Do I need to get a burp every time?

[theoldmommers]

Ok, so I think I'm a bit of a burping slacker. DD is nearly 2w old and while I do always try to get a burp out of her after BF I only try for a minute or two and if I don't get anything I just put her down to nap. DH says he usually gets a burp out of her right away if he takes her for me when she's fussing. She's also a spitter and can sometimes lose what seems like an entire feed if put down on her back when I've gotten no burp.

How long are you supposed to thump away at your wee babe before figuring there's nothing in there? I usually try over the shoulder and if she's fussing try over the knees or that face down hold with my hands under her tummy. But unless it comes right away I usually don't get anything.

[karika]

the old fashioned way of burping is actually no longer recommended. Patting them on the back can cause damage it has been found. Nowadays, the recommended way of burping is to rub up and down on their back. I did not burp dd1 at all after a few weeks old and I found she would burp on her own if she needed to. I did not burp dd2, I would rub her back sometimes and she would burp. Often just lying babe across your legs and moving a bit coaxes any gas out... I think burping (trying to get a baby to burp) is unnecessary personally for what that is worth. Of course it likely depends on your diet too. I have a pretty clean diet with dd2... GFCFSF and no chemicals...

[momtoTnT]

I always thought that BF'd babies didn't "need" to be burped the same way that bottle fed babies did, since they aren't taking in as much air.

[KSDoulaMama]

I have never heard that about patting to burp. I wouldn't think it's a problem if you are only patting lightly.

That being said, I have an overactive letdown/over supply and my DD has to gulp and gulp to keep up. If I do not get a burp, she WILL spit up and she MIGHT projectile vomit ounces worth of milk right back at me. This has made for some messy occasions, though it doesn't seem to bother her. If she has just nursed on a breast that was less full, I don't worry since the spitting doesn't really bother her much.

Basically, I think it depends on the occasion, your baby, and your milk supply.

[ewe+lamb]

In general 'no' but there are certain times when it helps - such as the pp mentioned with over active let down/supply, generally you just need to trust yourself and your baby, but certainly they don't recommend burping as they used to - thank heavens!!

[curious&eager]

I was a slacker too, but then I found that he did have trapped gas. I would lightly pat. After a minute I would want to give up, but in the beginning there was usually a bubble waiting to come up if I just stuck with it a little longer. He had lots of trouble with gas, so if you pat and get burps, go for it. But, I must admit, I was still very slack because when it was a serious bubble, it'd come up on its own pretty quick. FWIW, I had a serious letdown, and I heard that can cause more air to get in somehow.

[Bebe's Mom]

My baby was a burper!! I had a hard time getting her to burp so I let her father do it mostly, he was really good at it. Rubbing her back or belly or just sitting her up usually did the trick. If we didn't burp her she would spit up, at least for the first 4 months or so. Now that she is older I don't bother, she burps whenever she needs to. I was surprised that I needed to burp her, since I heard bf babies didn't need it, but mine did.

[lifeguard]

I always found with ds that just moving him from my breast to my shoulder was generally enough to get him to burp. After a couple weeks I pretty much stopped trying to burp him unless he seemed uncomfortable. I think you need to find what works best with your baby.