Best ways to burp a new-born
The feeling of being a parent is beyond words. Having a baby in your life is a big adjustment for anyone, there are new things that you need to get done and get used to, now that the baby is here - whether it may be getting up earlier than usual to prepare your baby’s milk or getting up in the middle of the night to comfort your crying new-born back to sleep. It is a beautiful gift to have a baby. The need to protect, love, and care for your baby - be it the type of milk they drink, or the brand of clothing they wear, you want the best for your baby and that includes their comfort in your care. One of the ways you can ensure their comfort is by removing any access gas in their upper digestive tract, or otherwise known as ‘burping’; hence, we have, put together a list of facts and methods to give you an in-depth understanding about burping your baby.
Crying and fussing throughout the entire day should sound familiar to parents with a new-born baby. Oftentimes it’s quite unexplainable, you have fed your baby, rocked him in your arms for the past half hour or so, and yet the crying does not stop, in some cases, it just gets worse. This could be caused by the excess air in your baby’s stomach, making them feel uncomfortable, fussy, and cranky- in this case, your baby needs a burp.
Burping will help your baby be more comfortable, relaxed, calm, and active -a relaxed baby is an easy baby to handle. When your baby is relaxed, calm, and comfortable, you should be able to put them to sleep faster and improve the quality of their rest at the same time. This will not only benefit your baby but also you, as parents.
If you knew about how burping works, maybe it will give you a better understanding of why it is encouraged for babies. Burping is a completely natural thing that occurs to everyone, and yes, even for babies. However, babies cannot burp by themselves, they need the assistance of an adult. Burping happens when your upper digestive tract expels gas through the mouth, this happens when there is too much air in your stomach, this air often never even reaches the stomach but accumulates in the oesophagus. The air comes from the swallowing of air while you are drinking or eating.
The most known way to burp a baby is by letting them rest on your shoulder with a soft cloth underneath their chin to absorb any moisture that comes out of the baby’s mouth while you are slightly reclined and supporting the weight of the baby from the bottom with your hand. Try to keep the baby’s head over your shoulder while you are gently rubbing or tapping your fingers on the baby’s back.
There are also two other variations of how you can burp your baby:
1. Have your baby sit on your lap with their chest leaning a tad bit forward. To support their chest and head, place your hand under their chin but not on the throat (as it may cause difficulty in breathing) while gently rubbing or tapping your fingers on the baby’s back.
- Alternatively, you could also have your baby lay facing downward on your lap while supporting their head and making sure it’s higher than the chest. Then, gently rub or tap on your baby’s back with your finger to get them to burp. You will have to test which variation works best for you and your baby.
Some parents breastfeed their babies and others bottle feed them. If you happen to be breastfeeding your baby, you should burp them before switching to the other breast. However, if the baby is fussing and refusing to be fed, it is best to burp them after you have finished nursing him. If you bottle feed your baby, you should try burping them after every 2 to 3 ounces that they consume, or if they are fussing while being fed. You should also burp they after they have finished drinking from the bottle.
If you want your baby to have a consistent sense of comfortability, you should strongly consider making burping a habit. This is more easily achieved by burping your baby after feeding them, therefore, making it part of the baby’s feeding routine; this will significantly decrease the chances of you forgetting to burp your baby. Another key piece of information to take note of is that you should keep your baby upright for 10-15 minutes after feeding to prevent them from vomiting.