Any pointers on what to do about very gassy 6-week old baby. He's a breastfead baby, and is very happy!!!

Question

However after he nurses, he seems to always get gas and seems very uncomfortable. He usually burps easily, but still has the problem. Any suggestions?

Answer 1

More than likely it's something that you are eating. Make sure you are not eating gassy foods.

Answer 2

Recent studies show that what you eat won't really affect your baby - diary products aside - in terms of gassiness.

Are you sure he's gassy? A lot of newborns will act gassy before they pass a bowel movement, but usually it's just the baby reacting to the new sensation -- they've never used their intestines or their bum before, so they tend to go "what the?!" When the pass gas or a have a movement.

Gas will happen even if you burp them religiously. As the milk breaks down, gas is released, so there's no getting around the stinkers!

Letting him have tummy time will help ease the discomfort of gas. When my daughter was a newborn, the only time she would nap was on her tummy (with supervision of course).

Other than that, just hold him and walk around if it gets really bad. A bouncy chair with vibrations is a life saver!

Some babies really, really like to suck and will fuss if they're not sucking on something. You can let them suck on your pinky finger, pad of the finger against the roof of the mouth and with his lips flanged as though he is latched to the breast.

At 6 weeks, it's "safe" to introduce a soother (but be warned that nipple confusion can happen at any stage).

Check his temperature as well. My daughter is a total crank pot if she's overheated - their hands should be slightly on the cold side when you touch them.

Sorry, too much information. Most important pointer - pick and choose the information you want and ignore the info you don't like. What works best for mom works best for baby.

A happy baby is a sign of a great mommy, so keep up the great work, mom!

Answer 3

See if anything in your diet is causing the gas...common culprits are dairy, broccoli, beans, brussel sprouts, etc. Generally, what might cause gas in adults might cause gas in your son.

I had a very gassy girl the first few weeks. I would lay her on her back on my legs while I sat (her head toward my knees, feet at my belly). Then, I'd either bend her knees to her chest gently back and forth, or I'd "bicycle" her legs. She liked it a great deal, and would even sometimes fall asleep during the knee-chest bends.

I found that just laying her tummy down over my legs and gently bouncing her sometimes helped as well. I also tried to keep her upright for about a half hour afterward...I noticed she'd burp more easily, and I figure if the gas is coming out that way, it won't get caught up inside her later on.

When all else fails, I used gas drops, but I didn't have to do that too often.

Answer 4

What you need to remember about breast feeding is that the child is eating what you are eating. Whether it's something not-so-healthy like a burger or something pretty healthy like an apple or an orange, your breast-fed baby is eating what you eat. Try writing down in a journal what you eat on a daily basis and then write down what results that produces in the baby. That can help you to see what may be making the baby gassy. You can also check out this free website. It's called the La Leche League. It is a community of breast-feeding women that share information and help each other with issues like this. All 4 of my kids were breast-fed and this is where their mom went for information. Good luck! http://www.lalecheleague.org/

Answer 5

Does he get fussy and crying before nursing? If so, he could be swallowing air and that could be part of the problem.

Do you have a forceful letdown that causes baby to have to gulp and drink quickly when your milk lets down? If so, try taking baby off at letdown and catching some of the milk in a towel or cup or something so baby isn't gulping so much down so quickly.

Any signs of thrush? Sometimes this can also cause gassiness.

Answer 6

Sounds like my granddaughter exactly.

My daughter burps her about 4-5 times through feedings, but there is still this problem. Daughter has stopped all dairy intake on advice from others. NO change.

Ovol drops for babies works a wee miracle. It is absolutely safe to use repeatedly, they like the taste, it works right away. It contains no ingredients that are absorbed or retained in their system.

Answer 7

I learned from a parent of 4, when I was a mere parent of 1. While you are burping the baby, turn it upside down (gently!). This will move the gas, and let it come to the top. Colic was gone!

Answer 8

I would get some myllicon drops from a local store, tehy work pretty well, and I lelieve you can use them up to 12 times a day (if needed). Also if nothing seems to work,I would bring him into the Doctors, they may be able to give him a prescription to help with the gas.

Answer 9

Have you tried Gripe Water? Worked miracles on both my gassy boys, better than gas drops. Make sure to get the kind without alcohol. www.babysbliss.com has a store locator for their brand.

Answer 10

The only thing that worked for my baby girl was Ovol. You have to give your baby Ovol when feeding or immediately after feeding. It helps breaks the milk molecules so they can digest better. It was a life saver for me. My baby is hard to burp, but this stuff helped alot. I used it for about a week and a half, then it got better.

Answer 11

The only thing that you *may* be able to fix is his latch *may* be slightly off. Maybe try holding him differently or consulting La Leche League (free www,llli.org ) or a lactation consultant.

But really if he burps easily I wouldn't worry, it'll probably work out on its own.

Here is some other info:
http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/gassybaby.html