Buuuurp Burp Burp Paryup... How to wind your baby

BURPING

WHY

I know this may seem obvious to you, but when I started I had no idea why to burp a baby, nevermind when and how. Here's the deal...
Babies tend to swallow lots of air when they feed and if it isn't released it can cause pain, vomiting, cramps and even (shock horror) sleeplessness. They also stop feeding once the air in the stomach takes too much space, this effectively leads to stopping too early and therefore feeding too frequently. Often babies can bypass burping and go directly to passing the wind on the other end, but for newborns this is usually an uncomfortable (and noisy) process.

WHEN

So luckily most babies will stop drinking when they've taken in too much wind. Obviously this may just be a sign that your baby is full, so don't spend hours trying to "chase a wind". More than 5 minutes is usually too long, but you will learn how long it takes for your baby.

Babies can also squirm, kick or be fussy at the breast if they have a wind, but this may be a sign of other things like reflux or colic.

They rarely cry because of winds but sometimes they will give an angry cry if the wind is particularly painful.

Sometimes checking to see if her tongue is on the top of her mouth helps and yes, those first smiles usually are the sign of a wind but if baby is otherwise comfortable don't go chasing winds unnecessarily.

Bottle-fed babies swallow more winds that breast fed ones while feeding, so they tend to need burping more often.

A good rule of thumb:

• Burp between each breast or every 60ml if bottle feeding
• Burp if baby is fussing while drinking
• Burp at the end of every feed
• If baby wakes up in the night and it isn't time for a feed, try to burp her first

HOW

If, like me, you had a good antenatal class teacher you will have learnt the 4 basic positions for burping a newborn. You don't have to try each position every time, but do try them all and find one that works best for you and baby.

Positions
(change the sides if you are left handed)


Over the shoulder
Place baby well over your left shoulder, so that the front of your shoulder is putting pressure on her tummy. Burp her with your right hand.

Across the lap
Place baby face down across your lap, with your left hand supporting her head and burping with the right. Her head should be resting on the left thigh and tummy on the other.

Over the hand

Hold baby so that she is sitting at the end of your lap. Grasp her chin (not throat) with your left hand and lean her forward so that the heel of your hand is in her tummy. Burp with the right hand.

On the arm

Hold baby straddling your left forearm, face down, so that her legs are dangling on either side of your elbow and your arm is applying pressure in her tummy and her chin is in your hand. Rest your arm on your lap and burp baby with the other hand.

Method

With your dominant hand (trust me, burping can be exhausting, use your strong hand) either firmly and rhythmically tap baby's back like a drum (this works by consolidating all the air bubbles into one like tapping on a bottle of coke) or firmly stroke baby's back from bottom to top. I also find that massaging baby under her arms or in the small of her back helps dislodge the winds faster. Sometimes stretching and moving her limbs around also help to move stubborn winds.

And don't forget to throw a burp cloth over your shoulder. It is always worth it! ...