[kellykola]

Hello All. Thank you for reading this and hopefully giving some suggestions if you can.

My 3 week old baby has a very gurgly tummy all the time. When my hand is on his belly I can even feel it. Is this normal? He does seem like he's gassy and has been passing gas alot. I do think I have a bit of a forceful let down because he chokes and gags when he nurses. I've started nursing him laying down with him on top facing my breast and that seems to help with the choking but it has not reduced the gurgling tummy.

Also...he won't sleep laying down. The only way I can get him to sleep is cradled in my arms or asleep at the breast when we're tummy to tummy. Even if I wait for him to be in deep sleep and then lay him down he wakes up grunting really hard and then starts crying. Since he doesn't sleep on his back when I'm holding him I'm worried about SIDS.

 

[MuslimMama]

Same thing happened to my baby. It got better with time. I attribute it mostly to forceful letdown which took about 6-8 weeks to become more regular. Hang in there

 

[Quinn's Mama]

The gassiness could be from a reaction to something you are eating. You might try staying away from more gassy foods for a while and see if that helps his tummy pains. You could also try burping him longer or more frequently.

Good luck.

 

[~Charlie's~Angel~]

Since when hes sleeping on his stomach he is WITH you, i wouldnt worry to much about sids. You would be amazed at how intuned your natural intuition is. (Even if you were asleep also) if he started to have any complications, heaven forbid, you would know immediately.

 

[b777girl]

My little guy had this problem as well. I also attribute it to overactive letdown. My ped. prescribed Zantac, but I felt it had something to do with nursing. So, per the advice given to me by a lactation consultant, I started allowing my milk to let down into a towel before offering the breast to my son. Also, I only nursed him on one side at a time, and offered the same breast twice in a row, resulting in a decreased demand over time. This worked like a charm and after about a week, we noticed a huge improvement.

 

[spirit4ever]

Great advice, I would also work harder on the burping, cause if its not coming up it will def go down and cause pain.

I also nursed on one side per feed, sometimes twice in a row.

 

[sophiaflute]

i also have a 3 week old and lots of what you say sounds like my situation. my girl doesn't like to lay down either. dr. sears recommends sleeping on the tummy or sleeping on the back, but at an angle, not flat. the pain the baby might be in when flat on their back could be from reflux. that what he says. i also have a forceful letdown with her gagging or choking. i now lean back when i nurse so she's higher then the boob. it's helped. good luck.

 

[veeeyloova]

My lo has acid reflux and it definitely helps for him to sleep on his side. We co-sleep, so he just gets scooted right next to me, and sleeps snuggled against me. You can also buy a sleep positioner that helps them stay on their sides. My SIL suggested having him sleep on his tummy for naps. You have to stay right there to make sure that he/she stays safe. I've never tired it, he hates to be on his tummy, but it's worth a try! Also, I have him sleep on his back on a wedge of foam that's about a 20 degree incline. Bought it at BRU.