As a first time parent, one of the most scary things is that inevitable day when your baby gets sick for the first time. And nothing is more scary than having a late fall/winter baby when flu season is in full swing.
While my little bundle of joy is healthy as can be, I have been faced with dealing with another health problem: severe gas.
Of course I would have an extremely gasy baby after suffering from severe heartburn and digestion issues (I will refrain from the TMI here). I am also pretty sure my son had the case of the hiccups a few times while still in the womb.
But I am not talking about my baby simply passing the occasional fart here and there. My son—I suppose as a typical boy— was letting them rip on the daily.
And if dealing with the farting wasn’t enough, he began suffering from the hiccups daily as well.
Now these symptoms were not seriously life threatening or any cause to call the pediatrician, but of course I felt bad that my bundle of joy was becoming a bundle of gas ready to explode after every meal.
After talking with the pediatrician at our doctor’s visit and doing some homework online, I was able to find out some ways to help get rid of the gas and cases of hiccups in order to help treat my newborn,
Let me also add that I continue to battle these gasy episodes, so these following ways I have found thus far are great ways to manage it, but they have not “cured” this issue.
*** DISCLAIMER: Before taking any advice, talk to your pediatrician first. I am not a medical professional, nor a baby expert. These tips are solely based on mine and my baby’s personal experience along with the professional advice given to me.*****
Burp Often
Breastfeeding is one of the best ways to avoid bad cases of hiccups. Since I am supplement feeding, I have found that he mostly gets the hiccups when drinking from the bottle. But breast or bottle, the first way to combat this to make sure you burp your baby often during feedings, and especially after they have finished. When bottle feeding, burp your baby every 2 to 3 ounces.
Hiccups are caused when the diaphragm muscle is irritated or stimulated from eating and when baby sucks in or swallows too much air. I found that my one type of my plastic bottles had more bubbles in it after shaking than my glass ones. Using the glass ones has helped tremulously, but either way just make sure you let the bottle sit for a few minutes to settle after shaking.
Change Your Baby’s Diet
Our pediatrician recommended switching formula to the “sensitive” kind since the mad case of hiccups and gas primarily occurs when drinking formula and not breast milk. This has also helped reduce the amount of gas he passes, although like I mentioned above, he is not shy about breaking wind.
Gripe Water
I picked up the Little Remedies New Parents Survival Kit from Babies R US, which comes with both gas relief drops and gripe water. Our pediatrician told us it was okay to give a dose of gripe water after a feeding to reduce gas and hiccups. My son is not fond of the gripe water, mostly spitting it out, but it works wonders for him. Within 5 minutes, his hiccups pass and I do not have to sit there rubbing his tummy or back with a breaking heart that I can’t do anything about it.
There is little evidence that this herbal supplement works, but it certainly eyes the discomfort for him. Talk to your baby’s doctor first before using this option.
Give Your Baby A Pacifier
I say this with warning. I am trying to not give my son a pacifier since he really doesn’t need one (not a fussy baby) and it’s one less habit to break down the line. However, I read that giving them one will help them to relax their diaphragm.
As a bonus, I also read that giving your baby a pacifier during the night helps prevent against SIDS (as does breastfeeding) because the constant sucking motion prevents the baby from falling into a deep, deep sleep.
Of course, parents can also choose to just leave their baby alone and let the hiccups pass naturally, which they will. As for the gas, if you are breastfeeding, try to avoid greens and dairy, which are main culprits.
Do you have any hiccups or gas remedies that work for you? Let me know in the comments!
Photo: a4gpa | Flickr
Leave a Reply