losing the burping battle - your techniques?

[sedgiebaby]

I'm a new mum with a 3 wk old, struggling to burp a tiny floppy baby. If I don't get the wind up it makes for a very disturbed sleep with legs going up and down and crying. I don't know also how long to try before giving up, any ways of burping that really work for you?

As long as you're sure that the burp is a problem (seems not to bother some babies), try sitting them on your knee so they're bent at the waist and gently leaning them forward and back. Or a firm backrub. I always try to feed them slightly angled so their tummy is downhill. Whatever position, you need loads of patience! Otherwise hand to someone else, DP can always shift the burps that I struggle with.

I am always sceptical of the need to burp a baby. 3 weeks is too young to assume that the crying and waking is not just the normal distressed crying of a young baby who does not like to be separated - legs going up is not a sign of wind, but just one of the ways babies show distress.

Sorry to be unhelpful :)

Tiktok, I take on board what you say, I'm a complete novice.

I was being guided by my H V who observed this yesterday, picked her up and produced a spectacular burp. How do I know this is the problem? Are their other signs do you know? something about a grey tinge around the mouth my HV said? I dunno..Its just that I think she sleeps better when I have winded her well, but I can't always make it happen.

Grey tinge round mouth = old wives tale (apols to old wives :) ) How would air in the stomach cause colouration of the skin on the face?

If babies need to get rid of wind, most of them will do so, without any patting or jiggling - just sitting them upright often helps them, but this happens naturally anyway with normal handling and cuddling.

Many mothers are quite convinced their babies have a problem with wind - I expect some of them are right, but if a new baby is crying and uncomfortable, it's probably hunger/thirst/need for closeness and comfort (all of which are indistinguishable to a baby and all of which can be satisfied at the breast).

Babies often burp after a bout of crying. The burp is there as a result of the crying, not because of the crying - they take in air when yelling. This is not the other person managing to bring up the baby's wind - it's just the burp came up when they happened to be holding them.

For most mothers and babies, it is a waste of time and a source of anxiety, all that patting and worrying and wondering if the burp was big enough...just keep the baby close after feeds, and snuggled in, and rub his back if you like, 'cos it's quite nice for both of you....:)

Just the action of transferring 6 week old DS from sitting to my shoulder quite often brings up any offending wind. DH always seems to have more wind come up after giving his bottle in the middle of the night, much more than I ever seem to get breastfeeding.

Thank you tiktok that all seems good advice, I will try to relax about it :)

I could never wind my baby either... It wasn't until he was about 3 months old that it worked and I did nothing differently. I saw my GP because I was worried he had colic (he did the legs thing too) he said in his experience young babies didn't really need winding, especially if they were breastfed and the latch was good. He said experience from his 4 children taught him by far the most effective technique was walking around with them in an upright position, head resting on your shoulder, he said 'none of this patting, rubbing, juggling about nonsense'.

i sit my baby up very straight against me

it will bring any wind up in her and you!

but crucially babies cry. I know that sounds silly but I was so surprised by my first (and re surprised by the third) I thought if I did everything right she wouldn't cry
big hair pulling out mistake

Juggling? Definitely don't juggle your baby , I meant jiggling!

My mum told me to look out for a blue top lip if they needed a burp ... always seemed like a bizarre theory to me and completely unhelpful to be analysing the colour of your purple-faced child as they cry!

For what it's worth, sedgie, DD is my second and she is uncomfortable unless she burps (often passes out as soon as it comes up!), but DS wasn't ever that bothered by them.

gosh lots i don't agree with here! Firstly - a blue tinge above the mouth IS a sign of wind - its clearly visible on my son; and is also far too widespread a theory to be groundless.
Some babies are spectacularly hard to wind - this doesnt mean the wind's not in there! I know this because both my sons were like this. i could feel the air going down as i fed (breast fed), if i kept my hand on their backs. I could also hear it when i bounced them afterwards.
winding techniques - i sit them up, hand on tummy or under chin, firm patting on the back, lean back and forwards, then lift and re-sit several times, then bounce, then up against my chest, walking, patting hard and rubbing upwards. also, lying them down for a few mins on their backs then lifting them up. and finally, using gripe water was helpful. sometimes!! and sometimes, nothing i did helped and there was lots of squirming and writhing and I had to wait til it came out the other end.

DS tends to burp when he wants to rather than on demand. DH can normally get a burp out of him after ten minutes of rubbing his back but TBH I don't bother and it drives me nuts when he wont settle and DH goes 'Did you wind him?' like its the answer to everything.

MIL drives me mad with her 'He quite a winding baby and he doesn't give it up easily does he!' routine. I figure if he will burp on his own after ten minutes, whats the point spending ten minutes trying to bang it out of him.

MudandRoses - you say " a blue tinge above the mouth IS a sign of wind - its clearly visible on my son; and is also far too widespread a theory to be groundless."

Ha! Come on - explain it, then, how wind in the stomach makes skin blue. Caucasian babies' skin is naturally tranlucent. When you see blue above the lip, you are seeing the blood vessels. Sometimes they might be more prominently visible - perhaps after a bout of crying. There is no pathway from stomach to upper lip that allows the wind in the stomach to communicate itself in this way.

Just because a lot of people believe this, does not make it true. A lot of people believe in Father Xmas....

Of course wind is in the stomach - it's in all our stomachs. In a baby you can often feel it and often hear gurgling, because they have very little fat on their tummies to deaden the sound :) Put your ear against anyone's tummy and you'll hear all sorts of sounds, but it does not mean we need to burp. It is just there.

I am not saying no baby is ever troubled by wind. I am saying blue lips have sod all to do with it, and that struggling to pat, jiggle and joggle, is very often a waste of time.

:)

DD had terrible problems with wind. i always found the "tiger in the tree" position very good for helping her bring it up. Basically lay the baby face down along your forearm with her head up at your elbow and your hand cupping her crotch. With the other hand rub her back in firm circles.

I never knew how this worked but holding DD like that and walking up and down stairs used to produce some real belters.

The hula position also worked quite well for us. Sit the baby on your knee and gently wiggle her from the waist in circles, like if she was doing a hula dance.

I think that any position will work so long as it is different to the feeding position.

The thing we did which made the most difference to DD's wind problem was to make her bottles up with camomile tea. it made passing wind (both upstairs and down) so much easier for her.

Re the blue/grey around the lips question. I dont know if it has any validity but i have observed it on DD and she was suffering from trapped wind at the time.

I don't burp, I think it's cultural. If I keep him upright for a while any wind will rise up if it's there. A bit of tv with him on my chest, nice excuse :)

MIRACLE CURE FOR MY BABY'S TRAPPED WIND!!
I am a mother of a 2 month old baby girl.
I have been really upset by her constant crying/lack of sleep
for us both.
She kept making pushing noises like she was in pain and tensing her body up and
it really made me feel so helpless!!
I had tried all the different ways of holding her & bought Infacol and found none of them to be very helpful.
I spent a while googling it one night and someone mentioned that proping the baby up on a
few pillows so they were in a sideways sitting position helped them,
I tried it with not much hope but OH MY GOD!! I am so glad I did as she has
not been in pain since! It's a bit of a pain at night as I can't lie down and feed her I have to be as upright as
possible but it's well worth it as she is such a happy baby now!! now I can enjoy her!

My mixed fed ds has been struggling with wind down below all week. Grumble, grumble, cry, scream, trump, aaahhh. For hours on end.

Question - is this wind he's swallowed feeding etc or is it generated in the gut like in adults?

Don't want to stress us all out winding him if burping won't even help.

I am on my 4th dc. I am an EXPERT winder if I say so myself.

Immediately after feeding hold baby tummy against you with the baby's chin resting on your shoulder. Put your hand flat on the small of his back. Apply firm pressure, quite firm if needs be (tho obv not so it wld hurt the baby). No patting or other milarky, you stay still and apply pressure. Big burp had always come up for me in matter of minutes if there is any wind. Baby instantly relived. Failsafe technique for me.

Also prop Moses basket up cot up with books so head end is elavated.

Ps I can generally tell if there is wind to get out if the baby has gulped a lot at start of feed because they are really hungry and gobble a lot at the start.

PPS muslin on shoulder obv, bit of milk always comes up with air.