Help - screaming with gas pains......it's heartbreaking because I can't make them go away.

Pankers · June 2014

Anyone got any advice on how to calm baby or get rid go gas pains that make babies scream?

LO has had increasingly bad gas for the last 6 weeks or so. She usually fusses when she has gas and she has got worse at burping. But yesterday and today she screams with what I am assuming are gas pains. Gas drops and gripe water seem to do nothing. It is just so heartbreaking to her her scream for what feels like an eternity but it's still a good 10-20 minutes.

I called the pedi but the nurse just said give her gas drops 30 minutes before a feed(the bottle says after), put her in a bouncer with the vibrations, increase my fiber intake and cut down on dairy.......... I only have oatmeal with dairy everyday to help keep my supply up. LO is EBF, we pump her legs but if she's screaming it is impossible to even bend them, same with tummy time when she's screaming...then she takes in more air, vicious circle. She seems to be finding it harder to get rid of the gas.

Anyone got any tips? I hate seeing her scream and I feel so helpless.

Sanibel21 · June 2014

Look up infant massage for gas. It doesn't help acutely but if you do it frequently it should help things move along before they get bad. It's worth a shot.
Eta acutely I just bicycle LOs legs and let her push her feet off of me when she pushing gas/poops out.

kare_bear_12 · June 2014

I always pump legs but I do it to the point that LO actually toots it out. I put my thumbs on the backs of his knees and pump his knees to his chest 2 times and then relax. I do this a few times and he now understand that he needs to push when I do it to help him toot. It works like a charm. I do small bicycle moves too, but bringing his knees to his chest in strong slow movements gets the gas out for my LO.

MeggsM · June 2014

Try bio Gaia - it's a probiotic drops that my doc recommended. It takes a few days to work but had helped us a lot.

Also get a hot water bottle with a towel over to not be too hot and put LO on it on their belly and rub/ pat their back.
The heat will move the gas around.

You could also try burping LO more often like in the middle of the feed.

Good luck!

novelblessings · June 2014

Are you sure it is a gas problem? Just wondering because when DD has gas she constantly moves her legs to try and work it out. But when DD has a reflux fit you can't bend her legs and she goes stiff as a board to try and relieve the pain.

If it's a gas issue you can try what others have suggested. My pedi also said try to put a heated pad on DDs belly. Also bath time with warm water seems to help.

bumpuser9058414 · June 2014

If it is gas I agree with the Bio Gaia drops, which are Gerber Soothe drops. They helped my son tremendously. We also do the bicycles and if that doesn't help I lift his legs up like I'm wiping poop that got up his back and he will fart like no tomorrow. I have also cut dairy from my diet and take probiotics myself.

KTdid81 · June 2014

We had to cut dairy completely. Milk protein stays in your system for 10-21 days, so stopping for a day here or there won't do anything. I also had to cut out onions and greens. I am on probiotics and the baby gets gas drops 2-3 times a day....after feeding.
Keep baby upright and burp extra.

Try almond milk with your oatmeal.

DTNZ4Ever · June 2014

novelblessings said:
Are you sure it is a gas problem? Just wondering because when DD has gas she constantly moves her legs to try and work it out. But when DD has a reflux fit you can't bend her legs and she goes stiff as a board to try and relieve the pain.

If it's a gas issue you can try what others have suggested. My pedi also said try to put a heated pad on DDs belly. Also bath time with warm water seems to help.

This was my thought. I thought DS has gas but it turns out to be reflux. He's on meds now and a totally different baby. I read up on silent reflux and it's all him except for the lack of weight gain.

YankeePeach08 · June 2014

We used an infant probiotic powder with the boys. I just mixed it into an ounce of bm and topped them off at night. Worked the first night we tried it.

SurpriseAt39 · June 2014

I vote for a long warm relaxing bath.
I've also held LO in a standing position and let him kick/squirm.
Laying on the floor rolled on his side. Back and forth, left to right, and right to left.

bumpuser1282882 · June 2014

MeggsM said:

Try bio Gaia - it's a probiotic drops that my doc recommended. It takes a few days to work but had helped us a lot. Also get a hot water bottle with a towel over to not be too hot and put LO on it on their belly and rub/ pat their back. The heat will move the gas around. You could also try burping LO more often like in the middle of the feed. Good luck!

All of this, this is what's worked for us.

Mafernj · June 2014

Just went thru this w LO just now!! Simethicone drops, got her down to just diaper massaged w the oil and lavender oil( look up on YouTube) did bicycle , swaddled her kept her upright and continued burping her, walked around w her till she calmed down and burped and farted more ,sound machine and lots of patience and love. After almost 1.5 hours she calmed down And stopped screaming I'm now in the rocker w sound machine and will try to feed her later I still continue to burp her for at least another hour . Hope this helps

Pankers · June 2014

Thanks everyone, I appreciate your help and suggestions. She pooped yesterday evening and that helped, just as I was running the bath

. Up until 6pm today she was great, we did some bicycling legs to get farts out, burped more and then she just had one screaming fit, but we managed to calm her down with boob today.

@Mafernj‌ hope your LO and you make it through this. I suspect I'll have few days of what you suggested.

Mafernj · June 2014

Yeah it got better after we did all that I posted yesterday . It's always trial and error but those things seem to work everytime. Hope your little one gets better but ask your pediatrician too see what he says.

sopranoali · June 2014

Mylicon

kaking78 · June 2014

The last time J had a gas episode I got in a warm bath and let him lay on my legs. It relaxed him enough that he quit screaming and was able to poop and fart a few minutes later.

bumpuser10054788 · June 2014

I recently discovered when LO is a bit gassy or seems to have a burp stuck, putting her for tummy time on my Boppy pillow sometimes helps her work it out on her own -- several times while she was squirming around I heard an epic burp or a lot of gas come out.

kimberpoo · June 2014

I was thinking about posting a thread on this because I found a few things that worked for my LO when moving his legs and all that didn't help.

1. cut out dairy, broccoli, beans, super spicy food, and anything that would make you fart.

2. burp halfway through feeding, even if lo screams in protest.

3. COFFEE. have some. I find on days where I don't have caffeine LO has much much worse gas and trouble pooping. coffee seems to help lots more than pop or other forms of caffeine. I make myself at least one 20 oz frappe with nescafe (that dried instant coffee. strong stuff) every day. maybe do one in the am and one in the afternoon and see if it helps? also be sure to drink extra water since it is a diuretic (sp?) and you dont want yourself or lo getting dehydrated.

4. to help lo poop and fart, I sit reclined in a recliner or on the bed. I then bring my knees up and rest lo against them in a squatting position facing me. I then bounce my belly up and down while holding his top half still or 'vibrate' my legs while holding his top half still (so his waist and bottom move but not too much head bouncing). takes maybe 10 mins and usually he will poop right there.

good luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mafernj · June 2014

@kimberpoo‌ I will try #4! My LO gets really crabby when she has to poop and can't thanks!

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Help - screaming with gas pains......it's heartbreaking because I can't make them go away.

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