Getting Help With Your Baby’s Breastfeeding Latch
If your nipples are inverted, breastfeeding may be more difficult but not impossible. Some moms find that pumping helps. Others use a nipple shield or shell between feedings to make the nipples easier to draw out.
From the What to Expect editorial team and Heidi Murkoff, author of What to Expect When You’re Expecting. What to Expect follows strict reporting guidelines and uses only credible sources, such as peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions and highly respected health organizations. Learn how we keep our content accurate and up-to-date by reading our medical review and editorial policy.
What Causes Gas In Babies
Starting with the first feeding, babies shift from obtaining nutrients from the placenta to drinking and digesting breast milk or formula. Thatâs a big adjustment for a small digestive system thatâs still developing, and itâs a chief reason that gas naturally occurs in infants. Overall, it takes time for your little oneâs gastrointestinal tract to fully develop and build a microbiome . And when an immature digestive system is challenged by too much air being swallowed, as often happens during a feeding, youâre even more likely to have a gassy baby.
How Much Water To Drink
Aim to drink more water than usual a day, so at least 8 cups along with fluids from fruits, vegetables and other sources especially in the weeks after birth, since it will help your body recover. To ensure youre getting enough, a good rule of thumb is to drink a cup of water at every nursing session. In all, you’ll need about 128 ounces of fluids a day from all sources .
Keep in mind that your milk supply wont be affected unless youre seriously dehydrated, but your urine will become darker and scanter. Not drinking enough can also set you up for health issues including urinary tract infections , constipation and fatigue. So just be sure to drink whenever you’re thirsty, which will likely be often when you’re breastfeeding!
Read Also: How To Get Newborn Sleeping Longer At Night
Why Is Your Baby Gassy In The First Place
Babies usually experience gas troubles almost right away, even after only a few weeks of life. Most infants grow out of it by around four to six months of agebut sometimes, it can last longer.
Most infant gas is simply caused by swallowing air while feeding. Other times, though, it can be caused by sensitivities that could be affected by a breastfeeding moms diet or a certain type of formula. Heres how to tell if your baby is gassy:
You notice that your baby is fussy for about an hour or so per day. Again, baby gas is normal! But if you notice it every single day with no sign of improvement, its time to call your doctor.
Your baby seems unhappy most of the time. This is a good indicator that your babys gas is above a normal newborn gas level.
Your baby isnt eating or sleeping well. This can have a lot of different causes, but gas is definitely a common one.
When your baby cries, you notice that they get red in the face, or they seem like theyre in pain.
Your baby is squirming a lot. If your baby seems uncomfortable, is squirming around, or pulling their legs up to their chest, it could be a sign of gas.
A Breastfeeding Diet For Less Gas In Your Baby
13 June, 2017
Breastfeeding is the most natural way to feed a baby, and you may choose to breastfeed because of the health benefits it provides. Even though it’s natural, you may still experience concerns about your baby’s health. A common concern may be that your baby is gassy and you don’t know what to do. If you breastfeed you can decrease gas in your baby by paying special attention to your diet.
Read Also: How To Survive A Newborn
What A Good Breastfeeding Latch Looks Like
You’ll know you’ve got a proper latch if your baby’s chin and tip of her nose are touching your breast. You’ll also notice her lips flanged out instead of being tucked in. Let the feeding begin. Once you’ve got the proper latch, your baby will fall right into the rhythmic suck-swallow-breath pattern of suckling.
When To Consult A Doctor For Baby Gas
Though gas issues in the newborn are treatable, there are severe issues when we have to check with the doctor immediately. We should try treatable remedies, but it doesn’t work for you. So, if you see the symptoms in your baby, consult the doctor on how to relieve baby gas.
- The baby is not gaining weight.
- No stool or constipation when the baby is constipated you may consult a doctor.
- Fussy eater if your baby is hungry but not ready to be fed.
- Excessive crying is when your baby is unstoppable and cries out for hours.
- When the fever exceeds 100.4 and less than 98.4, your baby should be taken to the doc.
Although passing gas is a natural process and a part of human beings, it can also be easily treated if they cause issues. Every new mother should learn how to get rid of baby gas fast as few babies have more than their fair share of this trouble. A gassy newborn may feel pain but sadly cannot communicate the same. So, keep a check on what is causing gas. Once the baby grows, these problematic gastric days will be history once the baby turns into a toddler. So meanwhile, gentle management and attention are required when you see any gas issue symptoms.
You May Like: Where To Buy Newborn Clothes
Treatment For Children’s Gas
Avoiding gassy foods is usually the best treatment for children with excessive gas. Simethicone is a popular treatment for gas that parents often try, with fair success. It is available in many forms, including Infants’ Mylicon oral drops, Gas-X, and Mylanta Gas Relief.
Beano, available as drops or a chew tablet, is a digestive enzyme that helps make many high-fiber foods, including beans, broccoli, and whole-grain bread, easier to digest. If your child is lactose intolerant, instead of avoiding cow’s milk and other dairy products, it may help if they take a lactase enzyme tablet to help them digest milk.
Use A Suitable Feeding Bottle
The optimal feeding bottle has a soft nipple that fits perfectly into the babys mouth, preventing air getting into his body along with the milk. The milk should flow slowly and evenly, so that the child swallows it easily, without excessive gulp. Sometimes it may assist to alleviate gas symptoms by changing formulas.
You May Like: How Much Is Child Care For A Newborn
Formula Fed Vs Breastfed Babies And Gas
In general, gassiness is usually more significant in bottle-fed babies . However, breastfed babies can also have issues with gas! In general, anything that causes your baby to swallow excess air will result in trapped air, which leads to a gassy baby.
Formula fed babies with gas might be:
- Reacting to the specific formula due to an allergy or intolerance to cows milk protein, lactose, or soy. Your pediatrician can help you determine if this could be the problem
- Having difficulty digesting the formula due to an immature digestive system. In this case, you can try an extensively hydrolyzed formula which breaks the proteins down and makes them easier to digest
- Swallowing too much air while bottle feeding due to an incorrect latch on the bottle, not tipping the bottle fully upright before beginning a feeding, or a nipple with a flow thats too fast
- Constipation due to an immature digestive system
Breastfed babies with gas might be:
- Swallowing too much air due to an incorrect latch
- Swallowing too much air due to a fast letdown
- Reacting to something in moms diet
DISCLOSURE: This post contains affiliate links. For complete details, please read my affiliate disclosure page.
How To Help Your Baby Feel Better
Try these steps to prevent and ease the pain of gas:
Check feeding position. “When youre nursing or bottle-feeding, try to keep the babys head higher than her stomach,” Shu says. “That way, the milk sinks to the bottom of the stomach and air goes to the top, and its easier to burp out.” Tip the bottle up slightly so there are no air bubbles in the nipple, and use a nursing pillow for support.
Burp your baby. One of the easiest ways to ease gas pains is to burp them during and after they nurse. If they dont belch right away, lay them down on their back for a few minutes and then try again.
Change equipment. “If youre bottle-feeding, switch to a slower-flow nipple,” says Joel Lavine, MD, PhD, professor of pediatrics at Columbia University.
Work it out. Gently massage your baby, pump their legs back and forth while they are on their back, or give their tummy time . A warm bath can also help them get rid of extra gas.
Continued
Take a closer look at foods. Talk with your baby’s doctor about foods that may give them extra gas. “Some parents give infants fruit juice, which contains sorbitols that the baby cant absorb,” Lavine says. The doctor will also make sure you dont cut out nutrients your baby needs.
You May Like: Can I Breastfeed And Formula Feed My Newborn
How To Help A Baby Get Rid Of Gas
- Move around. Any activity that involves torso movement will help push the gas through and provide some relief.
- Get upright. Moving baby from a supine position to an upright position can help move things along, with the added benefit of being more comforting.
- Belly down. Tummy time is fun and distracting and can help massage that stomach to help gas find its way out.
- Snack time. Although not a direct fix for gas, a quick feed can help soothe baby as things work their way throughso long as there are no air bubbles in the bottle and baby is burped often.
Another sign of trapped gas is, of course, a grumpy baby. If a baby stops smiling and is visibly uncomfortable, theres a good chance that there is something inside that needs to be released. For really little babies, though, moving the gas bubbles from inside the digestive tract to the open air is no mean feat. Their undeveloped organs are ill-equipped for pushing that air out, and their lack of motor skills make any deliberate attempt almost futile.
Luckily, there are a few things parents can do to help ease the passage.
RELATED: Fatherly Advice: How to Comfort a Baby With Colic and Not Go Insane
Some formula or mommy milk can also have a pain reducing effect, Palmer says.
MORE: How to Burp a Burpless Baby
Alleviating gas is about making a baby comfortable. And, if done right, it can be an extremely satisfying end to an episode of fussiness.
Talk To Your Doctor About A Possible Formula Ingredient Intolerance
If youre formula feeding and baby seems gassy — even when you take other steps to reduce gas, or even try a gentle formula — baby may have an intolerance to a formula ingredient.
Food intolerances cause baby to develop GI symptoms, including gassiness, loose or abnormal stools, and abdominal pain, when baby eats foods that they are sensitive to.
Most commonly, if baby has a formula intolerance, its caused by cows milk in the formula. They could have an intolerance to lactose or to milk proteins.
If you think baby has a formula intolerance, talk to your doctor. Switching to an extensively hydrolyzed formula, like Nutramigen or Alimentum, may ease your little ones symptoms. These formulas contain milk proteins that are broken down into very small parts . They are also free of lactose.
But dont switch formulas until youve talked to your doctor about babys possible intolerance, and theyve given you the ok to switch.
Recommended Reading: What Is The Average Weight Of A Newborn
How Do You Comfort A Gassy Baby
Your baby is fussy, and youve pegged gas as the culprit. Now what?
Although many moms may reach for the best baby gas drops, thats not the only option. There are many ways to naturally comfort a gassy baby. Some of these methods bring quick relief while others are intended to bring long-lasting relief by tackling the cause of gas.
You can provide comfort by:
How To Help Relieve Gas In Babies
This article was co-authored by Laura Marusinec, MD. Dr. Marusinec is a board certified Pediatrician at the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, where she is on the Clinical Practice Council. She received her M.D. from the Medical College of Wisconsin School of Medicine in 1995 and completed her residency at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Pediatrics in 1998. She is a member of the American Medical Writers Association and the Society for Pediatric Urgent Care.There are 10 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 98,272 times.
Gas pain is a very common in babies and it can cause your babyand youdiscomfort.XResearch source Gas is often caused by swallowing air when crying or feeding or from the digestion process.XResearch source Even though gas can cause pain for your baby, it is generally harmless. By promoting the release of gas and preventing it, you can help relieve your babys gas.
Read Also: How To Get Newborn To Sleep
Spending Time Doing Tummy Time
While youre on the floor doing bicycle kicks, its the perfect time for tummy time! You probably already know that tummy time helps your baby strengthen his neck and core muscles, but the pressure of the floor on your babys tummy can also help alleviate gas.
Tip: Wait at least 20 minutes after feeding before engaging in tummy time to reduce the chance of baby spitting up.
See If Foods You’re Eating Could Be Making Baby Gassy
If youre nursing, certain foods youre eating may also make baby gassy, because they create gassy breastmilk
Beans, onions broccoli, brussel sprouts and cabbage are common culprits, as are other green vegetables. But fruits and fiber-rich foods can also be culprits.
If you suspect that breastmilk is making baby gassy, keep track of the foods you eat. . Then, ask a doctor or lactation consultant if certain foods youre eating may be causing your babys gas.
Only cut out foods from your diet, though, if your doctor or lactation consultant
You May Like: How Much Do Newborn Babies Sleep
What Should I Know About Gas In Breastfed Babies
- Know that most babies have gas
- Understand the many causes and symptoms of gas in breastfed babies
- Learn tips and tricks to help prevent and relieve gas in your baby
One of the most common concerns parents have is their babyâs gas. While gas is usually not harmful, the pressure that gas bubbles create may cause pain when it becomes trapped in your babyâs stomach or intestines.1
Gas is particularly common during the first 3 months of life when your little oneâs digestive tract is still maturing.2 You may even notice itâs worse at night.3 Most of the time, gas is from swallowing too much air, but there may be other reasons your little one is gassy.
Read on to learn how to help your baby with gas.
Common causes of gas discomfort in breastfed babies:
- An incorrect latch while nursing leads your baby to swallow too much air3
- Excessive crying fills your babyâs belly with air1
- Strong let-down or oversupply, causing baby to gulp quickly and swallow air3
- Immature digestive tract is still learning to process breastmilk, gas, and stool effectively2
- Sensitivity or allergy to a food in momâs diet1, 3, 4
- Introduction to a bottle or to formula. Baby may swallow air while drinking from a bottle or may need to get used to formulaâs ingredients.3, 7
Common symptoms of gas in breastfed babies: