Burping and possetting
Muslin cloth to the ready
Very often babies swallow air with their feed, giving them wind and causing discomfort. Some babies quickly learn how to burp others need more help with winding and particularly windy babies may need winding in the middle of a feed. You’ll usually know if your baby is bothered by wind because he’ll cry after a feed and may root for your breast for comfort even though he’s not hungry. To wind him either hold him upright against your shoulder so his head is looking over your shoulder and gently rub his back, or prop him upright on your knee supporting his chest with one hand and gently rubbing or patting his back with the other.
Your baby will probably regurgitate a bit of milk and saliva when he burps, which is called possetting, a muslin nappy or square draped over you while winding is a good idea to save your clothes.
If your baby is swallowing a lot of air with feeds make sure that his head is higher than his stomach when he feeds or position him in an even more upright position for feeding. Crying babies often swallow a lot of air when feeding, so try to calm him before starting a feed if you can or feeding him before he gets upset.
Sometimes your baby may vomit back what looks like a whole feed, this is usually nothing to worry about and is often caused by overfeeding, but it if happens repeatedly you should contact your doctor for advice.
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