Gas Pain & Fussiness

my son had the same problem. We used Gas drops and enfamil gentlease. That pretty much solved his problem.

I see you're already giving gas drops, that was my suggestion. But also, have you tried soy formula, I hear that can help sometimes.

I think it was really wonderful of you to give up breastfeeding to try to find what worked for your son. Everyone seems to have the answer about what is best for your child, but when it comes down to it no two babies are the same. What's best for one may not be the best for the other.

The good thing is most likely your son will outgrow this. For now, you could also try the infant massage. I think there is some sort of heating pad for their tummies that some people have found helpful...but I would talk to the doctor before using it. If your son likes baths, you could try soaking him and playing.

A friend tried Chiropratic care for her son, since it was a difficult birth, but after several sessions did not notice a difference. Who knows...but I would be very careful who you see.

Good luck! I think it will start getting better soon. It seemed like between 2.5-3 months was when life started getting better for my fussy son. I remember feeling so helpless while he arched and cried. He has no troubles now, at almost 3!

Poor guy. Infant massage on the belly to help move gas along (gently write the letters I L U ; with the L and you upside down and clockwise), gently rocking his legs right to left; lots of hugs; and just becareful stich and adding lots of stuff. It is all new for the intestines and formula is harder to digest. Make sure that with formula, he is not getting too much to eat and this will give a lot of tummy pains too. My daughter would over eat sometimes I think and she would be very fussy. Watch of constipation too... sometime this happens during the transition. Talk to the caregives too and get their advice. Make sure that they are consistent with your practices. Good Luck and congratulations.

L., your son is perfectly NORMAL and there is nothing wrong with him that time won't cure. In my personal opinion, he probably doesn't need a chiropractor or a homeopath or anything else. Babies are born with digestive systems that have never experienced food, have never had to process food. The sensations that come from this process usually make them fussy for about the first 3 months. At that point, their little bodies start to adjust and the problems with fussing and crying start to go away. If you really want something helpful and can find the time to read a book, The Happiest Baby on the Block has been a lifesaver for many parents. The doctor who wrote it explains that the first three months are like a fourth trimester (human babies are born much earlier/less developed than other animals because their heads would get too big for the birth canal if kept in longer). He gives specific steps you can take to calm your child and give him a more comforting environment. It's extremely helpful. If you get a chance to read the book, great. If not, your baby will get better with time. Try infant massage to help him pass his gas, keep him swaddled as much as possible (hard in the summer, I know), and keep feeding him. In a few more weeks, you will probably see a great deal of difference as his digestive system matures.

A pediatric homeopath will help you with this. There are so many options for you and your little fella! Babies NEVER need to suffer.

My sister-in-law also had a gassy baby (he is 5 months now). She tried massaging his chest/tummy to help move the gas bubbles along and it worked like a charm - he was always much more comfortable after that. Search for the technique online... hey, it definitely won't hurt!

It's too bad you stopped nursing L., because your son is probably in need of chiropractic care - food is not always the source of gas pain. The spine rules the digestive system. When one or two subluxations occur, it can cause all kinds of digestive disturbance.

Get him to a chiropractor today and watch his condition change over night. And it's not too late to resume nursing - just have him latch on and the milk will come back if you don't wait too long.

Otherwise, find a formula that doesn't contain corn syrup or corn syrup solids. These are allergens and may cause gas, eczema or even asthma in sensitive children. Go to www.safebaby.com for ideas.

Hi L.,

I know how hard this can be as my first two children had the same problem. I remember all to well sitting in the rocking chair rocking my son crying right along with him because there was nothing I could do. My second would scream for 2-3 hours straight every day. 3 of my four children used nutramigen too. It was a life saver...I cannot imagine how bad it would be without it. Solids do help. I started my kids on solids a little earlier than most. My boys were on three meals a day and three snack(bottles) by the time they where 4-5 months. Hang in there..Be thankful he sleeps at night, this would be harder with a lack of sleep on your part.

My oldest was in daycare for a short time and I remember my daycare wanting to feed him all the time thinking he was hungry, which made it worse.

My dad used to hold my son with his warm hand on his tummy, which sometimes seem to help a bit.

My boys are 14,10,8 and 5

I have been there and I know how heartbreaking it is to watch your baby suffer. My youngest had the same problems and I had to switch to formula at 5 weeks because nothing helped.
Switching to formula helped and so did switching bottles (we used the playtex liner bottles). He eventually outgrew it around 16 weeks.
Have you tried smaller more frequent feedings, using different bottles or nipples, burping more often, massage, holding him tight against your chest when he is having problems, warm baths, holding him different during feedings? Those are all things that might or might not give him relief. Good luck and follow your instinct, he'll get through this!

I know many doctors say not to have them sleep on their tummies because of SIDS, but my middle daughter would grunt all night long when she was on her back. Her neck was strong enough to turn her head back and forth so I started having her sleep on her tummy at night. My dr. said that he did that with his daughter too. Its totally up to you, but it worked wonders. She slept through the night. We started it when she was probably a month old. And the grunting stopped. My dr. said that if they can turn their head themselves, that it is ok. He said many drs probably disagree with him. But you can try it if you want. Maybe just do it during nap time when you can watch him sleep.

I would swear by doctor browns bottles. They are a little more expensive, and a little more time consuming to clean, but well worth it. My daughter would cry for hours in pain. We switched to Nutramigen and doctor browns bottles and we say a day and night change.

Are you sure it is gas? Or is it reflux? His symptoms sound just like our three month old who has acid reflux. If I were you I would look into the reflux thing more. We are on prilosec which is stronger than just zantac. It takes a little longer to kick in but it works a lot better. It actually stops his acid production. It has made a huge difference for us. Also if that is what it is then you won't have to spend all that money on expensive formula. I would talk with your doctor more about it. Also the it take 6-8 weeks for reflux to start causing them pain. Our little guy definately had it from birth but it took 6 weeks for him to be in bad enough pain that he needed meds. I too thought it was something I was eating.

His gas while you were breastfeeding was probably from your letdown... and highly unlikely that it was from your diet. A forceful letdown (milk spraying out) will cause him to get too much foremilk and cause major gas and tummy issues. Its an easy fix, and I'm kind of sad that nobody could give you the information you needed to continue nursing successfully, which was simply to let your baby latch until letdown, then unlatch and let the spray of letdown into a towel or burp rag, then relatch him when the major spray stopped, and to only nurse from one breast per feeding.

It can take up to TWO WEEKS for a baby to adjust to formula. Its very hard to digest regardless of the brand/make/ingredients. If you can start nursing again (and I'm sure you can, its only been 3/4 weeks) I bet you'd see a big difference.

I hope you can find a solution that works for both you and your baby. But remember that going from one formula to another isn't a good idea, his body needs time to adjust, which could take at least 2 weeks, sometimes more.

We had gassy tummy troubles with our daughter, and Baby's Bliss Gripe Water worked wonders. It's homeopathic, so you can give it as often as needed. We needed to order it online through drugstore.com. Order two bottles at once so you're ready (if you choose to try this). Good luck. It will get better!

I also did the gas drops which seemed to work for my daughter, but I also massaged her when she seemed to be the most fussy. I would lay her on the couch and rub her little tummy softly. I would also hold her legs and push her legs up so her knees were on her chest and then stretch her legs out. Sometimes we would pretend she was running or riding a bike by doing the circles with her legs. Some of the action was able to get the gas that was bothering her out.

Another thing I did was to hold her with her stomach on my forearm. Her head would be by my elbow and her legs would hang on either side of my hand. The pressure on her stomach helped and I would rub her back.

We had the same problem with our baby. I took the do nothing/wait it out approach. I continued to excusivly breastfeed. It got a lot better at 3 months of age and 4 months was even better. She is now 5 months and she only spits up a little and fusses when she is sleepy.

My advice be patient and let your baby know you love him by just being there when he is having problems. My baby liked sitting in a reclined possition (45 degrees) and my bending her knees toward her chest.

It sounds like it could be reflux since he has many episodes of arching/stiffening/crying around feedings times. I'm sure the doctor told you this already but make sure that he stays upright for at least 30 minutes after feedings..you could also try feeding him a little more upright instead of laying flatter in your arms. In his crib you can put books under one side of it so that it raises the bed about 45 degrees which can help with reflux. Also know that sometimes when a chidl is given reflux meds...the doctor may have to tweak the doseage or medication depending on the child..so make sure to keep on top that with your pediatrician if it truly is reflux. Good luck. You can also try infant massage..that can do wonders for a baby with gas/reflux...just be careful when massaging the tummy area because you only can massage in one direction (I believe its in the clockwise direction but please check before you do it)..the reason you have to go that direction is because it works with the childs digestion. Hope this helps.

My son had a lot of gas issues too. We used the gas drops a lot. From my experience and the advise of a lot of other moms, we gave him the drops before each feeding. They worked better that way than waiting until symptoms started. I did consult my pediatrician to make sure I wasn't giving the drops too often (and would suggest to get your pediatricians advise too), but he said they're pretty safe and if we were seeing results to go ahead and keep doing what we were doing. We also did the massage someone else suggested and we placed a warm compress on his belly. He really liked the warm compress- don't know if it helped with the gas, but it relaxed him, so it helped with the crying.

None of these are going to help as much as finding the right formula or treating the reflux, if that's what it happens to be. However, my son seemed to get some relief from them and I felt like I was at least trying to do sonething for him. Its so heartbreaking when you know they're in pain! Good luck!

J.

P.S. Just like many babies, my son's gas was much better as he hit the 3 month mark- so hang it there!

Mylecon (sp) drops work great. I would also consider trying out soy formula. My first child cried 24/7, was super gassy, and constipated because of milk protein intolerance so I stopped nursing at 4 months and switched to soy and she was like a dream after that.
My second had issues too but was allergic to soy so we used Nutramigen.
You also might want to try the bottles with the liners because you can squeeze out the air. They worked great for my kids.
Good luck,
J.
Mom to 4, soon 5 through another adoption and hopefully more :o)

I tried nursing.. but my son needed more. it took us 6 different formulas and then adding the gas medicine for a few months before it even helped a little bit. They will grow out of it.. once they start eating solids.. but it seems like forever! I was pulling out my hair for months.. he's now 9 months and doing much better with a gentleease formula, gas medicine and making sure i get al the bubbles out before i feed him. I also don't let hime suck in lots of air when he drinks and sit him upright.

E. B.
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My son was basically the exact same story. I felt so bad for him, and was told it would eventually just go away. I used Gentlease formula (there's a generic @ Walmart too!). That helped alot! BUT, it still was bad, so I tried Udo's Probiotics from the internet. It's a supplement to put the "good" bacteria back in the babies colon. Google probiotics to learn more. It seemed to help him alot. Also, onestepahead.com has a velcro band that is heated that puts gentle pressure and warmth on their little tummies. Good luck, and know it DOES get better!

My 6 week old has been having the same problem. The gas drops seemed to help a little, but he was often still very uncomfortable. Our pediatrician recommended that we try gripe water. This can be found in the infant section at Walgreens (I know they don't have it at Walmart....not sure where else they sell it). It is a natural remedy and I believe that ginger is the main ingredient (which I also know has been used for car- and sea-sickness). You are supposed to give a teaspoon at a time for my son's age. The dropper is only a half-teaspoon and by the time I have done one dropper full, he is usually calm before I even give the second. I thought I was going to have to cut out milk products, which I was not looking forward to, but this seems to have done the trick.

Also, our pediatrician said that gas often peaks at 6 weeks and tends to start getting better after that, so hopefully you are on the up-swing now. Good luck!

Our 6 week old daughter has the same problem and has been diagnosed with reflux. While the medicine seems to have helped she still has gas so we give her Gripe Water when we can't stop the crying. This is a natural supplement of ginger and fennel water. It also helps with hiccups. She loves it! We got it at Walgreens.

Hi L.,

When my daughter had gas, in addition to the gas drops, I would do special exercises with her that help the digestive tract get moving. When your little one is having pain, press his knees to his chest for a few seconds, release, and continue again. You may have to do this a few times a day, but it really seems to help. Good luck!!

L.-
I would DEFINITELY try going to a chiropractor. My two sons (and me) are living proof that a chiro can help you figure out what's up with your little one. Without drugs or expensive formula. I would look for one with a postgraduate degree in pediatrics. There is a doc at Davis Chiropractic that has a Ped's degree. It is in St. Louis Park. Good Luck!!!

I don't think that if a mom is eating something that is causing the gas problem in their newborns and, for this reason, you stop breastfeeding. There are lots of home remedies to cope with this problem. I had the same problem with my LO and I treated him through giving him and drinking myself babies magic tea.