Help for My Gassy Newborn

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!

Hi M.,

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...

M.

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,

L. Vachani
Holistic Nutrition Consultant
hfwellness.com

Best thing I have found is good old fashioned connection! Meaning, put him high up on your shoulder so that he curves over your shoulder and pat pat pat. Either that or over the top of your thigh, rubbing his back. Even just giving him a gentle tummy rub can help. You could put gloves on his hands but I think you would end up with a frustrated baby. He will grow out of it. Sleep when he sleeps and be patient, he will grow out of this age VERY fast. Kiss his toes and enjoy him. =)

Hi M.,

I haven't read the rest of the posts but I swore by Baby's Bliss Gripe Water. I found it at Raley's and Bel Air. It's about $10 and is in a blue box with a lady on the front. It saved my little guy. Good luck!

My first born was very gassy and lived on mylicon. Sometimes he would have several droppers full before any relief was in sight for him. I would tricycle his legs and rub his tummy and he would pass lots of gas!!! We even ended up in the ER at Kaiser a couple of times because of the strss of the crying and at the advise of the nurse listening to his crys over the phone. Well Kaiser ER doctors are not the smartest when it comes to children to say the least!!!! We finally found out he was allergic to milk and ALL dairy protiens that I was eating. He was getting this trough my brest milk. I went dairy free which is VERY hard if not imposible.

I would watch for blood in the poop (my oldest had little streaks of it in his poop it sometimes looks like coffee grounds) Also if you eat sweetpotatoes or brocholi (sorry if spelling is wrong! Not the best speller!!!) These are just a few foods that you can be eating that can be causing the gas in your baby. I would watch what you eat and feel free to give the Mylicon (generic brands are just as good and sometimes cheaper) If this doesn't work a visit to your baby's doctor wouldn't hurt!

Good luck!

Hi M.,

One thing I did was go see a "latch-on" specialist and it helped her not get so much air.

T.

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 son had reflux until he was about 6 months old. He was on zantac, but had horrible issues with gas and feeding. I tried mylicon and it didn't seem to do anything. Gripewater, on the other hand, worked really well. If the burping techniques don't help (and they didn't with our son, and we tried!) I would suggest you give that a go.

E.

Hi M., I feel for you. My La Leche League leader suggested that I stop eating broccoli, onions, and anything else which gives YOU gas. You could also start taking a digestive enzyme (sold at Whole Foods) which will help him in turn. Holding him in the football hold also helps get the gas out and rubbing his back at the same time. I used alot of Mylicon in my time.

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!

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 Tired Mama. My 8 week old was very gassy as well. I tried Mylicon as well and was unhappy with it. However, Baby's Bliss Gripe Water has been working very well for my son. It is an all natural herbal supplement. It calms my baby in literally 5 minutes. https://www.colichelp.com/ReviewPost/showproduct.php?prod...; Congratulations on your precious new baby.

I had 2 gassy children so I tried everything. I would definitely use the Mylicon throughout the day. I also used Gripe water with my 2nd child and that seemed to work great. Also make sure he is burped really well and lay him on your forearm so the gas can push its way out. If you are nursing than you may need to cut out dairy and carbonated drinks for awhile. I always noticed that Milk, Ice Cream and Sodas were the worst for their tummy. Also sometimes garlic or cinnamon can upset their tummy. My 2nd child is 6 months old and by about 3 months all the fussiness/gassiness was gone.

Gripewater is great--not sure I gave it to my little one so early but the other trick a nurse in the hospital showed me when my 2nd was SO fussy and gassy was to microwave a burp cloth so it's nice and warm and then put it tightly up against his belly and swaddle it to him. Make sure it's between his jammies and the blanket so not against his skin. Acts like a heating pad and helped calm him a bit. Good luck, and congratulations!

Try cocyntal. You can find it at places like Whole Foods. It's for colic, but it works well for gassy little ones also. I have been using it on my boys when needed for the last 7 years and know many other moms who have tried it and love it also. The best part is it's all natural and works well. My pedi checked it out for me and gave the go ahead and like I said we still use it and our kids are 5 and 7. Good luck!!

Dear M.,
My newborn was so gassy that I joked we should have named him Gus because it's only one letter away from gas. Fortunately, he didn't cry a lot about it or anything. Be sure to burp him well after he nurses. I put my son across my legs on top of a pillow so his little hiney was elevated then patted and rubbed his back. He was able to get rid of a lot of gas that way. Air bubbles rise to the top so I figured once the gas was already down into his digestive tract, elevating his fanny would help and it really did! He outgrew it after he got the hang of breathing and sucking at the same time. I tried the gas drops and everything, but getting the air out of one end or the other throughout the day worked best for him.

Best of wishes and congratulations on your precious new baby!

Do the bicylce with him and make sure to burp him well. Watch what you eat if you are breastfeeding, it can make all the difference.

Also you can lie him on his stomach while you monitor him, the pressure on his tummy sometimes makes it feel better. His system has to learn how to work, so it's normal to go through some of this.

If you haven't already I highly recommend the DVD "Happiest Baby on the Block" it shows some excellent comforting tips that are magic. Run out and get it. There is a hold that he shows you and that too will help his tummy and soothe him.

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.

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!

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.

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!

I took a sliver of peppermint and swirled it in a half oz of warm water then let the baby drink it. It is a miracle worker.

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.

The sears family baby book has a great section on this - with diagrams of different position that will comfort a gassy newborn. In case you can't get it, here are two that saved us. 1) lay baby on back and bicycle legs. 2) lay baby's tummy on top of your palm (hand palm up, baby at 45 degree angle facing down), gently rub lower tummy -- another way to think of this is too make the rock a bye baby cradle with your arms, place baby tummy down, head on the inside of your elbow, gently swinging your arms. The drops didn't help us much. Also look at your diet - tomatoe sauces, broccoli, cabbage, and milk in the mom's diet can lead to gassy breastfed babies.

Good luck! (and of you do get the book take it with a grain of salt, it has a lot of good info, but from a particular perspective, take what is useful, leave the rest).

Hmmm, before giving him anything, maybe try any or all of the following:

-Really make sure he empties one breast before offering him the other one. Sometimes this means you start a feeding on the same side you offered last time. The hindmilk is very kind to your babies digestive system. Pardon the detail here, but if he is getting plenty of hindmilk he will have a good amount of little curds in his poo.

-Techniques that helped me with the burping:
- hold the baby very much upright (you don't lean back too much) when you have him at your shoulder or if he's sitting up for compression burping
- try different approaches (ie over your thighs, soft massage, hard pats...)
-It might take many minutes for the burp to come (if it's going to come at all)

-take a look at your diet and see if he has more or less gas when you have eaten certain things

-check that no bonus gas is getting in there during breast feeding (nice deep latch, feed him before he gets crying). Let him rest when he needs to. Allow for burps between breasts (if he seems to want both). The La Leche League website has an amazing amount of info on it. So does Kellymom.com

-Sometimes tummy time or making his legs bicycle will get the gas moving.

Good luck to you both!!

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!

Babies magic tea was a great help easing my LO's severe gas pain.

GOOGLE hind milk and fore milk. make sure that he gets all he can from one breast before he changes sides. I had to feed my baby on one breast for three hours before changing sides, because he did not pull down the more fatty hind milk only the more sweet fore milk. this cause all kinds of problems for his tummy.
http://parenting.ivillage.com/newborn/nbreastfeed/0,,40wl...
just one site of many on the subject.
hope this helps

Hi, M.! So hard to have your baby be uncomfy--and mama get so little sleep. My daughter (25 in October) was also breast fed and was gassy and colicky. At two months of age, she developed a series of colds and ear infections--which lasted two years. We tried Western medicine, homeopathy, and Chinese medicine. Nothing worked. We finally met a chiropractor (Dr, Mller) who, using me as a proxy, did applied kinesiology (muscle testing). It is a way of asking your body questions. Through that, we found out that our daughter had allergies. She was put on a very limited diet, and was clearly fine within a week. I'd be happy to give you Dr. Miller's contact info if you want. I wish I had known about her when our daughter was born. It could have eliminated hours of agony -- for me and for our precious baby.

If you don't want to see a chiropractor, you can try eliminating the normal allergens: wheat, dairy (you'd have to supplement your calcium), eggs, chocolate, strawberries. I forget what the others are. And, as someone else mentioned, eliminate the usual gas producers: onions, cabbage, broccoli, beans, etc.

Best wishes!

Avoid gassy foods in your diet (beans, onions, cabbage, etc.).

I never could get mine to burp on my shoulder. I would hold their chin in one hand with them sitting on my lap, and pat their backs with my other hand. Maybe try different ways to burp him, so it can't travel down his digestive system and make him crampy.

Also, I agree with whoever said to bicycle the legs - that worked great for my kids. When he's a little older, you can have him kick at a toy which is more fun. :)

Hope you get some sleep tonight!

A. @ http://prettybabies.blogspot.com

Hi M.,

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 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

Hi M.,

Congratulations on your little one. My second son was the same way and although he did grow out of it after about 2 months, one thing that helped him was to sort of cradle him on his tummy with both of my arms supporting his body. You hold him belly side down with one arm supporting his head and torso and the other arm through his legs and on his belly The nurses showed me how to do it and I swear, he would let out SO much gas when I would put him in this hold and get almost instant relief! He also was a huge air gulper when he was nursing. I could hear huge pockets of air going down in his belly and gurgling and then he would just scream!
Best of luck and let me know if you need more description on the "magic hold".
-E.

Hi M.,

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,
D.