Help with 7 Weeks Old GAS!

Most of the time the gas and colic is caused by foods you are eating. Start an elimination diet for the most common allergens and see if that helps. I found that none of those gas remedies worked when diet was the culprit.

My oldest had gas for quite a while so we gave her mylicon quite a bit (per her ped it was okay). We would also put her in the sink w/wam water which would help expel some of the gas or try laying a hot water bottle across his belly. Another thing we would do is to lay her face down long ways so that her face was in the palm of our hand and her arms and legs dangled over the side - the pressure of our arm against her belly would help w/the gas. We would just sit w/her there for a bit and that would help. If it is colic it can vary w/how long it lasts. Best of luck to you.

Use the A B C method. Lie him on his back and use your forefinger to "draw" the letters A B C on his abdomen. Do this slowly with slight pressure for 5 reps at a time - it's a safe natural remedy that works.

I also agree with KJinHB about reviewing your own diet since he is exclusively breastfed. Good luck!

Your post gave me the shivers because it hit very close to home.

I have 2 sons, the first being gassy and not crying about it. The second (currently 14 mos) screaming his head off with EVERY feeding. I also exclusively breastfed.

We tried Mylicon and found it sorta helpful once in awhile. We went to the Ped when he started vomitting too. They gave us Zantac first, which did nothing. Then we tried Prevacid- nothing.

I later found out that we should have just seen a gastro ped right off the bat and done a combo of the two meds.

We also tried hypoallergenic formula. He wouldn't drink it-only breastmilk.

What truly helped is ridiculously difficult. I started eating a very restrictive diet. I cut out all major allergens like dairy, nuts, soy, corn...etc (do a search). Basically, I ate turkey, rice, sweet potatoes, green beans, water, Natural Choice Hormel ham, lettuce...I think that's it.

When I researched, website after website and expert after expert said "a baby can't be allergic to mom's milk". I say BULL! Obviously they didn't live through it.

He got better immedietely, but not perfect by any means with the diet change. It was very hard for me. By 4 mos, he stopped the night fits (yes, colic) and by 8 mos, I tried adding some basics back and he was okay with it.

It has been an extremely rough 14 mos in comparison to my oldest son. My second born started sleeping through the night at 12 mos only (The same time I stopped breastfeeding). He still wakes up once in a while screaming from some sort of gas pain.

He won't drink milk and throws up if given applesauce or squash to this day. He eats yogurt, cheese, nuts with no issues.

I am currently pregnant and DREADING the likelihood that this baby will have the reflux/allergy issue as well. I have already decided the steps I am gong to take if he/she does.

First thing I would do is stop eating dairy. If I notice a change, I will eat the restricted diet and slowly try adding stuff in (keeping a journal) for my own sanity.

If no change with dairy, I would go to a gastro doc right away and try the meds.

If meds and diet change don't work, I would try the formula and see if it works. Similac Alimentum would be a good one to try first (a friends baby responded really well to it-mine wouldn't try it) I really wanted him to only have breastmilk, but I feel guilty that he was in pain for so long.

I hope something in here is helpful to you. Let me know if you have specific questions

My son had a lot of these symptoms. They cleared up 100% when I got every trace of dairy out of my diet. Today he's very healthy (almost never gets sick) and still can't have milk products. I recommend seeing a pediatric gastroenterologist on this.

Mira

i wouldnt let anyone tell you there is a specific cut off date for reflux or colic. our oldes would spit up very large ammounts of formula each feeding and could not be laid flat on his back, he would spit up and choke on it. we took him to his pedi who put him on prevacid and we switched him to lactose free formula. this made it about 80% better. he was on Lactaid milk after he was a year old for about 2 or 3 months before we started to give him regular milk and then he was fine, we stopped the reflux meds at about 1 year, give or take and he has been fine since. our 8 month old twins deal with reflux, one i totally fine with just meds, i'm actually thinking of stopping his, but his twin brother has it realllly bad. if he doesnt have his meds 2 times a day he will spit up about half of his bottle at each feeding. now he is so much better, doesnt spit up hardly at all. plus with the twins, we put a little bit of rice cereal in their last bottles. they are both taking 8 ounce bottles and i put 2 to 3 teaspoons in each. it helps them to sleep through the night plus with the twin with the horrible reflux it keeps him from spitting up at night. now i can give him his last bottle at night and put him right down and not have to worry about him vomitting and choking. maybe try another doc

Please go to the health foods store and get your baby some Infant Probiotics. Ask your Pediatrician if he/she thinks you can start using probiotic supplements.

Do the Bicycle leg exercise (let him lay on his back and wiggle his legs back and forth like riding a bike) whenever you can to get his intestines to start working and get some movement in his bowels. You can also warm up your hands (rub them together) and rub his tummy in a slow, circular motion.

Here is a snippet from a website you might find helpful:-

Causes

There are many causes of child’ gas problem. The breastfeeding mother must have precautions about her own diet and keep in mind that any thing that is consumed by her will pose a problem for the child. The use of colas, coffee, tea and chocolate can create trouble for the child. Try to avoid these products. Dairy products may be lactose intolerant for the child and should be avoided. Nuts, broccoli, beans and certain other things can be gassy for the baby. Changing of diet can make a difference without giving any medication.

Symptoms

The child is born with immature gut and the digestive system start to learn the function and it is not fully developed. Gas can have buoyancy pockets which get trapped in the upper and lower intestines to cause the child to cry. The crying of the child indicates the gas problem.

Home Remedies

After every breastfeeding and bottle feeding session, burping the infant solve the stomach gas problem of the child up to some extent. But it may not work always to eliminate the gas.

The massage techniques can help in releasing the gas and applying light pressure on the tummy will help the baby in giving gas free condition.

Some herbal extracts or essential oils are very effective to ease the gas problem. Dill and fennel are used in gripe water to soothe the ailment. The homoeopathic treatment is very effective to get relief from this problem.

Try to put the baby on her back to grab the ankles to move the legs in a bicycling motion to get the trapped gas to move. Place the child on her belly to gently rub or pat her back to induce burp to give her relief.

The infant can be carried in football hold with face down on the forearm and chin resting in the hand to put gentle pressure on the tummy to release the gas.

Preventions and Precautions

Try to use feeding bottle which contain an internal vent to eliminate the vacuum and air bubbles which can create gas problem.
Do not forget to burp while after feeding the child and try to feed the child at a forty five degree angle.
Gently rub or pat the back of the child to give burp to give relief.
Give the child a digestible food which will not cause gas problem.
Use the nipple on the bottle which will not create gas problem. It should neither be too long nor too short to discomfort the child.
If the problem persists for very long time or days, take the child to the doctor.

Our little one was terribly gassy and proved inconsolable, crying while feeding, crying while held. Mylicon and gripe water didn't help us.

things did get better at around 12 weeks. It might have been his maturing dig system. It might have been my change in diet (severly limited my own dairy intake).

the bicycling of the legs seemed to help. holding him upright after a feeding also seemed to help.

since its your second child, you probably aren't making the same mistake I was. I was feeding him perhaps too often, taking every cry for an i'm hungry. may have made his bad belly feel worse.

good luck with your little angel.

My daughter had gas problems, and ColicCalm brand gripe water was the only thing that helped.

I would question what is in your diet. He might have food sensitivities to what you're eating. You should eliminate the things in your diet that cause gas for starters. If he has colic, which both of my kids had, then you have another 5 to 7 weeks of this. You can give .03 ml of Mylicon drops after or during feedings. I would give it to him before you switch to other breast. Mylicon is very safe to give newborns, I gave it to my kids OFTEN! It helped, but was not the cure all. I also would put a warm cloth on their bellies and they would quiet down. Congratulations on your sweetie, he sounds like he could be a colicy little guy :)

If your pediatrician hasn't helped you 7 weeks into this, you may want to find another. My son had terrible problems with reflux (what I originally thought was gas discomfort turned out to be acid discomfort). Ask your pediatrician about this. My son was given 2 meds for the acid reflux, and within a couple of days, improved immensely. I am thankful my pediatrician was able to figure it out early on. If you look up "GERD symptoms in infants online" and see any other similar symptoms in your son, there's a real chance it's GERD. I hope the problem is resolved quickly.

Both my kids were gassy for different reasons but my pediatrician told me to give mylicon right after nursing. It helps prevent gassiness. Also warm towel on the tummy may help. Good luck!