New born babies are a delight to everyone’s eyes. They love being held and pampered. But being a new born can be a bit difficult for them. After having stayed safe in their mother’s womb for nine months all cosy adjusting to the new setup can be a more than overwhelming to them. The sleep wake patterns, the new ways of feeding, everything is very new to them as it is to us parents. Knowing the exact clue that your baby is giving can be a challenge always. Is a hungry cry, or the diaper change cry, or the cry for gases in the tummy ? All this becomes difficult to distinguish and leaves the parents puzzled. Today we will unravel some of the mystery involved in these cries and try to learn more about the new born baby. We’ll be discussing:
- What the gassy baby symptoms?
- How to cure gassy baby?
- What might be the cause of gassy baby?
The new born baby schedule
As a new born the baby spends most of its time taking naps through out the day and night. It is very much important for their growth and development. The brain development is the integral part in these early few months time. They have to be fed every two to three hours time period. And till the age of six months the babies must be exclusively breast fed. In between the wake cycles one has to adjust the bath, diaper changes etc. Also the same cycle goes on even at night. So the parents must change their sleep cycle according to the baby. What worries us most is that between this sleep wake cycle sometimes the baby gets so cranky that no matter you cuddle them or swing them or sing for them they wouldn’t stop crying. Let’s find out the reason behind it.
What are the symptoms of a gassy baby?
Babies that are breast fed or are bottle fed have the tendency to gulp down air bubbles as they feed. This air bubbles get trapped in the tummy area which might cause the baby to get bloated and gassy. This can be extremely painful and irritating for the baby at the same time. This prolonged state of gassiness can lead to a colicky baby.
Gassy baby symptoms
- Excessive crying which are not related to hunger or tiredness.
- The baby arches its back to find a comfortable position.
- Crying while trying to pass the gases.
- Bloated stomach.
- Excessive clenching of fist and pulling up the legs while passing gases.
What are the causes that lead to gassy baby symptoms ?
Before I disclose this please keep in mind that all the babies get gases. So it’s nothing to worry about but one must be ready when such a thing happens and not to panic in such a situation.
- As discussed earlier gases can happen while the baby is bottle feeding or breast feeding.
- Excessive crying can also trap gases in the stomach and lead to gassy baby.
- Some times the mother’s diet can also be related to babies getting gases so keep a strict eye on the mother’s diet too.
- Rarely it can be a condition called reflex which might cause the gases consult your paeds if you have any doubts around it.
- In older babies new foods can cause them to become gassy and leads to an upset tummy.
How to cure gassy baby?
- Once you understand the cause why your baby is been acting cranky now it’s time to give the baby some relief. Always make it a point that after every feed you burp the baby well. Even when it is a night feed take some time out, get the baby in the sitting position and try burping him or her. You can even put the baby on your shoulder and make them pass a burp. A good burp will relieve the baby off the gases and give them a lot of relief.
- Even after the burping of the baby is facing gases one can try giving the baby some tummy time during the day to help them pass the gases.
- You can also move their legs clockwise and anticlockwise to help them pass the gases.
- All the above maneuver can also be tagged along with a good tummy massage which will also help them get rid of the gases and pain
- Sometimes if the baby is unable to digest the milk properly especially if the baby is put on formula feed for some reason they can be inefficient in breaking down the lactose particles and this could gas entrapment. In such conditions ask your paediatrician for drops that can be added to the bottle feed which will help break down of the lactose particles.
- The most common remedy that has been used in many households of Indian is putting a slight paste of hing on the tummy of the baby. It is believed to relieve the gases from the stomach. The new improvised version of it is mama earth’s tummy roll on which has hing oil in it and is easy to apply and not at all messy to use. It can be carried along every where in your baby bag.
- Also try not to over feed your baby. Follow the schedule of the feed, if it’s every two or three hours keep a right track of it all the time.
So folks this was a brief insight of the basic problem faced by all the infants in their lifetime. The only thing need to be done here is find the problem that your baby is going through and help them through it. Most importantly remember that all the babies go through this problem. If you still feel something is odd never hesitate to consult your doctor. Before starting any medication or drops always consult your doctor. Do not experiment with your baby’s tummy. I hope you have got the basic idea of how to cure gassy baby.
Happy parenting folks !!