Being a new mother comes with a lot of new experiences when understanding your baby's activities. Undoubtedly, most mothers face challenges with feeding a baby, whether they are bottlefeeding or breastfeeding. One of the most common issues is gas problems when feeding your newborn. Sometimes it becomes difficult to understand that your baby is suffering from gas and digestive issues
You can consult a paediatrician in Siliguri to address the gastrointestinal issues of your newborn. However, there are certain techniques that can be followed to manage gas problems among babies. Understanding the digestion process of babies and the causes that create troubles can surely help you have a wholesome experience in feeding your baby.
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Let's Break Down What Causes a Gassy Baby
If you have just welcomed a newborn, you might be discovering the ways to ensure the best possible care for your baby. It can be overwhelming for new mothers to navigate the correct feeding technique, whether they are feeding formula milk or breast milk. Babies can suffer from gas and digestive issues due to various reasons.
When a baby has gas, tiny bubbles develop in their stomach or intestine, and sometimes it can cause stomach pain and pressure. Gas problems can leave your baby fussy, squirmy, crying and uncomfortable anytime. Therefore, it is essential to recognise the factors that cause gas in babies.
Know the reasons for gas problems among babies
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Taking in Air: When your baby is being fed, they can swallow air that reaches their stomach. In case of breastfeeding, when they are not latched properly on the breast, they can intake air while sucking on breast milk, and this creates air bubbles in their stomach, causing gas and bloating. On the other hand, when babies are bottle-fed, poor positioning and holding the bottle improperly can lead them to swallow an excessive amount of air. This can be a major cause that babies suffer from gas problems, leaving them cranky, irritated and hungry even after feeding.
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Developing Digestive System:Your baby’s gut is still developing, which can cause difficulty in digestion, leaving gas trapped in their stomach. Their immature digestive system is yet to develop the digestive muscles, enzymes and gut bacteria that make it harder for them to break down the milk they are fed, producing gas. Being unable to digest the meal due to an immature intestinal system may cause gas and digestive issues in babies.
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Lack of Adequate Feeding: It can be confounding for you to determine when your baby is full. Sometimes, inadequate feeding can create gas accumulation in their stomach. Overfeeding and underfeeding your newborn can overwhelm their underdeveloped digestive system. Feeding too much formula milk or less than they require can create gas, bloating and indigestion in the baby’s stomach. It leads your baby to feel cranky, fussy and crying inconsolably, and stomach upsets as well.
- Poor Burping Methods:As babies tend to swallow air when they are being fed, not burping can leave the gas trapped in their stomachs. Whether you are bottlefeeding or breastfeeding, burping your baby is necessary to release the gas they swallowed. Lack of proper burping techniques and insufficient burping after every meal can lead to gas accumulation in your baby’s stomach. If this gas is not released, it can trouble their digestion and overall health.
Know How You Can Help Your Baby Relieve Their Gas Problems
Gas problems in the newborns are common. When they are not able to release the trapped gas in their stomach, they feel uncomfortable, fussy and irritated. Your baby’s gut is still developing, and understanding their digestive health can help them with gas problems. Your newborn can suffer gas problems due to many reasons, such as poor latching, swallowing too much air, incorrect feeding or bottle position. Therefore, following some of the techniques can be effective in reducing gas problems in your babies, such as :
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Correct Feeding Position: To help your baby avoid gas problems, make sure they are in the correct position during feeding. When you are breastfeeding, ensure they are properly latched on the breast so that they do not have air along with milk. Hold your baby upright by cradling them with one hand when their neck is slightly tilted, it helps in bottle feeding correctly. Make your baby sit comfortably with support from the back and being fed properly. It can be helpful in swallowing less air, causing gas problems.
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Burp Them Frequently:Burping is one of the most essential techniques that every new parent must learn. Babies take in air when feeding or sometimes when crying, leaving gas trapped in their stomach. Make sure you follow burping methods correctly after feeding them every time to help them release the gas. Hold your baby upright against your shoulder and gently rub or tap their back to make them burp. Often, babies don’t burp right away after being fed. Try again after a few minutes. Burping can help your little one by preventing a lot of tummy troubles.
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Follow Leg Movements: Babies often need help in releasing gas from their stomachs. One important and fun way to do this is to move their tiny legs gently with a cycling method. Lay your baby on their back and hold their legs, gently moving them in a cycling motion, which will help them release the gas from their stomach. You can also push their knees gently towards their tummy and hold for a few seconds, helping the trapped gas get released. This is also a fun way to interact with your little one while ensuring their stomach comfort. You can get professional help on positions to relieve gas in babies.
- Gentle Tummy Massage: Giving a soft and gentle massage to your baby’s tummy is one of the oldest remedies for releasing gas. Lay your baby on their back on a soft surface and put some warm coconut or mustard oil in your hands and gently place them on their tummy. Keep your hands moving slowly and tenderly in circular motion in a clockwise direction. This technique provides comfort to their stomach and follows the path of their digestive system, helping the gas to release. This also creates sweet bonding moments with your little one.
Final Words,
By following the above-mentioned methods, you can manage gas problems in babies. You can ensure their overall health by recognising the correct feeding techniques, understanding their feeding requirements and using proper equipment. Though they are very tiny, gas in their stomach can cause problems with digestion, stomach discomfort and poor feeding, affecting their intestinal well-being. You can consult a paediatrician in Siliguri to understand the proper management of gas problems in babies.
