gassy baby

[S Binelli]

I have a 2 week old baby, who sleeps between feeds but is so noisy stretching and moaning, that i can't rest at all. I think she is gassy.. has anyone experienced this. I'm also a vegetarian could this be the reason that she is so gassy? Any suggestions gratefully received...

Sharon

[Erin (redstarfalling)]

Many babies are gassy at this age - their digestive tract is still getting used to working outside the womb.  First, check your latch - a good latch will mean less air getting in and less gas. Make sure to burp her well, try a warm bath and massage before bed to get things moving.  I take it that she's sleeping in your room?  Any thought of moving her out of the room so you won't hear the little noises, but will still hear the bigger ones?  I know that's hard when they're still so little though...

Some people believe diet can play a role in gassiness, but it certainly not a guarantee with all babies.  I'm also a vegetarian, and I never found it made any difference.  THings like dairy and caffeine are more likely to have an effect.

Does she seem to be gaining weight well and is she having at least 6 wet and dirty diapers every 24 hr period?

[Samuel's mum]

I agree. Gassy and struggling with gas is the default position for a baby of this age.
Check your latch. Check your burping techniques. Could you have oversupply or an overactive letdown? All these things are more likely to be factors before diet.
But as I say - gassy is the situation without any of these factors for many.

[marcimommy]

Hi, it is quite normal for babies to be gassy at this age. My baby was VERY gassy, I mean VERY-VERY. I did a total dairy free diet, but I really don't know how much that helped. For you as a vegetarian that's probably not a vey good idea, as you need those proteins. There are a few veggies that can cause gassiness, so you might want to avoid or limit; brokkoli, beans, cawliflowers and green peppers
Also as erin said a good latch and burping is very important. It is usually hard to burp very young infants, but be consistant and don't give up until you hear a nice burp. I usually had to keep burping for about 30-45 minutes and alternate all 3 positions. Also try to put her head lower than the rest of her body for a few secons. that helps to loosen up the air bubblt in the tummy and it comes out easier after. You can give Symenthicone drops. (The brand name in the US is Mylicon) I used to give it before every feeding. It is safe and it helped us termendously. HTH  

[S Binelli]

Erin

Thanks for the reply. I think my latch is good, she put 10 ounces on in the first 2 weeks. She is having enough wet and dirty diapers. But she does not seem to get any rest at all. stretching and moaning the whole time that she is asleep. We are considering moving her to her room today.. I'll let you know how it goes.

Emma, overactive let down could definitely be me.. she chokes a lot in the first few minutes. I have to stop and burp her regularly. I've been using the cross cradle but am trying the football.. which i'm not finding easy to see if that helps her at all.

Suzanna, I agree eliminating dairy would be tough for me right now, but i would do it, if it helped her. I make sure she does a big burp every feeding, i'm also pumpin her legs a little to try to help her.. i guess time will tell.. but she is so loud.. louder than a 200lb man snoring!

[Samuel's mum]

If oversupply and overactive letdown are possibly your issues this link is really helpful:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/fast-letdown.html

[Erin (redstarfalling)]

I also really found it helped to work on the side lying position to nurse - great if you have overactive letdown too.