Bf & wind

[Lou2711]

Hi, my baby is 6 days old and she's having really bad wind in the evening. We are exclusively bf and it's going really well (she gained 6oz on her 5 day check), however it's breaking my heart seeing her get upset with wind (mostly in the evenings). I'm doing the usual back patting/rubbing but it doesn't always seem to achieve much. Any advice? Maybe something to do with my diet? The time of day? I don't know!!

[Lou2711]

Bump

[julfin]

Hi there
Congratulations!
My baby suffers from trapped wind too, at both ends. Is your baby's at both ends?
For the top end, I do the usual patting on the back. But sometimes that doesn't work and just being upright does the trick (as opposed to lying forward or leaning against my chest).
For the bottom end (which causes him huge pain and distress) I find bicycling his legs (while he lies on his back on the changing mat or the bed) works well to get the farts and poo out. It can often take 15 mins or more (which can be exhausting in the middle of the night with disrupted sleep!).
Also holding him in the air with his legs dangling down - it's good to have their abdomen/legs stretched out.
I'm also experimenting with some colic medicine recommended to me by the GP - can't remember what it's called but can check in the morning and let you know.
Have you joined your month's post-natal thread? Worth doing if not.
Good luck!

[Lou2711]

Ahh thanks! Never knew I could do the thing with her legs. Will give that a go as I think the problem is more down there. Yes am on the post natal thread but thought I'd get a more experienced answer from here!!

[julfin]

No worries! I'm only a few weeks ahead of you, so by no means an expert! But the bicycle legs seem to work for us. Also (with baby on his back) lifting his feet up in the air repeatedly so his hips come off the ground too. A bit like the movement you do when changing a nappy. And also just wiggling his legs around. Basically anything that gets his legs and abdomen moving.

Also, do you always burp him after feeds? It's a myth that BF babies don't need burping. Mine seems to take in a lot of air, and does big burps! But I was being lax about burping him (because often we both fall asleep whilst feeding, or I just forget or don't want to wake him) and of course excess wind at the top end travels down through the system and causes pain in the tummy/abdomen.

I thought of something else but now can't remember what it was!

[TallulahTheTiger]

Bf baby too here with awful colicky wind to start- now at 10 wo much improved! We used colief and infacol and things got a lot better!