Navigating Infant Gas

Newborn gas is

All babies have gas. It’s an unfortunate reality of the postpartum experience that at one point or another you’ll be faced with a frustrated little one trying with all their might to work out a gas bubble or burp. Especially in the first eight weeks of life, new humans have to work hard to figure out how to digest their meals efficiently. It’s something their digestive systems have never had to do before!

On top of the inherent newness of digesting, in our modernized and medicalized world, antibiotics of all forms (IV, oral, topical) are so pervasive that many new babies aren’t getting rapidly inoculated with the healthy microbiota their bodies need for digestive peace. This is especially true if the birthgiver received antibiotics during labor, or even prior to pregnancy.

This means that although it can be frustrating, exhausting, and heartbreaking to watch your new baby struggle with an uncomfortable tummy, some level of digestive distress is more or less inevitable. Your job is to do what you can to provide support (see below) and, beyond that, to hold loving space for their experience. Sometimes the best medicines are love and time.

Although it’s unlikely you’ll be able to completely rid your little one of gas pains, there are a few helpful things you can do to support their maturing digestive system:

Baby Massage

Infant massage promotes lymphatic movement, healthy attachment, and nervous system soothing—and it can also help move trapped gas and poop along the digestive tract. Using a little sesame or coconut oil and a light touch, move your hands in a clockwise circular motion over your baby’s tummy. I also like to do “I Love You” massages, as shown here.

Motion Is Lotion

Just like in grown-up bodies, movement helps gas work its way through the digestive system of babies. Keep your baby’s hips, booty, and body moving with bicycles, gentle ups-and-downs with the knees, or simply switching the way you’re carrying your baby frequently.

Colic Ease Tincture

This is my go-to for gassy babies and is essentially a better gripe water. Fennel, catnip, and peppermint can soothe the system and promote wind release.

Mama + Baby Probiotics

For babies, I recommend BioGaia, Lovebug, or Culturelle. For mamas, my go-tos are Designs for Health or Perelel. These probiotics support a healthy gut microbiome, which helps us digest more easefully. The unfortunate reality of 21st-century life is that almost all humans could use probiotics.

Mid-Feed Burps + Latch Assessment

Sometimes babies are such voracious eaters—or take in a little too much air during a feed—that they need to pause for a minute or two to burp before resuming. You can pause between breasts or every ounce or so. If you suspect your baby is swallowing a lot of air during feeds, check in with a lactation specialist; sometimes a simple latch adjustment makes all the difference.

La Leche League “Colic Hold”

This is one of my favorite baby-carrying holds, gas pain or not. I find it incredibly comfortable for both the carrier and the baby. Word of warning: the drool is real in this position!

Consider Food Reactions

Some babies don’t tolerate certain foods (passed to them through breast milk) well in their early days on earth. The most common culprit is cow dairy. If you suspect this might be giving your little one some trouble, cut out all cow dairy for at least two weeks.