Speaking of gas......

[Irish-Eyes]

Poor Lilly is just the worst for passing gas. It really upsets her and she sometimes has to strain a lot just to get it out. I spoke to our pedi about it and he said to try gently pushing her knees towards her tummy and this maneuver has worked great but isn't always effective. He mentioned to me that we could get something in the whole foods store, something called "Baby ____ " (yeah, of course I don't remember the name). He said it had probiotics in it and to give her 1/8 of a teaspoon. Said recent studies have shown it helps the digestive tract. Anyone know what he's talking about?

At night, half the time she's waking up because of gas pains, and not hunger.

[MommaBear]

Probiotics aren't really going to do much I'd think-- they add it to formula since it doesn't have the stem cells and antibodies that mama milk does. Have you considered that your diet could be the problem? Dairy and soymilk are the most common offenders.

[Irish-Eyes]

I asked him about that and he asked if I ate a lot of broccoli (I don't). I told him that I eat 1-2 Fiber One bars a day and he thought that might be the offender. So I cut them out for a weekend but there was no difference.

[MommaBear]

Asked who? Your doctor? High fiber foods are rarely the issue...

[Irish-Eyes]

sorry - yes, i asked my pediatrician

[maine06]

yeah, dairy, soy, those are the usually culprits for gassy babies... not usually fiber. Are you taking fenugreek for supply? That can cause gassy babies.

There's gripe water and mylicon for gas... we used mylicon and it always helped. Otherwise, yes, move her legs around gently, to try to get the gas to pass.

[cheeksy]

Try gripe water. Helped us a lot. Also there are gas drops called Mylicon. Gas is normal. And keep playing with legs - Tessa had same with gas before. It gets better. :hugs: I was avoiding fresh salad, cabbage and other greens. But now I am slowly adding them back.

[Anna Begins]

We used gas drops (Mylicon)... they worked well. Otherwise, she will outgrow it (if its not your diet causing it) when her digestive system matures. We are (thank goodness) passed that stage.

[11-12-06]

I have noticed J gets worse gas if I eat fiber one bars...but she is a little toot to begin with! I also recommend mylicon...

[Amanda0102]

Also, if you're trying an elimination diet, you need to let it go 2 weeks before you know that it isn't affecting the baby. 2 days and you'll still have it in your system.

[MommaBear]

Please don't let your pedi's dismissal of the idea of food allergies keep you from investigating your diet. Jamie's pedi did the same thing when I brought up the possibility that he had a dairy protein allergy and he went until he was over a year and had changed doctors before we discovered that he was allergic to dairy, soy, egg, wheat, banana, and corn. I let my poor baby suffer because I trusted some old man more than my mommy instinct. :ohno:

Try cutting out dairy for two weeks and at the end of the two weeks decide whether it helped or not. Keep in mind that for babies who are allergic to dairy protein, their poops and gas tend to get worse before they get better as their little bodies are flushing out the rest of the gunk.

[Amanda0102]

And keep in mind the hidden dairy - it's in everything. A good rule of thumb for processed foods is to look for the Kosher Pareve symbol (non-dairy).

[Irish-Eyes]

yeah, dairy, soy, those are the usually culprits for gassy babies... not usually fiber. Are you taking fenugreek for supply? That can cause gassy babies.

There's gripe water and mylicon for gas... we used mylicon and it always helped. Otherwise, yes, move her legs around gently, to try to get the gas to pass.

We've got the gripe water but I've only ever given it to her once (worked great for the burps). I am still taking 4 fenugreek tabs every morning so maybe I should cut that out too. Do you think at this stage, not taking it would affect my supply?

[MommaBear]

I would ease off of it-- fenugreek gives a lot of babies (and mommies) tummy troubles so that could very well be it. Drop down to 3 caps for a day or two, then down to 2, etc.

[arlana]

Regarding allergies, how do the doctors discover what a baby can be allergic to? My 3 month old daughter has eczema and the nurse mentioned it means she has allergies to something which will be revealed when she gets older.

[MommaBear]

They can do a skin prick test where they scratch the baby and put on an oil of different allergins, and ones that swell up mean that is something baby is allergic to. It's a pretty quick and simple test, when they did it to DS he sat there patiently and didn't cry at all. It's better to have them tested sooner rather than later, especially if eczema is already showing up-- that and poop troubles are the big signs of an allergy. Eczema that has dry, rough patches usually means dairy troubles, and fine red rashes that look like tiny bumps often mean wheat.

[11-12-06]

They can do a skin prick test where they scratch the baby and put on an oil of different allergins, and ones that swell up mean that is something baby is allergic to. It's a pretty quick and simple test, when they did it to DS he sat there patiently and didn't cry at all. It's better to have them tested sooner rather than later, especially if eczema is already showing up-- that and poop troubles are the big signs of an allergy. Eczema that has dry, rough patches usually means dairy troubles, and fine red rashes that look like tiny bumps often mean wheat.


They did skin tests on Jaime?? We only have had blood testing for allergies - and Pj only has a peanut allergy. BUT when he was tiny I had to cut out wheat, dairy, all nuts, eggs, and soy for a long time (as you know Rach!). I agree with cutting out the dairy first and weaning off the fenugreek. I am about to give up wheat and dairy for 2 weeks and see if J's skin and gas improve. :ohno:

[Irish-Eyes]

UPDATE: We started the probiotics. The one we found was called Flora Baby and we got it in Chamberlains. DH gives her a 2oz bottle of ebm every night with it in it and let me tell yu, it's made the world of difference. It took 4 days before improvement but it's no longer painful for her to pass gas. I also stopped the fenugreek tabs which did not affect my supply. For a few days, we couldn't get her to take the bottle and the painful gas returned so it really is the probiotic helping her out. Gas rarely wakes her now. It's so good that she's not in pain anymore. Oh and the one that the pedi recommended was called Baby Dophilus.

[xaive]

i'm glad that you realized that it was gas instead of hunger! also, the leg trick really does work! Kaylee and i "ride the bike" every night for about 2 mins or so. i just move her legs like she is riding a bike. she loves it!

i'll have to remember (or just PM you!) the name of that anti-gas med. i'm sure we'll be needing it in the future!

[BigSea]

Piper has the same issue - especially at night - she's pushing so hard and can't get it out. We've tried Mylicon and our Doc recommended a little chamomile tea - brew it up and give her 2 oz after her dinner. It's supposed to help digestion.

I'm going to try that Baby-Dophilus or Flora Baby - just did a little research and read some great reviews. Let us know if it continues to work!!

[Irish-Eyes]

our pedi said we could keep her on it until she starts solids. It's expensive ($26 a jar) but we're not even half way through ours and she's been on it a month. Works wonderfully though.