I can’t burp my baby

[Lab2425]

FTM just looking for some advice/reassurance.

Baby is 16 days old and I literally cannot burp her! She had a bit of a traumatic entrance to the world and ended up in icu for 2 days after being born. I didn’t think I would ever be able to breast feed losing all that bonding time with her but after a week in hospital on bottle of my expressed milk, we got home and she latched amazingly.

Cue issue that she was sleepy in the night we decided to try a bottle for this feed and I think I’ve ruined our progress with the breastfeeding and I also given her some gas issues. Aware I might be over thinking this but I just can’t shake the thought.

now she’s back on the breast full time I am still trying to burp her but literally nothing is coming up. A tiny one here and there but nothing thing sounds like relief to me. Could it be she just doesn’t need to burp and it’s in my head that she’s uncomfortable??

Ive tried what feels like every single position possible. The ones online that seem most effective she literally thrashes around in my hands so I can do anything. I feel like a terrible mum not being able to help her

Any advice greatly received from a very stressed, overthinking, anxious mum…

Is she actually giving you cues she's uncomfortable?

My ebf baby didn't have much gas. I was one of the very lucky ones who could just feed her newborn to sleep the ln keep her upright for a while (still asleep as this seemed to reduce the spit ups). I rarely needed to burp when their latch was good.

How are you trying to burp her? Put her over your shoulder and rub her back ,if she needs to burp she will. I used to sit ds on my knee with my hand under his chin and sort of straighten him up,that worked well.

My EBF baby never burped. At times they also seemed uncomfortable so I tired burping him, bicycle legs, all the stuff you are supposed to but nothing. He just grew out of it.

My mixed feeding baby never burped. She's 20 now and still doesn't burp. I think she has a funny valve or something.

My EBFbaby doesn’t always burp. I put her upright looking over my shoulder usually works but if it doesn’t I don’t worry too much, she might fuss 5-10 mins so will try burp her again. At night she feeds to sleep and I leave her.

i remember her first week or two I couldn’t burp her at all, only her dad could!

My EBF babies had a lot of gas and needed a serious amount of burping, sometimes would take longer than feeding which was very frustrating. Have you had your latch checked?

If rubbing them on the back failed, then for us:
Walking up and down the stairs with them over my shoulder helped.
Sitting them on my knee and rolling them gently around like a gearstick helped.
Sitting them on my lap supported under the chin leaning them forwards and backwards and straightening helped.
Gently bouncing up and down / sitting on my pregnancy ball while being being held helped.
Handing them over to DH helped, he jiggled baby on his knee on "the Dad-a-tron-3000" or whatever light-hearted ridiculous name he gave himself 😂

It's very frustrating!

I nevet burped my bf babies, just propped them up on my shoulder after for their little sleep

I never burped my baby either.

I never burped either of my EBFs and they got fed lying down and all sorts. It never occurred to me… 🫤

I have breastfed four babies. Only one of them could be burped, and he was the last one. Only the first showed any signs of discomfort, but we just had to wait for the wind to work its way through him.

My ebf babies never burped either. I tried with my first but gave up after a couple of weeks (I also thought they looked uncomfortable but I think actually they were just a baby being a baby), and never bothered with the second. Mine always fell asleep feeding and I wasn’t about to wake them up and burp them.

I BFed and was never able to burp ds no matter what I tried.

Neither of mine needed burping. You could literally hear the milk sloshing around in her tummy when she got up un the morning she was never uncomfortable.

I really struggled to burp my kids, with my first in the hospital I didn't even remember you had to and she vomited milk everywhere! I blame baby brain and the 33+ hrs it took to get her out!

My husband could do it every time. I would spend ages patting and nothing, my husband would take them and within seconds burp! Drove me insane.

I've heard it said that breastfed babies don't need burping. Mine definitely did regularly need burping but often fell asleep without.

Mine never really needed burping but I found the easiest way was to lay them in the centre of my chest and gently squeeze them like a hug

Never burped my 2 EBF babies either. I can't remember even trying to, I'm certain they didn't need it.

Don't burp her. There is research that burping babies actually causing more vomiting not less.

What makes you think she's uncomfortable? Burping is unlikely to be the problem. It could be that you need some feeding support to find a better position or to work on baby's latch or it could be something she'll grow out of like infant dyschezia or colic (evidence says colic drops etc are a placebo at best so don't bother with that either.)

I was told that breastfed babies don't need burping by the health visitor - definitely NOT true for my baby! I spent so much time rubbing or tapping their back after feeds until I got a burp. Had to do it or the baby would cry with trapped grass once put down or vomit everywhere. I remember texting my partner once at about 10 weeks celebrating how loud a burp the baby had done.

Burps might be very small and quiet at this stage, if they don't seem uncomfortable it's probably fine, if they DO seen uncomfortable spend more time burping until you hear something.

Just came to say the same.

Breastfed babies aren't gulping air with the milk like thry do with bottles. Don't think my DD ever burped as a baby.

My eldest daughter was ebf and she could never burp either. I would rub her back, pat her, everything and it just would come up. She would be uncomfortable for a while then eventually bring up a some milk and be fine.

She sinks grow out of it and now she is 21 and she can burp for England 😹

EBF babies don't need burping nearly as much. Don't worry too much.

Gas will be a problem generally for the next few months, in my experience. Until they can sit up more/roll/move, they need a bit of help here and there but with EBF I wouldn't worry about burping after every feed etc.

I have read so many posts on here saying EBF babies don't need burping and they really annoyed me when mine were tiny - very invalidating! Made me feel like I was doing something wrong because both my EBF babies absolutely DID need burping, more then any other fed babies I knew at the time. Every. Single. Feed.

Even my midwife and health visitor said the same until I fed and winded baby in their presence and they let out an almighty burp.

Every baby is different OP. If she's uncomfortable and needs winding she'll tell you.

They probably just don’t need burping, well done on the breastfeeding, you’re doing an amazing job, breastfed babies don’t need burping like bottle fed, if I were you and needed some reassurance I would call La Leche League advisor in your area they will make you feel so much better, there is also a national breastfeeding helpline and the nct in my area run free drop in sessions. If they seem uncomfortable when lying down it’s probably just because they want to be held xxx try not to worry I am sure you are doing a marvellous job, I was always rubbish at burping too but I think if it doesn’t happen in a couple of minutes they just don’t need to burp

If, regardless of feeding, burping is necessary, I’ve had success with sitting baby on my knee whilst supporting the head so that their back rests against my stomach (their legs along my legs) then gently and repetitively pressing my stomach forward. In granny’s day babies were placed tummy down across a lap which might no longer be good practice. I don’t know.