Becoming a father again, I would had thought I would already know many tips and tricks with looking after and raising a baby, and I do...

However getting wind out of Ava has proven to be a struggle, normal techniques of patting and rubbing her back while over my shoulder while gets some results after some time is not enough, to clear the blue colouring around her face (sign of gas in the body). Even the football hold with Ava lying face down on my arm then patting her back gets more farts than burps... farts are ok too I guess.
Changing her position from horizontal to upright over the shoulder sometimes helps shift the gas inside her.

Andrea and I asked around, and the most common response we got back was ’Gripe Water’, however after some time researching the active ingredients’ of Gripe Water, which for many products available is Sodium Bicarbonate, there is NO WAY I am going to be putting Sodium Bicarbonate inside my little girl, for all of you who are considering using Gripe Water that has Sodium Bicarbonate as the active ingredient, the following is for you.

Sodium Bicarbonate (a.k.a. Baking Soda) is used in several gripe water brands that are sold as dietary supplements. Be careful! These are not regulated by the FDA and fall under loose dietary supplement guidelines. Sodium bicarbonate is an alkali which counteracts the PH of stomach acid which is naturally created in the baby’s stomach. It can temporarily relieve some discomfort caused by acid reflux. Unfortunately, sodium bicarbonate is absorbed into the bloodstream and can have unwanted side effects. For this reason, sodium bicarbonate is not to be consumed by children under an age five years, as stated clearly on baking soda boxes. Even for adults, it should not be used for more than 2 weeks or for recurring conditions. According to some doctors, sodium bicarbonate can cause an imbalance in babies' electrolites which can lead to serious problems.
(Information from www.coliccalm.com)

What we are trying on Ava at the moment is ‘Infacol Wind Drop’ which uses ‘Simethicone’ as the active ingredient, which causes the small bubbles of gas in the babies stomach to join together into one large bubble which can quickly and easily expelled. Aimethicone does not absorb into the bloodstream which is safer for Avas’ health

Ava was given the recommended dose of Infacol then breast fed, it was a normal frustrating feed for Ava, grizzling, crying, curling up and not latching on properly until she released one awesome burp, that any man in a pub would be proud off, Ava was then more relaxed and settled.

If the normal treatments for wind do not work then I recommend doing your homework and research for alternatives, your babies health and welling is in your hands.

Warm Regards

Eric

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