11-12_BT_Nov-Dec 2021

Ask Our Experts
Dr Livia Chow Huey Ling,
Consultant Paediatrician
& Neonatologist,
Pantai Hospital Ayer Keroh
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Is it normal for my six month old baby to
pass gas almost every hour? He always looks
very uncomfortable and fusses a lot until he
passes gas, and then after a while, it happens
again, many times a day.
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It’s common for babies to have gas. As the infant grows older
and the intestines get more matured, they will eventually
outgrow it when they are about 6 months old but some
may take even longer. There are a few causes as to why
babies have a lot of gas for example the babies will swallow
air when they are feeding and crying, the digestive tract is
immature or they might be sensitive to certain milk formula. It
might be distressing to see your baby looking uncomfortable
and fussing before he passes gas. If your babies are happy
after passing gas and remain happy in between episodes
there might be nothing to worry about.
There are ways that might be able to help gassy babies:
1. Feeding position may be able to help reduce gas in babies.
Feeding babies at a more upright position can reduce the
amount of air your baby swallows. Make sure the bottle
teat is completely full of milk and there’s no air bubbles
trapped inside the teat.
2. You might want to switch to anti gas feeding bottles with
slower flow nipples
3. Let babies have their tummy time. However, it is very
important to make sure someone watches the baby when
they are on their tummy to reduce the risk of sudden
infant death syndrome. You might also want to wait for
20 to 30 minutes after a feed before putting your baby on
their tummy to prevent your baby from spitting up.
There are certain situations that you might need to be
worried about and bring your child to see the paediatrician
for assessment.
1. Your baby is not gaining weight
2. Your baby refuse to feed
3. Your baby is having fever
4. Your baby develops allergic reaction and exhibit symptoms
such as rashes, vomiting, difficulty breathing, swelling of
the face
5. Your baby has problems passing stools
Please remember to consult with your paediatrician if you
want to give any medications to your baby or change the
type of milk formula.
Will my baby inherit my eczema?
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My husband and I both have eczema.
Does this mean my child will get it too? I am
three months pregnant now. Will my diet
now have any outcome to my baby's health
when he is born?
~
Eczema is caused by an interplay between genetic and
environmental factors. A child can still get eczema even in a
family without a history of eczema. However, if one parent
has eczema, it increases the risk of your child developing
eczema by two to threefold. If both parents have eczema, it
increases the risk by four to fivefold.
There is no one definite thing that can help to prevent the
development of eczema in your baby but there are some
lifestyle changes that can help to reduce the risk. Breastfeeding
your baby may help in reducing the risk of developing eczema
in your baby. In addition to that, breastfeeding has a lot of
other benefits to the baby. There is no particular diet that has
been proven to prevent eczema. However, pregnant mothers
should maintain a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, fish and
vitamin D that may help reduce the risk of eczema in your
baby. Eliminating certain groups of food believed to cause
eczema from your diet may not reduce the risk of your baby
developing eczema but may be affecting the health of your
baby by depriving them of important nutrients.
10 BabyTalk | November/December 2021