My one month old breastfed baby is a little fussy and very gassy. He doesn't burp easily, but seems to really need a burp because he spits up when he doesn't. His gas and poops stink terribly (and this was not the case with my other breastfed babies at all). The doctor said I should look at my diet but gave no suggestions as to what to eliminate. Any suggestions?
I cut out ALL dairy, ALL caffeine, ALL acidy foods (tomatoes, onions, peppers, citrus, etc.) I also cut out spicy. Basically, everything I would want to eat I have to cut out. The great part is, you cut out so much that the weight just falls off. = )
Good luck!
Anything that typically makes adults gassy when they eat it can make a baby gassy through breast milk. Mushrooms, broccoli, milk, whatever.
When my son was about 2 months old, I had Chinese for lunch and the poor guy was so gassy for the next 24 hours :-(
My daughter was just like that, and my son was not - both were exclusively breastfed. I ate ALOT of chocolate while nursing my daughter and I think that was the culprit. I couldnt stop ... :( so she was just smelly.
Take a look at the la leche league site - they have other culprits listed.
I cut out dairy... that helped a LOT! Also things like broccoli, garlic, and anything spicy for a while (broccoli was just gassy, the other stuff was mainly taste I think...) Now, at 8 months, I can eat anything as long as I limit the dairy. One thing that helped a lot for my DD was Gripe Water. I usually gave her some when I could tell she was really having issues. Good luck!
~Also, tummy massages help.
Hi K., So sorry to hear about your issue with your baby. Not sure if this will work, but it is very possible. Shaklee sells an all-natural and organic product called ShakleeBaby Massage Oil which was created mainly to use on babies with colic. It calms them down and helps release the bottled-up gas (apparently). Other customers have found other uses for it as well, but it would be a quick simple harmless idea that will either work or not work while doing no harm to either of you. If you are interested, go to my web site www.emilytaft.com and type 'baby massage oil' in the search box. Read about it, and if you want to try it, just order it and have it sent directly to you. Please feel comfortable contacting me with any questions - ____@____.com or ###-###-####. Hope this has been helpful. E. Taft
Dairy and broccoli seems to be the main culprits for gassy breastfed babies. Try switching to Lactose free milk and goat's milk cheeses and creams.
What helps a lot with babies that are hard to burp is to tap the mid back while lightly bouncing child up and down. Not a vigorous bouncing, but enough to get the bowels moving a bit. Also bicycling or pumping the legs to simulate exercise/walking helps get the gas out too.
Also, once you've cut those things out of your diet, you can try slowly introducing things back into your diet so you can see what specifically might be the culprit. (similar to finding allergies when introducing solids)
Hi--
I went through this with both my children. The usual suspects are dairy products--it is the dairy proteins casein and whey that children struggle with--and gluten products (wheat, barley, rye, and some oats). Rounding out the top seven allergens are tree nuts, peanuts, eggs, soy, and shell fish. It takes 7 days for dairy proteins to get completely out of your body, and therefore your breast milk, so give it some time to see if you get results. Also, be careful--dairy is hidden in everything! You'll have to read labels. If he's struggling with it, even a little bit will throw his little system off. Anything that makes you gassy will make a baby gassy--like beans and broccoli. Also, chocolate is a big one for causing baby gas!
You might also try a few other things. Get your baby a dairy and soy free probiotic (solaray makes a great one for infants) to help get his digestive track functioning well. Also drink mother's milk tea or take the herbs that you find in that tea--marshmallow root, catnip, fennel, ginger, papaya and pineapple enzymes, slippery elm, aloe vera---These will soothe his digestive system and are safe for infants. They will get into your breast milk. They also have tinctures for infants with these herbs that you can give to him directly (just a few drops for a newborn). Check out Wish Garden or Herbs for Kids. If you are willing, take him to a chiropractor for an adjustment of his mid-back and neck especially. If you don't want to go to the chiropractor, you can hold him upside by his ankles and let him gently sway--this is usually enough to align a baby's spine.
As I said previously, both my children are super sensitive and I had to do all sorts of things to get them balanced--including totally changing my diet. It is easier than you think it will be. If I can be of more help, please don't hesitate to ask!
J.
My first child was very gassy. I cut out onions, green peppers and mstard and then slowly worked them back in to figure out which one it was. It was deffinetly the onions. I stopped eating them all together till I finished breastfeeding. When i had my next two children cut the onions out right away and never had issues with them. Dairy was never a big issue. hope this helps.
