Best Nursing Positions For Helping Baby Latch
How and where you breastfeed matters, for your comfort and your baby’s nourishment. Studies suggest new moms who try at least two breastfeeding positions are more likely to breastfeed for more than six months.
Getting comfortable varying the way you nurse will make it easier for you to adapt your style to your baby’s feedings habits. Switching up positions may also reduce breast pain or discomfort. Experiment with these different options for an improved latch:
Burp During And After Feedings
Because gas bubbles tend to form from air that sneaks in during feeding, burping is your friend. It releases the air that can turn into gas bubbles in the tummy. Although itâs standard practice to burp your baby after feeding them, if they suffer from gas, you can try burping during feeding as well. This can help provide your baby some gas relief, especially at night when feeding before bed.
Is Gripe Water Better Than Gas Drops
Colic is something that many babies will develop over the first few months of their lives and can last for months on end without much relief. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, close to 20 percent of all babies will end up with colic. When a baby has colic, they will cry excessively for hours at a time. They tend to cry later in the day or throughout the evening and morning hours. This specific cry will be higher pitched than most other cries and will cause the baby to be inconsolable.
When a baby has colic, the symptom that usually comes is the same symptom that you get with gas. The baby will experience similar symptoms and can be treated with similar medications. You, as a parent, will want to decide if you want to use gas drops or if you choose to use Gripe water. Either medication has been around for years to come and is an age-old go-to medication choice for either condition. One might say that Gripe water is a more effective and natural remedy for gas or colic.
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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.
Signs You Have A Gassy Baby
Your baby may be screaming in pain from gas, or they may just be a bit fussy for no obvious reason. A gassy baby may also:
- Clench their fists and squirm as if they’re uncomfortable after feedings
- Pull their legs to their chest and then stretch out, arching their back.
- Have trouble feeding. They may pull away from the breast or bottle, or cry in the middle of feedings.
- Have frequent burping and/or flatulence
- Be bloated, have a hard tummy
Note that some of these signs may also signal other problems, such as colic or gastroesophageal reflux disease .
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Can Gas Cause Baby To Scream
This is because gas passage associated with diet is what everyone faces, and it is normal, but at times this could even make the baby cry. But the baby gas due to other causes such as colic should be taken care of, and it is hard to soothe.
How To Burp A Baby
There are three common burping positions: over your shoulder, sitting on your lap, or face-down on your lap. Choose the one thats most comfortable and effective for getting burps out of your baby. Whichever position you choose, though, have a burp cloth by your babys mouth to catch any spit-up.
Over Your Shoulder: Stand or sit comfortably, slightly reclining, and hold your baby under their bottom for support. Make sure theyre facing behind you, looking over your shoulder, with their chin resting on a soft cloth to absorb any spit-up from a burp. Tap or rub the fingertips of your free hand across your babys shoulder blades. They may move back and forth a bit this wont hurt as long as your shoulder supports their head.
Sitting on Your Lap: Place your baby sideways on your lap, with their chest leaning slightly forward. Position your hand under their chin to support their chest and head. Pat their back across the shoulder blades to burp them.
Face-Down on Your Lap: Lay your baby across your knees on their belly, with their head slightly higher than the rest of their body, and firmly rub and pat their back.
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Do Special Infant Formulas Help With Gas
Since gas is made as a normal byproduct of digestion, its impossible to eliminate all gas from being formed. However, there are infant formulas marketed for gassy, fussy babies. These formulas typically are formulated with more digestible proteins or alternative carbohydrate sources.
There is scant evidence to suggest hydrolyzed formula or reduced-lactose formula may decrease gassiness in formula-fed infantsDaelemans S, Peeters L, Hauser B, Vandenplas Y. Recent Advances in Understanding and Managing Infantile Colic. F1000Res. 2018 7. . Most doctors recommend an infant formula be tried for two weeks before making a switch, unless the baby is having a significant worsening of symptoms. Check with your pediatrician to see what they recommend.
How Do I Know If Its Colic Or Gas
What Are The Symptoms of Gas? Just as crying is a fact of baby life, so, too, is baby gas. But when your infant has painful gas, especially if its frequent, it can cause your baby to cry or become fussyuntil its passed unlike colic, which causes crying and fussiness that lasts for hours across days and weeks.
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Giving Your Diet A Makeover
Sometimes, all it takes is a little tweak to your breastfeeding diet to help your baby get relief. Some foods can be problematic. Dairy is a huge culprit. Try eliminating for 2 weeks and see if it makes a difference. Other foods like cruciferous veggies and legumes are known to cause gassiness in breastfed babies. If you suspect that your diet is affecting your baby, eliminate problem foods and see if your baby feels better. Learn more about the best breastfeeding diet here.
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How To Manage Baby Gas
How to burp a babySolianiks doctor recommended baby probiotic drops each morning to help with Theodores tummy trouble, which has been attributed to gas. She also occasionally gives him Ovol .
Theres very little evidence that those things help, but theres also no evidence that they hurt, says Pound. If parents feel they are making a difference, thats great.
Gently massaging the tummy can also help baby work out the gas. You can learn some useful techniques , such as massaging the abdomen in a clockwise motion to ease digestive discomfort, or just do what seems to feel good for your baby, says Pound. Pulling their legs in and out in a bicycling motion sometimes helps as well, but again, its not a magic cure.
Being vigilant about burping after feeds can help to prevent gas pains from developing in the first place. If your gassy baby drifts off to sleep while nursing or taking a bottle, consider waking them to burp. With any luck, theyll go right back to dreamland when youre done. There are different burping positions parents can try, including holding baby with their chest against your shoulder laying them chest-down on your lap or sitting them on your knees, with one hand supporting their neck and head while you pat her back firmly.
Andrea Cheung has mastered the art of burping her five-month-old son, Gilbert. Im pretty sure that has helped him a lot with gas, says Cheung. He had some trouble when he was younger, but not now, because hes burping so well.
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Check Your Babys Latch
If your baby isnt latching well, they may be swallowing more air. A painful latch to the breast or a clicking type sound while your baby feeds may indicate their latch needs help.
Many latching issues on the breast can be remedied with some minor adjustments or with a lactation consultant who can help with proper technique and positioning. If there is a poor latch, you can also have your baby evaluated to see if they have a tongue-tie as this can affect nursing and bottle feeds as well, Boone said.
Does Formula Change A Babys Poop
Generally, formula-fed babies have stool that smells stronger, is darker in color and is firmer than a breastfed babys.
However, poop varies among babies and most smells and colors are usually nothing to worry about. Ask the doctor if youre concerned about stool colors and always call if your little ones poop seems hard and pebbly, much thicker than peanut butter, very watery, red- or black-tinged, or has a white or chalk-like appearance.
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Get Those Legs Pumping
For babies who need to let out some gas from down below, get their legs moving to bring some relief. Dr. Sniderman suggests lying your baby on their back and moving their legs in gentle circular motions, as if they were riding a bicycle. Alternatively, place your baby on their back and hold their feet in your hands. Bend their legs at their knees, and gently bring their knees to their bellies.
These methods may also help to bring on a poo.
Monitor Your Diet Or Change Formula
If youre strictly breastfeeding your baby, your diet can make a difference in how your baby digests milk. If you notice they are uncomfortable after being breastfed, they could be sensitive to the foods youre eating.
Monitor your diet to see if certain foods tend to cause your baby more discomfort and then avoid them, Boone said. Common foods that can cause gas include beans, broccoli, cabbage and Brussels sprouts.
Your baby may do well on a standard formula, but some may have a milk allergy or lactose intolerance. Some babies do best with a low lactose formula like Similac Sensitive or Enfamil Gentlease and other do best with a formula containing probiotics such as Gerber Good Start Soothe or Gentle, Boone said.
Check with your babys provider first to address the gassiness and help you successfully make the switch.
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Overabundant Breast Milk Supply
Producing an overabundance of breast milk can create a strong letdown and/or flow that causes your baby to gulp in extra air as they suck. This can result in excess gas in their tummy. You can often remedy this situation by pumping or hand expressing for a few minutes before breastfeeding.
Typically, an overabundance settles down as your body gets in tune with how much breast milk your baby is consuming. If not, consult with a doctor or lactation consultant to help you manage your breast milk supply.
What Causes Baby Gas
There are several possible causes for infant gas. Some believe that breastfed babies can get the effects of gaseous foods from their mothers breast milk. Others feel that acidic foods and excess dairy products in their diet also seem to worsen their babys fussiness.
But what mom eats isnt the only possibility.
If your babys bottle-fed, they could be having a reaction to their formula. Food intolerance often shows up as gas and bloating. If this is the cause of gas, youre also likely to see other digestive problems like diarrhea.
One of the more common causes is swallowing too much air while eating whether breastfed or bottle-fed it can cause gas.
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How Long Should You Burp Your Baby
There is no specific length of time needed for burping your baby. The more important factor is how often you burp him. With that in mind, burp your baby frequently throughout feeds, even when it looks like he doesnât need to be burped.
Waiting until after a feeding to burp your baby may mean your little one has swallowed too much air and may be fussier, so itâs better to stop feeding every so often and try to burp your little one. You could also try paced bottle feeding, which slows the flow of breast milk or formula from the bottle, which could help prevent gas.
Here are some tips for burping your baby during a feeding:
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If youâre bottle feeding , youâll want to burp him after every two to three ounces of milk.
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If youâre breastfeeding, burp your baby each time he switches breasts. Some breastfed babies may not need to burp as often, as they may not swallow as much air.
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If your baby hasnât burped after some time, go back to feeding. Not every baby burps every time you want him to burp.
If your baby shows any of the following signs, you may want to burp him more regularly â for example, after every ounce of milk during bottle feeding or every five minutes during breastfeeding:
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He seems very fussy.
After a feeding is over, keep your baby in an upright position for 10 to 15 minutes. This can help prevent him from spitting up. You may need to burp him longer if he does spit up or has been diagnosed with GERD.
Watch For Allergies And Reactions To Something You Ate
In certain cases, if your little one is allergic or reacting to something you ate, removing that item from your diet may be the only way to solve this problem if you want to continue breastfeeding.
Indicators of allergies in babies can vary in intensity and are personal, but theyll go beyond just gassiness. Typically food allergies will appear within a few hours of consuming the allergen. The most common symptoms are:
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Reach For The Baby Gas Drops
Commonly known as gas drops, the medication Simethicone has been used for years to relieve gas in infants. It can be bought over the counter and is Food and Drug Administration approved to relieve gas in infants. The effectiveness of gas drops can vary. They may not work for all babies and all gas, but theyre a safe option that may be worth a try.
Dr. Sniderman says she recommends the drops for some babies who are extra gassy. She also says gas drops should be used as a preventive measure, as theyre less effective after gas has already built up.
Gas drops work by breaking up gas bubbles in babies tummies. If youre going to use them, its best to use them about four times a day, regularly, to prevent gas, rather than use them reactively, she explains. If baby already has uncomfortable gas, its probably too late for gas drops to work.
How To Treat Baby Gas
Immediately after feeding, keep your baby upright. This will make it easier for them to burp.
If theyre already feeling discomfort, try laying your baby on their back and moving their legs in a bicycle motion.
Alternately, give your baby time on their tummy. Lying stomach-down should help them move the gas out.
You could also try these techniques to comfort them and help move the gas from their little bodies:
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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.
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.
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