Stomach Gas - A Bigger Problem Than You Think

Our son who is now 1 month old has severe gas problems. They start around 3 in the morning where he starts ehhing (please use the babyish dictionary for translation) and he continues ehhing till around 7-9 in the morning where he will start letting out huge amount of gas.

The amount of gas he lets out is simply amazing. I mean, he must have created a new hole in the ozonlayer. I wonder how its even possible to contain that much gas in that little tummy and intestines.

Nevertheless, I’ve been suggested to use gripe water by my mother and other fellow moms. Apparently this little bottle is a miracle cure that starts working within 30 minutes.

The only problem I’m having is to find a shop who sells it. I’ll let you know how it goes, once I find it, buy it and use it.

What wikipedia says about grip water:

Gripe water is a herbal home remedy for babies with colic, gas, teething pain or other stomach ailments. Its chief active ingredients are ginger, dill and fennel and sometimes chamomile. It is typically dispensed directly to the infant with a dropper in liquid form. Adults have also been known to take gripe water for soothing intestinal pains, gas, or other stomach ailments, but in larger doses.

Despite it being an accepted part of recommendations even from Pediatricians, no formal evaluation of gripe water has ever been undertaken.

Although many various forms of concoctions to fix minor upset stomachs in babies have been around for centuries in different cultures, the first officially known Gripe Water was reportedly formulated in England in 1851. It became popular almost instantly, and it soon became common for English nannies to use the product liberally.

The original Woodward’s Gripe Water contained 3.6% alcohol, dill oil, sodium bicarbonate, sugar and water. Since then, many companies have come up with their own recipes for gripe water. A typical single dose is 2.5 to 10 ml, depending on the age of the baby, and it is repeated several times daily.

In 1993, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in USA ordered an automatic detention of all shipments of gripe water into the state as it fit the definition of a new drug without having FDA approval. However, companies started to market and sell gripe water in the US as a dietary supplement, instead of a medicine, bypassing FDA regulation. The product, from the United Kingdom, India and other countries, can be found in many ethnic grocery stores throughout US. Many of the bottles imported from other countries still contain significant amounts of alcohol, charcoal and bicarbonate which depending on the dosages may be harmful to children.

So in conclusion, ensure that you read the label to find out what it contains. Googling around I’ve found gripe water will all natural ingredients, which I think will be the best choice.

Stay tuned, and protect the ozonlayer (our babies do enough damage).