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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

Baby is really struggling to burp

17 replies

Hope54321 · 03/03/2021 23:09

Hey guys,

My 6 weeks old baby is really struggling to burp. He is breastfed and is gulping and gasping and really wants to burp but really struggles to burp. I’ve tried all sorts of positions and it doesn’t work. I’ve tried infacol and it doesn’t work. I’ve tried gripe water and he chokes on it or gags and spits it out. I’m assuming this is due to the consistency. When he does burp it can take upto an hour! Anyone with similar experience? What did you do to help your little one burp.

OP posts:

Sairafina · 04/03/2021 14:35

When DS was this age I used to sit him on my lap, support his head with my hands and gently rock him backwards and forwards and round and round. Used to get a burp within a few minutes

ISBN111 · 04/03/2021 14:38

Gulping and gasping when? After a feed?
My breastfed babies rarely burped, so just trying to understand exactly what little one’s troubles are.

Original poster

Hope54321 · 04/03/2021 17:42

@ISBN111

Gulping and gasping when? After a feed? My breastfed babies rarely burped, so just trying to understand exactly what little one’s troubles are.

Gulping and gasping during a feed and after a feed.

OP posts:

Bettyblue2 · 04/03/2021 17:51

It sounds like your flow is too fast; mine always struggled with this because the milk would just shoot out! Have you tried reclining whilst feeding? Gravity can sometimes help with the gulping/gasping. As for getting a burp, try sitting your baby on your knee, one hand on their back, the other supporting their chin and tilt them forwards and then backwards and then around in a circle (their bum stays still but their torso moves if you see what I mean).

MySocalledLoaf · 04/03/2021 17:54

When it happened to me at the beginning it was that I didn’t know how to do it rather than anything being wrong. I realised that once I got the knack.
Have you tried putting him across your thigh?
Otherwise I gave up, nothing bad happened.

Original poster

Hope54321 · 04/03/2021 18:07

@MySocalledLoaf

When it happened to me at the beginning it was that I didn’t know how to do it rather than anything being wrong. I realised that once I got the knack. Have you tried putting him across your thigh? Otherwise I gave up, nothing bad happened.

I have tried all these positions. If I leave him he vomits and sometimes through his nose as well.

OP posts:

Original poster

Hope54321 · 04/03/2021 18:09

@Bettyblue2

I have tried reclining back. This seems to help, but not significantly as he has more difficulty latching with the reclining position. Also, he had his tongue tie cut just over a month ago.

OP posts:

4amWitchingHour · 04/03/2021 19:25

The circling round position as PPs have described worked for us if it was done soon after a feed when he was calm, if we waited too long til the air was lower down then it wouldn't and he'd get really upset.

The game changer was going to an infant osteopath though - he released tension in my DS's back and therefore around his diaphragm. After the first session burps were coming up more easily (and his hiccups massively lessened), and after the second session he was burping spontaneously. We went when he was seven weeks old, I wish we'd gone earlier.

ISBN111 · 04/03/2021 20:05

I had a case of oversupply, baby gasped all through feeding. I found it hard to get information and advice at the time but I’m sure there are some websites out there. I think the main recommendation was to express off some milk before feeding.

ISBN111 · 06/03/2021 09:39

@Hope54321
How is baby feeding now?
Hope you are doing ok?

Original poster

Hope54321 · 06/03/2021 13:10

[quote ISBN111]**@Hope54321
How is baby feeding now?
Hope you are doing ok?[/quote]
I gave baby gripe water and he ended up choking on it and was struggling to breathe. I have ended up mixing it with a few mls of expressed milk and gave it in a bottle. He is burping occasionally when he’s awake, but still has trapped wind. Really don’t know what to do to help him as he’s so uncomfortable and grunting all the time.

OP posts:

ISBN111 · 06/03/2021 23:48

Aw bless you. It may be that because he’s gasping while feeding he’s taking in a massive amount of air so really windy, and not able to get it up.
I found all the infacol / gripe water useless, as there was a plumbing issue which needed sorting; too fast flow. I’d really recommend looking up oversupply

ISBN111 · 06/03/2021 23:51

www.laleche.org.uk/too-much-milk-and-oversupply/

ISBN111 · 06/03/2021 23:52

Plus seek advice from hv; sometimes they are less than helpful, but it’s worth crossing of the list of options For help and advice.

Original poster

Hope54321 · 13/04/2021 13:26

Things are so much better now that baby is 12 weeks old. The constant grunting has completely disappeared and baby is sometimes able to burp without assistance. Baby is much better at dealing with the flow and I am no longer afraid to put him down after a feed in case of him choking on the milk that comes back up. Things have improved tremendously!

OP posts:

MotherOfDragon20 · 13/04/2021 16:28

My DD was awful at bringing up wind, often the only thing that worked was lying her down for a few minutes and then gently picking her up and sitting her on my knee (bent at the waist) the movement and change of position would bring the burp up 90% of the time.

UnCoffreDor · 17/04/2021 13:15

The best position that works with my DS is resting his head on my shoulder and patting his back. Or, I've also found that, when he won't burp, I place him reclined on a pillow for a few minutes, then hold him up again, usually works. If not, then I give up!

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