4 mths old DS still has a windy tummy... HELP!

[moonprayer]

... and has been getting worse these several days... he is always waken up by his own farts and always has a BM at midnight... I've cut milk and soya in my diet for ages and cut most windy food... what should I do to make him feel better? I thought this probably would have ended by 3months, but now he is 4 mths old and is still unsettled. Is it normal?

DD is 1 and she still does this occasionally, I think it is common (but I'm no expert)

do you wind him properly after feeding? even bf babies will swallow air, so make sure you burp him, even if he's falling asleep after a feed!

imagine a 2l bottle of fizzy drink, full of bubbles stuck to the side.
if you stroke the bottle not much will happen.
now tap the bottle and you'll see hundreds of tiny bubbles moving upwards.

you have to tap baby's back to release the little air bubbles too.

put your palm on his back, just above the nappy line (you don't want to tap the lower back).

then you go up-up-up as you tap-tap-tap - all the way up.
you need to be firm, use the same strength as you would do to clap your hands

keep repeating this tap-tap-tap until he burps even if it takes 10 mins - you'll be rewarded with a luscious burp and a calm baby!
(I used to sign nursery rhymes in my head and tap to the rhythm to stay awake at night! the grand old duke of York is particularly good, one set of taps for each line.)

you can stroke his back in between taps to calm him if he's grouchy, but the taps will do the work

I actually do this every time I pick up a crying baby, especially if they wake up crying shortly after they fell asleep (10-30 mins depending on age).
it is surprising how often they will "respond" with a burp, and I'm sure it is sooo much better for them to burp it out, then ending up with cramps &pain as the air bubbles travel down the gut.

I hope this helps

Thank you amazingmumof6 for your advice. It might be the reason.I did spend ages on burping him every time, which did give me rewards off reducing some gas in his tummy. But recently he has been quite fussy when nursing and always goes on and off, and eventually refuse to feed. And he becomds very irritated when I try to burp him so sometimes I have to give up. But the gas in his tummy has never stopped since the beginning and he always stretches his own legs and tries hard to let gas out from below each night, sometimes woken up by that and cries. I told myself this should pass after the magic 3months mark, but it seems not ...

moon 2 things that helped my dd were bathing in a tummy tub and baby massage after. If you aren't sure how to do it there are vids on youtube or your local children's centre might do baby massage courses.

You shouldn't really need to elimate things from your diet if you are bfing, if you think he might have an intolerance its probably best to get a proper diagnosis

if he's fussing when nursing maybe he wants more milk? or started teething?

the going on and off and fussing sounds like the culprit.

you could try drops of infacol or something similar

agree with jilted whatever you eat shouldn't make such a difference, but if you are taking artifical sweeteners you have to stop that, it can cause/exaggerate the problem!

also the way my osteopath explained the best way to massage their tummy is to do a circular motion in the shape of a question mark, or how you'd write the letter C backwards.
this will follow the shape of the lower intestines and also the direction the bowel moves the food/poo/wind.

so place your 3 middle fingers on his tummy just below the right ribcage, then move it across the tummy, down the side, then across again. you have to apply gentle pressure.
you might actually feel his tummy rumbling under your fingers, make a mental note, that's the place to do it next time as well!

you can also lie him down and as he pulls up his knees grab hold of the lower legs and gently push his thighs & knees in to his tummy, you can do a few long slow ones or 4-5 quicker ones release the do it 3-4 more of these.
mine used to fart away like a bunch on cowboys on a beans only diet.....

"The magic 3 month mark"

What is this? Where does it come from? I heard of this 8 years ago when I had my DS1 and as far as I'm concerned it's a myth to make mothers think their babies are only going to be demanding for a short time. IME it's a big lie.

This may be depressing but lots of babies are more wakeful at night from 3 months to 9 months. Both mine certainly were and the thought that I had done something wrong - or had a broken baby - or that I/he was a freak - drove me to the edge (just over, I now think) of PND.

So please forget about the 3 month thing and readjust to your specific baby's timetable. He just may be in a phase of pooing at midnight, just as I sometimes get into a phase of having to wee at 3.11am every night. If you know it's going to happen, go to bed at 8 and get some sleep in advance for a bit.

That's the bad news. The good news is in those last 3 words: for a bit. I don't know how long "a bit" is, but you won't be doing it in a year, 2 years. You probably won't see much of your partner during the "bit", either, and that will be hard. But it is not permanent. It will end.

In the meantime, prepare for the "magic 3 month mark" to shift - to 6 or even 9 months. Keep those hatches battened down and take as much support and fun as you can from those around you IRL and on here.

Also do the good winding, infacol and google silent reflux.

Lots of luck and hugs to you

Colief helped us alot, made a huge difference. Might be worth considering?