Painful gas attacks - difficulty feeding

S

Shenzhennifer

Registered User
My nearly 5.5 week old breastfed baby has been having some really painful gas attacks during our feedings. He`s been passing gas and having bowel movements and crying out with pain, writhing all over the place. It`s really hard to feed him and I think he`s not getting enough now, since he constantly goes on and off the nipple, even loses interest bc he`s tired from his attacks. I think he`s only getting the foremilk, which is probably exacerbating the problem, but how can I stop it? He`s not constipated, but some of his bowel movements look a little bit drier than usual. but then he`s go and have a bit wet one to prove me wrong!
By the way, this is only happening during the day. In the night he`s fine.
What gives?
 
Have you tried taking him off the breast every couple of minutes to burp him rather than wait for him to get off? I also found that changing burping positions helped alot. First I would start sitting him upright and patting his back and rubbing upwards from the base of his spine. Then I would put him over my shoulder or even stand up and hold him upright against my chest rubbing and patting. I found as I moved from one position to another it actually got him to burp, rather than the rubbing and patting. Once he got up a good burp he had less gas and he was happy to keep feeding.

My 10 week old does pass gas and will stop feeding but he seems to have gotten used to it and will soon start again. And sometimes he doesn't bother stopping.
 
I considered the burping thing, but the gas he is having is only relieved when he farts, so I assume it`s already past his tummy, where the burping gas would be. Is this wrong? I have seen him stop to burp before, but this is like crying fits and then fart, crying fit and then fart, writhing writhing, panting and then fart. I don`t know what to do... I understand that babies get gas, but I want to make sure he`s eating all right.
 
I am so sorry. My daughter did the same thing. Did you try Infacol? It is supposed to help with gas and such. You can buy it at Mannings (I think). The only other advice I can offer is that eventually it will pass. Hang in there :)
 
Dear Shenzhennifer,

What's his weight gain like?
Do you see any milk around his mouth while you are feeding?

It is just that the behaviour you are describing sound more like too much milk than not enough to me. When the milk comes out forcefully it causes the baby to get very restless while feeding, often crying and pulling off and then immediately wanting to go back on.

The things to try to help your baby nurse for longer are to use positions where the baby's head is above your breast. So positions like you lying flat on your back or you reclining and the baby on top, the baby sitting up on your knee or the straddle position.

It can also help it you limit the baby to just one side for a set number of hours.
i.e. from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon feed on the left
from 12:00 noon to 3:00 pm feed on the right
from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm feed on the left. etc.

It doesn't matter how many times the baby feeds during the time segments but always use the side according to the timetable.

If you find that you are too full on the other side then express or pump until you are comfortable again. I usually suggest hand expressing because it is a bigger chore than pumping and so you are likely to stop as soon as you are comfortable. Whereas with a pump you could easily express too much milk out. You want to stop as soon as you are comfortable otherwise you are telling your body to increase the amount of milk it is making and so increase the problem.

Best wishes,
SARAH
 
LLLSarah - his weight gain is good. He was born at 2.9kg and at his 4 week check up he was 4.3kg and is still getting pudgier.
I do actually see milk around his mouth when he is feeding.
I read LLL`s articles on having too much milk. So during let down, particularly with my right side (which has more milk it seems?) if I notice him struggling a bit I will take him off and let the milk spray out onto a cloth and then put him back on.
But his behaviour is more related to having gas bc I can see it`s painful for him and he`s crying out and when he passes gas it subsides until it builds again and so on.
But bc of the possibility of having too much milk, I have been worried that he was getting too much foremilk and it was giving him gas. But then it was a vicious cycle bc when he`s having these gas attacks he`ll take himself off the nipple, sometimes for 5 minutes or more, so when he goes back on, I think he has to `start over` and so he`s getting the foremilk all over again.

But I will try to keep his head aboce my breast and also to limit the times when I use each side. If I solve that problem then maybe the gas attacks will lesson.
Thanks a lot for your suggestions!
 
Dear Shenzhennifer,

As you can see milk around his mouth when feeding I would definitely say you have too much milk, you are aiming to see no milk when the baby feeds.

Having too much milk is related to getting more gas. Changing positions will help if your baby is struggling because of too much milk. But to correct the problem I'd try the block feeding I described above. Many mothers have found that this style of feeding reduces gas problems. It tends to reduce the lactose in the milk which is the cause of the gas.

Best wishes,
SARAH
 
Thanks for all your answers. I now see that his gas is both the result of taking too much air in during feedings, or not enough burps from before, so I burp jim more often and longer now.
Also, LLL Sarah, I have been trying the suggested bf schedule - I think it`s working some, but I still have to take him off my beast when the milk comes streaming out. The subsequent feedings are better though,
Thanks! There is definitely an improvement.
 
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