gassy newborn?

[BarefootGirl]

My son is 12 days old now (born at 38w3d) and we are breastfeeding.  He is eating and gaining weight very well.  We had his first appt with the pediatrician at 10 days old and he weight 7 lbs, up from 6lbs13oz at birth and 6lbs4oz when we left the hospital at 4 days old. 

However, several times a day, he seems to be uncomfortably gassy - he strains, cries, and arches his back for a few minutes at a time while pooping or passing gas.  There doesn't seem to be anything I can do for him other than wait for it to pass.  He seems really uncomfortable, but afterwards he's fine.  His poop is normal squishy yellow breastmilk poop.  The ped said not to worry as long as his poop is fine.  But of course I hate seeing him upset.  Should I be looking at my diet for the cause?  Or is this just something to be expected with a newborn?  The ped suggested that holding him in a squating position or bicycling his legs will help him pass it more easily.  We've tried it, but I don't think it's making a difference.

[Knitting Mama]

My Cecilia was a tremendously gassy newborn and it clearly bothered her too. I did try gripe water and gas drops and neither helped-- or rather, they would stop her from crying for a moment but they never really affected the gas.

Some things that did help:

- Rather than bicycling, I would lay her on the changing table and do knees-to-tummy repeatedly, in a slowish motion, being sure to press her knees in when they got to the stomach. She would toot and toot and toot (it was actually pretty comical).
- Massage. I would massage in a clockwise motion around her belly button. That helped move things along.
- Wearing her upright. I'm assuming because of gravity and froggied legs, being upright in a wrap allowed her to pass gas more easily
-Time. That was really the biggest key. By about 4 months old she had outgrown most of her early tummy troubles (reflux and gassiness).

[aphel]

I second the use of massage. We actually took a class when DD was a few weeks old. If you can't find one, I think there are some online tutorials, our massage instructor actually recommended youtube!

We used something called the "colic routine", which doesn't necessarily need to be for a colicky babe, but can be used to settle tummies. Also, laying baby on his stomach can help. I would lean DD against my chest, tummy down, in an incline position. That way she would get some pressure o her belly and I could still keep an eye on her airway when she was very tiny!

Good luck! DD is now four months old, and still gassy at times, but it doesn't seem to bother her nearly as much. Just repeat the new parent mantra : This will pass, this will pass . . . .

[Knitting Mama]

Oh and by the by, if your little one hates tummy time, I would chalk that up to the gassiness as well. Cecilia absolutely hated tummy time until she outgrew her infant tummy troubles.