Problems with Gas

Hi S., I also breastfed all 5 of my children and tried to eat a plain diet. Still one or two had gas. My mom suggested the old time remedy. Fennel tea. Get some fennel seeds, boil them in filtered water. Cool, sweeten if you wish. Feed to baby. This always worked for me. My best, Grandma Mary

I saw a massage therapist who taught me a technique of belly massage to help my son's gas and constipation, it really worked for him. I would rub his belly 7 times clockwise, then straight down 7 times, bicycle his legs 7 times and then hold his knees to his chest for the count of 7. I did this 3 times in a row and it seemed to help.

S.,
Have you tried cutting out milk (temporarily at least)?

Also, my son was gas-sensitive to ANY amount of garlic/onion in prepared foods (like pasta sauce).

Once I got rid of all cruciferous (not hard, I wasn't craving and during pg I hated them for some reason?) this includes artichokes, broccoli and cauliflower, but others too, as well as onion, garlic, and milk, DS's tummy settled down as far as gas.

Oh and nuts are a factor too.

Some people don't want to get wigged out eliminating their diet, but these are the main ones - and I didn't know about artichokes - one dire night of gas for that one.

Good luck,
M.

When my son was a baby he was the same way. I would brew chamomile tea and give that to him in between feedings. These are old remedies that I used when my kids were little so I would check with your doc first to see if it's okay before you do. Or if not maybe you can drink some and it may help. I have a baby at my daycare who was so colicky and the mom uses gripe water and she said he is a different baby so I guess what works for some does not work for all. At this age it is all trial and error. Good luck to you I hope you get some sleep soon!!!

I used chamomile tea (with a little bit of sugar in it) when my son was 3-12 weeks old and it seemed to work wonders. I'd brew up a batch, store it in the fridge and then give him 2-3 ounces in between feedings. I also did a very plain diet, which didn't seem to help either. He eventually outgrew the gassiness though and is now perfectly fine and content (he's 6 1/2 months now), so it's possible that it's just that his system is still immature and adjusting to "real food". Good luck!

- K. :)

This sounds like normal newborn behavior. All babies this age wake up a lot at night and seem to be grunting and pulling up their legs. This is a result of their immature digestive system and weak stomach muscles. It's hard work to move the bowels and it looks a lot worse than it is. It's better with breastfed babies as breast milk is easier to digest than formula, since it's biologically appropriate. Also, babies are loud sleepers, and may seem to make noise, move around a lot, etc but this is normal too.
Everyone thinks their child has problems with gas- tries all the usual remedies like gripe water, Mylicon, etc, and the only thing that works is time. I know it's hard to feel like you can't do anything for him, but you really can't. Usually around 12 weeks, it magically gets better. Just be lucky he is not colicky and up screaming half the night like my son was at that age. Just give it some time and if things do not change, then you can discuss it with your doctor.

Since you said you're eating a plain diet, I'm assuming you're breastfeeding.
I went through this between 9 and 12 weeks with my daughter (now 5 months) and it turned out the gas was related to a supply problem with my milk.
Do you pump much?
If you have a good pump, pump one side (the fuller side) and watch as you pump the color of the milk. What tends to happen is moms (especially first timers) over-pump and worry their supply will be too little. What happens sometimes is that they gain an abundance and the foremilk percentage starts to be higher then the aftmilk.
To put it basically, foremilk is like skim milk. All the nurtients, but thin and not so filling. Aftmilk (or hindmilk) is like whole milk, fatty and filling and smoothly white.
You can drink the same amount of milk of either sort and get the same amount of lactose, but the skim will have you thirsty (or in baby's case, hungry) alot sooner.
What will happen is they will fill up on foremilk, and it is digested more quickly, then they have to eat again, and it causes the amount of lactose in their systems to skyrocket. Babies can handle a certain amount of lactose, but in this situation it becomes more then the baby can process and then they get gas. They tend (over time) to go from mild gassiness to fussiness, to colic-like symptoms if left unresolved.
What you can do, like I aid before, is pump the fullest side and watch the milk. Once the color changes from thin grey/blue milk to thicker cream/white milk, remove the bottle from the pump and put a new one on. Pump the remainder of the breast and compare the two bottles. If the foremilk is moe then double (double is fine, but more then double is trouble) the hindmilk amount, you should start trying to lower your production a tad.
If that is the problem, the quickest way to lower production is to block feed. Feed baby from only one side until you can't Stand it on the other side, then pump off a small (1 oz) amount from the fuuulll side and feed from that side until the first side is unbearable, then pump it a small amount and repeat. This should resolve the problem (and the fussiness) within 24 to 48 hours.

Good luck!

My daughter is 22 months and we have been using Mylecon drops(sp?) since she was born and they work great!

Have you tried Mylacon? For a few months I had yto give it to my son after ever bottle. It seems to work great. The inly this is that I can not remember if he was as young as 9 weeks, although I think he was. I would check with your doctor. Good luck

Hi S., Gas is ALWAYS a result of reaction to food. Are you breastfeeding? You need to keep a food journal to try to track down the cause. I had to do the same for my daughter who is now 11 weeks. I found that I couldn't eat tomatoes or dairy (even in cake). Now, she is fine and I get sleep :-) Best of luck, A.

simethicone drops after feeding (usually about 0.3ml) every 6 hrs