Calming discomfort caused by bottle feeding
Baby can sometimes experience some benign digestive problems when having their bottle. These problems are very often temporary. Here are a few tips to help calm and soothe your baby during this period.
Regurgitation
Regurgitation generally occurs after a meal. It is a natural way for baby to rid themselves of an excessive quantity of milk compared with the volume of their stomach. Baby drinks milk which rises up the oesophagus and comes back out of their mouth. If your baby systematically regurgitates, seek the advice of your paediatrician so that they can prescribe a thicker specialised milk that will not come back up the oesophagus. In parallel, you can keep baby in an upright position for a short while after their bottle: a nappy change is not immediately imminent after a meal! You can also take your time to feed your baby, introducing lots of little breaks. You can split meals, but don’t give baby a cold or tepid bottle. Additionally, make sure that you don’t do nappies up too tightly around the waist.
Regurgitation reduces with time and as baby develops into being able to manage a sitting position, enjoys a more varied diet and begins to walk.
If problems persist, consult your doctor who may be able to prescribe more suitable kinds of milk such as Nactalia AR.
Bloating
Bloating can be prompted by a change in diet and by the fact that baby’s digestive system is immature: food is digested slowly and this can give rise to fermentation. These are temporary problems which require patience, but ultimately disappear naturally!
Bloating can also be caused by baby swallowing air during the meal. This explains why it is so important that baby is burped after their bottle! Hold baby against you with their head against your shoulder and pat their back gently. You can also buy a special teat which is especially designed to restrict air intake.
If problems persist, consult your doctor who may be able to prescribe more suitable kinds of milk such as Nactalia COMFORT.
Stomach ache
If baby twists and writhes after their meal and even begins to cry, this may be because they have stomach ache. Stomach ache often accompanies bloating as both are linked to difficulty in digesting large quantities. Here are a few tips to try and offset these problems. Try and encourage baby to drink their bottle slowly. You can even introduce a short break in the middle to allow their stomach to rest. A little clockwise massage (direction of transit) can also be very effective in soothing baby.
Constipation and diarrhoea
The transit of food through the body often slows down when baby is being weaned or their diet is changed. It is perfectly normal for a baby to produce less than one stool per day (every 2/3 days) unless it is causing discomfort.
To encourage healthy transit, you can flex baby’s thighs up against their stomach, massage their stomach in a clockwise direction, ensure baby is well hydrated by offering them water (with a low mineral content) between meals.
As far as diarrhoea is concerned, stools are frequent and abundant.
There is no miracle cure! Be patient, but if constipation or diarrhoea continues for more than 3 days, seek the professional opinion of a doctor who may prescribe a more suitable milk, such as Nactalia AD-LF.