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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

Please help - at wits end with gassy baby

63 replies

Dizzzydaisy · 30/07/2018 08:59

My 7-week-old DS is driving me up the wall Sad he is EBF but is incredibly gassy - not so much burpy but farts like a carthorse! Day and night. Smelly wind too.

Unfortunately it seems to really distress him when he needs to fart, which seems to be constantly. He will sometimes go down in his next2me crib for an hour or so in the evenings when my partner and me go to bed (not late - whenever DS falls asleep really providing DDs are already in bed!) and then will wake up for a feed and then the problems begin. Even when he falls asleep on me or we get him off to sleep by rocking etc, within 20 mins he's woken himself and us up straining, whimpering, thrashing around and farting. He gets so distressed we need to take him out the crib and comfort him (sometimes feeding sometimes just a cuddle) and then will fall asleep... 20 mins later....

It goes on all night so he spends his mornings grumpy and overtired and will not nap. He eventually falls asleep in the afternoon and sleeps for hours, then will go down for the night... cue farts of fury again.

It's been going on for weeks. I'm so exhausted I can't think straight and my poor DDs are totally neglected (obviously fed and clothed etc but i don't have the mental reserves to be much fun at playing etc after an hour's sleep every night).

So far we have tried:
Dentinox - did nothing
Infacol - still trying this but doesn't seem to be doing much, he's been on it for a couple of weeks
Baby massage/cycling legs/pushing legs up to belly - can be effective at releasing farts but doesn't seem to soothe him and they build up again within 30 mins Sad
Co sleeping - means I can doze while feeding but doesn't actually seem to comfort DS and leads to him vomiting most of the time
Cuddles and letting him sleep on us - doesn't really work, he's not a very cuddly baby and doesn't seem to get much comfort out of it

I'm now trying to cut out dairy to see if that helps but im struggling without cake or chocolates when Im feeling quite down and exhausted. Obviouslygiven up alcohol because I occasionally feed him lying down..

Any tips? People seem to think it's quite a funny problem but it's really getting me down, DP and me are knackered (DP helps but he's a HGV driver and I worry about him not getting enough sleep so I do the wakesups in the night) and DS seems exhausted and miserable. It's affecting how bonded and affectionate I feel towards him too although I know it's not his fault Sad

Sorry for long post, needed to get it out. Thanks xxxxxxxxx

OP posts:
spacepoodle · 03/08/2018 05:49

My first was like this - he had reflux. In those early weeks we seemed to be stuck in a cycle of him being windy and overtired. As PPs have said it does get better around 10-12 weeks but when you're so sleep deprived weeks feel like decades. The following things may help:

Get a Miracle Blanket! They really a bloody miracle.

Get baby to nap any way possible to try to get him out of being overtired - a sling, swing or bouncy chair are great for windy/reflux babies.

Wind for longer after feeding (we had a three burp rule!) then massage his tummy and cycle his legs to bring up any wind lower down. I read somewhere that there are two types of wind - upper and lower - so just because he's burping it doesn't necessarily mean it will help, it needs to come out of the lower end somehow!

Hold upright for 20 minutes after feeding - if he does have reflux this should help him be more comfortable when it comes to lying down.

I really sympathise! Hope things improve for you both soon.

bunnyrabbit93 · 03/08/2018 09:56

Have you tried eliminating dairy from your diet or wheat ?

FiresideTreats · 03/08/2018 10:33

@stringofpearls yes! I second the bouncy chair. It seems to be the angle of the one we've got, and it also works in the car seat, but we pop him in for 10 mins if he's struggling and he farts like a trooper. We often pop him in at about 4am if he's really wriggling and not settling back down. It definitely helps!

FiresideTreats · 03/08/2018 10:34

Sorry forgot to say good luck OP, keep us posted. Hopefully something suggested will bring at least a little relief.

Original poster
Dizzzydaisy · 05/08/2018 07:45

Thanks so much everyone sorry for the delay in replying, DD2 has a stomach bug which is not helping my sanity!! Grin

Thanks @brownie I am actually doing all of that and still only getting an hour at a time if I'm lucky Sad maybe need to be more militant about winding tho but during the night if he falls asleep on me I'm terrified of waking him up!!

@pearls and @fireside thank you for the suggestions. Will get a Miracle Blanket I think although feel like it's too hot at the min! We have a bouncy chair he hates it though - it's only manual though so maybe electric would be better.

@bunny I have cut out dairy I think (all obvious stuff anyway), hadn't thought about wheat Sad is that a likely cause?

OP posts:
Branleuse · 05/08/2018 07:55

Do you have oversupply?
My babies got gassy and i was told it was ovwrsupply of foremilk.
They did green bubbly shits.

They grew out of it

Original poster
Dizzzydaisy · 05/08/2018 20:02

Thanks @branleuse for replying, not sure, how would I know? Never seen a green bubbly poo! I do leak quite a lot

OP posts:
bunnyrabbit93 · 05/08/2018 21:46

Im obviously not a medical professional buts both my daughters have milk allergies and had a really hard time whenever I ate dairy and it passed on through my milk. I just know wheat seems to be another common intolerance/ allergy. Hope your bub starts to feel better soon and you get more sleep Thanks

Xanadu44 · 05/08/2018 21:57

My dd has this. She is 13 months now but she had silent reflux and she had ranitidine and it worked for a few weeks but then she started to get like this again. I read about omeprazole being used in France and my GP prescribed it - LIFE CHANGING!! She was a new baby!! Started sleeping well, was more content, wasn't farting and grumpy all the time. She used to climb me in pain but all that stopped. Amazing. Good luck!! You have my deepest empathies xxxx

Xanadu44 · 05/08/2018 21:59

*had this! She is 100% over it now and fine! X

afreshnewname · 05/08/2018 22:03

I have t read the whole thread, I could have written the OP though, the only thing that worked for my son was to lie him up my arm ( face down) face near my elbow , an arm and a leg each side So his nappy was in my hand. We called it the superman and it was a life saver, I’m not sure if it was the weight of his legs dangling down or what but it helped massively with his gas problem

justtheonethen · 05/08/2018 22:05

My daughter was exactly like this. All changed when I cut dairy out.

Original poster
Dizzzydaisy · 06/08/2018 02:29

Thank so much everyone. No sleep tonight yet because DS is so uncomfy and DD2 is poorly. Going mad!

To those who say about cutting dairy out, I've cut out the obvious but now reading about dairy being in bread etc?? How extreme do I have to go and how long til I see results? X

OP posts:
Original poster
Dizzzydaisy · 06/08/2018 02:31

Thanks @xanadu may be worth a GP visit. Glad your DD over it now Smile and thanks @newname that pose can stop the crying sometimes but find it hurts my arms!!

OP posts:
SnuggyBuggy · 06/08/2018 02:32

Im also up with gassy DD and I'm convinced it's worse in the heat.

Eminado · 06/08/2018 02:39

Hi op please try Colief if you havent already.

Please read Kellymom
Website re over supply and fast let down.

Sounds v much like reflux or dairy allergy to me. Takes 2 weeks for dairy to leave your system if i remember correctly.

justtheonethen · 06/08/2018 03:32

Yep all dairy, check everything as it’s in the oddest places!

bunnyrabbit93 · 06/08/2018 08:33

Yeah definitely all dairy. Also worth limiting soya as soya has very similar proteins to dairy. We use oat milk and flora dairy free spread

Branleuse · 07/08/2018 07:49

Yes yes to treating soya as if its dairy. Make your diet as plain and simple as possible for a couple of weeks and see if any improvement

Original poster
Dizzzydaisy · 07/08/2018 12:29

Thanks everyone. Was so hopeful last night as he seemed settled all day but he virtually stayed awake all night groaning and straining. So knackered

OP posts:
Xanadu44 · 11/08/2018 10:51

Oh I am so sorry, I know completely how you feel. I remember being completely at the end of my tether and going to see a doctor and she just said "yeah, it's colic. It'll go at 12 weeks" I think I was on week 6 and on the brink!!! That is when I did the research about omeprazole and it honestly changed our life! Big hugs and I hope you're ok xxx

Eminado · 11/08/2018 23:26

Silent reflux?

Colief
Prop his cot up and hold baby upright after feeds
Then baby gaviscon / ranitidine

ScrambledSmegs · 11/08/2018 23:43

Sounds a lot like DC1. Several things helped, lots that have been mentioned here including propping the cot at the head-end, loads of winding (tiger hold was great, she often fell asleep like that) and when we eventually caved and gave her a dummy she seemed more comfortable.

In retrospect the likelihood was that she had silent reflux.

ThanksItHasPockets · 12/08/2018 10:14

While you’re waiting for the dietary changes to have an effect I’d encourage you to persevere with a dummy. DS has similar problems and the dummy seemed to help him cope with the pain. He accepts MAM ones happily.

Xanadu44 · 12/08/2018 18:54

P.s also second the advice about winding after every feed. My midwife said breastfed babies didn't need winding!! Rubbish!! I used to keep DD upright after a feed for 10 minutes whilst winding which always helped and I cut all dairy and fizzy drinks. It definitely sounds like silent reflux which is what dd had. I hope you're ok x

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