Need Advice on 6 Week Old Who Had Alot of Discomfort with Gas and Stooling

One of my triplets had the same problem. We tried gripe water (got it at Babiesrus). We also changed formulas several times. It wasn't until she was about 4 1/2 months did she start doing better which is about the time the doctor said she would probably get better. It is a hit and miss unfortunately.

I highly recommend the book or dvd "The Happiest Baby on the Block". It greatly helped me with my colicky baby. It puts to rest all the myths about babys GI pains. You will get so much from the information in the book/dvd. Good Luck.

Hi S.,,

maybe if you try cutting out soda weather it be regular or diet. They can give babies lots of gas if you are breast feeding.. Dark soda can make you very gassy!!! If the baby is having a hard time going to the bathroom, try taking the babies temp rectally.. It will stimulate the bowl and make the child go.. If nothing else helps maybe you should have a peds gastro take a look at the baby..

Hi S. - my girls had the same problem, and I'm not sure if what I did helped or if they just had to grow out of it. However, I was told that these symptoms can be caused when a baby gets too much foremilk and not enough hindmilk. Is your baby emptying at least one breast at each feeding? If not, you may need to talk to a lactation consultant about it.

Hope this helps.

Hi S.:

You may want to look into naet (Nambudripad Allergy Elimination Techniques). They can test and cure allergies and with babies, they do it by using a surrogate (i.e., you). It has been such a marvelous blessing for my grand daughter. We go to an naet certified doctor in Fullerton.

M.

Dear S.,
You are a sweetie and such a tender mum!
I'm not a doctor, but I would be careful with mylocon if it were me. I know that sometimes interfering with natural digestion processes ends up backfiring. Sometimes simple stress causes problems, yours or theirs. But far and above all the 'remedies' out there, HOMEOPATHIC Colic tablets work GREAT on babies. I swore by them, because they never harmed and only helped. Any health food store has them, Wild Oats stores, etc. I had seven kids, and always got a fresh supply whenever I'd have a new baby, just in case! Usually you will only need to use them a few times and after a while it will 'pass'!
I wish you a Happy Mother's day!
R. E

I suggest you write down everything you eat if you havn't already done so. I suggest a gluten free diet.
That may be extreme but more kids are having problems with gluten. Give your list of foods to your peditrian or talk to the nurse about what you eat. I wonder how much your baby is eating and spitting up? In what position are you holding the baby during feeding and after. Is the baby burping well? Mustard ketchup any and all spices can contribute. You may want to eat salad with no dressing for three days and see if it makes a difference. Read every label. Are you taking vitamins or other medication? How well does the baby sleep? How rested are you? Baby's feel all the household stress.
I have raised two. one with alot of food allergies and one with celiac's disease and cyclic vomiting induced by gluten.
Check for fever possible ear ache. IS the baby constipated?
There are alot of factors to look at for a baby with pain.
The baby may need a stool softner but you must talk to the doctor first. Good Luck and let us know.

It's a good sign that your baby is better now. However, I will suggest you to keep babies magic tea in your kitchen drawers. It is the natural and non-alcoholic tea that soothes newborns from colic, gas and other tummy troubles.

S.,
My duaghter also was in a lot of pain. It turned out that everythig I ate was affecting her (breast fed). Tried formula it seemed like forever but she would not drink it. I ended up eating meat and potatoes no tomatoes, eggs, vegies and so on everything I ate gave her gas and would affect her. It was no fun for me but I saw the changes in her. Before when she cried everyone would just say she had colic, I knew better that it was something else I was right.
C.

Ok S., I totally understand what you are going threw my daughter had the same thing for about 31/2 months. But what I highly reccomend is to swaddle your baby & rock put the baby in a swing if you have one , and put white noise in the background what worked for me was vacumn noise sounds strange but it worked MIRICLES. Good luck

My son had a lot of gas every time he ate, the doctor said that this is totally normal. I was very thankful for mylocon ... helped him on those hard days, it took a lot of burping and rubbing his tummy to help him get through it. My friends little one had a hard time with going and so the doctor suggested to put a little prune juice in the bottle to help the stool pass easy... but it happens to lots of babys since they are developing there digestive system, hope this helps....

My son is also very gassy (I think it is a boy thing, my daughter was never this gassy and I breastfed both) I read somewhere to rub their tummy in a counter-clockwise motion and then push their legs up towards their chest. This has actually worked for my son (who is now 4 months) and I haven't needed to use the Mylicon drops as much. Hope this works for your little guy too. Good luck

I gave mi daughter gripe water, and anis water or chamomile - it helps but you will see a difference after 4 months....
Best regards,
P.

Dear S.,
When my babe is uncomfortable with gas, I make her legs do 'bicycles'. I get her knees up to her tummy/chest and back down. I also rub her tummy in a clock-wise circle to help her little system get going.
Maybe these things can soothe your baby in addition to your diet modifications.
It's not easy! Hang in there Mama-you're doing a great job!

E.

My son was the same way. I switched to formula. He slept thru the night at 5 weeks and his personality blossomed. The fussiness and pain disappeared instantly and completetly. I know formula isn't an option for everyone - my husband's cousin told me I was taking the easy way out and parents who care breast feed. Forget people like that. Do what you believe is best for YOUR baby.

It sounds like you've gotten a lot of advice and will be able to proceed with some action. Each child is different, but I wanted to share that my daughter was allergic to cow proteins (just like Tera had described) resulting in a lot of gas and almost colic like symptoms. I had to cut out milk, cheese, yogurt and everything that contained milk for more than a year. She's outgrown most of the allergy now. I also learned from my doctor that Mylicon drops do virtually nothing. He said that the active ingredients are so weak because it's for an infant that it really has no affect. Anyway, I wish you good luck. I know how frustrating it is to have a fussy baby.

i have a 10 week old and we had similar issues. we used gripe water which helped A LOT. we also gave her belly massages with oil and helped her "unwind" from birth in the bath. i also had her go to an osteopathh a few times for cranial sacral therapy to help with any birth trauma which we all have. i cut out dairy too as well as cruciferous veggies and beans. she was an "air sucker" when she nursed and still is a bit, so i am now using hylands colic homeopathic tablets which really help, especially when she has discomfort that is relieved by movement (good at night when she can't go back to sleep, or wakes when she's put down). i also use the swing when she's like this and trying to sleep and another great tool we use is bouncing her on the excercise ball.... it works wonders. oh, i also got earplugs to wear at times during the nite since she could be really loud grunting, etc. in her sleep. it will pass! she's almost 3 mos and much better. hang in there :-)

Its a good idea to examine your own diet and cut out any suspect foods.

My son had pains too and my pediatrician thought it was due to a poor latch-on causing him to swallow air as he breastfeed. His only advice to that was that it simply takes time for the baby to develop a better latch. If you have a lactation consultant - do check with her.

We tried to make sure he burped well and tried to keep him upright for about 30 mins after feedings to help get the bubbles out, but it didn't always help. Mylicon was also ineffective.

sorry! no real solution, just so you know others have been there.

I use Gripe Water by Colic Ease. It "helps ease the discomfort that may be associated with colic, gas, reflux, and hiccups. Beneficial when introducing new foods into baby's diet." We keep bottles of it on hand...we call it our "magic potion." It really helps my son when he has gas or the hiccups or when he's trying new foods. Even when he's gripey and we can't figure out why it just really helps to calm him down. I highly recommend it. It's awesome! And the best part is that it's all natural so it can be given more often and with other "real" medicines, if need be. Google it for more info. It's great stuff!

S.,
I had this same problem with my daughter and I used powdered Bifidophilus (its like acidophilus but better, Nature's sunshine has a great one thats capsulated) I opened the capsule and put a little of it in my daughter's mouth and she worked it with her tongue. You could mix it with the mommas milk in the bottle and it should not effect the taste (my 7 yr old son puts the powder in his mouth and says it tastes good. This made an amazing difference, we don't have any problems now. Good luck!!!

My firstborn was the same way... she had a LOT of gas pain, and accompanying crying along with it. We did the Mylocon too.
But what I found real helpful was the "Hyland's Colic Tabs"
Here's a link:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Da...

It's not JUST for colic but "Colic Tablets is a homeopathic formula providing soothing relief for babies suffering from mild indigestion and sudden gas Discomforts."

You can get it a any "natural foods" type stores. That's where I got mine.

My girl did NOT suffer from colic, but this helped a LOT.
My girl also did not pass gas... she rarely farted. Thus, the gas pains she got etc.

A newborns digestive system is still developing... and it takes mostly their first year of life in which their digestive system is developing. Thus, the recommendations for certain foods and not others. Their system is not able to synthesize everything yet.

Try the Hyland's.... they make great products, and it's homeopathic so it's safe. They also make "teething tabs"...perhaps in the months to come when your little one starts to teethe.

Take care and I hope this helps. It helped my daughter.
Happy Mother's Day to you!
~Susan
www.cafepress.com/littlegoogoo

I had the same problem and actually found out that alot of veggies were the culprit! No brocolli and cabbage especially and definately no beans. That worked for me, hope it helps you. I know how hard it can be. Try also pumping his legs to help him with gas and going potty. Lay him on his back and do bicycles with his legs or just raise his legs to his chest. Hang in there mom their little tummies get stronger eventually.

awe your poor baby. my daughter had the same problem (only she was formula fed we found good start was the best for her) andways what we had to do was use a childs supository (cut in 1/2 4 times (dont use a whole one for your baby)) and only use it 2 times a day you dont want your baby to only be able to poop that way. so maybe the first and last feedings would be best. then maybe for a couple in between feeding use lil tummies its a laxitive and should help him pass stool. hopefully youll be able to find what your eating thats causing him to be uncomfortable. good luck and dont feel to bad it happens to a lot of moms!

(with the suppository you have to insert it in the rear and hold it there for like 10mins)

S.,

My first daughter had the same problem. After SEVERAL trips to the Dr (that I wish I had trusted my gut and ditched long before!) only to be told she was fine, I insisted on a specialist. Turns out she had a "bent annus". For her it was just a matter of adding fiber to my diet and getting her into the sunlight daily (the sunlight has viatim D the body needs). She struggled with it for the first couple years, but once potty trained she hasn't had an issue since then. (for some kids leaning forward on the potty is better, others leaning toward the back of the toilet ~ plenty of time before that though!!!)

Although it's not uncommon, there are varying degrees of sevarity, some requiring surgical correction, while most just require knowledge and patinece.

Good luck!!
H.

This is kind of graphic but just trying to explain our situation.
My son just turned one and had a mega case of constipation and pain with his b.m. This began about 4 months of age. And immediatly sought help. I was transitioning to formula at this point and Dr. said to put him on gentle ease (enfamil) then came the spit up so we added a scoop of A.R (enfamil) to his bottle. At six months the pain and problems returned. It was a nightmare. He was trying to pass stool and couldn't. After talking to peds and trying prune juice, pear juice, warm baths, bicycling the legs, Glicerine Supositories there was no relief for my baby boy. I had been to the doctor 3 times and they all said to do the above. Damn them. He was trying to go to the bathroom 20+ times a day. My husband was the best with him he could get him to get some out then he would actually pull the feces (consitancy was harder than playdough) to get a little more out. I went back to my ped and made her stay there and experiance his pain and discomfort then showed her with all that he could get nothing out. She ordered an xray that showed the backed up stool, then he had to have a barium enima, which got us to the ped gastro dr. and surgeon. He had rectal surgery where they biopsied rectal tissue to check for hirschprungs, and to look for an intestine out of wack. Test was negitive. They did stretch his anus. He takes soy formula till 2 (under advice from his ped gastro dr. He also takes Kondremul (laxitiveand
lubricant) as needed he is still uncomfortable at times but way better. He was on myralax till his gastro dr. said it pulls the water out of there system to lubricate stools. I am constintly read and looking for help and info because this is a problem he has that is way outside the normal box and no one has satisfied me with a reason why, how to fix it or when he will out grow it if he will very frustrating if you have new info or want to know more my email is ____@____.com
good luck and God Bless. (he is on soy formula now)

Hi S.;

I have several suggestions. I found with my 3 having colic and discomfort that the cause was chocolate and dairy, in any form.

At first I was like you and cut out milk but then my babies would still have discomfort. (I went through this process with each one in case I didn't have to give up dairy)

I kept a food diary and realized that I was eating cheese, ice cream (chocolate) and diet coke with caffeine. So I would check everything I ate, even frozen foods for cheese and butter too! Once I cut out all dairy it was smooth sailing. Also check with your doctor if you are introducing formula. Soy is what we used and sometime the iron supplement can cause stool difficulties for the baby.

The food diary really helped me and you are lucky because there are so..... many soy substitutes now. Fifteen years ago there was not much on the market! Thankfully my babies only nursed for 6-8 months they wanted it faster and wanted to crawl and play with their siblings!

Good Luck!

S.

My kids had sensitive tummies and here are a couple of natural remedies to keep on hand. First, make some teas for the baby to drink in between meals. The first one is made from celery leaves. Take a 3 or 4 celery leaves from the stalk and rinse under water. Then pour boiling water over top and steep for about 5 minutes. After discard the leaves and put in a bottle and give at room temp. If he doesn't like it at first, you can add 1/2 teaspoon of sugar to it. The other tea my kids always drink is chamomile tea. It also has properties for soothing the tummy. My kids at that age would drink about 60 ml of tea per day.

Keep giving the mylocon drops after every feeding too.

Also, before bedtime I massaged my kids' feet because right at the arch of the foot is connected to the stomach. Gently massage in a circular motion for a couple of minutes and it relaxes them too.

Don't worry, he'll outgrow the tummy aches in a few months. This is very common with babies.

Happy Mother's Day!
G.

You most likely will have to cut out all dairy. If you do that and put one dairy in your diet for a few days at a time and see how he reacts to it. You can try to pin point it that way. I did that with my kids. Dairy was a big problem. Also brocoli, beans, lettuce, onions.
I also gave my son the mylocon drops before he ate. It seemed to help a little more that way.
Good luck

My son had similar problems and Gripe Water worked a whole lot better than the Mylicon.

Hi S.,

We had the same issue with our daughter. I ended up cutting out all dairy, soy and chocolate and it seemed to help a lot. Other things that upset her stomach were spicy foods, pepperoni pizza, garlic, and for some reason bell peppers. After 6 months our daughters digestive system was maturing and I was able to start putting these foods back into my diet and continue nursing her.

Good luck!

Mylecon has always been a staple in our home. Are you eating gassy veggies like broccoli, beans, ect? You might want to cut those too. You can do exercises to help the gas pass. Hold your baby with his back to your chest and pull his knees to his chest. Do this over and over. Or you can lay him on his back and do bicycle motions with his legs. The goals is to bring his knees to his chest to help the tummy push along the gas. Also, sitting in a warm bath might help, however he might still be too little for that. Best wishes, and know it will get better the more your baby grows.