Very Gassy 5 Week Old

It is worth cutting the dairy! i promise! dairy really isn't a good source of calcium anyway, although the dairy industry has worked really hard to make us believe this. dark leafy greens are a much better source. my sweet son was also very gassy at this age and this is what helped us;

a. gripe water. available all over the place. an herbal alternative to gas medications

b. cutting out dairy, brassica family foods (which you have already done) onions, garlic, chocolate

c. rubbing castor oil on his belly before sleep

d. we found that both knees into the belly lifting butt into air a bit was much more effective at getting farts out then bicycles.

good luck!

W., I hate being nondairy, but it has been totally worth it, as my baby was really suffering--screaming with pain at feeding time. The sweet, happy kid I knew was trapped inside her emerged pretty quickly once I got good at defending her from dairy (and soy, as it turned out).

A few things about dropping dairy from your diet:

1) it's not that bad once you get used to it. I mean, holidays really suck, but other than that it becomes old hat.

2) it takes about 2 weeks for the milk proteins (casein) to get out of your milk, so you'll have to be patient...if the casein has cause upper intestinal lesions in your child (as happens with protein intolerance) those might have to heal up as well.

3) casein-sensitive kids are often sensitive to soy products as well, so in addition to watching out for dairy ingredients (whey, butter, sodium caseinate, etc.) you may have to watch out for soy (soy lecithin, fried rice, edamame, etc.).

4) take plenty of calcium citrate to keep yourself healthy.

5) this sensitivity wears off at 18-24 months. I have kept breastfeeding to make sure my girl gets enough protein, because she rejects meat and I can't give her cheese, yogurt, etc. yet. So I'm actually coming up on TWO YEARS without dairy and believe me, it can be done and it has been worth it!

You won't know if it's dairy unless you cut it out. Yes, it's difficult, but there are lots of vegan alternatives that may not be reactive. Fyi, the dairy folks want you to believe that their products are good for us, but this is not true; in fact it's just the opposite. A diet high in dairy is a quick trip to acidosis and osteoporosis. Dairy creates large amounts of mucous in the body~ it's meant for baby cows, not humans! Our bodies are designed to absorb calcium in smaller amounts~ from things like almonds, greens, citrus, etc. I gave up dairy for my baby (who is now 15 yrs and still obviously allergic) so I speak from experience. Give it up and see if your baby improves. Go for two weeks. Replace the dairy with fruits and veggies and rice/almond/soy alternatives. Good luck!

My vote is for Gripe Water. I like Baby's Bliss brand sold at Whole Foods or Walgreens. Its all natural and works wonders for any tummy problems (colic, gas, teething upset tummies, etc). You can use it fairly often, and there is no bad side effects. Also, don't feel bad giving Mylicon, as it is not absorbed in the body as most medications are, but passes right through, dissolving the bubbles on the way. (We found that out when my toddler swallowed half a bottle and had to call Poison Control) Also, I would make sure he's latching on properly so that he doesn't swallow so much air, and burp him good and keep him upright (like in a carseat or bouncy chair) for a while after each feeding bubbles out the top end rather than the bottom. PS. Going off dairy isn't the worst thing in the world, I've been off since Sept with my baby, and have found many substitutes.

Hi,
I want to put in another vote to avoid most dairy. I am lactose intolerant but love cheese, yogurt, cream, etc. I have completely cut out milk just so I can enjoy other dairy products (although more than 1 or 2 servings will have me tooting just like my 9 week old). I have rarely drank any milk since my son has been born (solely breastfeeding). Two days in a row I had a latte with regular milk and he seemed to get a rash which could have been baby acne and also seemed a bit gassier than usual. From then on I have avoided drinking milk which has always been the hardest on my stomach.
Instead I drink soy, rice, or almond milk. They now have hemp milk which is really tasty, chocked full of omega 3&6's (you can get omega 3's from flaxseed). I know there are other issues with soy milk so the other milk alternatives may be good for you to try. Make sure their enriched so you still get vitamins.
It's hard to give up milk because you get so much calcium for a serving that is more easily absorbed than other forms. Also, try to see if you eat a lot of one vegetable or food. I've know people who had to give up eggplant or avocados because those were causing gas.

Good luck.

Hi there- I had the same problem with my little boy. I eliminated lots(soy, dairy, wheat, brocc, cabbage, onions, garlic, nuts, citrus, tomatoes) for 2 weeks & it did the trick. Then my lacttion consultant told me to add these things back in every 4 days & watched the little guy. He got gassy the molment I added dairy or tomatoes back in. Very hard to illiminate but so worth it. And at 3 motnhs their digestion is much more mature & can ususally handle it. So I just waited & every few weeks tried again until he could handle it. Your concern for calcium is good. You may want to ask your doctor about a calcium supplement & vit D3 to take with it. I had to supplement alot, but this is good because it will also protect you from bone loss. Good luck with your cutie! If you need a good natural pediatrition I have a great one!

W.,
I had this same problem w/my 2nd child. No problems w/#1, BIG problems w/#2!!! I went off dairy x 3 days, minimal change, then no wheat x 3 days minimal change. Ok, I thought, maybe it's both??? So I tried no wheat no dairy x 3 days....NO MORE GAS!!!! 5 years later after discovery sensory processing issues I had him tested for gluten sensitivity....very high. He is now gluten free and a much happier child. I have a feeling he may be dairy intolerant as well....just need to test to be sure.
Believe me this was hard for me!!! I love pasta and cheese...together is great! Now days there are lots of options, and great recipes for both of these. You can do it. If you need more help just let me know!
M.

I have been reading a lot about nutrition recently and learned you can get calcium from many sources other than dairy. Some sources maintain the protein in cow's milk actually hinders the absorption of calcium. For example the US has one of the highest rates of osteoporosis but at the same time we drink more milk than any other country. Tofu, soymilk, kale, ruhbarb, beans and many others are also great sources of calcium. Two great books are "What To Eat" by Marion Nestle and "The China Study" for great information on nutrition. Good Luck!!

have you considered eliminating dairy for just a week to see if it is the culprit?

my son was sensitive to dairy so i eliminated it and took calcium supplements instead (plus you can get calcium from some veggies, and vitamine d in fortified orange juice).

he was exclusively breastfed until we introduced solids at 6 months. by then, his digestive system was better able to handle it and i was able to consume dairy again.

he's 15 months now and still breastfed, but i can eat dairy as much as i want. he loves natural yogurt and tolerates it very well, but cheese really binds him up, so we limit his cheese consumption.

W.,

It sounds like it could possibly be the dairy that is affecting him. Why not just cut out cow's milk but continue to eat the rest; cheese, yogurt, etc.? Sometimes that works just fine because the milk itself is much more allergic-producing than its counterparts. You could try rice or almond milk. I actually drink rice milk and I have no dairy aversion, I just like it better!
Also, I completely understand about not wanting to medicate your son. I found a wonderful product called colic calm that helps alleviate gas in infants. It is homeopathic and all natural, and my son loves it! Check it out..it is a great alternative to the mylecon drops. www.coliccalm.com Hope this helps!

As much as it maybe a major inconvience for you, try eliminating any and all dairy from your diet for a week and see what happens. I have heard of this causing similar problems for moms and breast fed babies. My cousin's son had a similar problem and when his mom quit dairy, so did his gas. Mylecon is an excellent remedy for the problem you describe. Comfort is #1 for him and if he wasn't able to expel the excess gas he would be crying, crying hard. You might be able to find a suitable calcium replacement for yourself. Talk with your pediatrician and/or ob-gyn about your care and possible suggestions. To persist is to achieve!!! Best of luck and congratulations on a happy, health baby!!

Hi W.,
This is a response I sent to someone else with a gassy baby. I know you were asking about foods and breastfeeding, but maybe this will help!
Take care, L.

Hi Jennifer!
You should try a sleep wedge in her crib. It helps with gas and also congestion when they are sick. My little guy is 6 months old and spent the first almost 5 months waking every 1 1/2 hrs. I bought this wedge and now he is sleeping through the night!!!! I also sent one to a friend of mine who has a 8 month old with really bad gas, and it has done wonders!!! Good luck!
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2401848
L.

I just wanted to reassure you that the Mylecon is safe to continue to use. (Little Tummies is a cheaper brand of the same stuff in the same amounts)It is not absorbed by the body, and it goes through the system unchanged. And it really does help. We needed to use it for all of our kids especially during breast feeding and then they grew out of it when they started eating solid foods. I think some of this is just the nursing process itself cause some kids swallow air, especially if they are really hungry.

I had the same issue with BOTH of my newborns. Both were exclusively breast fed. I had people telling me it was just colic and there was nothing I could do about it- other than, Mylicon and rubbing tummies. I cut out certain foods, but didn't notice much, although I did notice a HUGE difference when I cut out hydrogenated oil products- hydrogen=gas! I didn't realize that the lower fat spread I was using on my bagels in the morning (Brummel and Brown) had hydrogenated oil in it. When I cut that out, I did notice less gas in my baby. Also- when I cut out eating the delicious, homemade tortillas (containing crisco) that my mother in law made. :( At any rate, with both boys, it did eventually go away. So I actually believe it was some kind of "colic". Whatever that is! Good luck- be patient.

My baby was super gassy and uncomfortable too. I avoided all dairy, switched to all soy everything. No luck. We just used baby gas drops. We even tried Gripe water, no luck there either. But, the gas drops are safe and easy to give, they like the sweet taste. A few tiny drops does the trick.

Dairy was a BIG no no for me when I nursed both kids. (my allergy being passed through) They did grow out of that & eat it all the time now.

onions are another one. green peppers. I see chocolate mentioned, and wheat.

most common food allergies are dairy, eggs, wheat & chocolate.

Any inconvenience of abstaining will be rewarded by the happy little babe in arms. you'll have the rest of your life to enjoy the foods you love. This really is a short time.
God bless you,
Ang

A month or so after my son was born he developed a sensitivity to my eating dairy. He would get very upset, pulling up his legs to his chest and screaming. I stopped eating dairy and it made a huge difference. If I forgot and ate a little, he'd react to it. Eventually, I added it back into my diet gradually and he was fine with it. It didn't seem to take long. I'd guess his sensitivity was from ~5 weeks to 4 months.

My first son was gassy - Gripe Water really seemed to help. You're still giving your son something, but it is more natural and less medicinal.

On the dairy note, he very well could have food allergies or sensitivities. My son has them and on the food allergy list serve I'm on, many mom's talked about having to cut foods due to their child's allergies. Know that your pediatrician may not be supportive of this - many aren't well versed in food allergies. But to know, you need to bite the bullet and cut foods from your diet to find out. Dairy is really tough, but many woman have done it. If that doesn't it solve it, try wheat/gluten products. I read about one woman who was down to literally eating only three different kinds of food because of her child's allergies. I'm sure it won't be that bad for you! Vitamins and supplements can also help you get the nutrition you need.

Good luck!

W.,

Try to cut all dairy for 3 full days. If dairy is to blame for the gas, you'll know within 3 days! For my girl, it was chocolate that caused severe gas. I gave it up for 5 months. Boy, was that was a long 5 months.

I was lactose intolerant and so were my two kids. (they're fine now and grew out of it by age 3)
As babies they had such trouble that I had to switch them to lactose free formula. Everything else bothered them, breast milk (with or without dairy in my diet), soy, goat milk, etc. Yes we tried it all. That isn't what I wanted to do, but it settled their tummies down and made happy babies. I switched them at 8 months. This was an long 8 months of crying and no sleep.
The gas drops helped a little. I also held them like they were flying with my hand on their stomach. (head supported of course) A little pressure on the tummy helped release the gas.
What worked the best to get rid of gas was sitting and gently bouncing on an exercise ball while I was holding them.
I don't eat or drink dairy and receive my calcium from leafy greens and other food sources. A suppliment would probably be good for you, since you are breast feeding.
The other posts had great ideas too. This was my experience. I tried so hard to breast feed and it just didn't work for my babies. I've come to not feel like I let them down. Go with your instincts. You'll find what works for him.

That sounds like my second son - I tried watching my diet, using mylecon, etc, just like you're doing and he a super gassy breastfed baby. He was a much more aggressive eater than my other two and we figured out (with help of a lac. consultant) that he was just sucking down a lot of air with his food because he sucked so hard. He would be done eating in 10 minutes! If this is the case then there is nothing you can do to stop him from eating this way and having gas, but my son stopped being bothered by gas at about 2-3 months old. I didn't try stopping dairy - it was the only way I could get the calories i needed (I'm nursing twins exclusively) but that may have helped, I don't know. Good luck!

It does matter what you eat to some extent. You might want to talk to a lactation consultant (it's often free to do this over the phone) or talk to his pediatrician. I had to cut out dairy (and soy) from my diet and it took about 4 weeks for the dairy to get out of my system so that my daughter's symptoms finally cleared up. (She had bloody stools from the casein and whey in the dairy, but when she got to 6 or 8 mos. old - i can't even remember now - I was allowed to try to reintroduce the dairy into my diet and she has been fine since) So... you would know in a month or so if cutting the dairy out even helps. Good luck!

I would try cutting out the dairy and even peanut butter for a week if you eat that. They are high on the allergy list. I take Os-Cal for calcium its the only thing I've found that is nondairy.
My 18mo old was born fine except for severe reflux. He went from being a totally laid back baby to a very colicy one in a matter of weeks. I felt it wasn't normal colic because it seemed to be gas related and he was breaking out in a rash that looked to me like hives. I took him in and they said yes it was hives and they didn't like his gut sounds so he got an xray, his whole lower intestine was nothing but air. We had to do the elimination test and it came down to those two. Dairy won out as the culprit which I figured since I am lactose intolerant but I took meds to let me eat dairy with no problems. I switched to soy and rice and he hasn't had an episode since. He is still breastfed at 18mo but he is obviously on solids as well, we just keep dairy away from him. Good Luck!

Just try eliminating dairy for 4 days. That's all you need to see if there's a difference. Also, the calcium you get from dairy is VASTLY overrated. It wasn't until I started taking a calcium supplement that I had less cavities than when I was drinking milk.

Yes, you should definitely take a calcium supplement if you're not drinking milk or taking any cheese. But even if you are, most people should be anyway.

My son had the same problem. I used "Little Tummies" drops. They are non-medicated so they can be used with every feeding, and they work great!

Every baby's digestive system develops differently. My son had the same problem and I talked to the doctor about it. The Dr. said it was normal and that it would go away... It took a little while but it did go away and he's fine now. I also, breastfeed and i tried cutting everything out of my diet, but nothing helped except Mylicon drops. Eventually I came across some information from a study that explained the different phases of gastrointestinal development.
Hang in there... it will go away.

Hi W.. What would probably really help him is if you take some type of tummy tea or tummy herbal tincture (liquid herbs). Anything with fennel in it will do the trick. You can't give it your baby, but it will transfer through the breastmilk. when I was breastfeeding, I had to take a TON of fenugreek herb to increase my milk supply for twins. It made me really gassy, so I had to take a tummy tincture along with the fenugreek and that helped a ton. I got mine from a great website called herblore.com. Her stuff is really quality and it works well. The herbalist who owns Herblore specializes in pregancy and lactation herbs so he is really wonderful to work with. You can also pick up a tummy tincture at any health food store or whole foods.

Hi W.,

I am a mother of 4, ranging in age from 5-20. I nursed all four of my children...each to approx. 18 months. My thinking is that your little one is lactose intollerant and I would try taking lactaid when you eat dairy, and switching...at least your milk...to Lactaid brand milk. Not only is it organic, but it is lactose free as well. If this doesn't work, I would check with your Pediatrician at your next scheduled visit.

Good Luck. My third had this issue, and at age 9 now, he is completey fine...however, both of my girls (ages 17 & 5) are lactose intolerant and drink lactaid as well as avoiding other dairy products when they can.

D. P.

My son also had this problem. I cut out dairy but it didn't help. I found out he was lactose intolerant. I'm not sure his gas was entirely related though. It ended up just going away gradually. I think it was gone by 3 months which would really be 2 months because he was a preemie. It could just be his immature intestinal system. I tried mylicon also and it didn't seem to work so I gave it up. I'm off on medicating babies also.

Understanding,
M.

I had a very gassy baby too. I was also gassy during my pregnacy and the Symethincon works great. I did drops for my baby and chewables for myself. I got the okay from my doctor for both of us. The pharmisist at Bartell's suggested the generic version because it is cheapest and does the same as the name brand. My mom said that I was a colicy baby also and wishes that she had known about it back then. I did try cutting foods back but the drops worked. Good luck if you have to go with the give up foods route. You'll just have to find new foods to fill your needs and cravings. get creative you might find some new favorites!

When my sister was born which was eons ago now but anyways my mom had this problem with her. It did turn out to be dairy. I would try and cut a little out and see if it makes a difference. If you notice a change you may need to cut it out completely for the year or at least a few months till the tummy can process it better. You can take calcium supplements so you dont loose any and that wont hurt the baby either. Soy is also an option althought it doesnt taste as good to most!!

W.-
There is one thing to consider, It is possible your son has a lactose intolerance? My daughter started experiencing discomfort from my milk about that age. I took her of the breast milk by 7 weeks and that seemed to help. Unfortunetly she also was colicky but eliminating the lactose helped eliminate the gas and discomfort. I would keep using the gas drops. They are harmless and do help a lot. My first child never had any of these issues. I wish you the best.

My 4.5 month old daughter has been gassy from the get-go. Do you use the gas drops frequently? We have to use Milacon dropss after EVERY feeding or she is pain shortly after from the gas.

W.,
Strangely enough, broccoli doesn't cause as much gas as people think it does. Cauliflower is the worst.
What I have found is that if the baby is not latched on good enough, they suck in air with the breast milk which causes gas.
I also agree with the dairy. My niece can't eat cheese because it gives her such gas that nobody can stand to be around her. (She's in High School)
You can survive from limiting dairy and omitting it completely. Believe me, I have done it. What I brought back in my diet dairy wise is Goat yogurt and goat cheese. These products don't bother me or our youngest son who is dairy intolerent.
As far as the calcium, our pediatrician as well as my OBGYN has suggested Tums daily or calcium fortified OJ. Our boys are 5 & 7 and I give them plain tums only if they have an upset tummy. Other than that, I don't give them medications either.
I don't consider Mylecon a medication so to speak because there isn't much in there, but I completely understand your concern about drugs. I don't medicate our kids unless absolutely necessary because I don't want their bodies becoming used to drugs. Then they begin to work less and in my opinion harm the child because their bodies can't fight of infection and viruses.
Best of luck to you.

It might be worth cutting down on your milk consumption (maybe cut it in half and see if there's a difference). Keep taking the prenatal vitamins/minerals, and maybe add some calcium supplements. My first son started having bloody stools, and the doctor suggested cutting my milk consumption in half, and cutting back 25% on other dairy, which stopped the problem. Although, I wonder if he still isn't intolerant to it because he had persistent ear infections for a year and a half (not helped by tubes...) We've stopped giving him dairy, and hope to see an improvement in that.

Hi W.,
I had to cut dairy completely with my son, but not at all with my daughter. I switched to "Silk" soy milk. I really missed the cheese, but there are a lot of soy products that are pretty good. THis totally cleared up the problem, and when I supplemented, I also had to use soy, ready to use formula. I later switched to Lactaid (not sure when), and would sneak a little cheese, but this always caused problems. My son was fine with milk after 1year old, so it doesn't mean he will always have a problem. Good luck!

Cut the Cheese. Well, I mean cut out the cheese or eat half of what you used to eat. Feel free to eat more yogurt to make up for your loss of cheese and begin to see the benefits of soy milk. Eat more fiber. A good rule is to eat 1/4 Cup of ground flax a day. I put a bunch in my yogurt and a little in my salads. If you eat lots of fiber you will have very little gas and your little baby will "toot his little horn."