Dr. Görkem Astarcıoğlu
After about day 10 you may notice that your baby’s tummy is becoming increasingly bloated, that they cry while pulling their legs up to their belly, that they want to suck constantly even though you know they are not hungry, and that they sometimes cry even while feeding. Most likely, gas pains have started. If there is no specific digestive problem, a baby with gas is a baby who is gaining weight and feeding well. Remember: if a baby cries in the first week of life, they are probably hungry; if they cry in the second week, they probably have gas.
What we call colic is the severe form of gas pain. According to the “rule of threes”, colic is defined as crying spells in babies up to 3 months of age that occur at least 3 times a week and last up to 3 hours a day. As this suggests, colic is a condition that passes with time. There are many anti-gas medicines on the market, but none of them completely eliminates the symptoms; at best they may reduce how often and how severely they occur. If you do feel you need to choose an anti-gas product, I recommend starting with natural options. Drug-free herbal products or probiotics can be the first choice.
Massage is more effective than gas drops. With your baby lying on their back, gently pressing both legs towards the tummy (without bringing the knees together) and then straightening them is an effective method. If you can do this 6 times a day for at least 10 minutes, your evenings may be much calmer. However, if gas is already trapped at that moment, this method can cause pain and your baby will not like it. In that case, switch straight to the other position: lay your baby on their tummy, tuck their legs gently under the belly, support the soles of the feet with one hand, and with the other hand cupped, pat rhythmically on the lower back just above the bottom. A baby who seems to resist at first will relax and suddenly go quiet. Again, continue for at least 10 minutes.
Gas and colic are not yet fully understood, and their causes and treatment have not been standardised for everyone. There is a strong popular belief that the foods a mother eats increase gas in the baby. I would like to point out that I have not come across any medical study that proves this. Unless the baby has a food allergy, what the mother eats is not directly related to the baby’s gas pains.
So-called white noise – such as a hair dryer, a vacuum cleaner or a kitchen extractor fan – resembles the sounds a baby hears in the womb and can soothe your baby during gas pains. As a last resort, you may find that a drive in the car calms them down as well.
