How Long Do Baby Hiccups Last
Babies can have hiccups multiple times a day, lasting for 10 minutes or longer. As a general rule, if baby acts happy and doesnt seem uncomfortable, baby hiccups arent a cause for concern. It can be worrisome, especially for new moms and dads, but hiccups tend to go away after a few minutes, says Robin Jacobson, MD, clinical assistant professor of pediatrics at Hassenfeld Childrens Hospital at NYU Langone in New York City. You can just wait it out and allow the hiccups to resolve on their own. If the hiccups persist and seem to be causing baby any distress, call your pediatrician to figure out the cause.
How To Get Rid Of Baby Hiccups
Even if baby hiccups are almost always harmless, its normal for you to want your child to get some relief from these spasms. Weve rounded up the top tips for getting rid of baby hiccups. Hint: It has a lot to do with burping!
Generally, if it seems the baby or newborn hiccups are related to overfeeding, belly distention or reflux, you can help alleviate hiccups by feeding baby smaller amounts more often, and remember to burp baby frequently, says Karen Fratantoni, MD, MPH, a pediatrician at Childrens National Health System.
What Causes Smelly Gas In Breastfed Babies
All breastfed babies eat is breast milk, so that means the smelly gas is caused by something in your breast milk. Gas-inducing foods might affect your baby, as well.
The problem is that it can be hard to determine the problem. It can be anything that you ate over the last 72 hours, so if you find that your baby has smelly gas often, start keeping a food diary.
Fiber-rich foods are at the top of the list, and all fruits can make you gassy as well. Green vegetables can trigger gas, such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, artichokes, and asparagus. Dont forget garlic and onions as well.
Does your baby seem to be gassier in the mornings after your cup of coffee? Coffee and caffeine are triggers for gas they often trigger gas in adults who suffer through it for their caffeine fix.
No, that doesnt mean you have to cut out all foods from your diet. By keeping a food diary, you can pinpoint if specific foods are causing the gassiness.
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How Often Do Breastfed Newborns Poop
Your newborns gastrocolic reflex, which signals for the colon to empty when the stomach stretches with food, isnt completely mature yet. As a result, their body might make room for more by passing bowel movements every time they consume milk. Many newborns poop following each nursing session, adding up to eight or 10 dirty diapers daily.
On the other hand, some breastfed newborns poop only once every few days . Both situations can be healthy. “For a breastfed baby, it can be normal to have only one bowel movement a week,” explains Nanci Pittman, M.D., a pediatric gastroenterologist and assistant professor of pediatrics at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. “It can also be normal to have as many as one bowel movement with each feeding.” Note that breastfed baby stools tend to be soft, seedy, and mustard-colored.
How To Massage A Baby
Tips and techniques on how to massage your new baby.
Getting Started
Daily infant massage is a great way to bond with baby. What’s more, researchers are finding that massage may promote better sleeping, relieve colic, and perhaps even enhance an infant’s immune system, motor skills, and intellectual development. Here are some tips and techniques to help you along.
Use a blanket or towel, and massage oil in a non-breakable container. Start when your baby is in a quiet yet alert state — not immediately after a feeding or when she’s sleepy. Sit on the floor with the soles of your feet together, forming a diamond shape with your legs. Drape the blanket over your feet and between your knee.
Undress your baby down to her diaper and place her on the blanket, cradling her head on your feet. Start with a gentle “hello” stroke from baby’s head to her toes. If baby stiffens, cries, or becomes irritable, move to another body part or simply end the massage for the day. If she responds well, start gently massaging her body section by section.
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How To Prepare For Your Pediatrician Appointment
Some degree of infant gas is to be expectedin fact, a happy, gassy baby is perfectly normal. But if youve implemented the tips above and are worried, or if you think your little one is in pain, call your pediatrician for an appointment.
Follow these tips below before you meet with the pediatrician. Also, when you book the appointment, ask your pediatrician if there is anything additional or specific you should do in preparation for the visit.
I Have A Very Gassy Baby Is This Normal
Gas is not a medical condition. Baby gas pains are typically brief and relieved when a baby burps or farts. The good news is infant gas pains improve over time. By the age of 4 to 6 months, the gut has matured and your baby can move more efficiently, decreasing the bouts of painZeevenhooven J, Browne PD, LHoir MP, de Weerth C, Benninga, MA. Infant Colic: Mechanisms and Management. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2008 15:479-496. .
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Making Changes To Your Baby’s Diet
1. Breastfed infants
You may have already received advice to eliminate certain foods from your diet. This rarely makes a difference, because contrary to popular belief, what a mother eats is not often the cause of her baby’s distress.
RECOMMENDATION
- See our article on lactose overload for tips to reduce gastric symptoms related to frequent feeding patterns.
- Exclude the many other, more common reasons, for gastric discomfort, irritability and wakeful behavior before going down the path of dietary restrictions.
- If you suspect a food or milk allergy or intolerance seek professional advice from a doctor or dietician who specializes in this field.
2. Formula fed infants
Changing formula rarely helps, particularly if there are no significant gastric symptoms, such as diarrhea. Prolonged use of an inappropriate nfant formula may negatively affect your baby’s development.
RECOMMENDATION
If you suspect a food or milk protein allergy or intolerancesee your doctor for advice on suitable formula.
3. When your baby is on solids
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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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:
- hives
Excessive Crying Can Lead To More Gas
Sometimes babys cry, apparently for no reason. When your baby cries, he inevitably swallows a large amount of air simultaneously, therefore becoming more gassy.
My advice: You know your baby. When I told a pediatric gastroenterologist about my babys extreme gas and how she screamed because of it, he said, How do you know its not the crying thats causing the gas?
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Remedies For A Gassy Baby
Here are several home remedies you can try to help relieve your babys excess gas!
Burp Them Twice
Since swallowing air while feeding is the most probable explanation for newborn gas, burping them twice is a great and simple thing to try. Even giving your baby some gentle back pats during feeding can go a long way. A lot of times, if your baby turns away from the breast or bottle in the middle of feeding, its not because theyre fullits because the gas is making them uncomfortable!
Keep Them Upright
Try to feed your baby in a very upright position. This will help minimize the amount of air theyre swallowing. If youre bottle feeding, you can try an anti-gas nipple to better control the flow of milk. Also be sure to avoid shaking the bottle too much, which can create extra bubbles.
Learn Their Hunger Cues
Crying, of course, can be very unpredictable. But, if you can, try to feed your baby before they start crying. Babies swallow a lot of air while crying try to learn their hunger cues as early on as possible, so you can get them fed before they cry.
Baby Bicycles
Lay your baby on their back, and gently cycle their legs toward their tummy. This motion will help manually push all the trapped air out of their tummy. You can also try gently pushing their knees to their chest, holding the position for 10 seconds, releasing, and repeating.
Tummy Time
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.
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Relieving Gas Symptoms Naturally
The following methods aim to provide temporary relief from tummy troubles related to gas. Unless the underlying cause of excessive gas is discovered and corrected, it’s likely you will be faced with the same problem again and again. If gas innot the real reason for a baby’s distress these method may not provide much help at all!
1. Burping your baby
- See Burping your baby for more information.
2. Water
Babies often seek to feed for comfort and not necessarily because of hunger. Offering a small amount of water can often help to satisfy your baby’s unsettled tummy, when you feel he’s not really hungry.
3. A warm bath
This may help your baby to relax. Also the warmth may help the gas in his bowel to expand and be expelled.
4. A warm compress on baby’s tummy
Warm a cloth diaper or towel in the microwave, then place it over your knee and lie your baby face down across the towel.
5. Tummy massage
A tummy massage may help to relieve discomfort due to abdominal gas. Put some oil on your hands and gently massage your baby’s abdomen in a clockwise direction using long stroking actions, alternate this with lifting his knees and using a ‘bicycle’ movement.
RECOMMENDATIONS
- Choose either a bath or a massage not both, as it can be over-stimulating. For babies younger than 5 months of age, massage and bath time need to be separated by a nap or night time sleep.
- Do not massage your baby’s abdomen if he has hiccups or has just been fed.
6. Soothing methods
How Do You Comfort A Baby With Gas In Other Ways
Many of us with kids can attest to the power of distraction, especially if your little one is feeling a bit cranky. By using the same techniques experts recommend for calming a fussy baby, you can also help calm a gassy baby.I Here are five of our favorites.
1. Embrace a quiet space: If your babys emotions are already running high due to a gassy belly, refocusing or moving them from a busy or loud environment to a quieter space may help. Calm begets calm, after all.
2. Herald in playtime: To both distract and entertain your baby at the same time, try engaging them in play. Be sure to make eye contact when you talk to them, then reach for a favorite rattle or toy. Bright colors, things with black-and-white contrasts, or even showing them their own reflection can all be good distractions from gassiness, too.
3. Repeat, repeat, repeat: Babies are creatures of habit, making a routine a welcomed comfort. Find one that works for your infant, like playing, sleeping, eating, and repeating. In the same vein, repetitive motions can be hypnotically soothing to your baby: rocking or bouncing them gently as you speak or sing softly can be a lullaby in and of itself.
4. Pacify their innate urges: Sucking is one of the first natural instincts infants haveand its especially soothing to themso a pacifier or teething ring may help do the trick.
Next: Learn more about infant massage in our article How To Give Your Baby a Belly Massage.
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