Infant Tummy Troubles

We had a similar issue and learned how to give a tummy massage which helped enormously. Also mylacon helped too but we didn't have much luck with the gripe water. Good luck and hope it gets better as the baby gets older.
Also we had good results from using Dr. Brown's bottles to cut down on the gas.

Mylicon gas drops. Don't put it in the bottle, a friend of mine does but this never worked for me. Give half a dose partway thru the feeding and the rest at the end. Its very safe and can be used at every feeding.

Good luck and sorry about the mastitis.

I have used probiotics with 3 of my children and it helped with tummy issues - currently giving them to my 3week old. Infants often don't have enough good bacteria in their systems - especially if they have had antibiotics for anything (this happened with my 2nd child). Your ped won't recommend as it is more "alternative" - my 1st child would wake from gas pain and my ped told me all children have gas - not very helpful. Anyway, not sure where you live but Earthbeam on Broadway Ave in Burlingame sells probiotics specifically formulated for infants. You could also call other health stores and ask, ideally they should be kept in a refrigerated case. Good luck, hope the mastitis passes quickly and remember to rest whenever you get the chance - as in put of the laundry, dishes, etc and take care of you!!

Something that worked great for us was babywearing with his tummy touching my tummy. We used maya wrap and mei-tai for the first few months. Go out walking with her and she will calm down. Good Luck!

E.-
congratulation's!! Hang in there. I have a 2 month old little boy who also had lots of gas pain. We used Mylicon dye free drops of infants, and it helped TONS. We checked with our pediatrician and she said it was fine to give the drops to him after every feeding.

I also had a bad breast infection and had continue to have problems with a blocked duct. I know that you did not ask, but I have been using a product by Gerber that I got at Target. Called "warm or cool relief packs" They are gel filled rings that you can freeze or heat in the microwave. Each pack comes with two, and I got two packs, I keep 3 of the rings in the freezer and one I use for the microwave. I think they have really helped me to keep from getting a repeat infection. (I also pump at least time a day even though I am breast feeding, just to be sure that my breasts are empty.)
Rest as much as you can . . . being sooooo tired makes it hard to heal.
best wishes

All the previous advice is good, including the nursing for mastitis. We have a three month old who has consistantly had tummy issues including reflux. Our doctor advised me not to modify my diet in the beginning unless we saw a reason (and I was ALL for that approach), but slowly I have had to eliminate foods and Boy! does it make a difference. Broccoli and cauliflower first, then cooked onions (I still eat traces of onion and garlic but avoid large quantities), then artichokes. Everything seemed under control till last week when she developed really bad tummy issues and was a spit-up fountain, green poop, the works. Sure enough: dairy intolerance. So now I'm dairy and soy free too and it's made a HUGE difference. It's not as bad as I thought it would be. My husband found goat milk, goat yogurt, goat and sheeps cheese, and even goat butter for me. So I can still face my morning oatmeal and get through the day with a bit of cheese. Good luck.

I probably don't have many more ideas than all the books. We tried Gripe Water (which didn't seem to work) and lots of belly massaging and kicking the legs, pushing the legs into her belly. I did this every morning for a few minutes, and whenever I changed his diaper.

I know you didn't ask about this, but I just finished a bout of mastitis, and all the advice I got was to nurse as much as possible on the infected side (and the bottle feeding makes more gas, so that might help).

Lots of good advice here already. We would bicycle my son's legs first thing in the morning, and lay him over our thighs (head resting on the knees) for a spell. Gripe Water didn't seem to do much but is worth a try, as is Mylicon. We also realized we were being a little too zealous with the swaddling -- maybe he was a month older than your little girl at the time so it's too early for you to ease up, but it did seem to help with ours; he wouldn't awake so tense with pent-up gas. Good luck! It will pass.

Have you tried Gripe Water? It's all natural and quite soothing for baby tummies.

Both my kids had colic. My first was the worst because I didn't know that what I ate affected him. Sometimes going off a few of the major allergens will really lessen the gas pains. It may seem hard to go off of dairy, wheat or eggs but I have to say the peace and happy baby are so worth it.

If you want any advice on diet I posted recommendations here:
http://naturalmoms.ning.com/group/specialdiets

I hope you figure it out. I just know that it really helps to change what you eat :)

My 4-month boy also had tummy problems and gas starting at 1 month. Some suggestions:
1. gripe water (maybe a placebo, but my LO liked the taste and it distracted him temporarily)
2. doing bicycle legs while she's lying down) to ease the trapped gas
3. drinking chamomile and mint teas, may help you and your baby's digestion
4. tummy time, my lactation consultant suggested for gas too
5. limiting certain food, like dairy and chocolate, may help too

Hope these help!

Good advice and the only thing I have to offer is the book Happiest Baby on the Block. That worked for us so we could tell the difference between upset tummy and just frustrated baby. I was told by a lactation consultant that some babies have more trouble than others with pooping and passing gas, because they just aren't fully developed in their intestines yet. Check out the 5 S's, it made a huge difference for us!
And yes, breast feed as much as possible from the clogged side, I've found only the baby has the suction power to unclog a blocked duct and flush it out. Good luck I know they hurt.

Bicycling the legs is good, and seeing if anything in your diet might be causing the gas--beans, dairy and the broccoli/cabbage family are the usual suspects. I could never tell if gripe water helped, but it probably didn't hurt! Agreed, the bottle may be contributing--make sure to tilt the bottle all the way up so there's no air in the nipple for her to swallow, burp well after feedings-- but the best cure for mastitis or blocked ducts is "nurse like crazy," even if it hurts, to keep up your milk production and because your baby is a more effective breast-drainer than the pump and you need that to get better; drink lots of water; and sleep whenever you can, and rest whenever possible--take baby to bed and stay there as much as you can. I've gotten over mastitis without antibiotics this way. Carrying baby belly to belly will give her gentle pressure there to help with the gas, and bouncing her very gently while holding her on your knee will help too.

good luck!

First, congratulations on becoming a Mom! I don't have any specific remedies to offer (it may be colic which generally just runs it's course) but I would ask the pediatrician about it because they are some prescription medications and some herbal options that he or she might recommend. Also, you might try lying her flat on her back before feeding her and raising her legs up and back towards her tummy. If there are big air bubbles in thee, that may also help to relieve them.

Also, if you're looking for interaction and support with other parents of newborns, check out the level 1 Gymboree classes. Sometimes it just helps to connect with others and see that you're not the only one having tummy issues! You can view their class schedules and locations at www.gymboreeclasses.com. Let me know if I can help out furher.

For baby, rub her tummy in a clockwise fashion and take her knees up to her belly (not at the same time.) Tummy massage will help with digestion and bringing her knees up and back out again will help her pass the gas. Massage in general (arms, legs, chest, back, feet) can help her feel at ease and has many other health benefits as well. It can also help be a time for bonding.
For mommy, take a look at what you're eating. I don't remember all the possibilities for foods that can cause babies to have gas, but I do remember acidic foods (tomatoes, oranges, etc) and spicy foods. I'm sure someone else will have more info, but often baby's gas is a result of something mom is eating as their digestive systems are still immature and can't handle a lot of the things adults take for granted even through breast milk.

Hope It Helps!

Hi E.,

I am a mom of 2 and a grandmother of 1. If your child is only drinking breast milk, than maybe you need to change your diet. The thing is, your baby is getting everything you eat through your milk. What may not be gassy to you can be gassy for the baby. For example, you ate a burrito or some spicy food. It wasn't to spicy to you because your system is used to eating that. Now on the other hand your baby just ate the same thing you did. It's body or digestive system can't handle that because it's not use to that. I'm not sure what your diet is like, but I used this example so you could kind of get the idea.

Y.

Hi E.

There is a homeopathic remedy that seems to work quite well called cocyntal which comes in single use applicators that you just squirt into baby's mouth. Check your local health food store or whole foods. Something else which is supposed to be helpful is something called baby's jarro-dophilus which is a probiotic supplement in powder form.I give my baby this on a regular basis.

Also, I would try to eliminate all raw vegetables from your diet (this includes salad) this did wonders for my very gassy baby - who was so gassy that her belly was completely distended and she grunted and groaned all the time, including in her sleep. I found that when I ate a bland diet of rice and chicken my baby seem least gassy. Normally I am a vegetarian so I had to change my ways quickly. Also, try cutting out lactose containing foods. And of course, the bicyling the legs massage technique which can help gas pass through.

GOod luck, I know - its the saddest thing, but miraculously in about 3 months it seems to disappear as baby's digestive system develops.

Hi there. I am sorry to hear about your little one's troubles. So there are a few things you can do that can be helpful.

1st are you taking antibitoics or have taken them at some point for the mastitis? if yes than your baby has gotten some through the breastmilk. So the first and most important thing to do is to replace the healthy gut flora of her intestines by adding a high quality BIFIDUS strain probiotic. This will help immediately with her gas if this is the issue. I don't know if this is something you are already familiar with nor not but its important to not give the same strain as you would an adult. The bifidus strain is the only strain babies make naturally until they begin eating solids. You can just add a little bit of the powder directly to the bottle and when you are ready to begin having her at the breast again you can just place it right onto the nipple. You can find a Bifidus only strain at rainbow, I believe Natren makes one. I also believe that metagenics makes one that you can buy online.

2nd start eliminating certain foods from your own diet if you haven't already done so. The biggest offenders are in the broccoli family including cauliflower, onion & garlic, or anything spicy. if you first eliminate those and nothing happens then next things are dairy, soy, and wheat products. I suggest eliminating one at a time and see if anything changes. Don't add one back into the diet until you see the changes in your babies gas. When you do finally see the positive change you can add each one back in one at a time and see how she reacts. If she gets the same symptoms again you will know which is the offending factor.

Another thing you can do that works well for colic is to swaddle her quit tightly. If you are unsure of exactly how to do this you can go to one of the parenting centers like The Nurture Center (Walnut Creek), Natural Resources (SF), Waddle & Swaddle (Berkeley), or Day One (SF) & someone will show you how to do it properly. The important thing to do in regards to swaddling is to push baby's legs up towards her tummy while swaddling. Proper swaddling has been shown to be one of the most effective treatments of colic.

Lastly, if none of this works there is great treatment via Chinese medicine or homeopathy that works wonders. This is what I do for a living and I see colicky babies feel better every week in my practice. This is one of the most common things I see on a regular basis. Sometimes the digestion in babies this young just needs a little boost and babies feel better. So if you can't seem to stop it at home this is something that is a great viable option to getting her feeling a whole lot better. I hope this helps.

J. Stevens, L.Ac.
www.yourwholefamilywellness.com
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We used gas drops for my son and they worked great. They didn't work for my daughter, but gripe water did, and it worked really fast for her. As far as avoiding the gas in the first place, while nursing, I had to give up broccoli and dairy (except yogurt) and garlic, until my kids were a bit older. As newborns, those foods seemed to make them the most upset. We also made sure to give both kids tummy time when they had gas, the pressure felt good on their little tummies, and pedaling their legs to get the gas moving. I know nursing is painful with a breast infection, ( I have had several) but you should continue to nurse instead of bottle feeding, she will be less gassy than from a bottle.