helping ease trapped wind!

[jennyh]

Hi

My 7 week old has struggled with digestive problems for a while but it has got very bad recently. I combined breast and formula for the first 4 weeks and then had to switch to exclusive formula feeding. She was on aptamil and I have now changed to Hipp Organic to see if that helps her, we are only 2 days into the new milk so cant tell yet.

She basically strains for every poo that she does and goes red in the face and appears constipated yet the consistency of her poo seems normal, she writhes around in obvious pain trying to get the wind out and gets very upset. When we feed her she is so caught up straining and grunting that she doesn't focus on eating and the milk can just come straight out. It is worst from 3am onwards and dawn is bad, i've read that this is common as there is a build up of gas overnight. Not sure if it is colic because she doesnt cry for hours on end, she just has periods throughout the day and night where she makes a lot of noise/cries/writhes around lifting her legs up.

We have tried infacol and more recently gripe water which have seemed to make a difference at how well she brings up a burp but she still has these hours of horrendous pushing and squeezing and the noise is unbearable! At first she would do it in her sleep but it has now started to wake her up crying. We are going to get some colief and I am also going to take her to a cranial osteopath but I was wondering if anyone has any tips for helping her pass the wind! We try to rotate her legs in bicycle motions and I am thinking of learning a baby massage technique to see if that helps. Just want her to be relaxed and comfortable! She is ordinarily a very contented and happy baby but the discomfort is obvious

Please help!!!

Jennyx

[Moos]

Baby massage definitely helps, learn the 'Tiger in the Tree' hold.

My current baby got very windy for a week or 2 when first mixed-fed, about 2 months old. It got better as his system adjusted. It's horrid to see them crying though, you have my sympathy.

[Fuschia]

I don't think it's entirely down to the formula as all my bf babies have done this though prob to a lesser extent

Just signs of an immature digestive system ,.. Struggling to move the food through and the poo out ... It's not just wind but the whole mechanism that is a bit of a production

You are doing the right things though perhaps try dr browns bottles .,, wind frequently during the feed, raise head a little to sleep

[Fuschia]

If she is gulping the milk consider a slower teat maybe

[susyp]

my daughter used to have chronic pain every morning from about 5am - used to throw her legs up in the air and clearly had tummy/bowel problems. Also very explosive poos though not constipation. Turned out she was milk allergic so worth considering as a cause, although it doesn't sounds quite the same cos of the constipation.

susypx

[jennyh]

Thanks everyone. To be honest susyp it sounds similar as she isn't constipated as when she goes it's explosive and the right consistency, and lots of it!!! Did it get better?

Moos I'm going to try massage anyway as it is a nice thing for her but will try what you suggest!

Thanks fuschia for your post re digestive system, I've heard this before and I guess she'll grow out of it at some point but would be so nice to ease het discomfort in the meantime! I forgot to say I use dr browns and mam anticolic bottles and have raised one end of her Moses mattress since she was tiny. I had wondered about propping her on her side a little bit during night sleeps but not sure on the safety...any experience anyone??

Thank you as always!

[susyp]

It got better once she was diagnosed with her allergy - but if she is already on formula you might have noticed it as she had a massive reaction as soon as we tried her on formula. Though I don't think all responses are as big she was just very allergic. I have met other people who didn't diagnose it for a year because it wasn;t as obvious. Hipp Organic seems to have more milk content in it as we had given her aptimil without any reaction and as soon as she had Hipp we had hives/vomitting/diarrohea - all within 2 mins of giving it to her!

It was so bad at one point that I had to sleep with her and rub her tummy every half an hour so she could go back to sleep. Got better as soon as we switched her milk to a non-allerginic one basically. She was in really chronic pain from about 5am until she did a poo at around 7am. Was absolutely awful. :-(

If you do suspect it's an allergy I would suggest getting referred privately as waiting list is almost a year. Should cost about ?120 for a consultation - then you can switch into NHS system if necessary.

I thought it was colic- she used to scream for hours in the evening - but I don't think it was normal it was the allergy.

She used to do poos in the morning right up her back and all over the sheets and everything - that I think is a sign of an allergy. Babies poos are quite messy but don't normally mean a change of sheets every morning! It's very hard when it's your first as you don't know what is normal and I found Gps and health visitors hopeless.

good luck with it - hopefully it's just a stage and will pass but if it worsens I would def suggest getting referred to a specialist to rule out the possibilty of allergy. It got worse and worse with my daughter. so guess that's your clue.

Susypx