Could longer (fewer) feeds be causing gas?

[sadiebean]

My 5.5 month old is eating (BF) fewer times a day (and therefore a little longer per session) as I think is appropriate for his age... but he often gets distracted, or falls asleep (I wake him as best I can when he does this). I often wonder if he's gotten enough hind milk, or if he's stopping after a belly-full of mostly foremilk.

The lactose in foremilk can cause more gas without the hindmilk, right?

I'm wondering if this (gas!  :cry: ) is what is causing him to wake up every 20 minutes from his naps...

Any thoughts or suggestions?

[GraceKellysmom]

At 5.5 months old, his nursing sessions should be somewhere between 5-20 minutes. Some babies nurse really fast, and some nurse slower. What matters most is how empty your breast is when he finishes. At 5.5 months, if he is waking from gas, it is more likely not being burped long enough or that he's started solids too soon.

I think a lot of people are confused about foremilk/hindmilk. While it is true that the very first drinks your baby has are thinner, the milk is the same as the milk that he drinks a little later in the nursing. As more milk comes out, the fat in the milk that is higher in the milk ducts comes out. So the more he drinks, the better.

How long has he been waking up at the 20 min mark?

[sadiebean]

Burping is probably the culprit then -- my bad. (he's not on solids, and I often skip burping thinking he doesn't need it.)

I've been working on naps for 2 months now, but only 7 days on BW. Since we started BW, and since he learned to fall asleep independently (yay!) it's been 20 minute wake-ups consistently.

On the Naps board, a few of us are speculating that our little ones might have recurring reflux (since they had it when they were littler) that is rearing during nap time. Spit up, hurting faces, acid smell, etc. Not sure if I hope it's true or not, poor thing.