Hi J.,
It might be gas but it could also be colic. I'm a first time mom too and my baby girl is 6 months old.
Does he seem to have this problem in the evenings? You can try the gas drops but we gave those up pretty quickly. We had a rough time with Ali the first 3 months or so.
If it is colic there are a lot of things you can try. Some stuff might work one time and then not the next. On the bright side, colicky babies tend to be intelligent and inquisitive.
If your problem is occuring more in the evening then you can try the following:
* play white noise or a vaccum cleaner (we actually play both a white noise machine and a cd of a vaccum)
* swinging or rocking- our baby girl like to be swung in a blanket...just lay the baby on the blanket and pick up the end so it makes a hammock and gently pull up one end and then the other
* mommy contact, as in wearing him in a sling or pouch up next to your body
I'm sure there is more.
Take him to your pediatrician to make sure there isn't anything seriously wrong and then go from there.
Colic doesn't last forever and our baby is such a sweetie now that people ask us if they can please babysit.
Good Luck and Hang In There,
K.