My Little Man Is Very Gassy!

No advice here. I am in the same boat as you except the gas is painful for my 2 month old boy. I breastfeed and supplement very little. The formulas I've tried when I supplemented were Similac Soy for fussy babies and Enfamil Lipil. Both made the gas and constipation worse. The doctor gave me Enfamil Gentlease but I haven't tried it yet. Tell me if you find a solution please! It makes me so sad to see him so unhappy and uncomfortable because once it's gone he is such a happy baby. Good luck!

M.,
I had the same experience with my first born and the Dr. recommended eliminating dairy from the diet. It did improve the gassiness and eliminated the odor part so it was more normal for breast fed. I have a 6 week old daughter who also was getting extra gassy and fussy although without the odor and I have eliminated dairy once again which has improved her evenings. I miss the dairy but if it makes her happier, it's worth doing for me.

A.

Mom to 3 yr old son and 6 wk old daughter

It'll pass (no pun intended!) and many babies go through it. We used to call our son Captain Thunderpants because he used to make farts that rivaled a fraternity boy. Nearly everyone I know who fed their baby breastmilk experienced this.

Don't worry - if this is the most embarrassing thing your kid ever does, then count your blessings! No one is going to judge you because you have a farty baby.

When I gave up dairy, because I was nursing my daughter who was allergic to it, I increased the amount of soy in my diet and it took my system a while to get used to it. I had stomach aches and was gassy. Maybe your little man just needs some time for his digestive system to adjust?

Hey M.,
Sounds like little Charlie could be reacting to the formula & something in your diet. Common food sensitivities are Dairy, wheat, & Soy. His immune system is adapting as he grows (70% of the immune system is linked to the digestive system, therefore what a person eats can either activate the immune system or keep things at bay). Also, when you switch formulas it could take a few weeks for him to adapt because it's something new for him. If you notice any diaper rash forming, then he's reacting to the formula & you need to find a different one.
If you need more help, you can make an appointment with me at The Health Doctors ###-###-####. I can do some applied kinesiology (muscle testing) to see what he might be reacting to and do some Homeopathy. Also, gas is pretty common at this age. You can do abdominal massage in a clockwise motion or do some baby yoga. THere's a great yoga studio in Naperville- Universal Spirit Yoga that has the biggest kid yoga programs in the Midwest, including infants. The instructor is Angie. I took my daughter to baby-yoga for many months while I was still off of work. She loved it & it really helped avoid any colic too! Hope this helps!
Dr. A. M., ND

Mine was gassy at 1m too, and was also nursed. First I changed my diet to cut down on high-fiber foods and big gas-causers. It helped but wasn't perfect. The pediatrician said that some babies are just gassy.

When you feed Charlie the formula what kind of bottle do you use? Dr. Brown's bottles seem to help; they let in the least air which helps the gas thing. After eating keep the baby upright and burp him (even after nursing) for 20 mins before you put him down.

Good luck!

My little girl was gassy and I found out it was from the eggs I was eating. I follow a gluten free, soy free and dairy free diet, so I knew it wasn't any of those culprits. Dairy is a big culprit to gass, the molecules are too big for the baby to digest even when it is passed in the breastmilk. There is a book out there called Baby Matters, What Your Doctor May Not Tell You and I think it has a section in there on gas, certaintly colic, acid reflux, etc. I've read too many negative side effects of soy formula, but if you are breastfeeding, then just offer the breastmilk entirely? Unless there is a reason you need to supplement.

Good Luck!

my breastfed son is also pretty gassy and has been for most of his life (he's now 8 mos).
I assume that you don't mean burping, or gas in the tummy, which makes a lot of babies umcomfortable, and also seems to be what most of the responses have been about.
My father in law is a nutritionist and he says the gas is due to the high acidity in the baby's intestines, which does the job of healthy bacteria that the baby does not yet have. So, the fact that he has the gas means that he has a healthy digestive tract, and as long as it isn't bothering him, you shouldn't worry about it, it's a good problem to have. ironic, isn't it?
my pediatrician also recommended avoiding lots of healthy foods - cruciferous veggies and such, but not only did it not seem to make a difference, but i don't think it's as healthy for you or the baby to deprive yourself of a well-rounded diet.
i wouldn't worry about the embarrassment - people understand that babies do gross things. besides, your son is probably so cute that it completely outweighs the gas.

My son was the same way and his tummy would be very upset. A few things the doctor said and we discovered: 1. we were over feeding him. 2. the formula does not agree with our son. to this note, the doctor said it was not necessary to suppliment formula any longer since I was breastfeeding. 3. stay away from the following foods: garlic, chocolate, all greens (lettuce, spinach, broccali, asparagus, etc.), spicy foods (pepperoni, etc.) and there was one other one I can't remember. 4. you can pump their legs, bend their knees and hold them up to their belly as if their doing a squat on their back. you can also push their knees out to the side and do circles...this sometimes help relieve the gas. its similar to the test the doctor does with them at their check-up. Hope this all helps and best of luck!

It's totally the soy formula! Not only does it make for horrible smelling gas, it also constipates. Our daughter went from breast to soy, and would go days without a bm. If there's no medical reason for the soy, I would suggest not using it.

Good luck...and, who cares if the gas smells? It's totally fine....he's a newborn...no need to be embarrassed!

Good luck! Have fun!

My baby boy is now 6 mos. old and honest to god that for the first 3-4 months he was the gassiest baby I had ever known. I also breastfeed and no matter what I ate nothing seemed to help. I'm a vegetarian by the way. Oh, the one thing I did notice that helped reduce his bad smelly gas was I stopped drinking coffee. It really is just something that will end over time. Don't worry about it and congrats on your new bundle of joy.

- M. A.

I know that soy really bugs my digestive system, so that could be the problem. Was the regular formula causing gas? Maybe that would be better. Otherwise, you might have to go with the hydrolysed (sp?) stuff.

I had the same problem with all 3 of my kids. I completely took dairy out of my diet and it helped my son the most, not the twins, but they were just colicky. I also removed eggs, italian, coffee, gassy veggies (brocolli, cucumbers, etc.) and this helped reduce it. Basically I just ate chicken and rice for 6 months :-) Pretty boring but I had happier babies. If yuo are going to supplement try the Alimentum formula. That helped my twins. The milk protein is very broken down so it is more gentle on their system. Good luck. It should only last a few months so hang in there.

Have you tried cutting back on dairy products? My son had a bad reaction to anything dairy- very gassy and would cry a whole lot until I cut out dairy. He was fine after that. Maybe also take an acidophollis to help with the good bacteria in your system- to go into his. I have heard that they don't have the "good" bacteria in their systems yet so if you include an acidophollis in your diet, he'll get it too through your breastmilk. Hope this helps!

I had the same thing with my now 9 month-old at about the same age. I supplemented with formula for a little while, and though the doctor wouldn't confirm my suspicions, when I stopped supplementing the gas stopped. My daughter was so gassy and it smelled horrible. She was obviously uncomfortable. I was worried that she was lactose intolerant or that I was eating something that she was allergic to, but it was definitely the formula! I did use a formula that was easy on the tummy when I started cereal.

Hi M.,

My son was very gassy at that age too even though I tried to stay away from gassy foods. I think it lasted until around 4-5 months. I breastfed him 95% of his feedings but supplemented with regular formula here and there when I had to like you. Though I thought I heard that soy was not good for boys so maybe you could consider just going back to regular formula. Now at almost 9 mos he rarely toots. Anyway, I wouldn't worry about it unless your baby seems to really be in pain and such - and it doesn't sound like it from your posting. That never appeared to be the case with our son so we just didn't worry about it and it did finally just resolve itself.

First of congrats on you new baby boy.I'd be willing to bet it's the soy. My son had a terrible time with regular formula, so the doctor reccomended soy. The stuff made him projectile vomit, and his gas was horrendous. We switched to lactose free, and he did much better with that. Hope his tummy settles soon :) I was successful at breast feeding with my second one (tried with my first, but he was early and he just couldn't get the hang of it), but she also had some tummy troubles as well. Turned out my eating yogurt and cheese probably contributed to this, as she turned out to be lactose intolerant as well, which I discovered after having to wean her to formula after some medical issues I had. Hope this helps.

I would lay off the formula. If you're breastfeeding, you should not need to be supplementing. If you are having problems keeping up your supply and that's the reason you're giving him formula, I would recommend contacting La Leche League for advice.

Hi M.:

You have a ton of great solution options, but I just wanted to give you 3 more.

1) Good Start or gentlease formula. It is partially broken down and makes it easier to digest.

2) As funny as it sounds, a TON of tummy time. In addition to the regular tummy time, I flip my son over in his crib after every changing for 30 seconds to a minute and he always passes some gas.

3) If your son is taking the poly vi sol vitamin, watch the timing on that. I always give mine first thing in the morning because I always noticed if I gave it too close to bed time he was always kicking up his legs in the crib trying to pass gas.

I hope this helps.

Take care,
A.

Both my kids could clear a room, especially my youngest. Don't sweat it, keep nursing, and remember, all that cute baby makes stinky farts no big deal! Be glad he can pass gas on his own and is not fussy or miserable. Congratulations and enjoy your farty boy!