What are the Signs and Symptoms of Infant Gas?

    Wind (Gas) Pain in Newborns and Babies

Gas discomfort upsets almost every baby to some degree and it affects both breast-fed and bottle-fed babies. While baby gas pain is common and can afflict a child at any age, it is particularly bothersome in newborns and young infants between one and four months of age, as their immature guts are developing. Furthermore, some babies seem to suffer more than others due to inborn and environmental factors.

Gas is a common symptom of intestinal disorders, but it is rarely a sign of a serious problem, according to Donald Schiff, M.D. and Steven Shelov, M.D. at the American Academy of Pediatrics.

     What are the Signs and Symptoms of Infant Gas?

When baby gas pain strikes, a parent’s first instinct is to find a safe and natural solution, but babies obviously can’t tell us the location and nature of their problem. Thus, knowing and observing the signs of intestinal gas is necessary to identify an effective remedy.

• Burping and Belching

Burping is a natural way of expelling gas built up in the stomach and you should encourage your child to burp during and immediately after a meal. However, if your baby hiccups, burps, belches or spits up excessively, it may indicate that too much air is being swallowed during feeding.

• Bloating

Gas has buoyancy and trapped gas essentially acts like a cork in the intestines, causing the flow of gastric juices to slow or stop. A swollen abdomen could be a sign that gas is trapped in the intestines, causing built up pressure to accumulate. Built up pressure thus causes bloating of the abdomen, resulting in pain and discomfort. A baby’s immature digestive system may be unable to cope effectively and some babies may experience painful cramps.

• Excessive Fussiness

Crying is simply how babies communicate a need. As such, crying occurs frequently and for any number of reasons, like hunger, discomfort, loneliness, pain, tiredness, or gassiness.

According to the “Dunstan Baby Language” system, a baby will cry out with an “Eh” sound if gas is trapped in the stomach and needs to burp, whereas an “Eairh” crying sound will be uttered if gas is trapped in the intestines. Though not scientific, this system or language may be helpful for some parents. Parents tend to describe a gas cry as sharper and more acute as if a baby is in pain. With intestinal gas, you may notice your baby’s face turn red, fists clench, knees pull up into the chest, or straining and grunting sounds.

If your baby cries for three or more hours per day and at least three times per week he or she may have colic.

• Spitting Up

Spitting up is common in babies and can be normal. Most babies spit up, and it is often accompanied by a burp, during or soon after a baby’s feeding. However, sometimes it can be due to the type of formula, particles in breastmilk, eating too much or too fast, or it can be associated with gas build-up.

• Flatulence

It is quite normal for babies to pass gas around 15-20 times per day. Gas can enter the digestive system through several sources including normal digestion of nutrients in milk and formula and air swallowed during feeding and crying. However, an excessive amount of gas may point to incomplete digestion of food due to a newborns’ very immature digestive processes, which have not had time to build up adequate beneficial flora (probiotics) and enzymes in the gut. Bad bacteria, viruses and other infections can also cause excessive gassiness, flatulence and even diarrhea. These infections may require medical attention.

• Restlessness or Insomnia

Any form of discomfort will make it more difficult for baby to sleep…likewise for concerned parents.

Read about Reflux >>