Baby has wind, gas or colic… I didn’t know that….

All my pregnancy and after a week of giving birth. Nobody mentioned to me that babies have wind or gas. After two weeks postpartum I fed my girl and put her in her moses basket. She slept straight away. In the middle of night she woke up screaming. I thought she was hungry.  I fed her. After feed she started crying again.  I thought she had a dirty nappy. But no, it wasn’t.  She didn’t stop crying.  And poor me….. I started crying as well. After 2 minutes she puked ( projectile vomit). Her clothes, bedding, blanket and my clothes … everything was of vomit. I was at my mums place those days. She woke up and came to see what’s going on. There she told me that I might not burped her properly. And she might be gassy.

For me, it was a very new thing. Oh! Baby have gases. So what can we really do about gases? In the middle of night where can I get something to relieve her gas? Wait… she is just two weeks. I can’t give her gripe water can I ?? Its too late to go buy infacol. Searched again . . Searched….. Dr. Google saved the day. . Actually it was YouTube.. well both.

I read on baby centre website that almost all babies whether they are bottle fed or breast fed have gas to some degree and there is a massage to relieve baby’s wind or colic. Those bicycle movements.  And leg press to the stomach actually worked.

She gave me what I wanted. .  . A big fart! In my life that was the first time I got so happy on fart.

Yes….  Farts and poos and wees. .. they are my best friends now.  I wait for them.  Later, next morning I went to pharmacy and bought infacol for her. When I gave her infacol she puked again. I tried again after next feed and she vomited again.  Then my mum told the water I use to boil for her formula top up, boil it with 2 3 seeds of fenugreek (saunf). I did and that was life saver. I was not topping up with formula that time but to just relieve her pain I did. And it worked.

That was my first experience with baby wind. And I’m not saying that it will work for every baby.  But worth trying.

When she turned to one month I started giving her gripe water. And before that I used to massage her belly every other day.

Just remember, always burp your baby. If she’s asleep or not burping. Just keep her upright on the shoulder for good 10 minutes.

Signs of baby’s wind

1. They become irritable and stretch their back.
2. They become very fussy while feeding.
3. They will not settle after feed.
4. Projectile vomiting.
5. They won’t sleep.
6. When baby doesnt burp, do hiccup, spit out milk a lot more than usual or belch. This indicates too much air been swallowed while feeding.
7. Bloating of the abdomen.  When wind traps in intestines causing built up pressure, pain and discomfort. The stomach will feel hard to touch.

So what we can try;

To relieve

My baby was just two weeks. So the only thing I tried was tummy massage and formula milk made in saunf water. The other things mums can try are;

1. Infacol: you can give infacol from birth onwards.
2. Gripe water: after 1 month
3. Tummy massage : there are so many videos on YouTube for colicky babies.  Or massage to help relive gas.
4. Tummy time
5. Bicycling legs.
6. Swaddling.

I  will suggest if anything else that concern you as a mum. Mention to your doctor or health visitor. As I always tell my doctor whatever makes me worry about my girl. I take my girl to health visitor every two weeks and they are really helpful and informative.