Newborn baby is gassy, any suggestions?

[thetaflow]

Hi everyone,

A close friend of mine recently had a baby.

They've gone through a bit of trouble at the start, with jaundice and a few other things, but she has been home for the past few weeks and everything seems fine.

She's been very gassy, and sometimes vomits a bit. It's making her quite fussy and she doesn't sleep well because of it.

They've been giving her this Gripe Water: Woodward's Gripe Water, 150ml

They say it helps, but I wonder if there's concern of the sodium bicarb neutralizing stomach acid?

Anyway, if anybody has some suggestions, please advise.

Thank you!

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

“One such irrational practice is the use of gripe water for infants on a routine basis and for colic.[2] Anything (including gripe water) other than breast milk administered to a baby during the first six months may increase the risk of introducing bacteria, causing allergies and irritating the baby's intestines.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3356971/#:~:text=%5B2%5D%20Anything%20(including%20gripe,and%20irritating%20the%20baby's%20intestines.

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

“The U.S. FDA does not consider gripe water safe for children.

• Wheat or dairy products in gripe water can upset the baby’s stomach.
• Some formulations of gripe water consist of sucrose, which yet again can prove to be unsafe for children. The high sugarcontent in the gripe water can harm the erupting teeth.
• Gripe water may also contain gluten, dairy, parabens, and vegetable carbon, which can induce allergies in children.
• It could potentially worsen a baby’s reflux symptoms.
• It is unfit to be given to babies younger than one month.
• Sodium bicarbonate present in the gripe water doesn’t have a specific role in treating colic. Long-term use of sodium bicarbonate may increase blood alkalinity or pH.”

Why Is Gripe Water Banned? for Colic, Side Effects & Newborns

Gripe water is a herbal medication available in liquid form. It has been effective in treating colic in children. Learn about uses, side effects, and newborns.

www.medicinenet.com

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

“As gripe water is a supplement and not a medication, it doesn't come under the regulation of the United States Food and Drug Administration (U.S. FDA), which means that there is no guarantee for the ingredients mentioned on the label. Hence, gripe water cannot be termed safe for newborns. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), newborn infants shouldn't be given food or drink other than breast milk, unless medically indicated because these may introduce bacteria or allergens in the intestine, thus irritating it or causing infections. Some of the contents in the gripe water can be harmful to the newborns”

• Is Gripe Water Safe for Newborns?

 

[GTW]

Colic is the catch-all term for infant digestive related problems. Even this discussion is not complete. Formula fed? Cow's milk or other protein intolerant?
When I was a kid I had problems, my mother bought a yogurt maker.
Do infants have much stomach acid in the first place?

Understanding Colic | Colic Calm

Understanding colic and the symptoms associated with a baby colic diagnosis will help calm frustrations and anxieties of parents. There are 9 theories on what causes colic and 14 known remedies for treatment.

www.coliccalm.com

 

[GTW]

FDA doesn't approve of gripe water...
Their disclaimers and warnings can be misleading. Typical FDA straw man manipulative propaganda. Look at specifics.
The product mentioned ingredients are benign, not to be condemned by association with other products of the same general category, gripe waters.

 

[Jennifer]

Colic is the catch-all term for infant digestive related problems. Even this discussion is not complete. Formula fed? Cow's milk or other protein intolerant?

This. Even if the baby is breastfed, he/she could be reacting to something the mother is consuming.

 

[jameske]

chlorophyllin is a bowel cleanser considered safe. It will colour excrement and will make it darker though.

 

[thetaflow]

Colic is the catch-all term for infant digestive related problems. Even this discussion is not complete. Formula fed? Cow's milk or other protein intolerant?
When I was a kid I had problems, my mother bought a yogurt maker.
Do infants have much stomach acid in the first place?

Understanding Colic | Colic Calm

Understanding colic and the symptoms associated with a baby colic diagnosis will help calm frustrations and anxieties of parents. There are 9 theories on what causes colic and 14 known remedies for treatment.

www.coliccalm.com

Thank you, she is breastfed. She's just a few weeks old for now.

 

[thetaflow]

This. Even if the baby is breastfed, he/she could be reacting to something the mother is consuming.

This seems to be the case.

 

[sheepish]

Hi! New to the forum, but I really wanted to reply to this one!

My baby had CMPA, an allergy to cow's milk protein. She presented just like this! In our case she wasn't symptomatic until about 5 weeks of age. We tried everything for her colic, but it resolved completely within a few days when I completely eliminated dairy from my diet.

Apparently it is the most common allergy in infants. It often presents concurrent with a soy allergy. It almost always resolves by age 5. My baby just had her first birthday and we are gradually reintroducing whole cow's milk, which she is now tolerating.

 

[frannybananny]

This seems to be the case.

When my son was born, a month premature, he seemed to have such digestive problems and cried most of the night. I only breast fed, no formula or anything but he still screamed from about 11PM to 6 AM. An older Aunt in my family used to wheedle at me all the time... "It's something yer eating" ... told me to stop all cruciferous vegetables... no broccoli or cauliflower, etc. so I quit that and about everything else too, no spicy foods, no wheat, etc.. It seemed to help somewhat but not totally and he didn't start sleeping until after 5 months of age... yes, I was sleep deprived. Sometimes there is nothing you can do but get through it and try not to turn into a crazed person.

 

[Pablo Cruise]

I usually recommend Mylicon Infant Drops.

 

[Abba]

Mother should eliminate all citrus and keep to a simple bland [no spices] diet.
You should see improvement within 3 days - if not, look into homeopathics.

 

[GTW]

Re colic the first thought in my mind was chamomile tea.
Reading more, apparently even if the baby is breastfeeding, chamomile, fennel, other herbs taken by the mother may be helpful.
Another suggestion was massage.

 

[thetaflow]

Hi! New to the forum, but I really wanted to reply to this one!

My baby had CMPA, an allergy to cow's milk protein. She presented just like this! In our case she wasn't symptomatic until about 5 weeks of age. We tried everything for her colic, but it resolved completely within a few days when I completely eliminated dairy from my diet.

Apparently it is the most common allergy in infants. It often presents concurrent with a soy allergy. It almost always resolves by age 5. My baby just had her first birthday and we are gradually reintroducing whole cow's milk, which she is now tolerating.

Thank you for your input, much appreciated! (And welcome to the forum)

 

[thetaflow]

When my son was born, a month premature, he seemed to have such digestive problems and cried most of the night. I only breast fed, no formula or anything but he still screamed from about 11PM to 6 AM. An older Aunt in my family used to wheedle at me all the time... "It's something yer eating" ... told me to stop all cruciferous vegetables... no broccoli or cauliflower, etc. so I quit that and about everything else too, no spicy foods, no wheat, etc.. It seemed to help somewhat but not totally and he didn't start sleeping until after 5 months of age... yes, I was sleep deprived. Sometimes there is nothing you can do but get through it and try not to turn into a crazed person.

Thank you, glad it resolved eventually.

 

[thetaflow]

.

 

[thetaflow]

Re colic the first thought in my mind was chamomile tea.
Reading more, apparently even if the baby is breastfeeding, chamomile, fennel, other herbs taken by the mother may be helpful.
Another suggestion was massage.

@Abba @GTW @Pablo Cruise Thank you for the suggestions everyone, I will pass them on. Much appreciated.

 

[itsnotthem]

Newbie here,

We had good results with fennel tea for our infants with digestive issues. It seemed to calm things down. Hope this helps