Are you sure it's gas? My daughter was so uncomfortable as a newborn every time she ate. She arched her back, cried and acted very colicky. She was hungry but didn't want to eat super well because she got uncomfortable. We thought she was fussy due to still being hungry because I didn't produce enough milk(I didn't produce enough with my first child and he cried all the time as a newborn but once we figured out he was hungry and put him on formula he was happy as a clam) and started supplementing with the milk based formula. SHe still arched her back and acted fussy when eating. Long story short, we supplemented her with soy formula and she improved and when we switched completely to soy formula she was just fine. She has a reaction to milk enzymes, including breast milk. It's common in infants and they often outgrow it. My daughter is 10 mo. old now and eats cheese and yogurt just fine. We'll see how she does at a year when she switches to milk instead of formula. People often think you can't react to breast milk, but you can. Lastly, I recommend being sure your baby is latched properly to reduce air consumption and if you decide to use a bottle (for breast milk or formula) I recommend Dr Browns - they are truly the best.
Go to the grocery store and buy some Anise seed. Put the seeds in a tea steeper (you can also find at the grocery store) & boil it with water. Drink a cup for yourself and let it cool for baby. Use an eye dropper to give baby some. Give it to baby through out the day and you will see some relief within 24 hours. This works wonders for colic too. Good luck.
LOTS of GREAT suggestions!!!! I only want to add (in response to another poster) that your baby is NOT reacting to your breastmilk. He's reacting to the enzymes in your milk, whether those be the cow proteins you get from milk you drink or other gas-producing foods. Rest assured YOUR milk is the best food for your baby and will be for as long as you and your baby decide to share the nursing relationship (well into toddler years for some mamas!!)!!!
I'm a peer counselor with Nursing Mothers Counsel, and we have a great website http://www.nursingmothers.org that you can check out for answers, information, etc. If you ever have questions, you can always call us at (650) 327-MILK and talk to someone. If your issue is a little more involved for the warmline, you can ask for your own FREE one-on-one counselor, who will counselor you on the phone as you need it for as long as you need it.
Congratulations and good luck!
Gripe water. I did not use the mylicon drops cause I preferred to use any homeopathic alternative that I could, any time a medicine was needed...The other thing that I discovered was that the bottles I was initially using were all causing the gas. In the end when I listened to many who suggested good old playtex-the 'drop in' system, the day I switched I saw improvement in the gas. I also learned infant massage, this helped to ease the pain when she had it-I learned it from a massage therapist but I am sure you can google it. You massage the stomach area in a pattern that they call 'i love you' massage which has you using your hands to help move the gas along thru her body & out...Good luck, my daughter is 14 months now so those days are passed for us but I do remember how hard it was on us, as her parents when she was in pain from gas. Not fun but very normal. Good luck & I hope all of the suggestions you got help. Enjoy those brand new baby snuggles!
Many breastfed babies react to foods in mom's diet, especially foods that she may be reacting to. Dairy is a common food sensitivity. If mom isn't digesting proteins in foods 100%, then some of those proteins go into breastmilk and cause tummy upset in baby. Eliminating certain foods can help, taking digestive enzymes, probiotics and other digestive support remedies can help, and sometimes...it is stress! Babies have an amazing ability to pick up on and react to mom and dad's stress levels. More often than not, the baby does not need medication, there is an underlying issue that once addresses, can restore balance to mom and baby's digestive system!
Also, with a baby as young as 6 days old, sometimes the digestive system just needs a little more time to "adjust" to real food as opposed to being in the womb when the digestive system was not active.
In Health,
Leah Vachani
Holistic Nutrition Consultant
hfwellness.com
Hi Marie,
Is it possible he is hungry and that is why he is crying? If he is sucking on his hands-he's looking for sustenance-it is highly possible he is not getting enough to eat and that is why he is fussy. Newborns should be eating, and then when full, they go right to sleep. they really dont spend any time awake doing anything else. I could be wrong but it is worth a try. Maybe you could increase your water intake which will increase your milk output, or even just slip him an extra ounce or two of pre pumped milk when your breast is empty, and see if that helps.
Kind regards,
Gail
Hi Marie,
The Mylicon drops are great and do not enter the blood stream, thus they eliminate the gas and have no other side effects. I used them with my son and they were a life saver. If you have questions about them, as I did, simply ask your local pharmacists they will assure you they are safe to use.
Best of luck,
Donna
I agree with Gail and do recommend also renting "The Happiest Baby on the Block DVD from the library". Also,
do you watch your diet to avoid foods that could be passed through your breast milk and make your baby gassy? You could try pumping your milk and bottle feeding your baby with Gerber colicky nipples. They're vented and really help. I used that w/the Mylicon drops and worked really hard to burp him. My baby was hard to burp but putting him on my lap w/my hand uner his chin and rubbing his back. So he's in a C shape. I'm sure you'll receive other great advice from the moms on this site and that will help. Good luck!
Hi Maria - It does get better. Will he take a pacifire? Also when you burp him try rubbing / massaging his tummy and not supper gentle, rub it so you are moving things around then burp again. This helps the air that is trapped move around so it can escape. Soon he'll be burping on his own (about 5 -6 months till he's out of the house)
Good luck
I used Gripe Water for my kids... it is all natural and worked like a charm for gas and upset stomach. You can find it just about everywhere now.
Good luck and Congrats!
Jen
Hi Marie,
I agree with Jessica... I used gripe water and a massage my little girl's tummy and back, it helped her a lot and me too. I remember her routine crying would be 11:00pm through 4:00am. My husband and I are were exhausted and we were arguing all the time. It got better as she got older(3.5 mo).
I tried Mylicon but did not work.
Good luck...
Mildred
ABSOLUTELY agree with the gripe water. Best one, Baby's Bliss Gripe Water in blue box! My son is 16 months and I still sometimes give it to him as it helps with teething too. The Mylicon did nothing for him. Good luck and oh, do I remember those days. As others have said, around 2 1/2-3 months, will be a whole different baby! Hang in there!
GRIPE WATER is a savior; all natural and while you didn't say where you lived, I am able to buy it in Berkeley at the Indian Grocery Stores/shops. I have even taken a larger amount for myself and it works faster than tums or other remedies. I recently stocked up and took some to my niece who has a newborn infant and she also swears by it.
GOOD LUCK!
You might want to check first to make sure he is latching on properly. He might be sucking in air while he is nursing. Also you might try a nipple shield. I used one for a few weeks with my daughter and it worked great. The gripe water works great, but according to my breastfeeding book, it's not really recommended until after a couple months. This is probably to figure out if it is something in the mother's diet or another factor. I used it though when my daughter was 4 weeks. Just use a tiny amount and baby boy should be good. I also used the Mylicon (Target brand is cheaper though) and it worked pretty well. Also check to see what you are eating. I had to cut out onions, peppers, and broccoli. Good luck.
My daughter was very gassy and colicy for quite awhile. Lifting her legs up to her head and down again and "played "riding the bike in the air" type moves seemed to help with the stomach cramps and she often tooted or burbed soon after and had some relief. We made a game of it and as she got older, sometimes she would get the cramps and lift her legs for me, ready to play and get relief.
Also, I didn't realize that eating garlic and also walnuts added to the gassy-ness from my breast milk.
Babies magic tea was a great help easing my LO’s severe gas pain.