Infant Gas And Burping
How do I know if my baby has gas?
A baby who has gas will typically pull its knees up to its chest and curl into a tight ball, and let out a very high-pitched scream. If the baby has gas, it will be a very distinctive cry, and the first time you hear it it'll scare the life out of you. What the baby's really saying is "My tummy hurts". Usually, if you really want to know, the baby's stomach will be a little bit hard to the touch, and if you massage it you'll probably get that high-pitched scream again.
Why do babies get gas?
Babies get gas for the same reasons that adults do. As we digest and process our food we create certain gasses. One of those is carbon dioxide; another one is methane. It's a very normal process. Every adult goes through it and every baby does. But, when babies get gas, their digestive systems aren't mature, they don't move at the right pace, they don't know how to process gas as well as a grown-up does.
How do I soothe my baby's gas?
To soothe gas the best thing to do in a breast fed baby is just to get it back at the breast. Breast feeding will stimulate the stomach to move and the baby will be able to process the gas more effectively. In a bottle fed baby or a baby who refuses to nurse things get a little more complicated and there is no real clear answer for what will help soothe the baby's gas. Massaging the tummy or just giving the baby a bathe will frequently help the baby to relax and feel a little bit better. Sometimes, gentle pressure on the tummy will help the baby to release and either burp the gas out or "go the other direction." Sometimes, putting the baby over your shoulder so there is pressure on the abdomen can help soothe the gas as gentle tapping on the baby's back will help release it. There are drops and there are formuli out there that pronom us to help with gas and none have been proven effective.
When should I burp my baby?
A baby needs to be burped in the newborn period up to age three months, with every feeding. You should pause about mid-feeding and put the baby up, giving it a few hard taps; you can also put it over your knee. There's no approved position for burping. You need to burp the baby a couple of times until it either gives you a burp or it just starts acting fussy and wanting to eat again. That will let you know that there's no gas buildup and so no burping necessary. If, however, the baby's been about an hour and is giving you all of the signs of having gas, you might want to try burping again.
