What To Do When Newborn Has Gas

Baby Poop After The Newborn Stage

What can I do if my baby has gas?

No matter how your baby is fed, its actually normal for the frequency of pooping to slow around 6-8 weeks, says Ari Brown, M.D., a Parents advisor and co-author of Baby 411: Clear Answers & Smart Advice For Your Baby’s First Year. Your babys intestines are maturing and their digestion is becoming more efficient. As long as the poop feels soft when it comes out, its fine if your baby poops just one or two times a week if theyre maintaining a healthy weight.

Feed Her Before Shes Too Hungry

If you are tracking your babys feeding times, try to stick to a schedule and feed her before you start hearing her hungry cries. That way she will be more likely to eat at a leisurely pace and not gulp down her breast milk or formula too quickly. If youre breastfeeding and your milk lets down quickly, you may need to unlatch baby for a moment and then re-latch her so she can manage your milk flow.

Tummy woes can make for a fussy baby. Find out what you can do about hiccups, gas bubbles and colic to ease the symptoms here.

Signs Your Baby Has Gas

Its not always easy to talk about gas , but the reality is that all humans pass gas on a daily basis. But how can you tell the difference between a gassy baby and a normal newborn?

Here are eight signs of a gassy baby:

  • Your baby is fussy. There are many reasons why your baby might be fussy, and gas is one of them. A tiny, underdeveloped digestive system can lead to gas pains and cramping. Wed be fussy too!
  • Your baby isnt happy. Your baby wont smile or settle well. If your baby is seemingly always fussy and struggling with gassiness, he might seem unhappy.
  • Your baby isnt eating well. There are many reasons that your baby might have trouble eating , but gas pains can also contribute.
  • Your baby isnt sleeping well. Gas pains can make it difficult to settle down to sleep, but it can also wake up your baby from a sound sleep. Because good sleep is essential for healthy growth and development, talk to your pediatrician to rule out other problems.
  • Your baby looks like hes in pain. Although your baby cant say hes in pain, his face certainly can. A bright red face and furrowed eyebrows are two clues.
  • Your baby squirms and pulls his legs to his chest. This is one of the biggest signs of gas. Bringing the legs up the chest is your babys way of trying to reduce the discomfort sort of like if you use the fetal position to ease the pain of menstrual cramps!
  • Your baby arches his back. He might do this in conjunction with lifting his legs.
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    Adjust The Feeding Position

    While bottle-feeding or nursing your infant, adjust their feeding position to prevent a bloated baby belly. Keep their head higher than their stomach.

    This position helps the milk move to the bottom of the stomach and the air to the top, which helps the baby burp. You can also use a nursing pillow to provide support and tip the nursing bottle slightly up so that there are no air bubbles in the nipple.

    Reasons To Call A Doctor

    Pin on Newborns and Babies

    Most of the time, its normal for an infant to have gas and its treatable. In rare instances, more serious problems of the digestive tract can also cause gas. You should contact the doctor immediately if your infant exhibits any of the following:

    • They are vomiting, arent passing stools, or have blood in their stools.
    • They are extremely fussy. If you arent able to calm your baby, a doctor can check to rule out any problems.
    • They have a high temperature. If the rectal temperature of your baby is 100.4 F or more, make sure a doctor rules out an infection. If your baby is younger than three months and has a fever, take them to a doctor immediately.

    It is very common for babies to become gassy, and there are a number of reasons for that. Babies swallow air while crying, sucking a pacifier, and eating. Furthermore, babies digestive systems are still developing, which can sometimes lead to gas and a bloated belly. A gassy baby may belch, burp, pass gas, and have a hard distended tummy. You can follow certain tips to help relieve gas and make your baby feel better. In rare instances, certain symptoms may indicate a more serious problem. If your baby is experiencing gas along with other, more serious symptoms, get them checked by a doctor.

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    What Should I Do If Baby Is Reacting To My Breastmilk

    Contact your pediatrician

    Bring your baby in for a checkup. Youll want to rule out any other causes for her symptoms, check babys growth and weight gain, and make sure baby is not losing excessive blood if your little one experiencing bloody stool. Your doctor can also discuss the possibility of confirming the presence of an allergy with a skin prick test.

    If your child is diagnosed with a food allergy, remember to ask about reintroducing the food later. Most kids will grow out of food allergies, sometimes by their first birthday.

    Keep a food and symptom journal

    We know its hard to find time to eat in those first few months, let alone write down what made it into your mouth, but tracking your intake alongside your babys symptoms is a good way to shed light on any possible reactions.

    Just remember that foods we eat remain in our bodies for long periods of time. So while a journal can be helpful to pinpoint the onset of symptoms when you first eat the offending food, know that your babys symptoms can persist for several days or up to 2 weeks, even if you dont eat that particular food again.

    Try an elimination diet

    If you notice an adverse reaction in your baby after you eat certain foods, try removing that food from your diet and watch for improvement.

    Seek support

    Lets Chat!

    We know parenting often means sleepless nights, stressful days, and countless questions and confusion, and we want to support you in your feeding journey and beyond.

    What Causes Gas In Infants

    Almost all babies get gas. Gas happens when air gets into the digestive tract, such as when a baby sucks on a bottle and swallows air. Gas does not usually mean anything is wrong. Babies can swallow air if they latch onto the breast incorrectly, or if they nurse or drink from a bottle in certain positions.

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    Effective Positions To Relieve Gas

    One of the ways to relieve infant gas is to try holding your baby in different positions. Burping babies helps remove some of the air that babies swallow when eating. Try to use different positions while burping that feel comfortable for both of you. Try one of these three positions to relieve gas:

    • Sit upright and hold your infant against your chest. In this position, your babys chin will be on your shoulder while you support them with your hand. Gently pat your baby on the back.
    • Hold your infant sitting up across your knee or in your lap. In this position, you will be gently supporting your babys head and chest by holding their chin. With the heel of your hand on your babys chest, be careful to hold your babys chin and not their throat. With your other hand, pat your babys back gently.
    • Lay your baby face down on your lap. In this position, support your babys head and ensure that its higher than their chest. Pat their back gently.

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    What Is The Difference Between Food Allergy And Food Sensitivity

    How can I know if my baby has gas or reflux?

    A food allergy involves a response by a persons immune system. An allergic reaction usually takes place not long after the food is consumed, anywhere from a few minutes to an hour or two after ingestion. When the body mistakes a protein or proteins in the food as harmful, it releases germ-fighting organisms, called antibodies, which proceed to fight the offending food. An allergic reaction can result in a rash or hives, nausea, stomach pain, diarrhea, shortness of breath, chest pain, swelling of the tongue, and even swelling of the airways to the lungsa potentially deadly reaction.

    A food sensitivity takes longer to manifest itselfup to three days after eating the foodso, its a little trickier to pinpoint. However, the symptoms are not as potentially severe as those of an allergic reaction. Food sensitivities can result in nausea, stomach pain, gas, cramps, vomiting, heartburn, diarrhea, headaches, irritability, or nervousness.

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    When To Visit The Pediatrician

    When fussiness, squirming, and other gassy behaviors persist beyond your baby’s first few months, it’s reasonable to wonder if they have a food allergy or intolerance. The biggest clue: They’re dealing with other significant health problems too. “A baby or child with a food allergy will also probably have skin rashes, vomiting, diarrhea or blood in her stool, and she may not be gaining enough weight,” says Jean Molleston, M.D., a pediatric gastroenterologist with Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health, in Indianapolis. Visit the doctor if you suspect this.

    Gas pain is also a symptom of celiac disease, a serious intolerance to gluten. Children aren’t born with this autoimmune disorder it can develop at any point when something in their environment “turns on” the genes that cause it. Ask your doctor to test your child for celiac disease if they’re also experiencing growth issues, abdominal discomfort, vomiting, chronic diarrhea, or constipation, or if celiac or any other autoimmune diseases run in your family.

    What Can I Do To Help Alleviate Gas In My Breastfed Baby

    Apply gentle pressure to your babys belly

    Tummy Time: This position can put gentle pressure on your babys belly, helping to provide gas relief. Wait at least 30 minutes after a feeding to allow your little ones belly to settle before starting tummy time.7

    Or try a more advanced move use both hands and a lot of guided support to lay your baby tummy down on a large beach or exercise ball and gently roll her on the ball in a circular motion.

    Forearm Hold: Also called the football hold, magic hold, and the colic carry. Try carrying your baby face down with her body resting on your forearm, the front of her diaper area in your hand and her chin cradled in your elbow.9 Make sure to tilt babys head to the side to avoid blocking their nose or mouth. Carrying your little one in this face-down position will place the same gentle pressure on their belly that is achieved during tummy time.

    Burp your baby during and after a feeding

    Take a break between sides or even during a feed to get a burp or two out.8

    You may choose to burp your baby while they are in a seated position, with their head supported by the cradle of your hand.17You can also burp your baby in the typical position: upright and over your shoulder.8

    Try infant massage on your babys tummy for gas relief

    Read more: Baby massage benefits and techniques

    Bicycle your babys legs

    Read more: How Do I help My Breastfed Baby with Diarrhea and Constipation?

    Do gas drops like simethicone work?

    Wait it out!

    Lets Chat!

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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.

    Im Breastfeeding Will Changing My Diet Help My Babys Gas Pains

    The Gassy Breastfed Baby

    Some parents report increased days of gassiness after a breastfeeding mom has eaten foods such as dairy, eggs, spicy foods or certain veggies. Although there is little evidence to support the relationship between maternal diet and infant abdominal pain, many mothers try elimination diets to explore a possible relationship.

    Small studies have supported dairy elimination as a helpful way to reduce a babys GI discomfortIacovou M, Ralston RA, Muir J, Walker KZ, Truby H. Dietary Management of Infantile Colic: A Systematic Review. Matern Child Health J. 2021 16:1319-1331. . But even after years of pediatric practice, Im still not sure which babies improve after their mom stops eating dairy and which babies simply improve over time.

    If you want to try an elimination diet to help with gas pain, avoid dairy for two weeks. As a general rule of thumb, if a diet change has not made a difference for a baby within that time, their mom can add the restricted food back into her diet.

    Read Also: What To Give Newborn For Gas

    Why Does My Baby Have Gas

    There are many reasons why you may need to know how to get rid of baby gas, as there are many causes of gas buildup in babies. If your baby is breastfed, they may not be latching properly, which may be causing them to swallow an excessive amount of air over the course of nursing. The breastfeeding mothers diet may also have an impact on babys digestion, causing more gas when exposed to certain foods. If they are bottle fed, an incorrect sized nipple may be causing them to swallow an excessive amount of air while feeding. Bubbles trapped in their formula may also cause excess gas buildup. If they are unable to burp properly after feeding, this excess gas may be built up and cause significant discomfort. In addition, if your baby has colic , they may be swallowing a lot of air over the course of their crying fits. Babies having gas is a normal occurrence, which means it is crucial to know how to get rid of gas in infants effectively to avoid discomfort and disturbance. If you want to know how to get rid of gas in newborn baby, it is important to identify the source, and try a few tried and tested tips to get rid of it.

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