sleeping and gas

[aivester]

My little one is 5 weeks old and has trouble falling asleep because of bowel gas.  He appears to be drifting off into sleep and then suddenly starts screaming.  He is consolable with a pacifier, but he has these gassy episodes multiple times each sleep cycle.  I have tried Mylicon and Gripe Water...does anyone have any other suggestions?  Thanks...PS  The Baby Whisperer has been a Godsend for these first 5 weeks!

[hilty]

Have you tried Ovol? I haven't tried the other brands you mention, but Ovol seems to work pretty well for us. My son is also a gassy boy - he is 4 months old, and still often has one episode per night after a feed where he kicks his legs around a lot for a while after the feed. This doesn't seem to be as much of a problem during the day since I have him upright after feeding, so all of the burps come out eventually. He can take quite a while to burp sometimes (e.g., during the day I might hear a burp come out 20 minutes or so after the feed), so the quick burp I do in the middle of the night probably doesn't get all of the gas out. The reaction you're describing could also be reflux, which you could ask your doctor about.

[Layla]

Hi there - my lo used to have really bad gas and colic in general. What worked for me was to press her legs to her stomach (not hard of course) to let some of the gas out. Also try paddling your lo's legs (like they are riding a bicycle).

HTH
Layla

[jumblebox]

Sometimes sleeping on their left side (instead of on their back) seems to help. Something about the way our insides are rearranged. Maybe check with your doc, and/or use a sleep positioner if you try it.

[lauraleigh]

I just went through the same thing with my 10 week old son.  He has been very gassy from the start.  We have been through 3 formulas and also use Mylicon and Gripe water.  I finally figured out that it was reflux and his doctor just started him on baby Zantac twice daily on Thursday and it has been a miracle worker.  He was so bad he would only sleep in his car seat and scream if you tried to put him in the crib. We elevated the crib mattress with a boppy under the actual mattress so that the mattress itself is still level.   Has been sleeping in the crib since Friday (falling asleep on his own and not crying or fussing which I thought would never happen).  We also have him on Enfamil Gentle Ease formula (day 9 now) which has also helped a ton.  It is for fussy/gassy babies and has 1/4 the lactose of regular formula.  It is worth a try (unless you are BF)....pediatrician says it takes about 7 days to know if formula is going to work for them.  You might start with the formula and maybe elevate the crib mattress.  If not a lot of improvement look into the reflux issue.  I could kick myself for not doing it earlier because he has been like a whole new baby...  

[VeroniqueD]

From the first feeding up until about 3 months i would burp my LO after every ounce since the gas you are speaking of is mostly swallowed air that goes through the intestines. Now i burp her every 2 ounces, she does not mind and it's a bit less gas i have to worry about. 

[VeroniqueD]

I'm sure your little one has tummy time as well, this should help put pressure on the stomach to release some gas...