7 Month Old up at Night Every Hour with Gas

We used the gas drops very effectively, but the other things we tried were:
Laying on her tummy over a pillow (we had a non-Boppy pillow that worked great for this, I think I remember the Boppy working okay, too)
Bicycling her legs. Pump her legs up and down (or around) like she's riding a bike. This helps the gas work its way out faster.
Sleeping in a car seat. My son felt better when he bent a little by sitting in his car seat instead of laying flat on his back.

Well you never know what may be upsetting her. I know my mother in law said that with one of her babies she couldn't eat lettuce because the baby would get an upset stomach. So honestly you should try small alterations in your diet and see if anything is different.

Hi A.,

You could try eliminating the carbonated drinks ... I'm not sure if that's the culprit. I had the same issue with my oldest. I cut out nearly everything from my diet that LaLeche suggested ... broccoli, fish, etc. Finally, I read some obsure article that suggested cutting out all forms of dairy while breastfeeding. That did the trick for me. I got my beautiful, calm baby back. I didn't touch dairy while breastfeeding my next two and never had a problem.

Best wishes,
L.

hmmm thats tough. I would called your doctor and see if they can give you some meds. You might want to start looking at the kinds of baby food you give her. Some may be making her have more gas than others. And if she is breast feeding you really might have to switch up your own diet. Although she seems fine during the day the cycle of what and when you eat certain things and when it ends up in your breast milk maybe why she has more gas at night. Again I would take to you doc and see if he has any ideas.

try giving her a nice warm bath right before bed and after you are done with the bath gently rum her tummy area. this will help brake down any gas that is built up in the tummy area. You may want to either stop or limit your soda drinking, the carbonation in soda effects little tummies. Also watch the type of foods you consume also, spicy, Alot of pasta starches have effects on babies too. To much of any foods can have an affect on adults also. Good luck!!

Mother of Five, With two that had stomach gas problems for a long time until I learned what could help.

Anything with carbonation or caffeine does it for my little gal. Didn't bother either of my boys. I figure I'm healthier anyway for avoiding those things. :) Healthy foods like corn, broccoli, onions and peppers don't bother her now that she's adjusted to them. I don't know if you could take Beano while nursing, but maybe something like that would help baby. You might be able to find some natural equivalents. GL!

might I also suggest a little belly massage before bed? I took a "baby massage class" on a whim when I was on maternity leave. it was fun, though I didn't end up doing much of the massage as it is best when your baby is naked.. and it was winter (so I didn't want her getting a chill).

but... the one thing I learned in the class that was totally worth the price of admission, was a little series of belly massages (mostly gentle circular motions). anyway, i ended up doing this little belly rub to my daughter every day for nearly 3 mos straight. (only 2-3 times, any more than that and you can end up over-stimulating their bowels). anyway.. I realize you are probably looking for a quicker answer, but the belly massage was a god-send. and the class is fun and a nice way to bond with your baby through touch. i think they have baby massage classes at sweet beginnings in littleton (or i'd ask around at a yoga and/or massage studio).

Dear A.,
The Babydophilus is a very good idea. I would also suggest a plain yogurt with live cultures (look in the heath food stores) for yourself and the baby. Almost everyone could use some good digestive enzymes and the good flora/fauna is essential to a healthy gut.

Good luck

My pediatrician told me that a side effect of Mylicon and similar drops is gas. . . so lots of people have disappointing results like yours.
I wonder if you have a strong let-down reflex and she is receiving lots of foremilk, which can result in greenish stools or gas, depending on the baby and the mom's diet. Consider keeping her at the same breast longer before switching, or even just keeping her at one breast per nursing session so she can get more of the high-fat hindmilk that comes second.
I also wonder if some motion, such as a swing would help her stay asleep. I doubt your soda consumption would affect her. . . some moms say cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli and cauliflower, really caused gas in their babies. It's worth experimenting. Also, dairy proteins are notoriously difficult to digest and pass complete into human milk--that could be giving her grief. Typically, though, mom's diet doesn't affect her baby too much and breastfeeding moms don't have to live in deprivation. Consider contacting your local La Leche League Leader or attending one of their meetings for more ideas. www.llli.org. Good luck!

If you are drinking caffienated drinks that can cause her gas big time. I hate to say this but I gave up breast feeding because with my daughter who had a very sensitive tummy I was basically on bread and water after eliminating everything. It was tough! At about 3 mos I couldn't do it anymore. I couldn't eat salads unless it was basically iceburg lettuce, I couldn't drink milk, I couldn't eat dairy, almost everything I ate bothered her. I talked to our Pediatrician and we put her on Nutramigen formula. It is predigested and so much better on their systems. My daughter thrived, I mean gained weight, was so much happier so that choice ended up working for us.

I am not suggesting stop breast feeding, but each child is different and if she has a sensitive stomach, you need to take away dairy, caffiene, too much sugar or anything you are doing now and see if that helps. Process of elimination in your diet.

You can pass on the caffiene if you don't wait the two or three hours you should after drinking it. Talk to your Pediatrician. Make sure it isn't reflux either, which is basically worse at night when they are laying down longer.

And feel blessed you had a baby that slept through the night so young! Neither of mine did until almost 10 mos!!!!!

I honestly hope that this will help you out a little. My 7 week old son had problems when we first came home, and my 1 st son had the same problems at 7 months. Try watching the foods you eat. Like I heard that if your breast feeding your not supposed to eat corn, brocoli, calliflower, beans, onions etc. because it will cause the baby to have gas. My mother told me that if it gives you gas, you probably shouldn't eat it cause it will give the baby gas as well. I always used the little tummys with my first and it worked, but with my second it didn't. Try rubbing her tummy in a clock wise motion, if she is laying on your lap facing you; thats the way the stomach digests. Other wise if nothing works ask her pediatrcian.
Hope that helps some, good luck

maybe she needs a formula without dairy?

Hi A.,
My son also had gas...I might have a couple of things for you. I also nursed and I found that when I ate any nuts, and of course the regular gas producers of brocoli, cauliflower, etc. that my son was just miserable 6-10 hours later. We tried Phazyme, that worked pretty well to get rid of the symptoms, but not eating those foods helped much better. Best of all was Babydophilous - acidophilous for babies. It is a powder and we just mixed it in with pumped milk, or gave him a little juice or water with it mixed in. Within a week I had a different kid! He was soooo much more comfortable (as were my husband and I) and could stop waking up crying in pain. Apparently, he didn't have all of the flora in his digestive system that he needed to process those foods and the addition of it to his diet changed the balance. Hope that helps!
D.

Did you ever find a solution or when did your baby stop waking up like this? I'm going through the exact same thing. Once my son hit 5 months, his previously good sleep habits ended and here we are at 7 months and he's up all night with gas problems. Any advice??