Anxious new mum question - burping after a feed

[Aubergenie]

My DS is 5 days old and I'm paranoid that I'm not burping him properly and that he's going to choke when I lay him down to sleep.

The problem is that he doesn't always burp after a feed (I'm breast-feeding). I'm using a method shown to me by the health visitor where I support him from the front and he leans forward while I rub or tap his back. The midwife said I shouldn't lay him down until he has burped, but the problem is that this does sometimes produce a burp but not all the time. So my question is, how long do I carry on doing this for if he doesn't burp? Presumably after a while it's ineffectual?

Once he was a bit sick while I was asleep and I'm now so scared of him choking that I've sat up for hours and hours in the night too scared to lay him down. Consequently, I'm exhausted. Can anyone advise? Thank you.

Oh dear - well congratulations on your new baby. Some babies don't need burping DD rarely did. It's FINE to lay him down if he falls asleep when feeding. When he lays down if he lifts his legs up he's probably got wind in which case pick him up, hold his neck and support his chin and keep his back straight and wind will probably come up.

Even if he is sick when he's lying down he will NOT choke. Healthy babies do not choke on vomit - they just coat the sheet and themselves. But if you are really frightened why not elevate one end of his bed with bricks so his head is slightly raised.

Your MW is a nit btw!

Sometimes they don't need to burp! I just used to bring DS up to sitting as you describe and he would burp or not. I didn't keep going for ages. Please don't worry, and try and get some sleep

Congrats!

Agree with wmmc. Sometimes when you cannot get a burp out there isn't one. Or it actually helps to put them down for ten minutes, then you get a nice burp when you pick them up again.

my ds was very greedy and fed superfast, always swallowed air but never vomited (still bf now at 8 months just weaning off for returning to work)and I used to do that. You can get hungup on burps, but there is really no need. Healthy newborns can turn their heads and will be fine when chucking in their cot.

Oh and remember that wind comes out both ends - a fart qualifies!

Mw very silly!

I'm from the lazy parent camp and NEVER burp my baby unless she wriggles after a feed, and this is usually because her fussing annoys me in the daytime, and keeps me awake at night time.

Normally she just falls asleep during the feed and NOTHING would have me wake her (well, obviously the risk of choking would, - but there is NO risk of this).

Please don't spend all night trying to get wind up, - your LO will let you know if they need it!

Good luck, and congratulations!

I can count on one hand the amount of times both of mine burped when being winded, they just didn't burp! Didn't suffer with wind either.

DD would fall asleep, be laid down and ten minutes later go 'waaah, wahh' 'snoreeeee'

Don't worry though, there are lots of other things for you to panic about - and you will - we all have - once you've got over this particular worry. Welcome to the mummy world - it does get easier once you stop listening to advice from professionals.

Congratulations on your new baby, I echo what others have said, some babies do not need burping. DD used to bring most of her own wind up as I moved her from the breast to her mosses basket.

The times DD didn't burp of her own accord I never did unless she was bringing her knees up towards her chest.

Congratulations on new ds.
Some babies just aren't very burpy - this is a blessing. Trapped wind is a nightmare for both of you.

Put his cot/moses basket right next to your side of the bed if you can. You will wake up at the slightest unhappy squeak, but you will get some sleep and you need to sleep.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I am crying with relief here. God, I've been SO worried about this since the midwife told me that the day after he was born.

I just fed him earlier and he hadn't burped and me and DP were planning shifts to stay awake until the next feed to keep an eye on him!

Right, I'm going to put him in the moses basket now and get some rest.

One day, further down the line I'm going to look back at all this and laugh...

yes you will aubergenie - but you should also remember that it's v sweet too.