Why Is My Newborn Gassy At Night

Gas Medicine For Babies

Gas medicine is another option for your gassy baby. Theres no real harm in turning to medication first, but it certainly does have a few drawbacks.

Cost and convenience are real factors as a new mama, so dont feel bad if you save meds as a last resort. Here are a couple of my favorite options for gas medicine for babies.

Can Breastfeeding Make Baby Gassy

Some research has found that the foods in a mom’s diet might make breastfed babies gassy, but the evidence is far from conclusive. Before you completely revamp what you’re eating, see if there are other subtle ways you can help your baby swallow less air at mealtimes, including working on your latch, burping baby twice at each feeding and trying different nipples or bottles if you pump.

If your breastfed baby is still gassy, and you notice that every time you eat a certain food he seems gassier or fussier than usual, theres no harm in cutting that food from your diet to see if it helps. Work with your doctor to nail down foods that might make breastfed babies gassy, including:

• Cruciferous veggies like cabbage, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower
• Dairy and eggs

Q: Does Dream Feeding Cause Gas At Night For A Baby

You may find that your baby feeds more calmly during a dreamfeed as they are only partially awake. This may result in less air intake. However, if your baby has latch or seal issues, they may still swallow air. You can still burp after a dreamfeed! Try to keep them upright and spend a few minutes bringing up any air before placing them back down to sleep.

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What Are The Best Sleeping Positions For A Gassy Baby

Published on November 10th, 2021 and Updated on January 27th, 2022

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Hes squirming, hes crying. And his teeny tummy? Swollen to the max. Your little one is gassy, and that can mean fussy days and sleepless nightsfor both of you.

Gas troubles are normal and common, especially for newborns with developing digestive systems. But if your little one loses sleep over gas pains, you might be wondering if there are special sleep positions that might calm, or prevent, a troubled tummy.

So, whats the best sleep position for a gassy baby? According to the American Academy of Pediatrics , all babies should be placed to sleep on their backs until they turn one year old, as this is the safest sleeping position.

That said, there are steps you can take to get ahead of your little ones gas troubles, so hell sleep soundly through the night, as well as some strategies you can try to prevent gas in the first place. Find out more below.

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 Newborn Babies Are Fussy In The Evening

If your baby is an angel during the day, but suddenly becomes incredibly fussy at night , you might be experiencing whats commonly known as the witching hour.

It might start right around dinnertime, and it might seem as though theres no cause. It can often feel as though nothing helps your baby calm down. Pacifiers wont hold in the fussiness and the feedings dont seem to provide any relief.

Its important to remember that nearly all babies go through this stage of getting fussy during the evening. It will typically happen after they are a couple of weeks old and might last until they are about three months old.

Why does my infant get fussy at night?

There are several reasons why your baby might be getting fussy right around the same time each evening.

Newborn Sleep Is Restless

Newborn sleep sounds and movements are the results of a newborns immature nervous system and reflexes. Newborns dont have a dependable sleep cycle yet. Circadian rhythms dont develop until about six weeks of age, which means that their sleep cycles have little regularity, they have trouble distinguishing night from day, and they wake frequently.

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Why Your Baby Might Be Gassy: Causes

Most of your little mans gas pains will stem from his still-growing stomach and immature intestines. But if his gas trouble seems worse than usual, some other culprits may be to blame, including:

• Swallowing while sipping Your baby likely takes to the breast or bottle with enthusiasm. The downside of that? He might be taking in some extra air with those big gulps, and extra air means extra gas.

If you breastfeed, look for signs that hes latching on properly to your breast and creating a seal on your nipple .

For bottle-fed babies check the bottles nipple to ensure the hole is not too big .

• Swallowing while crying Crying that leads to more crying? The sobbing-to-gas pipeline is one teary, circular affair. Heres why: when babies swallow air while crying for an extended amount of time, it can become trapped in their stomach and intestines, resulting in gas, which sets off a new round of sobs.
• Dietary sensitivities Your little one may develop stomach distress not because hes swallowing air, but because hes sensitive to ingredients in his formula .

If you cant pin down other causes for your babys discomfort, it might be worthwhile to look at your diet and consider limiting potentially aggravating ingredients, such as:

• Coffee
• Chocolate
• Alcohol

How To Prevent And Treat A Gassy Baby

Let’s look at the best strategies to avoid and treat gas in babies.

• Feeding your baby in more of an upright position This will help to reduce unnecessary air intake and prevent the production of additional gas.
• Burp your baby before, during, and after feeding Burping your baby helps their digestive system mature and keep things moving properly. Pat their back gently in the middle of their meal to assist in the release of any air they have ingested while eating. If your little one hasn’t eaten in a while, they might be signalling that its time to burp.
• Pay attention to hunger cues When your baby has gone too long without a good meal, they, like us, might get irritable. Look for hunger indicators, such as placing the fingers in their mouth or sucking with their tongue.

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Be Mindful Of Feeding Times

Try to feed your baby before you start hearing her hungry cries. This can help her eat at a leisurely pace and not gulp down her breast milk or formula too quickly. If youre a breastfeeding mama and your milk lets down quickly, you may want to unlatch baby for a moment and then re-latch. That can help her manage your milk flow more easily.

Do you have tried and true tricks you use to soothe your gassy baby? Let us know in the comments section on the page.

Doing Bicycle Kicks To Ease Gassy Baby

Although choosing the right bottle nipple and giving your baby infant probiotics are good for preventing gas, some good old-fashioned bicycle kicks can help your baby during a gassy flare-up.

To perform this move, follow these simple steps:

• Lay your baby on a soft blanket on the floor
• Sit in front of your baby and move your babys legs as if he was on a bicycle

This is a great opportunity to bond with your baby, gaze into his eyes, and sing a few nursery songs.

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Hold Baby Up After Feeding

I get that this is hard sometimes. Especially if you dream feed or put your baby to sleep while nursing. Regardless, keeping them upright for five to ten minutes after a feeding can make a BIG difference especially if they didnt get a good burp out.

If you cant hold them upright, at least keep them at an angle for this same amount of time. After that time period, try and burp them again.

Other Reasons Your Baby Could Be Crying

For very young babies, crying is the only means of communication they have.

So, while gas or colic might be the reason for their tears, there can be other reasons that your little one is having a bad day. These include:

• Early teething. The general age for a baby getting their first tooth is around 6 months of age. But in some cases, babies can cut their first tooth as early as 4 months. Along with fussiness, teething is associated with extra drooling, swelling of the gums, increased biting or gumming of items, and sometimes even ear-rubbing.
• Pain or illness. Especially in newborns, incessant crying can sometimes be a sign that your baby is in pain due to illness or injury. Check your baby over for bruises or other injuries including a stray hair that could be wrapped tightly around a finger, toe, or penis. Schedule a visit with your babys pediatrician to have them assessed, just in case.
• Discomfort. Just like older kids and adults, those little humans might not always love every outfit you put on them or every place you stow them thats not in your arms. Sometimes, theyre just bored and want to have a change in scenery. Before you assume its gas, see whether picking them up, changing their clothes, or going outside helps.
• Tiredness. Babies can very easily get overtired and ironically, resist going to sleep even more. Try to create some kind of consistent sleep routine such as creating a dark and comfortable environment or reading the same book for naps and night time.

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Babies Are Naturally Gassy But You Can Take Preventive Measures To Keep Your Little One Comfortable Here Experts Share What To Do For A Gassy Baby

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New parents are often surprised by the big noises that come out of a small baby. Newborns can be quite the audible orchestra, and gas is often part of the repertoire. “Gas is a normal part of the digestive process, but it’s also involved in most intestinal complaints,” says Jeremiah Levine, M.D., director of pediatric gastroenterology at NYU Langone Health. “Too much gas is usually a symptom that something else is going on.” So what causes baby gas and what are the signs of a gassy baby?

Learn more about what causes babies to be gassy, how to know whether your baby’s gas is normal or a cause for concern, and how to help your little one cope with gas-related discomfort.

Too Much Milk Too Fast

If youre one of the mamas who has an oversupply of milk or a forceful letdown, your baby may be getting too much milk too fast.

Dont worry its totally okay if you arent sure whether forceful letdown is a thing for you breastfeeding doesnt come with a manual and nobody expects you to know #allthethings .

The following are some signs that youll see if your milk is a little too overactive for your new little one.

• Baby suffers from gagging or choking
• Continually pulling away from the breast
• Biting down on your nipple to slow milk during the let-down period
• Dislikes comfort nursing or spits up frequently

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Youre Not Burping Your Baby Enough

I know this might sound ridiculous, but its not. I remember reading somewhere that breastfed babies dont need to be burped.

Ha! Due to all of the above reasons, its possible that your breastfed baby has inhaled a LOT of air and therefore needs to be burped, and burped well.

Holding your baby in an upright position after feeding can help decrease the amount of burping needed also.

Swap Bottles For Gassy Babies

Some bottles are specifically designed to reduce the amount of air that is swallowed during feedings. If your baby is having problems with gas, try a vented, angled, or collapsible style. Make sure to hold babys head elevated at a 45-degree angle and tip the bottle downward into their mouth with the nipple full of milk, not air.

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Wrapping Up Baby Gas Pains

I know this is hard mama. Listening to your baby screaming in pain from gas is HARD. Theres no way around that.

The best thing you can do is try and make it easier on your baby by doing things that can help prevent and treat it.

Dont forget to take care of yourself a little too. Dont be afraid to ask for help, and hang in there.

Please feel free to leave a comment below and let me know what youve done to help your baby deal with gas pain?

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:

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What Causes Breastfed Baby Gas

Before we go any further, its important to note that all babies have immature digestive systems and will need help at some point with getting gas out of their system. So, youre not doing anything wrong if your baby gets gassy.

However, if gas is causing discomfort its worth trying to identify and solve the problem. In order to minimize the problem of breastfed baby gas, youre going to need to know more about the potential causes of it though.

One of the most common ways that babies get gas in their digestive system is by taking in excess air. This can happen when there is:

• Poor latch. If your baby doesnt have a tight seal around the areola, air can get in along with the milk
• Issues with bottle feeding. Air in the nipple can be gulped with the milk.
• Crying. All that gasping can mean extra air is getting swallowed.
• Oversupply/strong letdown. The necessary quick gulping frequently includes some air!

Some gassiness in the form of farts may be more common when your little one begins to space out their bowel movements. There are a few things that may help if your baby is not pooping but passing gas.

Youll probably hear a lot from people who believe that babies can get some of the gaseous effect from foods that were consumed by their mother through breast milk.

Other people believe acidic foods and dairy products in the mothers diet can increase gas for babies.

How Can Breastfeeding Make Your Baby Gassy

There has been some research which suggests that the foods in your diet could make your baby gassy if youre breastfeeding. The evidence isnt conclusive yet, so be sure to try other things first. If theyre still gassy, and you notice that they get gassier when you eat certain foods, theres no harm in cutting that food out of your diet to see if it helps.

You can work with your doctor, too, to nail down foods that might be causing the gassiness. Some common gas-inducing foods include:

• Cruciferous veggies like cabbage, brussels sprouts, and cauliflower
• Dairy and eggs
• And meals that are very spicy, onion-y, or garlic-y.

Basically, anything that makes you gassy could be making your baby gassy as well!

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Faqs For Babys Gassiness

1. Why is my baby gassy only at night?

There are a few reasons why a baby is gassy only at night. For one, a babys gassiness could be related to their feeding session. If the baby is gulping down air while eating, the trapped air in the belly can cause discomfort. When the baby is lying down at night, the gas has nowhere to go but up.

Another possibility is that baby is experiencing gastroesophageal reflux when stomach contents flow back into the esophagus. This can happen when the baby lies down after eating.

2. How can I help my baby with gas at night?

If youre a new parent, you may be wondering why your newborn is so gassy at night and what you can do about it. Most babies are gassy because they take in a lot of air while feeding. This can cause their tummies to become bloated and full of gas. Once they lay down, the swallowed air becomes trapped.

The good news is that there are some things you can do to help ease your babys gassiness. Try burping the baby often during feedings, and keep your baby upright for at least 30 minutes afterward. Giving them gripe water before bed can also help prevent a gassy baby. The fennel seed in gripe water is one of the natural remedies for helping a babys digestive tract.

You might also want to try eliminating dairy and certain foods from your diet if breastfeeding, as this can sometimes be a culprit of GER. If youve tried these things and your baby is still gassy, talk to his doctor about other possible solutions.