Does your baby yell and cry non-stop without any apparent reason? Excessive gas in a newborn baby could be the culprit. Gassy and colicky babies present a perpetual challenge to their parents. Welcome to the rocky world of parenting.
Gassy Babies
Accumulation of gas in baby's tummy can make her extremely fussy. Your newborn has an immature digestive system that is prone to accumulation of gas. The kinks will eventually straighten out but until they do, they can drive both you and baby crazy.
Explosive bowel movements and passing gas are extremely common in newborns. Some babies appear to suffer more than the others. The gassiness is sometimes more severe during the night.
Was it something I ate?
Gassiness in baby could be unrelated to your diet. It was believed that if a mom ate certain foods that caused gas, the gas would be transferred to baby via breast milk. This belief is not entirely true.
But wait; this theory has not been totally disproved either. Try avoiding foods like cabbage, broccoli, potatoes, beans and any other foods that are potentially gassy. Eliminating them one at a time can help you detect the culprit.
Breastfeeding a gassy baby can be a Herculean task, but it is well worth it.
Pin the cause down
Your baby might be swallowing a lot of gas while she feeds. Suckling very vigorously makes baby gulp a lot of air.
Bottle feeding babies tend to take in more air while feeding than their breastfeeding counterparts.
Allergy to formula this could result in gassiness too. Lactose intolerant babies cannot digest cow's milk, which makes them gassy.
Sucking pacifiers and empty bottles for a long time can lead to gas accumulation.
Prevention is better...
Time is the best healer. As your baby grows older, her gassiness will gradually reduce as her digestive system becomes more mature. In the meantime……
Burping baby between and after feeds is probably one of the best solutions.
All men might be created equal but all bottles are not. Choose a bottle with a curved neck to avoid gulping of excessive air.
If you suspect milk allergy in your baby, you could try changing formulas or switch to soymilk.
Hush baby
Even if you know the reason for your baby's gassiness, this is of little use to you during a crying bout. Deal with your baby's crying spells as calmly as you can.
You can also try baby bends and tummy rolls with advice from your healthcare professional. Ask your doctor about antigas medications with simethicone.
The time-tested method of rocking can often soothe a gassy baby to sleep. Make sure you take a break to soothe your frayed nerves.
Take breaks, get help, join discussion groups, blog, talk about it...do anything that helps. Rest assured that baby's gassiness will significantly reduce by the time she is six months old.
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Michelle Higgins
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This article was posted on October 11, 2005
