Burps & Farts

Yup, I said it. Burps and farts. We all do it. Although when I taught grade one I liked to tell my students that I didn’t fart and that everything evaporated through my skin (then I proceeded to explain evaporation)… their reactions were hilarious. This is what we are currently working through with Kolter, burps and farts.

Whitkow Hotel and Bar

Kolt has always been a gassy baby so we have been working his legs and burping him extra since day one but things seemed to have increased since we started going to the lake. As I’ve mentioned before, we camp at Meeting Lake Regional Park and, unfortunately, there are no roads that are paved all the way to the lake. In fact, the highway (HWY 378) is one of the worst highways in the province and has since been turned up to be gravelled because the asphalt is impossible to upkeep. Despite it also being rated one of the most beautiful routes in the province, we don’t travel that way because of the horrid road conditions. The photos with the church and red elevator are from a town called Whitkow which my family established when they moved here from Ukraine in 1907. There are actually 11 residents left and all are my family. The bar and hotel they name was built by my great grandfather and was my mother’s house growing up and where I also spent my summers and school holidays.

Back to Kolter.

None of the roads leading to the lake are favourable so I leave earlier than usual and drive leisurely as if ‘driving Miss Daisy’. I don’t mind. Kolt sleeps the majority of the time and I love the scenery. It is my happy place and feels like home. What DOES bother me is the fussing and discomfort my son is in for nearly 24 hours after arriving at our destination, whether it be the lake or home after a weekend at the lake. Kolt is an incredibly happy baby and rarely fusses. The last two weekends we have done immense amounts of reading and consoling for his discomfort and have learned some things.

New Learnings

Upset tummy = lethargic baby

Not everything is “textbook”. In fact, there is no actual evidence that car rides can cause upset stomachs in babies, especially when the child seems fine throughout the ride - ruling out motion sickness. Kolter starts fussing the next time he eats after a long, bumpy car ride. He will fuss off and on for quite some time, sometimes for an entire day or two, until it just stops and he reverts back to his giggly, happy self. After the first weekend of camping, we thought, perhaps, Kolter had gotten sick and wasn’t feeling well but then it happened the next weekend. I discussed it with our public health nurse during his immunizations and she suggested it could be due to rough road conditions. We were going to the lake again in a few days and decided to monitor his behaviour. Sure enough, after the journey he was upset. Luckily, the nurse had given us some tips and tricks to soothe his tummy if this were the case:

I call Kolt my baby bear - seemed fitting

• 1) When you arrive at your destination and he is fussy or not himself simply sit him on your lap and burp him. He likely has air pockets stirred up throughout his abdomen.

  • BOY did he burp! It seemed to cut down on his fussing time for sure and he was far happier.

• 2) Give him some anti-colic fluids before or after the journey. We didn’t try this one because the burping worked so well but we have been using a fluid to help with his gassiness I will discuss this later in the post.

• 3) Massage his tummy and work his legs to release gas. We have done many of these exercises since his birth but some were new.

  • bicycle legs - useful - we have used this since birth.

  • Knee to Belly - useful - we have used this since birth and every day just to quickly release gas.

  • “I Love You” massage - VERY useful - learned this more recently and LOVE it! It helps with both gas and constipation. You can feel the blockages and although it sometimes causes Kolt to be unhappy for a few seconds it almost instantly relieves him once we’re done. (It is important to note that there are many TikTok videos of this massage and doing it backwards or starting the “I” on the baby’s right side can have the opposite effect. Our bowels drain on our left side and you should first massage to remove the blockages at the end BEFORE pushing more blockages toward that area to prevent pain and a worse blockage).

• 4) Finally, keep the baby upright for 20-30 minutes to help him pass his gas up or downward with ease. Laying him down will trap it.

Other Useful Information

I wanted to add a list of some other useful information I made note of during this time:

• 1) There are a large number of anti-colic medications to help with gas, reflux (which Kolt has), hiccups, and spitting up. Try one or try them all but none are better than others and you will find what works best for you. We have 3 that we rotate through.

  • Ovol - this is a lifesaver but hard to find. Usually found at small-town convenience or grocery stores. This breaks up the gas bubbles so they aren’t as painful and can be more easily passed. This works best for Kolt and we put it right in his bottle or if he’s been crying and fussing longer than 30 minutes and it seems to be due to abdominal pain. It almost instantly makes him pass gas and feel better. It contains mint and soothes his tummy. Relatively inexpensive and lasts quite a while since you can use just small amounts.

  • Cocyntal - This. is. WONDERFUL because it is pre-portioned. THAT’S RIGHT! No measuring or spilling. Babies love the taste. it is dye free and it stops hiccups and upset tummies ASAP for Kolter. A friend gave me one for Kolter to try when we had a play date - CHANGED MA LIFE! They’re NOT cheap but we keep them on hand for traveling convenience. This brand also makes cold/flu and teething pre-portioned meds.

  • Kolik Gripe Water - the tried and true gripe water - beloved by all, hated by me… because it is SO STICKY AND HARD TO SERVE TO BABY! But it works. In a pinch, I will use this because it’s cheaper and it works but I loathe its messiness. I started using one of the extra syringes from a second bottle of Tylenol that we opened (I labelled it for Kolik) and that has helped but it is still VERY sticky.

Update

So far we are having much success with the extra burping and massages/exercises but the Ovol has changed everything! We add a few drops into 2 of his daily feeds and it seems to help him keep his gas flowing without obstruction or discomfort.

Next

We are still working on balancing the self-soothing and holding battle so stay tuned for more information we have gained and grown opinions on about that.

Kolter and I have also been working on developing his tummy time strength too and have practiced a few moves from our research in our post last week. More to come on that too!

Happy tooting!