Burping a Baby

Infants preferably newborns take most of their food in liquid form either breastfeeding or formula feeding. They took in the air as they feed thus, the need to burp them more often to release trapped gas. It is important to do so to prevent gassiness which makes them uncomfortable and fussy. Burping also helps the baby from spitting up.

When I was a first-time mom, it was the first time for everything, and being inexperienced about babies that I have less knowledge on how to do things. It all came from motherly instincts, especially that I don't have my mother or sister nearby whom I can ask things I don't know of. And another thing was it was a bit pricey back then to afford internet access to consult uncle google.

I struggled with how to burp my firstborn. I only knew about holding him still in an upright position after feeding and holding him on my shoulder or chest. However, he's just so hard to burp that most of the time he doesn't burp. Maybe it was what caused his discomfort that I don't sleep at night nursing, cradling, and rocking him because he was awake crying his lungs out. It will take him hours crying. Later did I learn about colic. And because he doesn't burp, he will vomit a lot. The first time he vomited that caused me to panic and had my husband run to our neighbor for help. He didn't stop vomiting until everything he ate came out, some even came out from his nose that terrified me. I was afraid he might choke. I don't know if he even has GERD. And because of that, my body and mind were very alert day and night even when I only doze off a little and my eyes can hardly be opened due to sleeplessness.

A mother of four that I am today, I gradually learned either from my experiences or from other mothers' experiences and knowledge. Xzeon's my constant savior whenever I have issues regarding child care and many other things.

Different techniques in burping a baby were some of the things I have learned. Moreover, one technique doesn't work with every baby so try them all out to see which better works for your baby and is comfortable with you and your little one. Each baby is different so that one needs to be burped during his feeding while others after.

Burping a sleeping baby.

1. Hold baby over the shoulder. Slowly hold the baby upright and rest his head on the shoulder. Gently pat his back until a burp comes out. Please note that while patting the back, a cupped hand is gentler than a flat palm.

2. Hold the baby on the chest. I find this more comfortable than the others when a baby is still a newborn and can't support his head. Position yourself on a couch or a bed's headboard with the back supported with a pillow so that you may be slightly at an angle. Hold him over to the chest and support his head with your free hand.

3. Lay the baby on his belly in your lap. I find this a li'l hard not until a baby is at least three months old. Just simply lay the baby on his tummy at your knees while supporting his head with one hand. Gently pat him at the back until he burps.

4. Rock baby on the arm. Slowly turn baby away from you and on his belly on your arm with his head being supported at the crook of the elbow. Then gently pat his back until a burp comes.

These can be applied even when a baby sleeps while feeding. A baby usually sleeps while eating because of the soothing effect he gets while sucking and he feels happy when fed that is why he tends to sleep. But even when he falls asleep burping him with the above techniques will help him have a good sleep. So basically we burp them when they're awake using the same techniques. Now, when he's awake you can also do the additional techniques:

1. Holding baby in a sitting position. Hold baby in your lap while supporting his head by holding his chin. Then give him a gentle pat at the back.

2. Clockwise massage baby's belly. If the baby still shows signs of gassiness and the aforementioned techniques don't help, lie him on his back and give him a gentle clockwise massage on his belly and try to move the baby's legs to his belly or in a way such that he is like riding a bike. Do it until the gas comes out.

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Is there a specific time to burp the baby? None. Burp him every after feeding or whenever you change breast in breastfeeding while doing it 2-3 ounces consumed in bottle feeding.

For an additional tip, put a cloth under the baby's chin or on the shoulder to catch any wet burps.

It is very important to do so to help the baby feel comfortable and reduce irritability. Besides, babies have little control of how their bodies are positioned hence we are responsible for having to burp them until they grow bigger.

Final thoughts

Burping is one of the basic methods in having a comfortable day with your little one. It is a task that needs to be done to avoid vomiting. Because they gulp in the air while feeding that it makes them feel full. Getting that gas out will probably help them make more room for food.

Checking this on Grammarly, I can only get this result. Do I need to upgrade into premium so that I may be able to see which errors need to be corrected? Meanwhile, I am grateful to see the "no plagiarism found" result after.

08-10-21

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