Baby Feeding Problem – Wind
Babies habitually swallow air while feeding. This is particularly likely to occur if the infant takes its feeds too fast, or conversely, if for any reason feeding is slowed down by faulty technique. The resulting excessively large gastric bubble causes distention of the stomach and distress. It can also result in excessive possiting. Some babies just seem to be more ‘windy‘ than others. It is not serious but can lead to distress for both parents and baby. At present, the main danger is that wind will be blamed on the formula and ascribed to ‘allergy’.
As with all digestive problems in the early weeks the principle of correct management is to establish that there is nothing seriously wrong with the baby, to reassure the mother, and to examine the feeding technique. A firm clear statement that the wind is most unlikely to be due to the nature of the milk may prevent unnecessary switching of feeds or abandonment of breast-feeding.
The teat should be checked to make sure the hole is neither too large nor too small. The method used for mixing the feed should also be checked to make sure it does not include vigorous shaking of the bottle immediately prior to feeding; this traps air bubbles and may exacerbate the problem. The mother should be watched feeding the baby and advised on how to prevent air swallowing, how to slow down the rate of feeding, and how to ‘wind‘ the baby, frequently, if air swallowing is a major problem. Some of the more common mistakes in feeding which contribute to wind include not tilting the bottle correctly, thus allowing the teat to become empty, and not removing the baby bottle from the baby’s mouth at intervals to prevent the teat collapsing. This again encourages the baby to gulp air. If it is difficult to remove the teat from the baby’s mouth during feeding the use of a bottle with a disposable bag interior may be helpful as this collapses as the baby feeds. There is also some evidence to suggest that the new tilted feeding bottles can be helpful in reducing wind.
With the breast-fed infant it is also important to check the feeding position ensuring that the baby has a good seal around the nipple.
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