Common Symptoms Of Baby Gas
Although an uncomfortable experience for some bubs, infant gas isnt uncommon and there are several potential causes that may contribute. These include:
- Crying while passing gas, or soon after
- Arching their back
- Lifting their legs
- Trouble sleeping
If you think your little one is experiencing gas, its important to take them to see your local GP. During your appointment, you may wish to discuss these symptoms .
Why Do Preemies Need So Many Blood Gasses
If your baby is in the NICU, you may find yourself worrying over how many bloods tests your baby is getting. Doctors and nurses worry about it too! Too many blood tests can cause anemia, especially in preemies who have less blood, to begin with.
Frequent blood gasses are common in the NICU, but for good reasons. It’s important to make sure that babies are getting the very best respiratory support, especially since preemies are very sensitive to even small changes in ventilator settings and oxygen levels.
The blood draws won’t hurt your baby if he or she has an umbilical artery catheter or an arterial line. If blood gasses must be drawn via the heel stick, the NICU staff will be very gentle and will combine blood tests to minimize the number of painful procedures your baby needs.
Pay Attention To Your Diet
When you’re nursing, your baby is getting what you eatand dairy is a common culprit for a baby upset stomach. “Fruits, green veggies, especially broccoli and Brussels sprouts, and garlic can also make a baby uncomfortable,” Dr. Alt says. But don’t eliminate healthy foods unless you’re sure they’re a problem.
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When Should I Call My Child’s Healthcare Provider
Before assuming your child has colic, look for other signs of illness. These may include:
- Not sucking or drinking a bottle well
- Drinking less milk than usual
- Vomiting
- Becoming more irritable when held or touched
- Having a strange-sounding cry
- Having a change in breathing rate or using extra effort to breathe
- Being more sleepy or sluggish than normal
- Fever of 100.4°F or higher, or as directed by your child’s healthcare provider
Bicycle Baby’s Legs To Remove Gas
Another external technique to try is baby leg exercises. “Maneuvers you can do to help them pass gas include bending the legs and bringing knees to tummy, and bicycling the baby’s legs,” says Kim Alt, M.D., a pediatrician at Rockford Pediatrics in Rockford, Michigan.
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How To Know If Your Baby Is Uncomfortable
First, you need to identify that the baby is indeed suffering from gas pains. All babies cry to a certain extent because it is their primary means of communication with those around them. But the cry associated with gas pains is different from a tired, hungry, or bored cry. A gas pain cry will be sharper and sound more frantic than others. You may also see the baby pulling up their legs in discomfort. With these two signs combined, you can be sure your baby is suffering from excessive gas.
Causes Of Newborn Constipation
The most common cause is a change in the diet. Infants who are moving from breast milk to formula might suffer from the problem, as do children who are just starting to eat solid foods. Sometimes a baby might even develop constipation when you introduce a new food, such as a new vegetable or meats.
Other causes might include dehydration if your baby is not getting enough liquid, her stools will not be soft enough to pass.
Medical conditions or certain illnesses can also lead to constipation in newborns. This is uncommon in a healthy baby.
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Why Is My Baby So Gassy At Night
Gas can strike at any time even in the middle of a feeding! If your baby starts to fuss at the breast, he may feel full because of a gas bubble. A mid-feed burp can help take care of that. However, if you notice that your baby is always fussy at the same time each and every night, you might not be dealing with run-of-the-mill gas. Fussiness at the same time could be a sign of colic. However, keep in mind that a gassy baby can be worse at night because of the build up of air throughout the day.
Colic is defined as a period of intense crying for more three hours per day at least 3 days per week. Gas can accompany colic especially if the baby sucks in air while crying.
Does your baby have colic? Try these 14 methods for soothing a colicky baby.
How To Treat Newborn Constipation
Fortunately, there are many ways to help relieve the discomfort and get things moving again. Here are a few home remedies that are proven to help:
Sometimes a baby might have severe constipation that doesnt clear up with any home remedies in that case, the doctor might need to intervene to help your child pass stools. This might include medications or other remedies that you cant try at home.
The following video has even more information on how to treat newborn constipation:
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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:
Best Formula For Gas Pain
When faced with gas, parents of formula-fed infants may first try changing to a different formula at the first sign that their baby is having any gas pain. Though many formulas are designed and marketed for babies with gas, it is not always necessary to make the switch. These types of sensitive, gentle, and/or comfort baby formula include:
- Enfamil Gentlease
- Similac Sensitive
- Similac Soy Isomil
- Similac Total Comfort
While changing from a milk-based, iron-fortified formula is sometimes recommended, it is necessary much less often than most parents realize. For example, congenital lactase deficiency, in which babies can’t digest the milk sugar lactose when they are born, is extremely rare.
Older children don’t usually develop symptoms of lactose intolerance until they are between 2 and 5 years old. So changing your baby to a lactose-free formula is often unnecessary. However, your baby might temporarily need a lactose-free formula if they recently had a viral infection that caused severe diarrhea, such as rotavirus.
Unlike lactose intolerance, newborns and infants can have true milk protein allergies. In this case, changing to a soy formula would likely seem to be a good idea. But since many of these babies can also have a soy allergy, a hypoallergenic formula such as Nutramigen or Alimentum is usually a better choice.
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Gassy Baby Remedies And Treatments
If you have a gassy baby, there are several things you can do. Start by placing your baby on a flat surface, belly down. Lift them up slightly on their stomach, and gently massage their belly. Or place your baby on their back and “try moving their legs and hips around as if they were riding a bike,” Dr. Brown says. Often these kinds of motions break up bubbles and give gas an extra push to work its way out. “You can also try a nice, warm bath to relieve the discomfort,” Dr. Brown adds.
If you’re still faced with an unhappy infant, you might want to consult with your pediatrician about trying some gas drops. “Some babies are said to respond well to over-the-counter anti-gas drops containing simethicone,” Dr. Shu says. Another option is to consider what might be causing the excess gas and see if you can reduce the bubble intake from the get-go.
When To See A Doctor
If your little one is gassy, your first port of call should always be a trip to your friendly local doctors office. They will be able to assess your bubs individual symptoms and determine the likely cause.
If your child experiences any of the symptoms mentioned in this article, or if they change or worsen unexpectedly, take them to see a health professional.
Looking for more information about your little ones tummy? You may find the following resources helpful:
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Gas Pain Symptoms In Children
Although gas can lead to gas pain, it is important to remember that gas is often normal, especially in newborns and infants.
Signs and symptoms that your child may have more than just simple baby gas include that they are often fussy, have loose or foul-smelling stools, have difficulty feeding, aren’t sleeping well, or cry for long periods of time when they have gas. These could be symptoms that your baby has colic.
On the other hand, babies who are happy, feeding well, and their gas doesn’t seem to bother them likely don’t have any kind of medical condition.
Trying Gripe Water For A Gassy Baby
Gripe water is a go-to for mothers of colicky babies, but it can also help a gassy baby, too. Gripe water contains many tummy-friendly herbs such as fennel. Studies show that fennel can reduce gastrointestinal spasms, increase the efficiency of the small intestine, and reduce discomfort associated with gas. If youre breastfeeding, you can drink fennel tea by adding 2 tablespoons of fennel seed into hot water and seep for 20 minutes. Strain and drink.
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Why Is My Baby Is Bloated
You keep saying to yourself, My baby is bloated. If you have been noticing this for quite some time, you should always feel confident in deciding to reach out to your pediatrician for their opinion.
Getting to the source of your babys bloated appearance is important for your babys health. Yes, being bloated is common among adults.
However, dont treat your babys health issues like you would your own. It is best for you to know for certain as to the reason why your little one always appears to be bloated.
In fact, any time you have a concern about your little one, it is best for you and your baby to know for certain that they are okay.
If you are waiting to get in with your pediatrician or waiting to hear back, below you will find nine possible reasons as to why your baby is bloated:
How To Treat: Baby Bike Ride
The key to helping a baby deal with gas pains is to encourage their bodies to pass gas. One technique that will help work out extra wind in to perform the baby bike ride. First, lay the gassy infant on their back on the bed.
Then move grasp their legs and move them like they are riding a bike. This will sort of pump the gas out of them. The motion followed by a lifting of the legs will more than likely help the baby work out their gassy situation. Just be aware that you may have to repeat the bicycle motion a few times.
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Sign Of Gas: Lifting Their Legs
Its important that you learn the signs of a gassy baby since infants arent able to communicate with language. Learning to read their physical cues will help you learn ways to provide them the comfort that they need. One way that a baby lets you know that theyre struggling with gas is if they pull their legs up to their chest.
Oftentimes, if they pull their knees in, it can be a sign of stomach distress. This is a clear indicator that they are experiencing abdominal pain. Its easy to worry when you see your little one perform a new action but this one is pretty simple to read.
Gassy Baby Signs And Symptoms
All babies, of course, pass a little gas. But look for these signs and symptoms of baby gas that’s more than just the usual:
- Your baby cries and is fussy for an hour or so a day. This can be a sign of a normal amount of newborn gassiness that comes with having a tiny, underdeveloped digestive system. But you should still check in with your pediatrician if it happens every day and doesn’t seem to be getting better.
- Your baby seems unhappy most of the time. This can indicate that you have an especially gassy baby who needs a bit more help. Gas that causes significant upset often indicates a problem beyond normal newborn gassiness.
- Your baby isn’t eating or sleeping well. Trouble with sleeping or eating can have a whole range of causes, but infant gas may be one of them, especially if there are other signs. Talk to your doctor for a proper diagnosis.
- Your baby gets red in the face when he cries and seems like he might be in pain.
- Your baby squirms as though he’s uncomfortable and pulls his legs up to his chest, especially during bouts of fussiness.
Infant gas has several possible causes:
- Swallowing air when feeding or crying, which is very common and normal among new babies
- An underdeveloped digestive system, which allows food to pass through too quickly so it doesnt break down completely
- Hypersensitivities to certain types of formula or foods in Moms diet, or possibly food allergies
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