Newborn Baby Burping, Hiccups and Spitting Up

We are first time parent, taking care of new born baby is really a challenging task.

We learned that help baby to burp is very very important for them to sleep well, eat well, and STOP CRYING.

During feedings, newborn babies swallow milk and air. Air in the stomach can make your baby feel full and uncomfortable. This may cause your baby to stop feeding too soon. Burping will help your baby bring up excess air and keeps your baby comfortable.

Pat, gently rub, or apply gentle pressure on the back with your hand.

There are 3 ways to burp your baby:

(i) Over The Shoulder

Hold your baby firmly against your shoulder and rub orpat your baby's back with your hand. Provide supportfor the baby's bottom and lower back with the other arm.

(ii) Face Down On Your Lap

Place your baby face-down on your lap with thehead resting on one leg and the stomach area overthe other leg. Support your baby with one handwhile patting, rubbing, or applying gentle pressureon the back with the other hand.

(iii) Sitting Up

Sit the baby in your lap with the body leaningforward. Support the chest and head with one handwhile patting the back with your other hand. If thereis no burp after 2 - 3 minutes, lean your baby backslightly with the chest as upright as possible. Thenpat, rub, or gently put pressure on the back. If gettinga burp takes longer than 5 minutes, continue to feed or stop as the baby's desires.

These are tried-and-true techniques. After a little experimentation you'll find which ones work best for your child. You might need to use all methods.

<Spitting Up>

Spitting up is another common occurrence during infancy. Sometimes spitting up means the baby has eaten more than her stomach can hold; sometimes she spits up while burping or drooling. Although it may be a bit messy, it's no cause for concern. It almost never involves choking, coughing, discomfort, or danger to your child, even if it occurs while she's sleeping.
Some babies spit up more than others, but most are out of this phase by the time they are sitting. A few "heavy spitters" will continue until they start to walk or are weaned to a cup. Some may continue throughout their first year.
You should be able to tell the difference easily between normal spitting up and true vomiting. Unlike spitting up, which most babies don't even seem to notice, vomiting is forceful and usually causes great distress and discomfort for your child. It generally occurs soon after a meal and produces a much greater volume than spitting up. If your baby vomits on a regular basis (one or more times a day), consult your pediatrician.

While it is practically impossible to prevent all spitting up, the following steps will help you decrease the frequency of these episodes and the amount spit up:

• Make each feeding calm, quiet and leisurely.
• Avoid interruptions, sudden noises, bright lights and other distractions during feedings.
• Burp your bottle-fed baby at least every three to five minutes during feedings.
• Avoid feeding while your infant is lying down.
• Place the baby in an upright position in an infant seat or stroller immediately after feeding.
• Do not jostle or play vigorously with the baby immediately after feeding.
• Try to feed her before she gets frantically hungry.
  

Excerpted from "Caring for Baby and Young Child: Birth to Age 5", Bantam 1999

Others :

Learn to Cope with a Crying Child

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