Any advice on relieving gas?

My poor baby seems to be dealing with gas alot!! I feel so helpless Does anyone have any advice on what to do? I am going to call the pediatrician tomorrow. I don't know if it's the type of formula he's getting or the way we are feeding him or not burping him enough......I can't stand to see him miserable!

Try giving your child Mylicon Drops you can get them at any drug store. They worked for my son.

Elizabeth, with all due respect to Tracy, I would NOT give the baby ANYTHING over-the-counter until you speak to your pediatrician. The baby is too little to just go ahead and give something like that, and I wouldn't trust the packaging to have the correct info regarding amount of dosage for a newborn!

Aside from my paranoia about that, I would suggest speaking to the doctor about the formula you're using. It is possible that the formula can cause gassiness. In fact, I think that gassiness can differ based upon whether you are using powdered, concentrated or ready-to-feed. You might try to use the different types and see if that eleviates the problem.

If that doesn't work, you can try using a different bottle. We have been using Playtex nursers w/disposable liners since Paul was 3 months old, and we have never had a problem with gassiness for Paul. (Thank goodness!)

Thanks for the suggestions - DH called the pediatrician last night, I was in tears because the baby was inconsolable - on and off. She said to give him the Mylicon (1/2 dropper full) and if that doesn't work, we'll have to look at the formula. My SIL swears by the soy formula but the pediatrician wasn't quick to put him on it b/c she said it can cause constipation so first they see how he handles the cows milk based formula. DH gave him the drops with last night's 2am feeding, he 'thought' it helped (we're so clueless!). I also just read about the Playtex bottles helping so it's good to know right from someone who's has success with them.
I'm definitely suffering the 'baby blues'...I don't think there's any other explanation for how the most amazing event in my life just happened and I'm feeling so down

Oh, Elizabeth! Don't worry sweetie, it is TOTALLY NORMAL to feel this way! You are going to be okay (although I know that reading that doesn't make it so). I completely understand what you are going through. I felt very blue after Paul was born - it was so overwhelming! And, I was also depressed b/c my Mom had to leave (fly back to NY) after the first two weeks, and I was terrified to be at home, alone with my baby. I was tired and didn't want to be responsible for him by myself. I wanted someone to take care of ME!

Do you have anyone nearby that can come and give you a hand? If you are getting plenty of rest, that can help a little bit! Hang in there, sweetie...it does get better soon.

Glad to hear you called the doctor. I am not surprised they recommended the Mylicon - I am just glad you waited for the doc's advice on the dose.

One note re: the soy formula...it is not for every baby. Even though your SIL's kids are okay with it, your baby can have an entirely different reaction. Also, it's hard to tell at this stage what is bothering them b/c their digestive systems are so new, and it takes awhile for them to adjust to anything. You will want to ask your pediatrician about these things first, but from my own experience: we tried to give Paul the soy formula, but it dried him out and constipated him terribly. Our doc recommended mixing the soy with the regular (cow's milk) formula. That helped a little, but eventually we completely phased out the soy b/c we got so tired of watching the little guy suffer to make a bowel movement. The doc also recommended giving the baby about 4 oz. of water per day (24 hrs) to help hydrate his system. This is something that we still do now - he LOVES to drink water!

However, a little word of caution: use a very slow flow nipple when you give water to an infant, and don't let them gulp it too fast - they can choke very easily. Paul is 6 months old, and he still drinks his water through a slow flow nipple, even though he drinks his formula with a fast flow one.

Good luck Elizabeth, and feel better soon sweetie!!

My pediatrician called me back and recommended that I change him over to Isomil. I happen to have a quart of it here from the free formula they send me. I hope it works! He cried all morning, finally I asked my Mom to come over and he's been sleeping since his last feeding - go figure. Next feeding I start the Isomil.
The blues have been compounded by feeling guilty about not breast feeding. He took the breast in the hospital but as soon as I had him home (and started supplementing with 1 oz of formula), he wouldn't BF anymore. I don't have the heart to fight with him and make him miserable but I have been feeling bad since and now with the gassiness from the formula, I'm back in the self-inflicted guilt trip.
Hormones and exhaustion definitely don't help either. I know it gets better...but I want to enjoy every minute.

Elizabeth, I'm here for you too !
HUGS HUGS !!

and I know how you feel, overwhelmed, and like Claud said, like you want someone to take care of you !! I've had mostly 'good' days, so far, but there have been a few, especially when my boobs are in pain, that I feel helpless (it hurts too much to nurse, and I feel like I'm being selfish when I need 'healing time' and DH gives him either my pumped milk or formula. I had about 5-6 days of the BFing going great, very little pain, I thought I was adjusting. and the past 2 days they feel like open cuts again ! OUCH !! I take a hot shower to help ease the pain and it DOES get better, but in the interim I feel guilty, sad, and in pain !
and John Anthony seems to have SUCH a HUGE appetite God Bless him, but it gets exhausting to nurse him for an hour (sometimes its a good 15 minutes of on and off sleeping in there, LOL), and then he'll be hungry MINUTES later !! It can be emotionally and physically exhausting ! I love to watch him nurse, and I'm happy to be giving him my breastmilk, but it's not to say that I am being a better mom that someone that is formula feeding. Elizabeth, PLEASE DONT FEEL BAD in any way, that you are not BFing ! You are giving your son your love, devotion and just being the best mommy you can be, so please dont have any guilty feelings about that. Sometimes, I actually think I would ENJOY him more if I was formula feeding. The formula he slurps down in MINUTES, and nursing can take an hour and he falls asleep in between, and he can be hungry an hour later or 3 hours later. Lately he's been hungry all day !
I also feel overwhelmed in that I have been able to get NOTHING done. DH and my MIL say, 'youre doing ENOUGH just taking care of him and resting yourself' but its hard for me to see my kitchen a disaster, an unmade bed (that IRKS ME !!) and just things undone... I feel like I havent accomplished anything

Claud, I was interested to know what age they start them with water. When did Paul start ?
I forgot what the age was.

HUGS HUGS

I hope the little guy is doing bettter. I just found this on our health site. Maybe it will help.

What can I do to help my colicky baby?
First, take a deep breath. Listening to your baby cry is something no parent ever gets used to. Share your frustrations with your partner or spouse, but understand that even when your child spurns your attempts at consolation or appears angry at you (he's too young to even comprehend the concept of blame) there may be nothing you can do to quiet your little one.

For Harmon Shragge, colic proved to be a situation beyond frustrating. His daughter, Ingrid, became colicky at about three and a half weeks. 'The only insight to colic is nobody knows what they're talking about. We heard Ingrid was overstimulated, then understimulated. We heard there's no such thing as colic and she was allergic to dairy products. My wife switched to soy products since she was breastfeeding and then the doctor said Ingrid was allergic to soy.'

As Harmon found out, you can try modifying your diet or switching formulas and maybe it will help, but maybe it won't. In Ingrid's case, time was the healer. Prescription remedies for colic often only mask the symptoms, and many are considered dangerous. Whatever you do, don't give your baby alcohol.

Here are some ideas that may help:

* Try a pacifier. It sometimes works.

* Place your baby, tummy down, on your knee or on a hot-water bottle wrapped in a towel or warmed to a temperature that causes you no discomfort when held against the skin of your wrist. Rub or pat his back, which may relieve some of the pressure in his stomach.

* Pick him up, talk to him, rock him, swaddle him. You can also try placing him, securely, on a running clothes dryer--the motion is often soothing. Granted, it's not always rewarding to be with a screaming baby, but it's important to comfort your child.

* Some colicky babies prefer to be carried. If this seems to be the case with your infant, invest in a baby sling or frontpack and tote him around with you.

* Once you've fed, burped, changed, and otherwise tended to your child's needs, it's okay to put him in his crib for a few minutes so you can take a break.

* Get some relief for yourself. Spouses should spell each other, or hire a babysitter for a few hours.

* Take a shower with your little one: The rhythmic beating of the warm water has been known to soothe many an irritable infant.

* Sometimes a change of atmosphere helps. Try taking your baby for a walk, either in the stroller, sling, or front pack. The fresh air and rhythmic movement of walking may calm him and allow him to fall asleep.

* Keep a diary of your child's day, noting everything he does and what you did in response. A pattern should emerge. If you notice your child becomes a screaming banshee right before nap or bedtime, and you've been rocking him to sleep, you may be overstimulating him with all the movement. Try putting him into his crib when he looks tired. For more information on this method, pioneered by Dr. Bruce Taubman, pick up a copy of Why Is My Baby Crying?: The 7-Minute Program for Soothing the Fussy Baby.

* Remember, this too, shall pass. And take heart: One study followed babies from the age of 4 months to 7 years. Seventy-five percent of the babies labeled 'difficult' by their parents early on acquired calmer temperaments later. And more than 60 percent of the children who were deemed calm babies were later labeled difficult.

So how did Harmon Shragge's story turn out? 'Just like the books said, Ingrid grew out of it by three and a half months.' When asked how he coped, he answered, 'My patient wife. I was ready to leave Ingrid to cry, but Jorun would walk with her and eventually soothe her. There was no sure thing that worked to calm her down. If you can survive colic, you're in good shape. I can only describe it as boot camp for parents. My best advice to parents is to grit your teeth and bear it.'

Yes, this story has a happy ending--Ingrid is now a thriving, happy and calm six-month-old.

Thanks Fran for posting that article! That was very helpful to read and it underscored most of the things I have been learning. I definitely can see how 'boot camp' seems to be the right phrase to describe it. Luke seemed better on the soy formula at least the first day but now I'm not sure. It seems like there are 3 main components to his day (and night) - eating, sleeping and being fussy. Yes some calm moments too but when he's awake, he's mostly fussy. Throw in all the other parts of the equation (2 brand new parents, lack of sleep, hormones askew for me, not eating that great) and it is making it very stressful. The biggest part is wondering if we are doing right by him, are we doing everything we can and should...and then guilt over feelings of wanting him to just be asleep when he is fussy...he's just an 11 day old baby so I keep in mind that he's going through alot too.

Still, I've been staying close to family & friends for support and it helps alot. I am also remembering to keep in mind all I am grateful for, and I have a long list so it's not really that bad in the end. My cup is much more than 1/2 full and I just need to come back to that thought for strength.

Thanks for the support everyone

Elizabeth, dont worry youre not alone. We all go through that phase of being stressed and confused, especially the moms ! Im not going through it with the losing sleep part, actually he's been sleeping through the nite since last week ! 2 weeks old ! and sleeps 7 hours straight like clockwork ! (Dr told us to wake him for feedings, but so far we havent, and he seems to be content and growing well - our 'old school' family members told us to NOT DARE wake a sleeping baby !). BUT BUT BUT as I mentioned, I'm having it a little tough with the breastfeeding..so im not on easy street ! The pain is sometimes unbearable, and its depressing, I feel like i cant do it, and it wont work for me, but Im being persistent, trying to get my latch right, taking 'healing breaks' and supplementing, and calling my sis for words of support !

LETS HANG IN THERE


Edited to say, Elizabeth, youre last paragraph was very touching !

Elizabeth, I work with infants and one thing I can tell you for sure is that babies feed off your emotions. So if you are feeling upset your baby can feel it too! Try to stay calm, I know this is easier said than done especially when your baby is so upset. Try feeding the baby so he is in an upright postion, this can help. Also when he is upset if you hold him face down with the palm of your hand with gentle pressure on his belly this can sometimes help, gently rock and/or bouncing can help sometimes too. I hope this helps you out. Good luck and enjoy your new baby!

Stacey-

Thanks! I have reading whatever I can find on the subject (it feels like taking a crash course) and I have been learning about what you are saying with the emotions, so I have been trying to take it in stride. I'm feeling more educated each day, trial by fire LOL. I appreciate the advice. The only position I haven't tried him in is face down b/c of his umbilical cord stump, which is about to fall off.

I'm sure we'll look back on this time someday (soon?) and laugh at how clueless we were! My brother & SIL had a baby the day after I did and they are so much less stressed than we are (actually me more than DH)...of course it's my brother's 3rd child and his wife's 2nd child so it makes a world of difference compared to 2 new parents.

I am trying to enjoy every minute of time with my little peanut