Hi from sunny Fl!!
This week my partner and I added a new question to our history where we are
addressing output. We have added the question "Does your baby pass gas?". Of
course every parent has answered "yes" (ditto for hiccups and sneezing). We
have then respond with a huge relieved sigh and comment about how good it is
that their digestive tract is working normally. Every parent has reacted with
relief that their baby is normal. We know there will be some babies who have
more than the normal amount of gas and those that react in extreme fashion-
but we are so tired of hearing parents complain about their baby's gas when
it is NORMAL for baby's to "toot" all the time. I think many parents have
totally unrealistic expectations in this area- do they think babies never
pass gas? Many babies pass gas all the time and are not distressed.
     We have been quoting Dr Lendon Smith who said "a human that does not
have gas- is dead". And a friend of mine who told me that babies in the NICU
have gas when they have never been fed anything in their young life.
       It is often that parents have unrealiztic expectations about the
amount of wakefulness and crying that is normal for a baby. When they learn
babies need more than to be fed, changed, and put to sleep- things improve. I
have parents that swear their baby just has gas when they are not gaining
well and are hungry or are requesting to be held and cuddled (just as
important as food). Needless to say, when a mother complains alot about her
baby's discomfort, we need to do a complete evaluation and make sure that it
is not a normal situation with an overly concerned mother.