Okay, couldn’t find anything after my quick search thru the records so…
Who knows any really good ways to relieve babies of wind.
Baby phyre is 3 weeks old and sometimes suffers terribly from cramps caused by swallowing air while eating.
We have tried the old patting on back, rubbing up, just generally rubbing her back, bouncing her… it all seems to work a little, but nothing that really says, well, BURP
ta
How hard are you patting? I was taught, and it did work, that it should be a lot harder than I would have thought was a good idea. You might want to experiment with that one under medical supervision, though.
Infant anti-gas drops… gerber makes some and most places have a generic brand … we used this primarily if she’s gotten herself upset and swallowed too much air to burp out with all the fussing.
Experiment with holding her different ways while you burp her too… over the shoulder/football hold with head supported’“sitting up”
Also if you lay them on their backs and hold their legs and kind of press them with knees bent towards their tummies and rotate the legs a little at the hip … I hope I explain this right … it really helps if the gas is lower…
Gas can be caused by multiple things - not just swallowing air (which is not as common a cause as most people think). Many cases of gassiness can be attributed to nursing issues, such as not enough hindmilk in a feed (due to an oversupply, timing feeds to x minutes per side, shortened nursing sessions due to discomfort, etc.), or even milk allergy (though true allergy will come with other symptoms like diarrhea, mucousy stools, profuse vomitting (more than the usual few teaspoonfuls of spitup, but fountains), and/or hives.
Try this link if your baby is breastfeeding. It might also have some relevance if you are using formula. Simethicone drops will help with the gas, to some degree - don’t worry about using them with every feed if necessary, I was told by my ped that they do not pass out of the gut, so you aren’t giving meds that will get into the bloodstream.
The most effective burp method for us was to ‘sit’ the baby sideways on my lap, tip him forward to rest against one hand (cupping the chin with my forefinger and thumb to hold his head steady), and in that slightly-forward angle position, thumping him on the back just below the shoulderblades.
For gas in the lower gut, laying them on their right side helps some (shifts the gut to put pressure on the ascending colon, and relieve pressure on the descending colon, helps ‘push’ the gas through), and/or putting baby on his back and cycling his legs like riding a bike, alternating with pressing his knees to his chin (like a squat) and straightening them.
I think your best bet might be relieving the cause, though, rather than trying to handle the results. Check that link!
thanks a lot for the help everyone… gonna let the missus know when i get home from work, and we’ll see.
hedra : we know its caused by swallowing air cos we can hear it as she’s eating, swallowing big gulps of air… thanks for the link… gonna go read now.
If she’s breastfeeding and swallowing air, then there is a positioning issue and you might want to call in a Lactation Consultant (normally they won’t swallow air unless they are breaking latch - at this age, the transition between airpipe and esophagus is set so high in the neck that it is very hard for them to swap lines, so to speak - they’re designed to be able to breathe and swallow at the same time without crossover).
Hearing loud gulps usually is not air but milk letdown - the sudden high volume of milk causes the sound, not air. It does SOUND like the sound an adult would make when swallowing air, but in this case it isn’t air. If you really want to know for sure, call an LC in and have her listen - she’ll be able to tell you for sure. Most insurance in the US covers LC visits, BTW. But loud gulps in a breastfed baby are the normal ‘yes your milk supply is working fine’ sound, not air.
cool, thanks…
Just gotta work out what a Lactation Consultant is here in South Africa 
Thats actually quite amazing though…
One last thing…
She makes the gulping without anything in her mouth… d’ya think thats just a result of over-crying herself?
Noting you are not in the US - forgot to look - but check your health coverage. Not sure how accessible LCs are in your area, either.
Another link to check that might apply…
Sigh, cross posted.
Look for someone with IBCLC certification. Breastfeeding support staff, your OB or midwife, or the nurses at the hospital should be able to direct you to the right person.
If she’s gulping while crying, she may well swallow air. Your best bet really is a lactation consultant - I can’t really tell you much more than that without listening to her directly. Even if you think you might have it figured out, it is REALLY worth it to get a professional opinion. There’s no reward for waiting, and your baby will be happier for having the problem resolved sooner.
Here’s another link that might be useful for you, though it isn’t directly related. It has to do with fussy stages that affect all babies in their first year, and those stages can affect feeding habits and patterns. Worth a read!
I had quite an oversupply while nursing totnak, which led to gas and green poops until we got things under control. What finally worked was to let him take a full feed from one breast, rather than offering both sides at a feed as most mothers do. It was uncomfortable for me for a couple of days until The Girls got the message, but it allowed totnak to get more of the hindmilk and that helped quite a bit. If the baby’s poops are green or smell sour, it may be oversupply - mention it to the lactation consultant.
There is also something that’s called “colic massage” which seems to work better for gassy babies than colicky ones. Lay the baby on her back and open her diaper. Rub your right hand, clockwise, in a full circle, then follow right away with a half-circle with your left hand, clockwise again, from 12 to 6 if you follow me. Repeat six times. Press her knees against her belly. Then rub downwards, right hand, left hand, right hand, left hand, and so on, again rubbing six times with each hand. Press her knees against her belly. Repeat until either she gets some relief or you determine this is nor helping.
Finally, in spite of all the old wives’ tales, mamma’s diet isn’t often the source of tummy aches. But sometimes dairy proteins can leak into mother’s milk and that gives some babies problems. If you think it might be this, again, mention it to the lactation consultant.
Good luck! The first six or eight weeks with a new baby are rough. It’s going to get much better, believe me!
My best friend’s baby was allergic to the tiny amount of cow’s milk (or whatever allergen is in cow’s milk) that she consumed while breast feeding.
I’ve carried Aaron upstairs when he gets gassy; hold the baby upright in a normal burping position, support her neck and head, and go up and down the stairs until the baby burps. I think it’s the slight bouncing action that makes burping more efficient.
Robin
okay folks, what i am about to answer is NOT the solution to my problem, at least if i said it was, there would be a zero percent chance of it working again (you know how cruel life can be :D)
Onion juice.
A couple of drops of onion juice in water, about 15 minutes before feeding… sometimes we don’t even have to burp the little one, she just lets a big one out all by herself :eek:
i don’t know how/why it works (i think something about lining the stomach maybe?) but i know it works. and it is way cheaper (and probably healthier) than buying expensive medical things from the chemist.
A note on breastfeeding: this advice works by giving the juice straight to the baby, not by mom eating it… if mom has anything with onion, it actually could give baby even MORE wind…
that last bit is a bit strange, dont you think.