BabyWhispererForums.com
SLEEP => Night Wakings => Topic started by: becky1969 on May 27, 2006, 22:44:59 pm
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I have a 5 month old who has been very gassy from the get go. We've tried just about everything you can imagine to help the problem. Right now he's on Enfamil Gentlease (it has helped quite a bit) formula, we use Mylicon drops with every bottle, and Gripe Water with every bottle as well. Still right before a poo and about 2 hours afterwards he has such intense gas pains that it makes him scream. If it happens to be during the night, then he will wake every 15 minutes or so with a scream and won't be able to sleep on his back. We already have a wedge in his crib because he also has reflux, but that isn't even enough elevation, so we will put him in the boppy. Usually after an 60-90 minutes or so int he boppy we will hear him finally pass the gas after which time he can sleep peacefully.
I'm just wondering if anyone else has had a super gassy baby and knows of other ways to help them. Will it get better with time? I'm almost terrified to start solids as I know a lot of those foods will make gas worse! We started cereal last week, and due to my error in giving him too much on the first day, he spent 2 days in intense gas pain afterwards. :o Now, based on ped advice, we're taking a few days break before we start again VERY slowly. Oh, we're also on watered down prune juice because the Gentlease makes him constipated - which also makes him gassy! ::)
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I'm not really sure what else you can do, but the gas will get better with time. I'd actually recomend stopping cereal all together untill 6 months because it will make it worse, after 6 months his digestive track will be more mature and better able to digest the cereal. So try holding off untill then.
Also when you use the bobby are you leaveing him alone with it? If you are make sure while he's in that you watch him, he's at the age where he's going to be rolling, and when in the bobby, he may roll into it and be unable to get out. Bobbies are not safe for sleeping.
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hi you could try baby massage a good one to do for tummy aches is to massage with two fingers just above the pubic bone right along the lower part of the tummy in circular clockwise movements. whats a bobby?????
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Your baby sounds exactly like mine. He has always been gassy and he has reflux. He is 10.5 months and we are still having trouble with solids - he seems to react to any new food and he gets constipated very easlily (which of course increases the gas quotient :P). I agree that you should hold off on solids as long as possible. I gave mine early because he had started night waking (after sleeping through for 1 month). It resulted in terrible tummy pain and then he developed these frequent mucousy poops for about a months (not sure if that was related). Anyway, not to scare you or anything but I would take it really slow with the solids. You may find that cereals don't actually work well (can be constipating - I still don't give mine much). My lo lives on sweet potatoes!
As for the gas, yes massage, but also bicycling the legs. When I am really desperate I have used a Q-tip to relieve the pressure but you are not supposed to do that very often so avoid it if you can. Now that he is older my lo doesn't really scream anymore with the pain/discomfort, but it does really interrupt his sleep (especially when he needs to poop). I spend many hours burping my lo (he is gassy both ends ::)). Why is it that reflux and gas seem to go together?
Anyway, all babies are different so yours might get over it sooner than mine (and mine is definitely less gassy than he used to be - now it usually comes when he is constipated).
Good luck!
Becky (nice name ;))
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Thank you so much for your advice!
I've waited as long as I could to start cereal, but I'm afraid my LO is HUGE - he's nearly 19.5 lbs (27") at 5 months, and is currently draining 3 of the five 8 oz bottles we're giving him, and coming close to draining the other 2, so at the advice of our ped, we're starting cereal because he's getting very close to topping out at the liquids I can give him. I use Dr. Brown's bottles, and as far as I can tell they only come in 8 oz at the most. For his bottle before bed, he often drinks 10-12 oz! I give him an 8 oz, and then give him as much of another 4 oz as he wants (he gets a dreamfeed about 3-4 hours later, which he also drains!). I suppose I could just do that for all his bottles? But I don't how long that's going to work since he's getting so close to 20 lbs as it is. I think he's going to need solids by 6 months for sure, and it might be good for us to get some practice eating them so that when he hits 6 months we can start using solids for calories instead of just practice/taste. I'd like him to be used to using a spoon before night wakings from hunger start!
Since he is gassy, we're going to start very very slowly with the cereal when we start up again next week and if it is really bad I guess I'll hold off again, but like I said my LO isn't so little!
Boppy is a breastfeeding pillow, it's sort of curved and it props the LO. LO isn't rolling over yet, but we'll stop using it when he does. I only use it for naps or between the dream feed and when my DH goes to bed when we're able to keep a close eye on him. Like I said, he's super large so rolling over hasn't been a milestone he's achieved yet! He really doesn't look anywhere close. 19 lbs is a lot of bulk to move around when you're that little!
I will try more massaging. I have done a little bit here and there, but not with any consistency. Maybe I'll do that before every nap and bedtime. That may help. I've also considered taking him to my acupuncturist. Acupuncture for babies is very gentle - they use a roller, not needles - so maybe that would help?
It is weird that reflux and gas seem to go together, but it does seem to be a frequent complaint! I wonder if it has to do with the special formulas or medicines they have to be on?? All I know is our baby was super gassy from the day we brought him home from the hospital. Gas was our first scary parenting obstacle! ;D Looks like it will also be our continuing one! :o Glad to know it does seem to get a little better though. But I will definitely take it slow with solids. I wasn't planning on doing anything but cereal until 6 months. But, like I said, my LO is so big I'm getting worried that when 6 months hit we'll need to hit the ground running with extra calories, so I want to have already shown him how to eat with a spoon and introduced the whole idea of solids before then. However, I will DEFINITELY take your warnings under consideration! If he's too uncomftable, we'll stop and I'll just give him 2 bottles at every feed if necessary!
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I compleatly understand your reasoning and I don't question your motives and of course your doctor will be there to help if needed and gave you the go ahead. Try Oats first rather then rice if you have to because they cause less gas (they actually made my DD regular) your very close to 6 months so its not as bad as if your LO was 2 months or something. Just be aware of the potential for gas and constipation. Often Apple sauce or prunes can help if they get constipated he'll prabably do better on those then the cereal ;) they're gentler on the tummy. Keep those drops ready for him. You may find he never does well with cereals, but deffinitly take it slow :) He's actuallly right on track with his intake of formula so don't worry about that.
Massage is a great way to help gas :)
For us the main cause for gas was the formula. At 6 months we moved her to a 6month+ formula and the gas started going away. Have you talked to your doctor about that? 6+month formula has more calcium and less iron and can be easier on babies tummy. It may help. But talk to your doctor first and see what he says.
As for his size when he starts moveing and playing he'll loose the "bulk" My friends LO was 20lbs by 5,5 months and is now down to 18lbs. So if he looses weight when he starts to move try not to worry :) your doctor will let you know if its a problem, but most loose weight after getting active.
Where does he currently sleep?? just curious.
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Our doc has said that mobility will probably take care of those lbs! He's 95th for weight, but 90th percentile for height, so seems pretty on track for his size! It's funny because we looked in my DH's baby book, and our son was only 2 oz heavier at 4 months than my DH (and 1" longer), so it clearly runs in the family!
He sleeps in a crib in his own room. His sleep is usually pretty good unless it's right before or right after a poo, pretty much. Then the gas problem is really bad. Otherwise I've mostly got it under control with the formula, drops, and Gripe Water. Ugh. I feel like I've got this kid on such a regimen! It really annoys me because my mom says things like "Sometimes you just have to let them be a baby!". But she just doesn't understand what happens when the gas gets really bad - he literally screams. When you haven't had a REALLY gassy baby, I don't think you get how bad it can be for them. No one should experience that kind of pain - child or adult!
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i just wanted to chime in to say that i agree with karita in that you should hold off on solids til later..even after 6 months my lo got EXTREME gas AND constipation due to cereals...not just rice - all of them. i too was advised by the dr to start them early as it would help with her reflux - it did in fact help with the reflux - but gave me a whole other slew of problems..not worth it imho. when i questioned my dr she told me to give oval or gripe water which of course i was doing and it didn't help. at first i didn't put two and two together b/c the gas/constipation didn't start for over a week after i started...after i stopped it took almost a week to get it completely out of her system and for her to be 'normal' again...also this problem never really affected the daytime - but way worse in the nighttime as that's when 1. you feel pain the most 2. they aren't moving as much to keep from cramping up kwim? sometimes their bellies just aren't mature enough at that point to be able to handle the solids.. that's my two sense worth - it may be worth stopping for a week and see if you have any improvements?? i hate to see a little one in pain...and i know how horrible it feels as a mommy {{{{{{{{{{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}}}}}}}}}
i know katet has two BIG boys and at that age she didn't give any solids at all and all was well...let your lo drain those bottles and maybe add more - he may also just be going through an early growth spurt...
good luck with everything :)
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Thank you so much for your opinion!!! I will definitely think about holding off from solids longer than 6 months. I think what we'll do is start back slowly again in a few days and see how it goes. If it's bad gas again, then we'll quit and talk to the doc at the 6 month appt and re-evaluate, given what you all have said based on your experience. I know having a diet based solely on formula won't be bad for him at this age, so I'm definitely not worried about that! I just want to keep him full, so it's just the hassle of making 2 bottles for some meals for awhile.
Thanks again!