Anyone Else Have These Gassy Problems?

I was having the exact same problem. My daughter is 10 weeks old and finally 4 weeks ago I switched to Nutramigan. She is such a happier baby now. I put a dropperful of gas drops in every bottle also. She has slept all night since the switch. I had tried every formula also. Soy just constipated her, and milk based formula gave her runny bm's. Also, try using Playtex drop-in bottles, you can squeeze all of the air out.

I don't have any experience with this, but the first thing I though of is "could it be a milk allergy?" Just a thought. Best of luck to you.

A.,
This might be Acid Reflux. Babies don't always spit up when they have reflux. My daughter had similar problems. She cried all the time. she would eat, but would cry after. She wasn't spitting up at all at first. We got diagnosed before 3 months with Acid Reflux. I put her on Allumentum (spelled wrong) and it sort of helped but not really. We had to put her on Prevacid and mostly we had to feed her in a proper up right position and never ever lay her down flat especially after feeding. We had to prop up the crib and her play mat with wedges. Just to make sure it was reflux we did a simple Xray test. it confirmed it. You might talk to the Dr. about this. It can go un-noticed and your child will be miserable and cry all the time and you won't know why. Especially if you are laying him flat anytime after feeding. He will be in dire pain. The trick to Reflux is positioning. The medicine is more of a band aid solution until it goes away around 7-9 months old. I hope this helps and hopefully he won't have it but they get it right around 2-3 months of age. With Reflux, he is in pain all the time that is why it's hard to figure out. Let me know if you have more questions on this. Thanks- M. K.

Hi A.,

I agree with most response about the possible acid reflux.. But I thought maybe you may want to consider the bottles you are using. Some bottles allows babies to suck in a lot of air, thus, causing gas. I have a 5 month old little boy and I use the Playtex VentAire bottles for him. The bottles are curved and have these plastic base that helps keep the air out and producing less bubbles.

Just a thought... maybe you want to try it. :o)
Let me know if it helps....

R.
http://ratanaberg.myarbonne.com

My daughter was the same way, it turned out she had reflux. Eventhough she never spit up she would cry, act uncomfortable, and arch her back after feedings. I'm sure you are doing all of this but you can try burping after every ounce, and keep him upright (like in infant carrier) for at least 15-30 min. after every feeding. This did seem to help my daughter a little bit. My son also has reflux but his was with the spitting up a ton! He is on prevacid and it has been a life saver! Good luck, I hope your son feels better soon and you get to have some rest.

We had this problem with our first. I really wanted to breast feed him but he was sucking in to much air.( we later found out at 10 months he was severely tongue tied) So after 3 months we moved to formula. We tried all the free formula samples form the mail. The one that finally worked for us was Enfamil for babies with gassiness and fussiness and used Dr Brown’s bottles. After this we had absolutely no problems. After a while we even tried switching to cheaper formulas but immediately he had major gas pains and constipation. The only other thing I would check with your pediatrician is if any of the pain could be from acid reflux.

My daughter who is now 4 months had the same problem. We switched to Enfamil Lactofree (the purpl label) and swaddled her tightly after each feeding and it seemed to go away.... also, try laying him over your forearm to put a little presure on his tummy. Hang in there, it does get better, and more manageable too!

A.,
I know how you're feeling! My son was so uncomfortable for about the first 3 months of his life until we found the right formula, actually combination of formulas. He was still gassy and fussy on GentleEase, so we tried him on Prosobee, which gave him diarrhea, but seemed to make him more comfortable and not gassy at all. So, what I ended up doing was combining the two formulas, which has working wonderfully. The doctor looked surprised when I told him what I'd done, but he said whatever works, just keep doing it. My son is now 7.5 months, and he hasn't been fussy or gassy (crampy) since we started this combination of formulas. I highly recommend it. E-mail me back if you have any questions. I'd love to help, because I know what you're going through...it's hard to see your little one so uncomfortable and in pain!
H.

My grandson was nursing and I feel so bad but I always used both formula and nursed. It worked for me but with my step daughter the baby ended up in emergency. We could not figure out why he was ill. Then my ex said it dawned on him that she was allergic to milk and maybe he was too. She told the doctors and that was it. He could not tolerate formulas. So he was put on goats milk. Fine after. I also sat a child when I was in High School who was allergic to milk. He was on soy milk. So I would ask the doctor about that. Some of his sitters before me would give him ice cream and he would end up in the hospital again. He just could not have it. G. W

I feel for you, we went through this too. I 100% agree with Lori D., I would only add..try using per-mixed formula instead of powder. I know everyone says they are the same, but the consistancy is not, its heavier. My daughter use to cry every 2 hours for 30mins to an hour because of gas...the medicine only last a few minutes...it can be extremely stressful, not only does it break your heart it wears on you. Hang in there! Try the pre-mixed, not the concetrate either, the staight out of the can formula. It was kind of a pain because we had to keep it refrigerated then warm, when your on the go its harder, we just got one of those soft side mini coolers. IT WAS SO WORTH THE TROUBLE!!! The releif for my daughter made it ALL WORTH IT! Hope this helps. If you are interested in more info let me know.

My middle daughter was like that. She started out on Enfamil lipil and had tummy problems (her dad is lactose intolerant so we were a little worried) so we started switching her formula around to try to find something better. I finally took her to the dr and they said that switching around her formula was actually making it worse They said for me to put her back on the original formula and wait it out and if it didn't work, they'd put me on meds to make my milk come back in and we'd try that. We bought gas drops and stuck it out for a little while ( I wanna say a week or two) and she got used to it and had no more problems. Hopefully the formula the dr gave him will make it better. as he gets older and his tummy gets stronger, I'm sure he'll be fine. But if it doesn't work, I'd ask the dr before switching him again just to be sure. Just because you don't get immediate results doesn't mean it's not working. Hang in there and try to get some rest :)

my son was very gassy with similar issues as yours. what we came up with was reflux or (GERD) and that he has a sensitivity to milk protien so i've changed my diet to not eating dairy and he is on 1 pill of prevacid daily and we have seen an AMAZING change in him he is now 8 months old and he still gets gassy occasionally but he is able to pass it better now. also one other suggestion have you read Harvey Karps happiest baby on the block? some suggestions in there really do work if you do them correctly and in the right steps as he says in his book...good luck and i hope he gets better! :)

my second little boy had the same problems you're describing-we
switched him to a soy based formula and it was like a miracle had occurred!!!(: you might talk to your doctor and see he/she
thinks that's ok. best of luck!

Everything you've listed, except the isomil, is milk-based (I believe even the alimentum contains milk). Isomil is soy-based. However, some babies (and big people too!) have a problem digesting soy as well. If milk is present, so is lactose. It sounds like lactose-free is the only thing you haven't tried.
There are plenty of options for lactose-free formula.
Also, for regular formula, the Carnation Good Start brand was the easiest for many of my friend's babies to handle. However, unless they have lactose-free, he may still have the same problem.
Also, not sure if he's too young for supplements, but he might benefit from a probiotic. You can buy lactobacillus granules that will dissolve right into his formula. If he has an imbalance in the "natural flora" that live in his gut, he would have a hard time digesting. Correcting the imbalance with the supplement might fix the problem. So, you might ask your pediatrician about probiotics.

A.,

Alimentum is a good choice since it has hydrolyzed proteins in the formula. If that doesn't work, you can always go further down to Neocate which has fully hydrolyzed proteins into amino acids. But if I were you, I'd stick to the Alimentum if your baby can tolerate it. Neocate is super expensive and biochemically, it's better to give amino acids in the form of protein molecules.

I see this issue all the time in the hospital (I'm a pediatric dietitian). And my son just had this issue as well even with my breastmilk. Hold out, most likely babies overcome it around the 3 month age timeframe. Some babies are just born with a more immature gut and it takes a bit for them to mature. And I've noticed that boys are a little gasier than girls...see, it starts young! :D

Continue to burp regularly, and consider using bottles like Dr. Brown's that pull the air bubbles out nicely. Also make sure you have the level one nipples for him b/c the faster flow will cause him to gulp quicker, i.e., more gas!

Good luck and God Bless,
A.

My story is a lot like yours. Go to fussybaby.org. They list lots of ideas but also reflux symptoms. When I read the list, I was floored as it described my baby to a tee. But I was in denial because I never saw my baby spit up.

We did do an upper GI and I actually SAW the reflux happen-it went right up to the top of her esophagus and stopped. This is "silent" reflux and is very painful. We tried meds but ultimately, a combination of formula, bottles, and colic-ease gripe water is what worked for us. Oh, and time. Now that our baby is bigger she seems to have grown out of it.

As for the Alimentum, we tried that but by day 3 we had worse gas and crying than we did when we started. Even though it can take a couple of days to transition, it shouldn't "get worse" before it gets better on the formula.

One non-formula, non-medication idea that I got from my sitter which worked REALLY well...they sell these little bean bags in the spa section of the store where they have bubble bath and scrubbers and stuff...I got one that's supposed to be an eye mask and would microwave it in 20 second increments until it was warm. Then I wrapped it in a dish towel and would hold it on my daughter's tummy. She would stop screaming and literally go limp into relaxation mode and fall asleep when I did this. The pressure and warmth seemed to relax the muscles and help the gas get out.

I sure hope you are able to find something that helps!

Have you tried putting gas drops in each bottle? I had to do that with both my sons.

Tried baby massage and chiropractor? He may have a little birth trauma showing up as the symptom of Reflux -- but you need to get to the source of the problem -- not just remidy the symptoms. Get informed and read up on digestive enzymes (natural health websites) and probiotics ... and the essential fatty acids (EFA). This will help with proper brain development too. Try La Plaza Family Chiropractic on Glade Rd Colleyville for finding the right chiropractor - if they don't do babies - they will know who can.

BABY MASSAGE:(classes are available)

Supports the bonding process.
Improves the blood circulation, digestion and inner equilibrium (balance).
Conveys a consciousness of love, acceptance and security.
The baby learns how to relax and become more calm.
The baby feels that it is respected and his/her needs are cared for and considered.
Can improve sleep patterns.
Stimulates a heightened sense of wellbeing.
Improves self-esteem and self-image.
Furthering of the development of the digestive tract and the respiratory organs.
Reduction of colic symptoms and digestive problems.
Improves muscle tone.
Sensory stimulation & integration.

Benefits for the Parents/caregivers who give massage:
Bonding and relaxation.
Communication, verbal and non-verbal.
Increased parental competence in relating to and handling the baby.
Fun.
Opportunities for close bonds and intensive communion between two people.
Increase in prolactin/ocytocin production (the hormone which furthers “motherly instincts and wellbeing).
Development of awareness through loving touch and caring attention.
Positive effects extend to other relationships: i.e. To partner and other children.
Teaching in groups offers parents the opportunity for reciprocal exchange of ideas and experiences.

CHIROPRACTOR:
If you have a "gassy" baby, and other forms of treatment don't seem to be helping very much, you may want to investigate taking your baby to a chiropractor.
As your child is being born, the neck and back vertebrae can go out of alignment due to the stretching and compressing of the body as it emerges into the world. If your delivery included a prolonged pushing stage, forceps or vacuum extraction, or other form of assisted delivery, the chances of a misalignment are great.

If the misalignments, called vertebral subluxations, are big enough, the functioning of major systems in the body can be compromised. The digestive system can be affected and ineffective digestion of breastmilk and formula can cause major discomfort in your baby, leading to colic episodes.

Many parents are wary of taking their small, helpless babies to see a chiropractor. The main reason being the "Snap, Crackle and Pop" stereotype that chiropractic invokes.

In actuality, the adjustments that a chiropractor will do on your baby is basically applying gently pressure with the finger to areas on the neck and back. You may see your baby totally relax before your eyes as the misalignments are corrected.

As with selecting any health care provider, you need to ask questions first. In this case, "Have you adjusted other infants?" would be most important. Ask for referrals that you can contact if you are unsure.

Chiropractic care can be very valuable in helping to calm the colic/gassy tendencies.

are you using powdered formula? in my experience my kids had much more problems with gas when i used powder than when i used premixed...i know it's a little more expensive though....

How many times do you burp him? Some babies take in a more air than others and need burped more often, even when they haven't taken a bottle.

Just a thought, Good Luck!!

My nephew had the same problem he was a very cranky baby, always seemed to be hurting. They took him to a chiropractor and he has been the happiest little boy ever since!!!
Seems he was out of alignment (which many babys are) since birth. The Chiropractor did a VERY gentel adjustment. He just put the baby on his sholder and put very slight pressure with is fingers up and down his spine and, within two weeks he was doing wonderful.
Good Luck,

Cathy

I don't have much more advice, except to say it does get better. In a few months you'll be responding to another desperate mother telling her you know exactly how she feels and that your son is much better. It sounds like he may be colic? I have a 4 year old, almost 5, and to this day I remember how much agony I went through finding him the right formula, watching what I ate since I breastfed, etc. He too hardly slept and always acted like he was hurting. Some babies are just more fussy than others. It is good that you took him to the doctor just to rule out any other things that might cause his pain. To this day I still don't know why my son was the way he is, except the fact that it was the beginning of his personality showing! lol And now that I have a 7 month girl with no problems, I have learned to GREATLY appreciate her non colic state!

I've been going through this same problem with my two month olds...ask your doctor about Nutramigen formula and see what she thinks. Its more expensive but if me and my husband can afford it, anyone can, lol. Also, you might want to try getting a miracle blanket, they've helped my boys sleep like no other.

We had this exact problem with my son.... we finally had to put him on Similac Lactose Free formula, and used DR. BROWN'S BOTTLES!! These were miracle workers.... we got ours at Target-- they are more expensive, but worth every penny, plus more.. go and get some... they are wonderful-- we will use this for the rest of our babies from now on, stomach problems, or not... look them up online and see how they work- it's awesome! Good luck!