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Emma is b___stfed and is 8 wks old. When she was younger she got VERY ga__sy so I had to burp her often. Then I quit drinking milk and that seemed to help a lot. Now she's not as ga__sy and doesn't scream in pain! I burp Emma when she starts dinking around with eating. I figure she's trying to tell me something so I put her on my shoulder or sit her on my knee and pat her back and bounce her with my knee a little and can usually get a huge burp out of her followed by a couple little ones. I probably spend 1-2 minutes patting her back pretty good. Then I let her feed on the other b___st and do the same when she's done. When I nurse her in the middle of the night I let her lay in bed with me and we both fall asleep when she's done nursing. I know she should probably be burped but most of the time I'm exhausted and she usually doesn't get a tummy ache in the morning but then sometimes she does. Could be what I'm eating too. Sometimes at night I roll her onto my chest and burp her and we fall asleep like that. It's good to put them on their belly when they're awake as it helps break up the gas too. Then I'll burp her after she's been on her tummy and it usually produces a good burp and she'll be much happier after that. Try laying him across your lap on his tummy and pat his back good. It really works wonders if he's really ga__sy. Also during the day when she's not eating I'll give her a few good pats on the back over my shoulder and she'll burp even though she hasn't eaten. If I give her a bottle she REALLY lets out the burps!

you know, i guess it depends on the baby or like heidi said, the diet mom's on. my daughter never needed burping except for when i ate a lot of dairy products. otherwise, she just wouldn't burp no matter how long i'd try to get her to, so eventually i just quit doing it altogether. she rarely spit up too, so i don't know if ben's a big spitter or not. sorry, not much help, i know.

just another thought - did the "older women in your life" bf or bottlefeed? i know with bottles it's supposed to be a burp what - every one to two ounces? well i hear with b___st it's between sides and then again at the end.

Remember that there are really no "rules for b___stfeeding. Just go with what feels right for you and your baby. Are there any dair allergies in your family? (If they don't know or don't think so ask if they had ear infections when they were young. Ear infections are a major symptom of dairy allergy.) Dairy can cause gas. It is difficult to digest especially for a young digestive system. You might want to try staying away from it for 3-4 weeks and see if it makes a difference. Other foods in the mother's diet that can cause gas are cruciferous vegetables, beans (of course) and yeast.

No one is allergic to dairy in either family so I don't think it is dairy. I gave it up for three days last week and saw no difference. Not sure if going without it for a longer stretch will prove to the contrary, but if someone has some good info on why one should abstain longer, let me know. I am becoming more certain that something in my diet is bugging him b/c his b___t crack was bright red (it was clearing up beatifully this week) again this morning after a very bad night last night. (I had chocolate, so it coukd have been that.) Anyway, part of my posting this was figuring out whether I am burping him long enough. One doc told me to spend 10-15 minutes burping him, but that will kill me. I already spend 40-50 minute nursing him. Add in 20-3o extra minutes for burping, and I am spending 60-80 minutes feeding and burping him. Do it 8-10 times a day, and you see why I am asking. I am getting tired of spending 10+ hours a day feeding and burping him, you know? I mean it drives me nuts that some women are done in like 15-20 minutes and it takes us forever and a day. Slow and time-consuming is not the b___stfeeding style I was wanting for myself . I can't wait until he is six months old so I can wean him. :(

I feed on demand. Will burp him when he pulls away. I do not swap b___sts between feeds. I did exactly the same when I b___stfed my other 2 too. Ben has put on plenty of weight so I am happy with the way I am doing things :-)

I feed on demand unless 1.) he goes for more than 3 hours between feedings during the day and 5 hours one ime at night or 2.) we have some activity planned and I am trying to prevent him from demanding during the activity (e.g doctor's appointment.) I am definitely going to watch what I eat more carefully as that could be hy he is so ga__sy at times. Does anyone's baby have reflux and if so, what are the symptoms?

christy, you sound just like me. my girl doesn't burp very often at all when i try to burp her and if she's sleeping i oftentimes won't at all, esp. at night. i was shocked by the sheer volume that she spits up. does you baby gag alot too??

Shannon- yes! He coughs during feeds and afterwards sometimes too. Also, sometimes it seems like he spits up half his meal. I was convinced that he may have reflux, but now I am not sure since the symptoms are not consistent.

yeah, i wondered about acid reflux too. i asked her doctor a few days ago about the gagging and he didn't seem worried about it. i read somewhere that more than half of all babies younger than 3 months have some acid reflux. so maybe our babies have some degree of it but i suppose as long as they're happy and gaining weight it shouldn't be a problem. that's what i figure

Try eliminating dairy longer than three days. It took Emma a good week before she quit fussing so bad and I haven't had milk in weeks. Chocolate really irriates her too. She gets a belly ache from it. I've even tested it just to see and she doesn't do well when I've had it. I feed on demand too but Emma seems to only eat 15-20 minutes and if she fusses after I burp her I switch sides and let her fill up. She probably eats every 3-4 hours and I don't wake her if it's been longer. I just know when she wakes up that I better be there or have a bottle cus she'll give me hell otherwise!!!

Heidi- they are good at giving us hell, aren't they? LOL. Anyway, I really don't think it is the dairy, but I may cut i out for a week if he keeps getting fussy after I eliminate some more obvious culprits. Definitely chocolate, and possibly onions, peppers, and garlic upset his belly. Today I had a cheeseburger and fries (no onion) and a can if chicken and rice soup and he is the best he has been in a long time. He is less ga__sy and spitting up less/ He does not seem to be in much discomfort, if at all. Funny because nothing seemed to bug him in the first few weeks, bu now some things obviously do. I gues there are few constants with a baby.

Shannon- ditto on everything that you said. I got a little nervous that Ben did not gain weight between Monday and Thursday last week, but the doctor said it was fine. I had a bad dream that he was failing to thrive - very skinny and weak with a fever. I hope it doesn't come true!