Christine 06/29/2010
Question:
My baby is 3 1/2 weeks old and I have been breastfeeding her. She has been very gassy and will sleep during the day in her infant seat. At night, however, it is a different story. She will feed and fall asleep, and then every 45 minutes to an hour she wakes up and I can tell she is uncomfortable with gas.
After a few minutes, I will hear the gas escape, and then she can fall back asleep. This pattern continues all night. She also is having acidy bowel movements at least 12 to 15 times a day. I have stopped eating gassy foods and chocolate, but still no improvement. Your help would be very much appreciated.
Answer:
Are you burping her during feeds a few times? This may help. Also for gas, she may need a little extra healthy bacteria, or "probiotic," which you can give her by taking a supplement yourself or finding an infant probiotic powder containing Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria. Give her a little bit on a wet finger twice a day.
Another possibility is reflux. This is when the acid that normally is present in the stomach to help digest food (milk) sloshes in the wrong direction up into the esophagus, where it creates a painful burning feeling. Some babies with reflux are more comfortable sleeping slightly upright - just like they would be in a car seat.
It also may be that when she is waking up at night, if she feels this acid reflux, she cries because she is uncomfortable, swallows air while crying, then passes gas. Some babies with reflux are sensitive to milk in the mom's diet. If you want to find out if mik is an issue, you would have to avoid milk products - including cheese, ice cream, and anything with casein and whey in the ingredients - for one to two weeks and see if your baby gets better.
There are also medicines for this, so you should definitely let your doctor know what is going on. Good luck!