What can be done about trapped wind in babies at night? And what might be causing it? The baby in this Q&A wakes up several times per night in pain.
Mom’s Question:
Ever since my baby was born, she has had trouble with her belly.
The doctors just said it was colic, but she is nine months old now and is still the same. She wakes up as often as five times a night with trapped wind and is in real pain, then she farts during the 1 to 2 hours of screaming and then goes straight back to sleep once the wind has gone.
Also, if she needs to poo, she is up all night in pain until she has been.
It is very upsetting when she is in so much pain. I try moving her legs up and down to get the belly working, and this does help, but now she is bigger, it is harder as she is like a stiff board resisting being moved.
She usually is up and down from when she goes to bed until about 2 am and sometimes up to 4 am. She is then normally up again at about 6ish and up about 7.30/8 am, so we often only get at most 2/3 hours of sleep in between the screaming.
Her poo changes; sometimes, it is hard, and sometimes it is runny. There is no consistency. What should it be like at nine months? She is usually ok in the daytime but recently has stopped eating in the day; it is a real job to get a few mouthfuls in. The doctor has given us Gaviscon. She has also been sick the last few weeks, which has not helped.
Please help us.
Baby With Painful Trapped Gas At Night
You describe a very exhausting situation! At nine months, your daughter is unlikely to have colic; that would have been gone by now. I’ll provide some possible reasons for trapped gas – or bloatedness – in babies and what you can do to help your daughter.
Common Reasons for Trapped Wind in Babies
Babies can experience trapped gas at night for various reasons. Here are some possible, more common explanations. You’ll find some possible but more unlikely reasons further down the article.
Baby is Swallowing Air
A possible reason for gas in babies is that they tend to swallow air when for example, bottle-feeding or using a pacifier. If they swallow a lot of air, this can accumulate gas in their digestive tract, causing discomfort and trapped gas.
Acid Reflux /GERD
Although it may seem counterintuitive, gastroesophageal reflux can cause increased gas production. As you probably know, gastroesophageal reflux (GER) occurs when the stomach contents, including stomach acid and partially digested food, flow back through the esophagus and into the throat. This reflux is common in infants and often leads to no symptoms or changes in weight. But when the reflux causes uncomfortable symptoms in babies, the condition becomes gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
One of the symptoms of GERD is trapped gas. Other common symptoms are crying, sleep disturbances, and a decreased appetite. Babies with GERD also have a hard time gaining weight. Has your baby been diagnosed with acid reflux since she is on Gaviscon? While effective in relieving many acid reflux symptoms, some of the documented side effects of Gaviscon are stomach cramps and constipation, and/or diarrhea. If you are not sure why her doctor gave it to her, make sure you ask!
Several reasons may cause trapped gas in babies with GERD:
Increased air swallowing: When babies experience reflux, they may swallow more air than usual. This can happen due to the regurgitation of stomach contents, which triggers swallowing to clear the throat. The increased air swallowing can lead to gas accumulation in the digestive system.
Indigestion: Refluxed stomach acid in the esophagus can irritate the lining and cause inflammation. Although the exact mechanism is not yet fully understood, it may be that this inflammation affects the normal digestion process, leading to increased gas production and the sensation of trapped gas.
Delayed gastric emptying: GERD can sometimes be associated with delayed gastric emptying, where the stomach takes longer to empty its contents into the small intestine because of the frequent reflux of stomach contents back up the esophagus. This delay can contribute to gas accumulation in the stomach, leading to discomfort and trapped gas.
Food sensitivities/allergies, Lactose Intolerance, Cow’s Milk Protein Allergy (CMPA)
Some babies may have sensitivities or allergies to certain foods. Common culprits include dairy products consumed by breastfeeding mothers or in formula or solid foods. Other foods that can cause sensitivities in babies include soy, wheat, eggs, and certain fruits or vegetables. These sensitivities can lead to excessive gas production and discomfort.
You haven’t mentioned what your baby eats or if the symptoms have changed after introducing certain foods, e.g., formula or solid foods. However, any dietary changes that coincided with her symptoms can be a clue as to why your baby has these problems.
It is also possible that your baby has had lactose intolerance or cow’s milk protein allergy from the start and that the pain and gas have been related to such sensitivity since your baby was born.
Has she been checked for lactose intolerance and/or milk protein allergy? A lot of the symptoms you describe are common for babies with that. A lot of the symptoms you describe are common for babies with that. You can read about lactose intolerance and milk protein allergy symptoms here.
Sensitivities to food or milk may contribute to trapped gas in babies in these ways:
Increased gas production: Food sensitivities can trigger an immune response in the body, leading to inflammation in the digestive system. This inflammation can affect the normal digestion and absorption of food, leading to increased gas production as a byproduct of fermentation by gut bacteria. The excess gas can become trapped in the digestive system, causing discomfort and bloating.
Intestinal spasms: In some cases, food sensitivities can trigger intestinal spasms or contractions, leading to a disturbance in the movement of food through the digestive tract. This may result in slower digestion and gas accumulation in the intestines.
Malabsorption of carbohydrates: Certain food sensitivities, such as lactose intolerance or sensitivity to specific carbohydrates, can interfere with the body’s ability to properly break down and absorb these substances. Undigested carbohydrates can be fermented by gut bacteria, producing excess gas.
Possible, But Less Likely Causes for Bloatedness in Babies
Positioning during feeding
The position in which a baby is fed can impact gas formation. If a baby is positioned incorrectly or not burped adequately during or after feeding, it can contribute to a build-up of gas.
You don’t mention what and how your baby eats. But being nine months old, I’d assume that you have started to introduce solid foods, and she is most likely eating some of her foods in an upright position. Hence, while the feeding position may contribute to the trapped gas, it is not likely the only reason unless she always feeds lying down in the evening and the painful gas only occurs at night. In such a case, it can be worth testing a more upright feeding position in the evening and see if it helps.
Immature digestive system
Newborns have an immature digestive system that is still developing. Their digestive muscles and the coordination between them may not be fully developed, which can result in difficulty in passing gas effectively. Since your baby is now nine months old, and the problem persists, an immature digestive system is not a likely reason for her pain and trapped wind. This may still be considered if your baby was born small, premature, or had severe medical conditions immediately after birth.
Overfeeding
Overfeeding can overwhelm a baby’s digestive system and increase gas production. When a baby consumes more milk than their stomach can handle, it can result in regurgitation, gas, and bloating. Again, I don’t think this is a likely reason at nine months.
How to mitigate trapped gas pain in babies
While waiting to get the reasons for your baby’s gas and pain sorted out, here are some ways to mitigate trapped gas pain in babies:
- Burping: Burping your baby during and after feeding can help reduce and release trapped gas. Gently hold your baby upright against your chest or over your shoulder and pat or rub their back to encourage burping.
- Activity and Tummy Time: Being nine months old, I’d assume your baby is more active and on her tummy quite often. But since the gas tends to build up at night, you could incorporate some tummy play time or fun activities before winding down for bedtime. Activity and tummy time can help relieve gas and promote better digestion.
- Gentle Massage: Gently massaging your baby’s tummy clockwise can provide relief. Gently massaging your baby’s tummy clockwise can provide relief. Use soft, circular motions with your fingertips, or you can try the “I Love You” massage technique, where you trace the letters “I,” “L,” and “U” on their tummy.
- Bicycle Legs (baby leg exercises): As you may already know, laying your baby on their back and gently moving their legs in a cycling motion can help. This exercise can help gas move much quicker across and out of their digestive system. However, since your daughter refuses the motion when she is already in pain, I suggest trying it as part of the bedtime routine before she has built up enough gas to be in pain. You may also be able to gently try bicycle motions while she is calmy asleep and preferably in a deep sleep, again before she wakes up in pain.
- Warm Compresses: Applying a warm compress or a warm water bottle wrapped in a soft towel to your baby’s tummy can provide soothing relief for trapped gas. Make sure to test the compress against your own skin first to check if it’s too hot for your baby. We want to avoid discomfort and burns.
- Probiotics: Some research studies suggest that probiotics may help with persistent diarrhea and colic symptoms. While your baby is too old to be diagnosed with colic, the pain and crying can still be due to similar underlying causes, and hence probiotics may be worth trying. However, discuss the type of probiotic, the dosage, and if it is appropriate with your baby’s healthcare provider.
Takeaway
These are a few possible reasons for your baby’s painful gas at night. There may be other explanations, of course, and I think you should get a second opinion from another pediatrician immediately. Crying, gas, and pain to such an extent are unlikely to be normal for a 9-month-old. Also, the fact that her poo varies between runny and hard might indicate some intolerance or allergy.
I really hope you get it sorted out soon. Don’t stop bugging the doctors!
Please let me know about your progress,
Paula
Read Next: Babies With Painful Gas And Pooping Issues
Find comments below.
References
- American Academy of Pediatrics: Breaking up Gas
- Gonzalez Ayerbe JI, Hauser B, Salvatore S, Vandenplas Y. Diagnosis and Management of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease in Infants and Children: from Guidelines to Clinical Practice. Pediatr Gastroenterol Hepatol Nutr. 2019 Mar;22(2):107-121. doi: 10.5223/pghn.2019.22.2.107. Epub 2019 Mar 8. PMID: 30899687; PMCID: PMC6416385.
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. (2020). Lactose Intolerance.
- Vandenplas Y, Abkari A, Bellaiche M, Benninga M, Chouraqui JP, Çokura F, Harb T, Hegar B, Lifschitz C, Ludwig T, Miqdady M, de Morais MB, Osatakul S, Salvatore S, Shamir R, Staiano A, Szajewska H, Thapar N. Prevalence and Health Outcomes of Functional Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Infants From Birth to 12 Months of Age. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2015 Nov;61(5):531-7. doi: 10.1097/MPG.0000000000000949.
- Bernaola Aponte G, Bada Mancilla CA, Carreazo NY, Rojas Galarza RA. Probiotics for treating persistent diarrhea in children. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013 Aug 20;2013(8):CD007401. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD007401.pub3. PMID: 23963712; PMCID: PMC6532736.
- Ong TG, Gordon M, Banks SS, Thomas MR, Akobeng AK. Probiotics to prevent infantile colic. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2019 Mar 13;3(3):CD012473. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD012473.pub2. PMID: 30865287; PMCID: PMC6415699.
- Al-Beltagi M, Saeed NK, Bediwy AS, Elbeltagi R. Cow’s milk-induced gastrointestinal disorders: From infancy to adulthood. World J Clin Pediatr. 2022 Nov 9;11(6):437-454. doi: 10.5409/wjcp.v11.i6.437. PMID: 36439902; PMCID: PMC9685681.
Paula Dennholt founded Easy Baby Life in 2006 and has been a passionate parenting and pregnancy writer since then. Her parenting approach and writing are based on studies in cognitive-behavioral models and therapy for children and her experience as a mother and stepmother. Life as a parent has convinced her of how crucial it is to put relationships before rules. She strongly believes in positive parenting and a science-based approach.
Paula cooperates with a team of pediatricians who assist in reviewing and writing articles.
She is on a hyper allergenic diet so off wheat, dairy, soy, eggs, nuts, etc. she is on very simple diet. They try to introduce wheat back into her diet last year but she got so sick she was in hospital 3 times. It’s like her immune system doesn’t work when she is given wheat. They did tests to see if she had any allergy or if she was coeliac but all tests came back clear. Very frustrating, as keep hitting brick walls. It’s easy to deal manage something when u know what yr dealing with. She is 2.5 yrs old now. I have to keep researching
My two little ones both breast feed woke to screem every ten minutes. It took 14 months to work out but it turned out to be gluten intolerance. The older girl sleep through now and the baby wakes every four hr like a normal baby.
Hey ladies… I have visited the pead and a simple solution was to change my formula from Novalac AR to Infacare which is the lightest formula on the market right now. I have been giving woodlands gripe water 4ml in water throughout the day they drink it then 4ml before bedtime and for the past 3days no screams , no crazy gassy nights. I hope this helps someone.
Can’t believe this problem is affecting so many people. This is my 2nd child and I had no problems with my 1st. She is 5 months now and had silent reflux as a baby so was prescribed Gaviscon which did nothing. Then we we advised to out her on lactose free milk which has helped with her reflux but she still gets an incredible amount of trapped bottom wind, even though she burps fine at each feed. She is very contented during the day and will settle at around 7pm but then in the early hours she will start crying as she is so uncomfortable. She is wriggling and tossing and turning trying to get comfortable. I have to pick her up and rub her tummy until all the wind goes before she will settle to sleep again. The doctors just keep saying she’ll grow out of it but have been saying this for a few months now and I can’t see it. I was advised to wean her early as she is not tolerating milk but now I am worried this is going to make her worse. She certainly isn’t any better for it. The doctors just don’t want to know as she is gaining weight ok and always appears happy and smiley. Wish I could make them spend a few nights with her s they could see the problem. Why don’t they listen to the people that know their child best and spend 24 hours with them, not 5 minutes?
Ohhh I feel your frustration! My son suffered with silent reflux to the point he hadn’t slept in 24hrs without rocking so I took him to emergency as it was weekend. The dr looked at him said he looked fine and actually printed me off some googled info about reflux and tried to send me home!!!!! Later they did the dye berium test that proved he had reflux… Could have throttled the dr! We tried gaviscon but it constipated him causing worse gas then zoton which seemed to help (he’s just come off it now at 13 months).
The trapped wind didn’t get better until he crawled and could push it out. Not sure it it’s helpful but after dinner we gave him infacol and gripe water and laid him on his tummy to push out gas. He didn’t sleep thru until 8 months without waking every 40 mins to 2 hrs in pain. In the night I would put his knees to chest and rotate in clockwise circle and that helped… We also wore out 3 rocking chairs to get him to settle during the 8 months.
Also just to top it off both of mine are lactose intolerant and the reflux was secondary to this issue. I breast fed for 9 months by changing my diet and also giving a lacteeze tablet before every feed. One then went to neocate and the other is happy on soy formula now, but it all seems to be intertwined! Best of luck and I say always demand a second opinion as like you say you know best
Hello ladies, I can’t believe so many kids are going through the same thing. I thought it was just me. My twins are 7months now and they had Colic and Reflux. They are on Novalac AR formula. They have cereal in the morning for breakfast, a pear or apple purity for lunch or veggies and purity night cereal for supper. During the day they such happy babies, then night comes and the terror begins. They are constantly rolling around in the cot, my son wakes up screaming eyes still shut until he finally pushes the gas out he goes back to sleep. I can’t take this anylonger. My pead says they will grow out of it but WHEN!!!!!!! I have given Colic calm at night and even Nexium which is just like gaviscon but it all seems to be making things worse. I’m not sure what to do now…. Any advice would be much appreciated.
Just to clarify for all, my two year old girl does not suffer from constipation. Quite the opposite, she could have up to 5 soft stool nappies a day and if given wheat or dairy that number will double or even trible!
Use of asafoetida, an Indian spice when dissolved in water would soften up. Use dis solution on babies stomach included the sides of the stomach. Put few drops of it in the navel of the baby. It sure smells really awful. But it woud help relieve the wind or gas in stomach. I know it sounds crazy that something applied externally wid resolve the problem internally .but it works. Iin fact, it’s brilliant remedy. So be sure to use it next time n wait for few minutes. Baby would all be full of smiles again. Again I want to point it out that lack of sleep contributes to constipation which in return causes various problems including stomach issues. So get a baby on regular schedule. Regulate the eating, playing, sleeping patterns. It would ultimately regulate bowel movements. A baby would probably pass stools in the morning after a few days on regular basis jus as v do. The way it should be. A good rest at night helps in easier bowel movements in morning which in turn helps elimanete formation of gas in the system from the wastes buildup later on. Hope it helps.
I am so glad I found this and know that I am not alone! We are waiting for an appointment with a new pediatrician and hopefully we can get some answers. Our son has also had frequent uti’s and has been hospitalized for them. As a mom I just feel something is not right so we will see.
You poor thing the utis are horrible! My son has suffered since birth and has had one op so far to investigate and they also found he had a very tight foreskin which was restricting the flow of urine. This meant the wee was pooling in the bladder and infection set in. He has been on antibiotics for a year now and we have his next op in march to see if he’s grown out of the urinary reflux. We haven’t had an infection since the first op when they circumcised him, so that has been a wonderful relief. You are not alone and you’re right mum knows best
I posted on this over a year ago and my little girl now 2 has never improved. She was on the hyper allergenic diet and they tried re introducing wheat into her diet very slowly but she got extremely sick. Her immune system was very low and after 5 months of constantly in and out of doctors she ended up in hospital with pneumonia in both lungs. The wheat was stopped.She has never slept the night and wakes every couple of hours. She has now been referred by her paedrition to a gastronlogist (not sure of spelling).I will keep you all posted on outcome. Just waiting for appoint.
Please help! My baby girl just turned two. She is on a super limited diet, neocate Jr., and lactulose. I breastfed for 9 months on elimination diet, but threw in the towel after so much success with neocate. Solids have been a nightmare… Dairy, soy, eggs, grains, fructose, beef and pork all upset her tummy. I recently weaned her from Zantac/ Prevacid that she was on from 5 weeks on. I still can’t figure this out. I have seen a naturopath, 2 allergists, 2 GI specialists and 2 pediatricians. I’m super depressed and blame myself entirely. When she was a month old, I had severe post partum depression. My best friend came in town and took me out for dinner. I pumped tons of milk prior, but came home to a fussy baby refusing the bottle. I think freezing my milk made it taste bad to her. I probably had 3 glasses of wine over the course of 5 hours. I waited as long as possible before giving in and nursing her. I have had so much guilt and depression that I caused this ever since. I didn’t even drink a drop of caffeine while I was pregnant. I was so careful. Please tell me any treatments for these issues that you have had success with. I’m desperate to move on in my life and enjoy my sweet baby.
We are only just getting some relief now at 9 months. I posted on here when Charlie was 7 months and the solids were making life hell from wind and constipation. This is what has helped but again that time for the gut to mature a bit has been the savior. We went back to basics and I was only feeding him pear, potato and pumpkin all with extra water to make it extra sloppy. Also smaller amounts and I find even niw if my hubby feeds him and overfeeds him we have a terrible night of wind. Im much more aware of when he has had enough now!I give infacol with every milk feed, then with breakfast rice cerial with a pinch of fibre granules. After every meal and about 20 mins before he goes to bed I give 10 ml gripe water and let him crawl around to get the wind and poo out. The crawling has really really really helped getting the wind out and again that’s time.
My little girl is 6 months 2 weeks I only started her on solids 2 weeks ago she has always been a colicky baby and had reflux but slept all night from8 weeks old, from I started solids its made her wind a million times worse she is squealing in pain when I lie her in her crib bringing her legs up severe trapped wind she is maybe sleeping for 10 mins then squealing through the night what I have done these last 2 days is just give her porridge for breakfast and her formula milk rest of day and she is sleeping in her cot again and sleeping all night I’m still questioning myself am I doing the right thing here, she only weighed 6 pound 4 at birth And takes 6 oz bottles every 3-4 hours, Is her tummy not ready for solids yet or cud there b something wrong with her wee tummy I use coleif and infacol give gripe water nothing seems to b working for her
What is hypoallergic diet, PLEASE?
My 6 months old baby is the same! Difficult to put to sleep ( takes 2 hours sometimes, usually 1 hour), he is so uncomfotable and straining all night long till 7 am, when he has a huge poo. Every night we sleep 30min-1hr and then screaming and straining and back to sleep. He screams most of the time with his eye closed and then wakes himself up and strains and strains and screams. My heart breaks!!!! I am on the elimination diet myself for 4 weeks now and my little bub improved during the day. He used to scream and strain during the day as well, now he does it only ocassuanly. I am about to start him on solids and very scared. Any advise?
Hi
I posted way back when my little boy was almost 12 months old. I still get notifications from this page and apologise for not returning sooner. I felt totally alone at the time as no doctors seemed concerned and no friends or other mums seems to have any of these issues with their babies and I know there is little on the net for help advice. All I can say is hang on in there, things do get better. Our boys first year was the worst for sleeping/pain and then as if overnight turning 12/13 months ( as the Doctors had said, although they did give many age milestones!!)it all seemed to just STOP. I have no idea why or how, so, I’m sorry I can’t really offer any further advice and can only imagine his tummy was sensitive when young and just took a while to mature and deal with the passing of wind/gas etc?? I really don’t know, as he has always eaten well and had no toilet troubles.
He is now 3 and half, still eats well, is a great, happy kid and sleeps GREAT!! from 6.30/7 for 12 hours, it’s been a long time coming and never thought we’d get there after having the odd 2 hours sleep on and off every night…thankfully there are no long term effects from this weird pain/lack of sleep in his early year :)
I now have a daughter and noticed similar signs but no where near as extreme as my son, but with the rolling, lifting legs etc with wind pain, but somehow she seems to be able to ‘release’ the wind easier and sets back off to sleep, she’s now 16 months and where with my son, his pain disappeared at 12 months, she does still have nights where she has this pain, but obviously all children are different. I’m just hopeful that there is light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak.
Hoping all your babies find comfort ( and sleep!!) soon xx
Finally, people with the same issue! My son is 8 months and has had UTIs since birth and is on antibiotic that kill his poor tummy and has never slept well. He had reflux which I controlled with changing my diet and the way I BF him. Oh and is lactose intolerant which again I manage by cutting out dairy and soy and crush up lacteeze before every feed. Everything was under control until I started him on solids which I was told would help reflux…. Well it did the opposite life has been hell with no sleep. It’s now a trapped wind issue that starts after I put him to bed at 6-7 pm and we rock him in shifts all night. He is under the care of a Urologist for UTIs and an allergy paed next week as I am so sick of feeling guilty that even on my limited diet something I ate might be doing this to him. Day sleeps are terrible 20 mins in morning and I sit and rock him for up to 2 hours whilst my toddler has her day nap. So frustrated with drs telling me he will grow out of everything, waiting for that magic day I will wake up and he will have slept thru the night for first time in his life!
Thanks everyone for posting their stories I feel not so Alone now!!
Such amazing posts and seems to be the only info on internet. My heart goes out to each of you. Your words describe our exact situation. Were any of your children given a specific diagnosis? Were intestinal malroatations, ect considered? What diagnostic tests were performed?
I did ask the paed gastro how he was so sure the problems were reflux and constipation and not a more sinister issue which may require surgery e.g. intestinal malroatations, he explained that such conditions would present as vomitting and as Oliver has never vomitted this was his reasoning. Oliver is 18 months and on 10mg omeprazole and 2 sachets of movicol per day, he has improved but still wakes with trapped wind and stomach cramps.
Well nearly a year on and there is light at the end of the tunnel! My little girl is still on MOVICOL and boy do we know when we have not given it to her as she suffers from cramp and wind again so the sleepless nights set in… All i can advise is to keep going back to the doctors until the problem is solved.Our problem was quite simple in the grand scheme of things, but we were so sleep deprived and so was our little girl. Sleep is still not constant but sooooo much better!! Still trying to eliminate old habbits from being a baby and having to be soothed and cuddled to sleep but we are getting there! A much happier little girl and Mummy & Daddy!
Dear All, my baby boy has been exactly the same and he is now 14 months, although we know he has reflux this seems to be kept under control with Omeprazole 5mg daily, the issue is the stomach cramps and wind which have never subsided no matter which foods were elimiated from his diet. He has been on a very restricted diet for a number of months as the doctors suggested multiple food allergies. He has just been tested and this is not the case and it is more likely the cause is due to a digestive problem, possibly constipation even though he too has a mixture of hard pebble like stools and very soft pastey stools.
I would just like to ask you, Louise, if your little girl is still having Movicol daily and if it is still working as I also recently tried half a sachet for my little boy and as you say he has a clear out and slept really well for a night or so after having it, but I’m worried about giving it to him everyday. The only way I can get him to sleep is to apply pressue to his stomach or lie him on a hot water bottle most nights.
The Paediatrician and GP prescribed Paediatric Movicol with a daily dosage and said that it might be an ongoing thing. It did take a few days to get the dose right so that things were a little easier to move whilst avoiding loose runny stools.I was also concerned about giving her a medicine each day but we found that when we did not give her the medicine the problems reoccurred despite plenty of fruit, fibre and water. Apparently the active substance in Movicol passes through the gut without actually getting absorbed in to the body. It helps by reducing the amount of water being absorbed making the stool softer.
We continued with it daily for approximately 10-12 months and then gradually reduced the amount, then gave it every other day, every three days etc. We currently don’t give her the Movicol daily and only use it when symptoms reoccur which are now few and far between. I think as she matured so did her digestive system and she no longer needed the extra help.
This is only our experience but it did help our little girl and we have not seen any ill effects from using it.
However, I would speak to your GP for further information or if you have any concerns as they will be able to give you more advice.
Thanks for your reply Louise, Oliver was prescribed Movicol by the paedatritians yesterday which I am pleased about as the only nights that he has slept through in 15 months are the 4 occasions when I have given him half a sachet so cross fingers. Thanks.
Music to my ears….thank godness someone else is going through the same thing…
Just want to echo what everyone else has said, in same position with 10 month old with problems at night and being fobbed off. He’s having a urine test and we have put him on Soya Milk so we will have to see how it goes. So tired and frustrated that doctors will not listen to mothers who know their own baby. It is not normal for children nearly one to be screaming in their sleep and rolling around in pain. It is ridiculous that they do not take notice! Hope we can get to the bottom of this problem, i feel like the little man is being mentally affected by these stomach problems as he seems very anxious at night!
hi, my 7 month old boy suffers terrible trapped wind, has huge difficulty farting and excess burping…have tried all prescribed formulas from paediatrican, with no avail….seems a lot worse since he went on solids, esp in last month or so…can only sleep for short periods at moment,writhing and crying out in pain….i take him into bed and leave him sleep on me upright,and he still seems very uncomfortable….haven’t slept myself more than an hour at a time,and thus causing a lot of stress wihin family…have pnd also, so finding it quite tough going and feel very sorry for my boy….would appreciate any tips in relieving these symptoms..thanks
My bub has terrible trapped wind issues at night particularly. I worked out that he would start to stir and squirm exactly 3 hours after he went to bed. I eliminated a few things out of his diet and mine and WHEAT was the issue. He now has only porridge in the morning and sometimes a wheat reduced slice of bread for lunch but nothing else wheat wise…. particularly after 1pm. I find now he pretty much sleeps all night every night for about 10 hours approx without any fuss and self settles properly now caus he doesnt have any tummy pains.
My son had the same problem till i tried infacol and colyxol. The infacol helps pass the wind, and colyxol helps with poop. My son needed both, but your little one may just need infacol. It worked for me. He started sleeping through.
Diet is very basic and my little girl is 10 months old. For breakfast and tea she has pure baby rice with a spoon of apple or pear through it to add a bit of flavour.
For dinner she has sweet pototoe on its own or sweet potatoe with another veg – carrots/broccolli/parsnips/peas. I have given her lamb and chicken through the veg but her nappies are very bad when I added these so have now stopped. T
The dietican advised lamb is the most hyperallergenic meat so always try that first. I buy packet of Organic Carrot sticks (find these in baby section aisle) and she loves these and good for eating them and good practice for eating from her hand. I have given her beans/peas/broccolli and carrots as snacks also (not purreed) but just so she can eat out of a bowl.
She cannot have any grains or dairy in her diets so thats why it is so basic.
I’m back with nothing much more to add. I had my review with a paedrition and it takes weeks for allergy and intolerance tests to come back to we are still on hyperallergenic diet. She has started to put on weight and put on nearly 2 lb in two weeks which is fantastic. After 6 weeks on diet I can slowly start to see my little baby starting to settle. Her form during the day has improved 100%. The contact whinging and crying has stopped. Nights are also a lot easier. She is still twisting and turning a small bit but not as much. Her nappies have settled which is great.
So to sum up I have her on hyerallergenic food diet and nutrimagen milk. She is on zantac (1.5mls x 3 times a day).
If anyone wants me to post details of her diet let me know.
Hi Shannon,
Yes, please post the diet details. Maybe someone else will find help through them.
Hi, I’ve ‘discovered’ something called colic calm, its a homeopathic potion and… it works!! perhaps not 100%, not 4 my baby anyway but it definitely relieves poorly tummy!!my lil boy is such a happy chap during day but at night he struggles with wind terribly!! and Colic Calm truly settles him and although unfortunately it doesnt work all night, once topped up works within minutes….
I couldn’t believe my eyes when i was reading all of the posts you have all written. We were facing the exact same issues with wind probs in the night, not the day and he has just recently turned 10 month.
I was feeling desperate for answers as we had tried everything and maternal health or doctors would fob it off like it was nothing and either said he will grow out of it or it was for attention and do controlled crying….they dont seem to realise that he is squirming in pain and can barely seem to stay awake when we are up with him…ggrr.
We tried so many things like infocol, breurar colic relief, massage, osteopathy, probiotics, eliminating his and my diet, but nothing was working. We got onto infants friend which made a big difference but still was not sleeping through.
Not to fear we have found a magic potion that works and i now have complete uninterrupted sleep…yay.
We give him gaviscon once a day at about 4ish (2 sachets with about 50mls of water) and infants friend before every milk feed (still breast feeding) which is 3 times a day. He farts like a trouper all afternoon and went to bed without any issues or tummy aches. Slept from 8.30 til 7am!!!
We initially tried gaviscon on sat night at about 7.30pm and we were up for about 2 hours. I think it was because we gave it too late and the wind was moving around when he was asleep causing pain. Giving it to him earlier when he moves has worked like a treat.
He is such a happy baby and very content. The only time he ever really grizzles is if he has wind. So i would get really frustrated and upset when so called professionals were fobbing me off. We are a mum and should always trust our gut instinct caus we know our babies. I hope this thread post helps all of you amazing mums out there and it can work for you too. I know how desperate you can feel when you have tried everything and all you want is to see you bub happy and not in any pain.
It seems to all be getting better! I have given up the elimination diet and am now back on eating anything.
What has really helped has been getting his eczema treated. We are using some serious steroid creams and it has meant that he doesn’t get as itchy at night. He still wakes up a lot (every 3 hours) but doesn’t seem to be irritated. If he gets grumpy/ crying then he will still pull up his legs and farts will come out but I don’t think this is what is causing him to wake up.
During the day he can still spend time straining – up to 3 hours at a time. Feeding him and putting him on his tummy helps. He is still passing over 4 poos a day which is a LOT more than his friends. We will see what happens…
Hi I can totally relate to distressed bubs and not getting much sleep!All the same symptoms as most of you are experiencing with my first, as she is nearly 18years old the doctors couldn’t work out whether she was lactose intolerant and the only solution was to put her on Karicare infant Soy formula, which was wonderful for her as she would never attach to the breast right from birth and I had to express and feed from a bottle. She took to the bottle without a glitch, but she was already in the habit of needing help to go to sleep as she was already 4 to 5 months old by then, but as she wasn’t actually diagnosed back then we still gave her dairy later on and Ice scream etc, which resulted in her constantly feeling sick and always having a belly ache.
She gave up all dairy and when she was 16 finally was offered the lactose intolerance hydrogen breath test. Yes she’s lactose intolerant and has “liddels lactose free milk or cream” or Soy, Rice, Almond or Oats milk. She is very sensitive to everything she eats and we are considering getting more tests done regarding the milk proteins (A1 casein milk to A2 type milks) and perhaps preservatives, doctors said yoghurt would be ok for her still as it has the cultures in it that help with intolerance, but she can’t it still makes her sick.
Then 3 children later and no intolerances or sleep problems with the middle ones and my currently 6 month old Son is lactose intolerant and sensitive to the solids I introduce.
He had trouble from birth with colic type symptoms, explosive poo’s (mainly green) constant wind, constant crying, always unsettled and unhappy.
At 6 weeks we found he had Tongue tie so that was causing him attachment issues and we had that corrected to prevent him having speech problems later and it could have been causing him to swallow alot of air causing his wind pain. But still no relief to him.
After researching his symptoms, I found that regular green mucus type poo’s mean he’s getting too much lactose, he could not digest the milk properly and was getting alot of gas,
I then thought perhaps it was because I was feeding from both sides every feed whether it be from one side first then the otherside 2 hours later, as he always wanted feeding, ( but this would then create more pain for him) so I fed from the same side in roughly 4 hour blocks, this improved things slightly.
He occasionally had a normal poo. Still unsettled all day long and did nothing but scream everytime we went in the car.
I could put him in a sling and He would sleep everytime he went in it, I think it’s the cradle type position I put him in but he could still see and it was like I was holding him, but had free arms!
My daughter is 8 months and reading all of the emails is like you are talking about her. She is on nutrimagen, on a hyperallergenic diet and takes 1.5mls of Zantac a day 3times a day. She has silent acid reflux since birth. She twists and turns so much in her sleep I have to hold her in the bed to try and keep her in one position. WE have given up trying to get her to sleep in cot cos she can’t. She sleeps in bed up on 2 pillows She is so pale.
Her symthoms are worst at night but some days and nights we walk the floor with her screaming and crying in pain. She is not always crying but she could have 2 bad days and 3 good ones. She is always twisting at night.
She has had blood tests and they did ultra sound on her kidney, bladder and liver (which are all fine) but advised that you cannot do this for stomach or intestine.
Myself and my husband are so sleep deprived. It’s soul destroying to see her in so much pain and nothing I can do. The paedrition is rubbish and even asked if maybe the twisting and turning and bouts of crying was a bad habit and she was getting spoilt. This is my second child.
I am still waiting for results of intolerance tests but I know what ever they are it won’t make a difference as she is alreay off milk, soy, all the grains and already on the hyperallergenic diet and it has made no difference. She had a massive nappy every morning at 5 am and it is so big it nearly reaches her neck(sorry for gruesome description).
She is always bad after spoon feeds and sometimes I hate feeding her but as she is not putting on too much weight I have too.
I would do anything for someone to offer suggestions or advice and am so distressed I’m thinking I have to train to be a paedrition myself!!! I have a review in 2 wks so going to demand action at that. If I get anywhere I’ll update you all but if any of you get a diagnosis please let me know.
Just to update: I have cut nuts, eggs, diary, wheat, soy, fish, caffeine, chocolate and gluten out of my diet for a week now. Be warned – cutting this much out of your diet is a real pain!!
It doesn’t seem to have made much of a difference so I’m going to reintroduce things one by one.
The eczema is still just as bad but he has now learnt to roll and always chooses to sleep on his front which has helped a bit.
The best nights are ones where he does a lot of poos before bed and goes to bed quite early. Last night was awful – kicking, tossing, rolling and nursing non stop from 12.30am onwards. Aaaaargh!
Thought it was just me. My dd is 9 months and this wind and constipation issue is getting worse. Have lactulose and suppositries but am still up between ever 20 mins to hour and half from 10.30pm onwards. Thought I was going crazy health visitor suggested attachment issues but she wants to see my little one writhing in pain.
I’m exhausted. After initial reflux I really thought she would have grown out of it. She slept through from 10 weeks till a few months ago and is the most delightful child in the day. What happened.
I too end up taking her to bed with me to sleep upright ony chest just so I don’t have to keep getting up. When it gets to 4 in morning and you’ve already been up 4 or 5 times what are u supposed to do.
I feel so sorry for her. She’s desperately trying to sleep.
Nothing she eats seems to make it any better or worse so don’t want to start eliminating everything in her diet.
Exactly the same issues here!! I am so pleased that this is not my imagination and that there are other people with possible solutions.
My baby is 4 months old and has had the same problem since 2 weeks old – sleeps fine from 8pm to 3am (with a dream feed at about midnight) but then like all you others he wakes every 30mins to 1 hr with gas that won’t come out. People have asked me – ‘how do you know it’s the gas that’s waking him up?’ and I don’t know how to answer. He tries to stay asleep and screws up his eyes, he kicks non stop and thrashes from side to side. He cries and is definitely not happy. He also has eczema and mucous in stools.
Here’s what I have found out so far:
– in the morning I put him on his tummy and it ALL comes out (doesn’t work during the night though for some reason)
– If I try and comfort him it just wakes him up, and then he cries even harder because he doesn’t want to be awake
– If I feed him the moment he starts to grumble he falls back to sleep again easily (breastfed)
I have tried all the usual and cutting milk out my diet. I’m now going to try a diet of just meat and vegetables for 2 weeks. If that makes no difference then I think I can safely say its not an allergy.
Has anyone looked into lactose overload?
I know this thread is quite old now, but I have only just come across it. Julie’s comments are amazing, as they basically have described my little boy almost to a ‘T’. My son is now 12 months old and I have still never had more than 3 hours of sleep on a trot (and I went back to work when he was 4 months old!). My son goes to sleep in his bed and sleeps well for the first 2 – 3 hours, then he starts waking up crying dvery so often until about 4am, at which time he starts to settle more and sleeps until 7.30am. He sleeps fine during the day, two naps of about an hour each, but I think that it’s because he’s fine for the first hour or two before it all starts. By about 2am I give up and put him in bed with me to save me having to get up every time. This still does not settle him, but at least I don’t have to get out of bed when he cries. Most of the time he is not even awake and he seems to settle after he has passed wind. When he is awake he is such a happy baby and no-one can believe he does not sleep well. The doctors and mid wives just fob me off because he eats well and is healthy and happy, but surely we know our babies best and I know that something is not right with him. I started him on cow’s milk (just in his cereal in the morning) about 2 weeks ago and his sleep pattern has gotten even worse. He is now waking every 45 mins on average and is even struggling to go to sleep in the first place. He’s not constipated as he goes at least twice a day. I’m going to try him on soya milk instead and hope that helps. If anyone on this thread has managed to resolve their problem, please share your experience, as I’m willing to try anything just to have my baby have a good night’s sleep.
Hi Sandra,
OMG what happens with your little boy is exactly what happens with my 9 month old boy. He is happy enough throughout the day and eats well but when it comes to bedtime its a nightmare. He also sleeps for a good couple of hours at first and then the noises start and he is basically uncomfortable, twisting and turning, sleep crying/screaming until he manages to pass wind!!! He normally wakes up also every 45mins until around 4.30am but then like you he sometimes manages to sleep until 6am :( but recently its started to be every 25mins and i recently have returned to work too (so am shattered). He had reflux as a baby and was prescribe gaviscon for it which helped at the time but doesn’t help any with his night discomfort. He has now been referred to a paediatrician by the doctors as they don’t want to give me anything else to try. Another theory that I have recently discussed with my health visitor and we suspect that he has silent reflux along with a slight milk intolerance. How did you get along with trying soya milk? Which I am willing to try or Rice Milk :)
Fantastic thread and Julie in particular I find your comments really helpful, generous and reassuring.
My second son is sooo farty and we are at our wits end with sleep deprivation. At 5 months he had frothy green poos and started writhing in pain overnight. We started on solids as he was exclusively breastfed at that time. Then he became constipated. He is now 6 months and very farty and in pain, waking every 2 hours overnight sometimes for a fart in between. He’s on lactulose now, as well as paracetemol, teething gel, infants friend and infacol, and a probiotic. Thanks for this thread. Wish us luck!
Our little girl is now 11 months and has never slept well, in fact until recently we struggled to get more than 2hrs consecutive sleep! This has been due to very similar problems with wind and stomach cramps. The problem was made worse by a bout of gastroenteritis that gave her a temporary lactose intolerance. This combined with a number of minor illnesses that required antibiotics gave her even more discomfort with her stomach.
We brought this up with the health visitor who told us, well she is gaining weight and looks healthy, so i’m sure its just a phase?- helpful!!! We had tried everything, cutting out certain foods, changing her milk etc but nothing worked. The doctor referred her on to a paediatrician who diagnosed her with constipation. Even though she was managing to go to the toilet, some were hard like bullets and others being very soft and watery. The pain was different to wind, she did not bring her legs up like when babies have wind, she was doubled up with cramp and you could feel her stomach muscles contacting. She explained that the change between watery and hard poo was due to blockages in the colon and the pain was due to the muscles trying to contract whilst being overstretched from the blockage. She was prescribed MOVICOL that made her have a “clear out” within 2 or 3 days. It did give her more pain to begin with and we sought medical advice, who said it was just the bowel regaining its normal pattern and would settle once all of the blockages had been removed. We give her half a sachet a day to help keep the stools soft and the pain has settled.
She is now like a different little girl. We were getting to the point where she was sleeping for 1 ½ hrs and then waking for comfort and a love going back to sleep for another hr…..and on and on throughout the night. If she had not been for a poo in the day it was even worse. She was becoming run down and ill and we were getting into a vicious circle.
Within 2 weeks we are getting 8hrs consecutive sleep and she is now in her own room!!!!!! She still wakes up in the middle of the night for 2 hrs or so, sometimes for a poo but we are hopefully on the mend.
Who would have thought something as simple as constipation could cause so much upset?!
Ahhhh, the nighttime devil gas! Our lil girl had such bad gas she would cry every time we laid her on her back. She even slept upright in a swing for weeks just so we could get a Few hours of sleep at night. Here are all my tricks. Just see, maybe one will work for you as they have for us. She now sleeps 12 hrs and only has her gas issues maybe once a month. I so feel your pain.
-fill a sports sock with 1 cup of rice heat in microwave for 25 seconds. Heat helps lil tummys.
-hold baby in crook of left arm holding right leg into their belly. Upright almost sitting. With other had pat the back just above the bum. The farts fly out.
-when changing diaper if baby has gas press knees up to tummy gently and spread baby’s bum cheeks really gently open and closed. Usually get some out this way too.
-buy a crib wedge gassy babies hate lying flat
-Iberogas a homopathic drop helped her pass more gas and sleep.
Ok a few tips hope they help!
Cheers!
We have had very similar problems, and a very senior ped suggested we try cutting out dairy – overnight, he was a new baby! Soya is also a problem for him – so mother and baby are on a limited diet.
My 9 months son is the same. Finally I found a topic on this problem. My little one was always gassy but it never bothered him so much as it does lately. All doctors saying will get better with time but for us was another way around. Indeed he suffered from UTI but lucky was successfully treated and now he is healthy, gaining weight and happy – until the night comes. He does all from the above: rolling, bringing his knees to chest, arching his back, crying, plus scratching his head and rubbing eyes. I barely get 2 hours of sleep at night. I also moved him with me in bed as I lost any hope of him sleeping in his cot.
I did eliminate dairy from my and his diet it helped with his skin only. I would blame now the solids I started giving him but when I stopped them for around 2 weeks I saw no change. It’s a mystery, I am so puzzled.
I would really appreciate if one of you can share her successful stories, if there is a solution for this problem
You need your doctor to check your baby for a bowel obstruction. This has gone on way too long, and that doctor needs to think outside of the box. My son had the same symptoms, but by the age of 5 months the doctor found the obstruction and surgery was necessary. Don’t always rely on what a doctor says or thinks. You have a brain; search and find your own information and ask about being checked for this.
I hope this helps anyone that comes across this! When I found this thread I felt such a huge sense of relief. My baby is 9mo now, but since 4mo he was waking up crying god knows how many times a night, mostly needing to pass wind! After so many doctor visits, hospital visits, health visitor appointments and a lot of nagging that I don’t want him to ‘just grow out of it’ we finally saw a paediatrician who instantly knew what the problem was. My baby had developed a temporary lactose intolerance. This can happen for many reasons, a tummy bug or like my baby; he’d had antibiotics and hadn’t been the same since! They gave him bad diarrhoea for a week and that’s why he ended up lactose intolerant! Anyway, a few days on Aptamil lactose free and a complete lactose free diet we have a different baby! No more night wake ups and no more grumpy baby during the day! In a couple of months we will start introducing lactose slowly again once his gut heals- but I really hope this helps someone because I have felt the desperation this situation causes and it’s awful. But just know things get better x
That’s awesome, thanks for sharing, Alicia!
Hi, I know this is going to sound so simple, but my son had the same problems- the solution that worked for us was during feeds (breastfeeding) I would stop every 3 mins to sit him upright and burp him- and not put him back on the breast until he had burped or passed wind. If bottle feeding, do this every 30mls. Your baby may cry in protest, but it is much better than hours of struggle later. Do this at every feed. I know it seems ridiculously simple- but it works! We really thought we had the burping/winding thing down, but once we started this regimen he improved greatly and now has no colic!!!
Good luck :)
I am in shock that so many people are going through this! Glad I am not alone!
To be honest I’m not sure how much I can take, and am worried as hell about my boy!
Since about 5 weeks old he has been in constant pain during night… We tried everything and at 4/5 mo ths were finally ref to peadatric docter who filled me with hope and said it was cows milk protein allergy.
We went on to aptimil Pepti, and restricted everything he ate! After 6 weeks he was still in pain every 45 mins during night.
Went back to pead who said if it made no difference at all then it’s not cows milk protein allergy!!!
She then said my 7 month old baby had behaviour issues! At this point I saw red and broke down In front if her!
So she said she wanted to admit him over night for observations! Hurrah I thought finally someone can see what I’m trying to explain!
Literally wakes every 45 mins grunting, crying in pain and arching… But the poor thing is desperately trying to sleep he doesn’t open his eyes! I’m rocking, bobbing, giving gripe water and feeds to settle him for half an hour for it to start again!
With the admission booked for 4 days time I went home and packed for a weekend away (dreading us all being in a family room) however I forgot his formula!
So whilst away I bought a different formula… Aptimil hungry baby.
He fed at 6 slept till 11 fed again and slept till 4, had a minor gripe small feed then slept till 6am.
He basically went to waking every 4 hours feeding and then going back to sleep with no gripes!
I cancelled admission I to hospital, spoke to pead who said it could be by use the hungry milk sits in gut for longer so digestion is slower…
So I cracked it!
I am in shock that so many people ate going through this! Glad I am not alone!
To be honest I’m not sure how much I can take, and am worried as hell about my boy!
Since about 5 weeks old he has been in constant pain during night… We tried everything and at 4/5 months were finally ref to peadatric docter who filled me with hope and said it was cows milk protein allergy.
We went on to aptimil Pepti, and restricted everything he ate! After 6 weeks he was still in pain every 45 mins during night.
Went back to pead who said if it made no difference at all then it’s not cows milk protein allergy!!!
She then said my 7 month old baby had behaviour issues! At this point I saw red and broke down In front of her!
So she said she wanted to admit him over night for observations! Hurrah I thought finally someone can see what I’m trying to explain!
Literally he wakes every 45 mins grunting, crying in pain and arching… But the poor thing is desperately trying to sleep he doesn’t open his eyes! I’m rocking, bobbing, giving gripe water and feeds to settle him for half an hour for it to start again!
With the admission booked for 4 days time I went home and packed for a weekend away (dreading us all being in a family room) however I forgot his formula!
So whilst away I bought a different formula… Aptimil hungry baby.
He fed at 6 slept till 11 fed again and slept till 4, had a minor gripe small feed then slept till 6am.
He basically went to waking every 4 hours feeding and then going back to sleep with no gripes this went on for 2 weeks!
So I cracked it! Or so I thought the past 4 nights I’ve been up since 2am with him in pain.
So I have to convince the pead to admit us again!
Watch this space!
Hi,
I posted a couple of months back and just to update that there is little/no change really since my last post. We just have teething and the occasional cold adding to the rubbish sleep pattern now too :( Such a shame as he’s such a great baby during the day to get to sleep and isn’t waking to be held, as half the time he’s still half asleep and eyes closed whilst groaning and rolling in pain. Doctors last said it would go at 10 months ( after saying 12 weeks, then 6 months etc etc) and he will be 12 months in a few weeks time, so will see what they say now. He is still having lactulose everyday and his stools are soft enough and he seems fine passing them It just after being lay asleep for a few hours that seems to set it off?? We are kind of used to the odd hour, 2 hours sleep here and there now but I’m due back at work in 2 weeks so not sure how that will pan out :(
Look forward to some good news being posted soon!!
Hi,
I just wondered how everyone who has posted here was getting on?
My 9-month-old baby has very similar issues, and I feel like we’ve tried everything (changing my diet as I’m breastfeeding, changing/restricting my baby’s diet, osteopathy, and homeopathy) but nothing has made any real difference.
Have talked to Dr and to health visitor who are very vague but promise baby will grow out of it.
Would be really interested to know if your babies symptoms have improved over time or if you’ve found anything that has made a difference?
Thanks in advance to anyone who gets back to me.
I agree totally with the previous comments about food sensitivities. My 8-month-old daughter has been a terrible sleeper since birth. I finally got her tested for food sensitivities and found out that she has a severe intolerance to dairy, wheat, sugar, caffeine, gluten, and a number of other things. I have just started a food elimination diet (as I breastfeed) and she is now sleeping 10 hours a night and generally wakes 1 to 2 times a night. This is a huge improvement since she was waking every hour to two hours before. Most people are not aware that babies really cannot tolerate cow’s milk protein.
Hi
Wow, that’s quite an impact! Just wondered how you went about getting your baby tested for intolerance. I don’t really know where to start looking for someone who can do this. I did the Dr Sears recommended total elimination diet (literally just eating 5/6 foods for 2 weeks) when she was much smaller (4 months), but this was really to see if it had any impact on her day time fussiness (she was a pretty unhappy baby for the first 6.5 months…possibly reflux?) and because the days were so hard I wasn’t really focussing on the nights so I have no idea if she slept any better during that time!
I’m about a week and a half into cutting out dairy, gluten, and caffiene to see if that makes any difference…not noticed anything so far…but would be really keen to get her tested for intolerances.
Thanks
Hi
my little one is 9 months, he’s suffered from wind since he was born Doc’ prescribed ranitidine this ispurely anti reflux,I did not go for it but instead went for a traditional tested method ie Garlic this is very effective as you can hear instant burps few drops is what I go for on spoon mixed with babies milk. Dosage is question am not an expert but what works for my little one is few drops of garlic mixed with babies milk twice aday.
I had almost given up hope of finding advice or anyone else in this same situation. My son is 9 months old next week and has had this trapped wind pain since being a few weeks old, back then I mentioned to the Health Visitor and Doctor, and both mentioned Colic ( which, from the symptoms I knew of Colic, I really didn’t agree) and they said the pain would pass as baby reaches 12 weeks! This came and went, and no better, he goes to sleep well, early evening by 7pm, but his pain did start in the early hours of the morning, where he seemed to be not only wriggling in pain but also straining as if trying to push out gas, he could do this whilst still trying to sleep but would eventually wake in cries, this has continued, right through him starting solids at 6 months, he was also exclusively breastfed and I thought it was maybe my milk, I changed my diet, I rotated his food incase of allergies. No change.
He had a 2 week spell of constipation at around 6 months/Starting solids and was prescribed Lactulose to soften the stools, that worked fior the hard stools, but the wind pain continued.
We were referred to the hospital in September of this year and they examined him,( felt tummy, checked anus for fissures, all ok) they were happy that he was a good weight and eats well, which he does, so were not concerned about lack of sleep/pain and said it will fade when he reaches 10 months, which I can’t see either, if anything, some nights seem worse than they did 3 months ago, where he now wakes with the pain as early as 10.00pm. He can go back off to sleep for an hour maybe 2 but sometimes he can wake every 15 minutes ( he doesn’t always fully wake up, but crying out in pain).
He is such a happy baby during the day and he does nap well most days ( a morning and afternoon nap of an hour to an hour and half each) he either copes well because he’s distracted or because he can release the gas, I don’t know, h ejust seems to be in more pain after being lay down and asleep for a while. I just know neither of us have had good sleep and I just feel so sorry for him, so I can totally understand where you are coming from!!
I stopped breastfeeding when he reached 8 months, just 3 weeks ago and was hoping that would help, but still no better, it’s a shame as you just get used to this being a daily thing, but it shouldn’t be and after several doctors apointments ( with 3 different Doctors) all of them not seeing this as anything serious/to worry about, a hopsital appt with a specialist paeditrician, I am kind of at a loose end as to what I can do to ease my sons pain?? Luckily I am taking a year out of work, but due back in Feb, so only a few more months to hopefully correct this otherwise I’m going to be useless when I have to work and think!!
Good to luck to everyone and their babies, lets hope we find a solution to this soon x
I have a 3-month-old with very similar symptoms. I complained to his pediatrician very early on, and after a rectal exam, she diagnosed him as having anal spasms. Basically, instead of baring down when he has to go (or when he has gas), he clinches, causing very painful belly issues for him. She has me using a dilator on him to help “train” his body. It is helping. He is also on Nutramigen (formula) for a milk protein intolerance and Zantac for reflux. I have noticed a HUGE difference since starting the Nutramigen and using the dilator. Still not where I’d like him to be with his sleeping (he too writhes in pain before passing gas and does not sleep for long stretches at all), but not nearly as horrible as it was at first.
My baby is nine months as well and everything u describe with ur baby happens to mine. I work and am exhausted from no sleep since he was born in January! Doctors did an x-ray and ruled out gerd but found a varicose vein on his esophagus. I don’t know if this relates to the crying while passing wind\poop, though. He sees a cardio vascular specialist next. He also was switched to good start soy formula to try and take care of any intolerance or allergy, but nothing helps! Other than the symptoms he expresses while doing those bodily functions, he is overall a happy baby, so I stay on my doctor to refer me to different specialists based off of whatever research I do online about his symptoms. She gave him Zantac twice a day 1.5ml but I discontinued that after there were no GERD symptoms. I still don’t know what is wrong but I pray and will do the same for you and your baby as well. Keep me posted please if u discover the cause of this irritation with our babies, which is not colic in my opinion.
Nutramigen will answer to your prayers….
As a result of recurring urinary tract infections, my 5.5-month-old baby boy has been on antibiotics for half of his short life. While he needs them in order to prevent another hospitalization, they have caused him very severe tummy trouble, much like you describe. He basically was just not sleeping. I would hear his belly rumbling, and he would wriggle and writhe in pain all night (though thankfully, he seemed to tolerate the pain enough not to scream or cry) and would sleep some nights only 10 minutes at a time, finding brief relief when I did ‘bicycle legs’ and got the wind out of him. I cannot comment on the poo situation with your 9-month-old, and I know our situation is different, but so much of what you speak of resonates with me, in terms of our experience, so I would like to share what has helped us.
1. A complete overhaul of diet. I do strongly think that my baby has food allergies or intolerance and it sounds as if yours may as well. I would definitely consult a doctor or nutritionist before drastically changing your diet (if you are breastfeeding) or the baby’s, but I think it has helped us. As I am exclusively breastfeeding, I did a strict elimination diet. I have found that when I eat a lot of sugar, wheat or any amount of dairy my baby has an awful night’s sleep. It has been two months of being very strict, but it has helped A LOT. Even small amounts of caffeine and alcohol are also culprits. Sugar is a surprisingly big factor.
2. Probiotics. There are drops for babies called “Biogaia” that you can put on your nipple, if you breastfeed. If you do breastfeed, you should take them too – a very good strain, not just cheap drugstore ones. They help good bacteria to flourish in your tummy and you will safely pass the benefits onto baby.
3. Changing sleep position. If you can catch your baby at the first signs of becoming uncomfortable, perhaps you could try switching her sleeping position to the left side. I know babies are to be put down on their backs, but if she is older she can roll over anyway, so…
4. Our baby has the stiff-legged resistance to ‘bicycle legs’ now, too. Now I help him get the wind out by lifting just the right leg up and in against the stomach. Always works.
5. Well-steeped Chamomile tea before bed. For you, of course… once again, if you are breastfeeding.
Good luck…