlic and lots of spices. You may want to contact the LeLeche League for more advice.

Enjoy every minute with this precious little bundle of joy; there is no experience as rewarding as that of mommy, unless it's that of grandma. Lots of good luck, Grandma in White Plains.

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M.C.

answers from Albany on

Not sure how to slow him down but maybe massaging his belly or pushing his knees up to his belly may help with the gas. My son has always been gassy but it was never painful he just farts all the time.

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A.L.

answers from New York on

Hi D.,
I was thinking about the food you eat may have a big influence that cause your baby so gassy. What kind of food do you eat? If you have eaten a lot of brocolli, I think you should stop eating it. I hope this will help your baby.

A. L

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S.F.

answers from Boston on

This happened to me as well, it turned out to be a combination of acid reflux, milk allergy and over-abundance of milk.

One quick fix was the use of a nipple shield, you can buy them at Babies-R-Us or Target for about $5. I would not feed without it, it slowed down the flow, and led to less upsetting feeds.

Good luck!

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S.A.

answers from Buffalo on

Hi!
My son is almost 10 weeks and he has the same problem! It sounds like it might be acid reflux or maybe a touch of colic. My son eats in 5 minutes sometime!! I tried the mylicon drops and also had little success. My doctor mentioned medication, but I decided not to go that route. We keep our son elevated as much as possible after a feed and try not to jostle him. I'll put him in his swing or his infant chair. You might want to burp him face down as well as over your shoulder. Sometimes our baby is still spitting up 2 hours after feeding!

I would also recommend trying to give an occasional bottle since this might slow him down. Finally, you might have to cut your baby off from the breast. I know this sounds awful, but I have found that our baby over eats so I remove him when I know he's had his fill.

The good news is that this does get better! I have already seen an improvement in 10 weeks! I find it most difficult when our baby is trying to sleep since his spitting up often wakes him up and makes him cranky!

Good luck and enjoy...they grow up way too fast!

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T.H.

answers from New York on

Try burbing 1/2 way through feeding and again after feeding.

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A.C.

answers from New York on

Congratulations...It might not always be from him eating too fast. Check your diet...stay away from gassy foods like broccoli, sauce etc. I was nursing my daughter thinking I was eating healthy steamed veges....wrong... the dr said to stay away from those things.

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T.O.

answers from New York on

Have you tried stopping every few minutes during the feeding to burp him? Also, whenever my kids got gas as infants I laid them on their backs and extended their legs out and then bent them so their knees were up by their chest. This montion also helps move the gas around so they can get it out.

I'm from Lakehurst also! Congratulations!
T.

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J.H.

answers from Buffalo on

Hi D.- it's so awesome that your nursing. One thing you want to be careful of is too much dairy. Milk especially can make the baby very gassy and you as well. Also, as good as it is for both you and the baby, broccoli and other vegetables can add to the problem. Just watch what you're eating and eliminate one thing at a time to see what makes the difference. Try the milk first- I think your little guy will be much happier. Best of luck!

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D.T.

answers from New York on

Since you are breast feeding, you might want to start looking at what you are eating as the catalyst for his gas - (It's happened with a few of my friends). If there is nothing obvious like caffeine, chocolate, gassy vegetables, etc., then you might want to experiment with milk products. (If he's got exzema, that might be a sign of milk allergy too) Good Luck!

D. T.

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