Q: I think I have a more gassy baby than normal. Any good tricks for helping her get some relief?
-Esther P. from Queens, NY
A: Speak to your pediatrician about the baby’s diet. It’s fairly typical to find that a component of the maternal diet or formula may not agree with baby – as a result gassiness or fussiness may ramp up quite dramatically after 2-3 weeks of life. Sometimes just a little tweaking of mom’s diet or a change in formula is all that’s necessary to remedy the gas.
If your baby is older and is drinking more than just breast milk or formula, again work with your doctor to see if certain foods are culprits and work through a plan to test this theory.
If your baby has been on antibiotics (either directly, or through your breast milk), those can upset the balance of digestive bacteria in the gut, and excessive gas may follow for awhile. In that case speak with your doctor about giving your baby some probiotics to restore the balance of gut bacteria and hopefully diminish gas.
