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Baby sleeping on belly helps with gas??

smithsmith10smithsmith10
in Babies: 0 - 3 Months
This post will probably create controversy, but here it goes. My 8 wk old baby has been having problems with gas. He will grunt and strain all night and it makes it hard for anyone to get any sleep. A friend suggested putting him on his belly to help push out some of the gas. She said from 3 weeks on she put her baby on his belly and it helped with his gas, and also she then didn't have to swaddle him and he could keep his hands out. My baby will fight with his swaddle a lot trying to get his hands out and sometimes it makes him wake up, other times it just adds to the grunting and straining. This idea really scares me as I know babies should be on their backs in order to help prevent SIDS. I have the Angel Care monitor which she said she used too, but it still makes me nervous. I don't want anything to happen to the baby. On one hand I think he's 8 weeks old so he will probably grow out of the gas thing soon so is it worth the risk when he might have grown out of it in a couple of weeks, but on the other hand I think it might be easier and would improve our sleep and then there wouldnt be as much anxiety and stress in the house. What does everyone else think?
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Re: Baby sleeping on belly helps with gas??

  • jkeyrosjkeyros
    I wouldn't do it, but that's just me. Have you tried the gas drops or gripe water? DD has has really bad gas issues since day 2 and we've tried bicycling and pumping her legs, mylicon,and  tummy massage, but she still screams until it goes away. I don't know what else to tell you except that it will soon pass, your sons digestive system will mature and things will even out. That's what I keep telling myself at least!
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  • celiabwatsonceliabwatson

    I will admit that my baby sleeps on her belly 99% of the time and is the best sleeper EVER!

    My son was a horrible sleeper (still is) and I was expecting the same but this one is a great sleeper. Part of it might be that we gave in to belly sleeping sooner. Both of my kids have always been very happy on their belly. Tummy time is easy and fun, sleeping works better etc etc. I know you're not supposed to and I definitely wake up from worry sometimes, but less than I might wake up if she was waking me up all the time. She's happy and healthy and has strong neck muscles.

    I'm not advising belly sleeping, just sharing our experience. 

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  • namara5532namara5532 member

    I'd check with your pediatrician before putting him on his tummy for sleep.  They can help assess what milestones your DS has reached and whether he has developed enough to sleep safely on his tummy.  I don't know enough to give an informed opinion, especially for an 8 week old since my DS is still so young.

    I've heard bicycling his legs can help babies get gas out.  But I've also read about how babies will grunt in their sleep regardless.

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  • smithsmith10smithsmith10
    I am such a paranoid FTM to begin with I just don't know if I could do something that could up the baby's SIDS risk. We have tried Gripe Water and Mylicon drops but I don't think either one really actually works all that well. As nice as it would be to get uninterrupted sleep as well as more sleep, I don't know if the benefit outweighs the risks.
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  • shotzieshotzie member
    My new LO is very gassy too. I tried cutting dairy out of my diet, but it didn't make a difference. I got some Colic Calm last week and it does seem to help. I also bicycle her legs a lot. I let her nap on her stomach sometimes during the day since I can keep a close eye on her and it does help her pass some of the gas. But I don't feel comfortable letting her sleep on her tummy at night at this point.
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  • Bride2b2004Bride2b2004 member

    My LOs have all been gassy.  Cutting soy and dairy has helped with that (and other symptoms) drastically, but gas is an unavoidable side effect of immature digestive system Sad.  This is baby #3 for me and in my experience, babies have slept better on their tummy.   However, I have seen too many sad stories on TB to feel comfortable taking my chances with tummy sleep too early (God forbid I were to lose LO).  I like the PP's suggestion of talking to your doctor.

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