How to burp a newborn
Burping your newborn should be a gentle process of patting your baby’s back in order to free the trapped air. Burping is extremely common and will likely occur during or after every feeding for many months of the first year. Because you will be burping him or her so often you will quickly learn what method works best for you and your baby. You will also learn quickly that it is wise to use bibs for your baby and towels for your shoulders. There will occasionally be spitting up and “wet burps”. Here are three common ways of how to burp a newborn: Your baby will let you know he or she needs to be burped while feeding because they will become fussy. To minimize burping utilize one of the three methods mentioned above to pat your baby’s back for every three ounces of milk or formula they consume (every five minutes if breast feeding), regardless of whether they are burping or not.
What to do about burping complications
Burping complications can lead to him or her being overly gassy for extended periods of time if not burped properly, which creates discomfort. If that discomfort leads to prolonged bouts of crying (colic) then the condition worsens because your baby is now swallowing even more air from all of the fussing. Colic is defined as three or more hours a day of continuous crying due to gassiness and, as mentioned, only works to exacerbate the gas problem. Colic is something that many parents simply have to deal with in their own special way depending on what makes each baby happy. It is extremely common but be advised using anti-gas drops is not a laboratory proven method to treat colic or gas and your pediatrician should be contacted for the most effective and safest treatments. Every baby is different and all parents will have a trial period to learn and understand how to burp a newborn, how often to burp him or her in between feedings, and what methods and routines generally make them happiest. Featured photo credit: How to burp a baby via babycenter.com
