Mothers may often experience dealing with baby gas problems with their infants. Though it is but natural for babies to have gas, some of them have more than others. However, this could be an uncomfortable condition for babies especially when they feel its most common symptoms such as abdominal bloating, hard belly or burping frequently. Sometimes babies may also have hiccups or spit-ups that may cause the baby to feel irritable and restless. Babies may also experience flatulence or the passing of gas.
Baby gas problems may be caused by various factors. Babies take in air in different ways and this may find its way to the digestive system. Gas may also be produced right there in the digestive tract because of breast milk or infant formula. Babies may have gas as lactose and proteins are digested. At times baby gas problems may have been passed on from mothers who may have eaten legumes or cruciferous vegetables or even citrus fruits that contain too much acid. Mothers who may have included dairy products may also contribute to the gas problems of their babies especially when they breastfeed them.
Some experts believe that gas may have been passed from the breastfeeding mothers to their babies. It is also possible that breastfeeding mothers may be producing too much foremilk which has a higher content of water and lactose. When babies take foremilk that is more than what they need, they may experience stomach cramps. Babies have to get more of the hind milk which is richer in nutrients than that of the foremilk. Babies may also develop hyper-lactation syndrome when they get more of the foremilk instead of the hind milk. This condition may be observed through fast weight gain and more baby gas problems to deal with.
However, babies who are bottle-fed are not spared from baby gas problems. They may also take in air bubbles while sucking milk from their feeding bottles. Mothers are advised to burp their babies every five minutes while breastfeeding or bottle-feeding them. Those who choose to feed their babies with infant formula have to see to it that they make use of the right size of nipples to lessen the possibility of their babies’ gulping some air. Mothers should also see to it that their babies are not exposed to stress from the environment as this can also cause disturbances in the functions of the digestive system especially during feeding time.
Although crying may just be normal for babies, mothers should check what the problem may be. Prolonged crying may also cause baby gas problems especially when babies take in a lot of air which may be trapped in their tummies. Mothers also need to introduce solid foods slowly so that the digestive system of their babies are able to adjust to it as some kinds of food can cause gas problems in babies. Baby gas problems may be expected by mothers but there are some things that they can do to lessen its occurrence and the discomfort that their babies may suffer from.
