Help with gas/pooping pain? « Back to Group Discussions

[Code Name Mama]

I'm fairly certain that Ailia is having pain with either gas and/or poo. The witching hour seems to be around 8pm, she SCREAMS for an hour or more, then she has a big poop. The poop is your typical breastmilk poo, except it's foamier.
The only guess I have right now is that she's reacting to beans - it seems like I had beans every day last week, so I've stayed away from them for the past 2 days to see if that will help her.

I've tried the "I Love You" rubbing on her tummy, we've tried holding her different ways, rubbing her feet . . . what else can I do to help with the pain?

[Mal85]

I need help with this as well, so I'm interested to see the responses. Greta doesn't seem to be in a lot of pain, but she is having trouble getting it out. She's been pooping once every few days and can't get it out on her own. She was awake this morning from 4-5:30 squirming and grunting and all she could do was fart a few times. She started it up again after we finished opening presents this morning. She's not crying, but I can tell she's definitely trying to poop and it's not coming out. The only thing that has helped her is some "aggressive" wiping and it takes a while because she can only push out a little bit at a time. It's not hard or anything. It is a little thicker than your usual breastmilk poop, but it's far from solid. I can't figure out why she can't get it out on her own. I've been putting a little lanolin on her butt after she goes because I'm afraid I'm going to wipe her butt raw from helping her poop...

[Jaimee]

Gas, apparent discomfort, foamy poop, grunting/squirming... yep, we have all that, too.  And all my kids have had it.  It seems to resolve within 1-2 months and the probiotics do seem to help in the meantime.  Besides the "I Love U" technique you can try pumping the legs into baby's stomach and back, stimulating the anus with a wipe or q-tip (cover in lubricant like petroleum jelly), more forceful burping techniques (like the ones in Happiest Baby on the Block where you jiggle baby like a cocktail shaker), various brands of gripe/colic water, elimination diets (usually dairy, but gassy veggies, beans, etc. can exacerbate gas as well), and homeopathics. 

Mostly, I'm holding on, just waiting it out.

[jbk21]

Here too.  Ditto to everything Jaimee said!  waiting it out but also doing gripe water, probiotics, constant burping... I don't want to have to do any diet eliminations- we are vegan so it's not dairy, but I also don't want to eliminate beans or soy (processed soy products seem to really bug him...)  Beans, soy, and "gassy" veggies are such a huge part of our diet, I'm not sure what I'd eat!  

[seraf]

I think crying while pooping is fairly common in the beginning. Shay doesn't do it much anymore at 7 weeks, unless he is in his carseat. He does squirm quite a bit until I get him over the toilet but then he goes rather forcefully. 

Gas doesn't seem to bother him. He stretches and toots in his sleep all the time. He even belches while nursing. Occasionally he will fuss for a burp. 

Have you tried holding her upright with her knees to belly?  Like sit with her bottom between your legs and head between breasts, facing away and pull her knees up toward her chest.  That's the classic EC position, but you could do it with a diaper on if you don't want to EC (but no pressure on her bum). That's the position that helped Shay in the beginning. 

Do you get foam through the whole poo? We only get it at the end, which I think is just gas coming out with it. Sometimes foamy poo is related to foremilk/hindmilk imbalance. 

[Jaimee]

Originally Posted by seraf 
Sometimes foamy poo is related to foremilk/hindmilk imbalance. 

Yeah, I think this is often our problem in the first 6-7 weeks b/c of milk regulation.  I think there must be a ton of foremilk and since Avery is not a long nurser (he usually nurses for 5-10 minutes per session), that's probably mostly what he's getting.  I do block nurse to some extent to try and get hindmilk in him, but I'm not sure how effective it is.  It would also appear that a lot of milk is pouring out when Avery begins to nurse and he's gulping and has trouble getting into a breathing/swallowing rhythm.  I just don't understand the "vocalizing" he seems to need to do.  He's grunting and making other noises while trying to latch on and he continues them while trying to breath and swallow, which just doesn't work out well.  I know he's swallowing a bunch of air doing this and exacerbating his gassiness.  It's frustrating. 
 

[Code Name Mama]

Originally Posted by Jaimee 

Yeah, I think this is often our problem in the first 6-7 weeks b/c of milk regulation.  I think there must be a ton of foremilk and since Avery is not a long nurser (he usually nurses for 5-10 minutes per session), that's probably mostly what he's getting.  I do block nurse to some extent to try and get hindmilk in him, but I'm not sure how effective it is.  It would also appear that a lot of milk is pouring out when Avery begins to nurse and he's gulping and has trouble getting into a breathing/swallowing rhythm.  I just don't understand the "vocalizing" he seems to need to do.  He's grunting and making other noises while trying to latch on and he continues them while trying to breath and swallow, which just doesn't work out well.  I know he's swallowing a bunch of air doing this and exacerbating his gassiness.  It's frustrating. 

 

This exactly, but she doesn't grunt, she still clicks sometimes, and I know she's getting a lot of air.

[ZippyGirl]

NAK...

I had problems with foremilk/hindmilk imbalance with my first child, and it's happening again with my son.  I latch him on, get the milk flowing, and when the letdown starts, I pull him off until the flow slows down a bit and the creamier milk starts to flow.  Then I latch him back on.  Problem solved for us -- no more fussy baby or foamy poops.  He's actually content to wait while I let the let down milk  flow into a towel or burp cloth, but my daughter would scream bloody murder.  Having someone hold the baby is helpful after I take him off the breast while the let down milk is flowing into a cloth.  Hope that helps!

[munchymum]

Zippygirl, I second your tips on dealing with oversupply/forceful let-down.

Dionne, would it be worth checking your positioning and attachment?  Clicking can be a sign of a not-quite optimal attachment, and as you say, the air she's taking in could be giving her discomfort.  Just an idea.  I hear clicks when I lose concentration and let my baby slip down too low, and she has a hard time maintaining suction.

[CDsMom1031]

We use Gripe Water mixed with Probiotics.

We also bicycle his legs.

And we lay him belly down on our legs and BOUNCE really hard.

Laying on his stomach has helped him tremendously. As soon as he was able to move his head from side to side while laying stomach down, that's been the way he's slept every since.

We still have issues sometimes, but when we do, we kind of just deal with it. Haha.

All of those above mentioned has helps a TON.

[jbk21]

Ditto Nicole, and also we try to put his butt higher than his head- just slightly so, but it helps the gas bubbles to find the exit.  Gas rises :-)  (works for adults too.  Try a few downward-facing dogs or knee to chest positions.... )  Anyway, we'll put him on our forearm, like a football, with his head in our hand and then lower his head just a bit.  The pressure of the arm on his abdomen + butt in the air seems to really calm him down and get things moving.  

[ZippyGirl]

Originally Posted by jbk21 

also we try to put his butt higher than his head- just slightly so, but it helps the gas bubbles to find the exit.  Gas rises :-) 

Genius!!!!