The poor little darlings, don't you just wish you could snap your fingers and take your baby's gas pain away? You know the cry, the ear piercing, face reddening, knee tucking bunched up ball they turn into when it's time to toot!?
It's only at just over 8 weeks that I am learning that some of this is quite normal, but too much of it isn't. We can't control an immature, underdeveloped digestive system, they are brand new beings and just growing, but we can certainly help ease the drama and make our little angels far more comfortable.
First things first, speaking now as a Homeopath as well as a mom, no baby should be in an inordinate amount of pain daily. Something is surely wrong. It could be an allergy, a sensitivity, over feeding or poor feeding position. It's an art to mastering the problem with an ideal solution, but you must start right away if your child is suffering beyond what your instinct allows and here is what you can try. These options have helped baby Ava tremendously and they just might work for you too!
TIP ONE: Don't assume an allergy per se, but consider a sensitivity. Some babies really struggle with either milk protein (whey) and/or milk sugar (lactose being the biggest culprit). If you breast feed, try removing all dairy from your diet for a full 2 weeks (less than that won't even scratch the surface of proving a sensitivity) and see how baby fares. If your infant just so happens to be manifesting some eczema or chronic rashes, removing dairy will help with these issues too. It can be like magic! There is quite a correlation between dairy intake and skin affections in infants.
Lessen your caffeine and spicy food intake too if you breast or combination feed. What you eat, is what they get.
If baby is bottle fed, opt for a "hypoallergenic" or "sensitivity/lactose free" option. All brands have them. You can try soy as well. But in my opinion, I would select the above mentioned first. I find with my client's and my own baby, that this typically helps right away. And warm baby's milk for them. Don't feed from straight out of the fridge. Who wants cold milk? And if you do formula feed, the ready made liquid is best for infants. Save the tubs of powder that you have to mix with water until they're older and their tummies have matured more.
And watch any over feeding. It's typical that with every wail or crying fit that new mom's assume hunger. Don't worry, you're normal. We're eager to help, we want to soothe and secretly want to put a plug in it so to speak, even for a few seconds, right? But that's not always the case. If you over feed them, then their little tummies are sure to have a heck of a time assimilating all of that food at once.
TIP TWO: Try and feed baby a little more upright if bottle fed and select a bottle that is designed to decrease air pockets when tipped. The Playtex "Vent Aire" is a good choice as that little bend in the bottle tips it up just enough so less bubbles form for your child to swallow. Positioning baby with a long spine helps rather than curled up along your lap or flat on their backs. If breast fed, the football position offers that preferred long spine too. Or you can even feed while laying on your side. Basically, you want to refrain from any position that bunches baby up or has their head too low making swallowing more of a challenge.
TIP THREE: Always include time to adequately burp your baby. Rock, rub, tap, bounce, do whatever you need to do to be sure you hear air leaving from one end or the other (preferably both)
TIP FOUR: I love this product. Bio Gaia is a probiotic that is totally safe for infants. You can find it at your local pharmacy. Ask the pharmacist as it's kept in the fridge (please keep in the fridge at home too) and comes in a 5ml bottle. It's worth the money. Getting their tummies the natural "good" bacteria that is required for ideal digestion is important (as it is for all of us). Just place 5 drops on your own nipple or on the bottle nipple at least once a day to start. Ask your doctor or natural health care practitioner what dosage would be best for your child. It made a huge difference for Ava.
TIP FIVE: Personally, I always have a little bit of sugar and mint water on hand for really uncomfortable feedings. I mix a little bit of raw sugar with slightly warmed nursery water (always be mindful of the temperature, try it on your hand first) barely steeped in a few mint leaves. It's very soothing for an aching belly. Some of my clients have also reported that doing the same thing with bay leaves can help too. It's up to you. About 2oz of it should be suffice, but every child is different.
TIP SIX: Warmth is a wonderful thing. I use a child's heating pad (ours is a little bear) warmed only a bit and held gently along her tummy WITH CLOTHES ON for extra safety on her delicate skin. Using the heating pad after the night time feeds helps baby to relax into a nice, comfortable sleep. Ava loves it. When gas is stuck in the lower belly, that is what hurts the most. Some warmth is very helpful for them. Or you can try a warm bath, but I find bath time stressful for them if they begin stressed. I don't encourage that. But if your baby is fairly calm but just abit uncomfortable, a warm bath can feel lovely for them.
TIP SEVEN: Homeopathic remedies are fabulous. Safe, gentle, effective and all natural. How can you go wrong? Selecting single remedies are hard to discuss here, as your baby's exact symptom picture is what enables me to differentially diagnose, so if you are interested, just drop me a line and I can help you select one. As for a combination remedy, Homeocan has a decent one that can really help. It's called Colic. Your baby doesn't have to be diagnosed as colic to use this remedy effectively. You can find it at Babies R Us, it's inexpensive, flavoured and easy to use. Administer as directed.
TIP EIGHT: Massage is also a great way to connect with your baby, as they adore your touch, but it can also help move those nasty bubbles around for better expulsion too! I use gentle little clockwise circles with my fingers on Ava's belly and at times I gently rub downward on her low spine too. Moving their legs helps too. Cycle motions, in and outs, ups and downs etc. Foot rubs also feel nice for them. I love and use Arbonne's all natural baby body oil.
The idea is to get them to relax. They aren't aware of it, but high stress screaming only makes matters worse for them. Look at their level of discomfort as their way of communicating, they just want to say "Mommy, I'm in pain, please help me." In those crazy moments when you want to pull your hair out, reciting this to yourself helps. They don't want to bother or annoy you, they just really need you.
TIP NINE: Deep breaths. Take a few for yourself. New mom panic is all over your body language and in your energy. Baby knows. When you're calm, they're calm (or at least calmer).
TIP TEN: A mommy's comforting goes a long way. It'll try your patience at times, but just know that it passes. And be sure to keep enforcing what is working for you and allow enough time for new changes to instill such as your diet, or your formula change. Rarely does betterment happen overnight.
Do you have some other mom tips for gas pain? I'd love for you to share. We're here to help each other! It's an awkward stage, as it can make the whole house uncomfortable! And there isn't a baby out there that doesn't suffer with it. Some worse than others, but gas pain is inevitable and also totally normal. As moms, we just need to do our part in making it easier for them.
Good luck!
Hugs,
S
