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Baby tummy growling while feeding


Liquid Sloshing Around Baby’s Tummy - What Is It?

Have you had the surprising experience of hearing the sound of liquid sloshing around baby’s tummy?

You are bouncing your baby on your knee or your toddler is jumping around … and you could swear you hear a pool of liquid sloshing about in there.

What is this, and should you worry? 

Read on to learn more about your baby’s normal digestive process, and what causes the sound of liquid sloshing around baby’s tummy.

Your baby’s digestive system

Eating and digesting food are new experiences for your newborn baby.

During pregnancy, nutrients and oxygen pass through the umbilical cord from your placenta to your baby directly.

After birth, your baby needs to eat and process breast milk or formula to meet nutritional needs.

While in the womb, your baby swallows and pees out amniotic fluid. It sounds gross but it helps to form the gastrointestinal tract and also gives your baby a taste of the food you ate.

Studies show what you eat during your pregnancy even influences your baby’s food preferences.

Swallowing amniotic fluid also creates what becomes your baby’s first poo – the sticky meconium a newborn passes over the first few days of life.

Colostrum – the thick, yellow substance that precedes breast milk in the first few days after birth, has a laxative effect. This helps move the meconium through the bowels and excrete excess bilirubin, to prevent jaundice.

Colostrum and breast milk also contribute to a healthy microbiome by colonising your baby’s gut with helpful bacteria. 

Within moments of birth, your baby breathes air into his lungs. He also swallows air into his stomach, and the air then moves down through the bowels and intestines.

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Why does my newborn’s stomach make noises?

The noises a newborn baby’s tummy makes can be a little alarming for new parents. Gurgles, grumbles and sloshing liquid sounds can seem loud, coming from such a little body.

Usually, what you hear is not actually coming from the stomach. They are just the normal sounds of your baby’s lower digestive system functioning – a sign everything is working properly in there.

Your doctor or midwife will listen to your baby’s tummy during the first newborn exam and at follow-up pediatrician visits.

They are listening for bowel sounds in all four areas of the abdomen. These sounds begin about 15 minutes after birth as air enters the gastrointestinal tract for the first time.

Is it normal to hear baby’s stomach gurgling while feeding?

When you’re feeding your baby, often in the dead of night, sounds are amplified. But even during the day, with a noisy toddler nearby or the radio on, you can still hear your baby’s stomach gurgling during feeding.

Gurgling sounds are simply the movement of food or liquid moving through the intestines. They are the normal sounds of your baby’s gastrointestinal system working.

In between feeds, you’re likely to hear gurgling or tinkling sounds every 15-20 seconds. 

I can hear liquid sloshing around baby’s tummy

If you notice the sound of liquid sloshing around baby’s tummy and feel really worried, you’re not alone. Many new parents hear this noise and worry there’s something wrong.

We’ve all experienced the ‘growling’ and ‘rumbling’ in our stomachs when we’re hungry. 

This rumbling sound happens when the stomach is empty, starts to contract, and moves air around. 

When you can hear liquid sloshing around baby’s tummy, think of a bottle of water that isn’t full to the top but has some air in it. You can hear that water sloshing around as it moves. It’s the same with baby’s tummy. 

Tummies are noisiest right before and right after eating. 

Other causes of tummy noises in babies 

All the variations of tummy noises already mentioned are completely normal. If your baby shows signs of distress or pain, however, there could be something else contributing to tummy noises.  

Most often this is due to swallowing excess air. We often refer to this as being ‘gassy’.

Reasons a baby might be gassy:

  • Overactive letdown from the breast
  • Bottle feeding with a fast flow nipple
  • Excess crying
  • In need of improved gut flora, after taking antibiotics
  • Allergy to something in formula or breast milk
  • Tongue-tie
  • Needs help to relieve gas or burp. 

Overactive letdown and gas

Some breastfeeding mums have a forceful flow of milk at the time of letdown; this happens at the beginning of a feed. 

It can cause babies to gulp and sputter as they try to keep up with the fast flow. Gulping can cause them to swallow more air, which leads to gas and tummy upset. 

Strategies to deal with overactive letdown include:

  • Getting a good latch
  • Using laid-back nursing positions
  • Nursing more often
  • Burping your baby after every feeding
  • ‘Catching’ the fast letdown milk.

Read more details in Overactive Letdown – 6 Tips To Manage It.

Bottle feeding and gas

Many bottles have a nipple opening that’s larger and allows breastmilk or formula to flow too quickly. This causes gulping and excess swallowing of air during feeds.

Be sure to use a bottle with a ‘slow-flow’ nipple. This allows the baby to work his mouth and jaw muscles appropriately, while decreasing the amount of air swallowed.

Paced bottle feeding allows your baby to bottle feed with less risk of getting too much air and also has other benefits.

Read more about paced bottle feeding and more in Bottle Nursing-6 Steps To Better Bottle Feeding.

Excess crying and gas

Your baby might be crying because of gas pain. He then swallows more air, which leads to more gas: what a vicious cycle!

Crying happens for many reasons. Responding promptly to soothe your baby reduces the length of crying episodes.  

If you think your baby is crying because of gas pain, read on for some ideas about how to bring your baby relief.

Antibiotics, decreased gut flora and gas

If your baby has been on antibiotics for any reason, or if you received antibiotics during labour, your baby might need to replenish helpful bacteria in the gut.

Breastfeeding and skin-to-skin contact are the first ways of keeping your baby’s microbiome healthy.

There is some evidence that probiotics can be helpful for babies who have colic symptoms, especially if they are breastfeeding from someone who has a dairy-free diet.

Many formulas include probiotics.

Allergies and gas

Most breastfeeding parents can continue to eat a variety of foods without affecting their baby’s digestion. 

If your baby has other signs of food allergies, along with fussiness, with guidance from your healthcare provider you could try eliminating things from your diet to see if it helps. 

Signs of food intolerance include:

  • Eczema or rashes
  • Blood or mucous in stools
  • Congestion or a wheezing cough
  • Family history of food allergies.

Your baby might also be sensitive to an ingredient in the formula. 

Contact your healthcare provider to solve problems possibly related to allergies.

Tongue-tie and gas

Babies with an oral restriction, such as a tongue-tie, might swallow more air as they work to move milk from a breast or bottle. 

Read Tongue Tie-9 Facts You Need To Know for more information. 

Always consult with a certified lactation consultant for a thorough assessment.

How do I know if my baby has gas?

Many parents hear about crying babies having gas and wonder whether there are other signs to look for.

Babies sometimes go through stages of crying for no apparent reason, so other signs of gas to watch for include:

  • Arched back
  • Straining to pass gas or have a bowel movement
  • Lifting the legs
  • Swollen stomach
  • High pitched “eh, eh” vocalisations
  • Squirming and fidgeting
  • Spitting up after each feeding
  • Fussiness when they aren’t hungry or tired.

How can I relieve my baby’s gas?

Here are some things you can try to help your baby feel better:

  • Hold him in positions that put gentle pressure on the belly, such as over your shoulder or in a ‘football hold’
  • Pat him firmly on the back
  • Burp him more often, between switching sides and after every feeding
  • Lay him on his back and ‘bicycle’ the legs up toward the tummy
  • Wear your baby while you move around
  • Try infant massage on the tummy
  • Give it time and patience!

What about reflux and tummy noises?

Most babies experience some episodes of reflux, when the stomach contents come up into the esophagus. This is usually normal and doesn’t require medications or strategies other than the ones mentioned above.

As midwife and IBCLC Emilia Smith says:

“Often what parents think is reflux, is actually just a normal baby reaction to position at the breast, or a forceful letdown. When this is the case there are a variety of things to try to improve the feeding experience”.

Consult a certified lactation consultant or your pediatrician if your baby doesn’t get relief from these things or if tummy noises seem abnormal to you.

Why Does Baby Stomach Gurgle When She Eats

Do you hear noises around your baby’s tummy and are worried that this could be a call for concern?

As a parent, such experiences can be scary and have you thinking,

“Why does baby stomach gurgle when she eats?” You may even have thought of planning a trip to the pediatrician.

But what really causes stomach noises in children, and is it a call for concern?

While there are many reasons and myths for this, it is crucial for you as a parent to know what triggers stomach gurgles in children and what you can do.

If this is you, you need to read this article; otherwise, you won’t know how to help your helpless baby.

Why Does Baby Stomach Gurgle When She Eats

Stomach noises usually occur when you put food or liquid on an empty stomach.

Digestive sounds in babies are normal and can occur because of different factors. Some of the common reasons your baby’s stomach may gurgle while they are feeding include:

1. Gas or Air Movement

Movement of gas or air in your child’s digestive system may be one of the reasons their tummy may be rumbling.

Generally, gas can increase in baby’s tummies in various instances, like when they feed using a bottle that doesn’t have adequate air vents.

Also, babies can take in extra air when they cry for extended periods.

2. Dietary Sensitivity

The other reason could be that the mother could have eaten foods with a lot of gas, including dairy and wheat products.

Consequently, the baby takes in the air during breastfeeding, leading to gurgling.

This is also true when the baby eats formula or other food with acid.

Other times, acid reflux can cause stomach acids to return to the esophagus, and this can cause stomach noisiness and fussiness in babies.

3. Baby is Hungry

As adults, the most common reason babies’ stomach gurgles is hunger.

When the stomach is empty, it contracts, and this causes air movement, leading to strange noises.

4. Wrong Positioning

When you place your child in the wrong position while feeding, it can lead to rumbling and gurgling. This is true when gas is unable to escape. 

See a related post: How To Make Sugar Water For Babies

Is It Normal for Baby’s Stomach to Gurgle During Eating?

When your baby feeds, the digestion process begins, causing them to want to poop after a while.

Usually, your stomach is likely to make rumbling noises when you pass a bowel movement. 

Ideally, it is believed that humans pass gas up to 20 times a day, and noises are part of this process.

As a child’s digestive system matures, many activities occur, and all this can contribute to the strange gurgling noises. 

Therefore, you can rest assured that gurgling noises in an infant’s stomach are a normal part of the digestive process while feeding.

Generally, these sounds can occur every 30 seconds to 1 minute if the baby’s digestive system is normal.

Why Does Baby Stomach Make Noises While Sleeping?

Besides feeding, you may also hear rumbling noises on your baby’s stomach when sleeping.

While this may not be very common, like feeding, it is completely normal and should be no reason to be alarmed.

Usually, this occurs because the digestive system is regularly working to ensure proper functioning. 

During this process, gas and milk tend to move through the digestive tract, causing their stomach to gurgle while sleeping.

If anything, the absence of noise on your baby’s stomach can be a cause for concern, especially if it becomes sudden.

You may also want to call a pediatrician if the rumbling sound suddenly becomes a squealing or whining sound.

What to do to Stop Baby’s Stomach Noisiness

Whatever the cause, stomach noisiness in babies can be uncomfortable. Fortunately, there are several things you can do to ease this discomfort.

1. Prop Your Baby 30 Degrees

To help your baby feel better from the discomfort, hold him upright or about 30 degrees both during feeding and after feeding.

Doing this helps to prevent gas from traveling back to his esophagus.

2. Burp More Often

Burping your child more often can offer much-needed relief from gas trapped in your child’s belly.

3. Bicycle Legs

Gently help your child move their legs back and forth to appear they are riding a bicycle. This helps to relieve trapped gas from his belly.

4. Warm Baths and Massage

Massaging your baby and placing them in a warm water bath can also help ease the discomfort.

A warm bath and massage soothes the baby’s stomach and helps them relax, making it easy for gas to travel properly in the digestive tract.

Other ways to relieve baby’s gas include:

  • Pace your baby in an upright position after feeding
  • Use a warm compress
  • Give baby gripe water or colic drops
  • Give your baby over-the-counter gas drops based on doctor’s instructions

Summary

We hope that this article has been helpful if you have been wondering, “Why Does Baby Stomach Gurgle When She Eats. ”

It is normal for a parent or caregiver to get concerned and worried when these sounds become consistent.

However, as aforementioned, gurgles in your baby’s stomach may be a normal part of digestion and may not warrant a trip to the doctors.

Learning how to relieve discomfort in babies to improve the feeding experience is imperative for all parents.

However, if your baby does not get relief from the home remedies, consider consulting your pediatrician as soon as possible.

A medical professional will help determine whether your baby is sensitive to her diet or the main cause of the gas.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know the baby has gas?

As a parent, knowing the signs and symptoms of infant gas can help you find the right remedy to ease the discomfort.

Some of the common infant gas symptoms to look out for include:

  • Swollen stomach
  • Spitting up
  • Excessive fussiness even if they are not hungry
  • Excessive hiccups, burping, spit-ups, and belches
  • Flatulence
  • High pitched voice
  • Arched back
  • Constant lifting legs

What kind of foods gives babies gas during breastfeeding?

Unknown to some mothers, breastfeeding can affect the baby’s digestion, especially if the mother eats certain types of food.

Whatever you eat is passed into your bloodstream and passed to your breast milk. 

If the foods are acidic, the gas can be passed to your breastfeeding baby. Besides, some ingredients in a baby’s formula can also trigger this reaction.

Foods that can trigger stomach rumbles in babies include:

  • Acidic foods
  • Wheat and dairy products
  • Caffeine
  • Beans
  • Cabbage
  • Broccoli
  • Spicy Foods
  • Citrus fruits
  • Oatmeal

Signs of food sensitivity or intolerance in children include:

  • Mucous or blood in stool
  • Rashes or eczema
  • Congestion
  • Wheezing cough

Why does my child continually split up?

In most cases, occasional splitting is very normal in children.

However, it can become an issue if the split-ups are continuous during feeding, which may be a sign of acid reflux.

This usually happens when food in the stomach travels back to the esophagus, causing aspiration or vomiting.

This process can be quite uncomfortable and irritable for children and may need immediate attention from your pediatrician.

They will offer you the best remedy for reducing the acid reflux in your child.

Is stomach gurgling dangerous for children?

While it may be upsetting to hear stomach noises in your baby, these sounds are mostly normal and indicate digestion.

Nevertheless, this may not be the case when you hear loud, high-pitched sounds, as this could indicate an underlying gastrointestinal disorder or blockage in the digestion system.

In this case, you need to consult a doctor.

 

Iesha Mulla

Iesha is a loving mother of 2 beautiful children. She’s an active parent who enjoys indoor and outdoor adventures with her family. Her mission is to share practical and realistic parenting advice to help the parenting community becoming stronger.

Why does the baby growl in the stomach?

Baby Further

Usually, rumbling in the abdomen of a baby during feeding and after is completely normal. However, in some cases, the baby may need your help.

Anxiety symptoms

If you hear that your baby’s tummy is growling during meals and some time after it, but the baby eats well, gains weight and is not naughty, then everything is in full with him okay. The fact is that such sounds are accompanied by the process of digestion: when the baby eats, the walls of his stomach and intestines begin to actively contract, which leads to rumbling.

Sometimes additional symptoms are added to the bubbling in the abdomen. If you observe at least one of them in your baby, you need to show it to the pediatrician:

  • The child is naughty during feeding, refuses to breastfeed
  • The baby's belly swells, becomes hard to the touch
  • Sleep disordered in infant
  • The child presses the legs to the stomach, clenches his fists, arches his back
  • The baby cries loudly in the evenings and cannot calm down
  • Infant passes gas frequently
  • The baby's stool becomes watery, green appears in it.

Causes of the “storm”

If rumbling in the abdomen causes discomfort to the baby, the cause may be colic and gas, a change in diet, lactase deficiency or the composition of the intestinal microflora. After consulting with a pediatrician and taking tests, it will become clear which of these reasons bothers your child.

  • Infant colic They can appear in babies from the second week of life and last up to four months. The newborn does not have time to digest the entire volume of milk or formula that he eats at one time. Remains of food settle on the walls of the intestines and begin to ferment, causing spasms - intestinal colic
  • Change of diet
    If you first fed your baby with milk, and then transferred him to IV, this can provoke digestive problems in the crumbs. Replacing formula and introducing complementary foods can also be a difficult test for a child's body.
  • Lactase deficiency
    Mother's milk and most formulas contain lactose, milk sugar. When it enters the baby's body, its intestines begin to produce a special enzyme called lactase, which breaks down milk sugar. Babies often have problems with the synthesis of this substance, which is completely normal. By 4 months, the problem should resolve itself. If the child becomes worse, we are talking about lactase deficiency. This diagnosis must be made by a doctor. He will prescribe a special diet for the baby and prescribe medications.
  • Imbalance of microflora
    At the beginning of life, the baby's intestines are colonized by "beneficial" and opportunistic bacteria. If the latter exceed the norm, the baby begins to have problems with the tummy. It could be dysbacteriosis or an infection. So that the crumbs do not have complications, it must be taken to the pediatrician in time and tested.

Helping a baby

There are many ways to get rid of rumbling in the tummy. Your actions should depend on the reason that caused the crumbs discomfort:

  • For colic Give your baby a tummy massage half an hour before feeding. While eating, make sure that the baby does not swallow excess air. After feeding, wear the baby in a “column”. To make the baby feel better, give him natural drops from colic "Koli Crocodile". They begin to act within 10 minutes after ingestion, relieve cramps and bloating, relieve pain.
  • For dietary problems
    Talk to your pediatrician and find the right formula for your baby. Eliminate foods from your menu that can cause digestive problems in an infant if he is on breastfeeding. Feed your baby more often and reduce portion sizes.
  • For lactose intolerance
    If the doctor has confirmed this diagnosis, you will need to remove lactose-containing foods from the baby's diet and switch the baby to special dairy-free formulas. Often, pediatricians prescribe enzyme preparations for babies with lactase deficiency.
  • If there is an imbalance in the microflora
    First, you need to take tests to assess the state of the intestinal microflora in your child. With dysbacteriosis, babies are prescribed probiotics, with intestinal infections - a special diet and medications.

Important! Any treatment should be carried out under the supervision of a specialist. Most often, rumbling in the baby's stomach is a completely normal phenomenon that does not require your intervention and will go away on its own when the baby is 4 months old.

Why does the baby growl in the stomach when feeding? What are the rules for caring for a baby?

In the first months of life, children often experience some discomfort associated with the work of digestion . The baby may have rumbling in the abdomen, colic, increased gas formation and other harmless ailments.

The microflora of the gastrointestinal tract of the baby is not yet fully formed, the intestines are poorly developed. Therefore, the child may experience various problems with digestion.

Causes of rumbling in the baby's stomach

Improper nutrition of the mother . If the nursing mother ate food that increases gas formation (cabbage, milk, some fruits, legumes and even chocolate) or the mixture for the baby is not chosen correctly, the baby develops rumbling.

Intestinal dysbacteriosis . The child's intestinal microflora is disturbed, beneficial bacteria in this case are practically absent.

Muscle spasm often causes both borborygmi and colic. With a lack of fluid for the child, the process of digestion of food slows down, it begins to rot and ferment in the stomach.

If the disease occurs during feeding?

If the baby's stomach rumbles when feeding, then most likely the reason for this is lactase deficiency. Most often it occurs in infants. Lactose is the most important component of breast milk .

But for proper breakdown of lactose into smaller particles, the enzyme lactase must be present in the intestine .

When the enzyme is absent, lactose is not completely broken down and stimulates formation of new bacteria .

Bacteria create a fermentation process, the negative effect of which is rumbling or colic. The more active the fermentation process is, the more the baby will growl in the stomach . Another sign of lactase deficiency is green or green-yellow loose stools with a pronounced odor.

In this condition, the infant most often has a good appetite. He begins to eat milk very actively, but after a few minutes he gives up this activity, in which case you should be wary.

The baby pulls his legs up to his stomach, cries, he has rumbling in his tummy . For a more accurate diagnosis, you need to take tests.

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Baby feeding rules

If a child is found to be lactose intolerant, certain rules must be followed when feeding .

Feed the baby at night from the breast and not with expressed milk. At night, milk is usually produced, in which the lactose content is lower than .

It is very important to attach the baby to the breast correctly. breastfeeding through pads often leads to improper attachment. If breastfeeding is causing you pain, chances are you are not breastfeeding your baby properly.

Only change the breast when the baby has completely emptied it.

Do not wean the baby from the breast until it is completely saturated. This rule especially applies to those mothers whose children are not yet 3 months old .

It is best to feed your baby on the same breast, but more often. With significant interruptions in feeding, milk with a high content of lactose accumulates in the breast.

But in some cases, a rare alternation can lead to a decrease in the amount of milk. Therefore, this approach must be applied0005 with special care .

If the above rules do not help and lactase deficiency persists, then you need to contact your pediatrician. The doctor will prescribe certain medicines to improve the digestion of crumbs .

The baby constantly rumbles in the stomach

When the rumbling in the baby's stomach occurs very often, it causes anxiety in parents. The cause of constant rumbling can also be lactase deficiency or improper nutrition of a nursing mother .

Mom needs to completely reconsider her daily diet and exclude cabbage, legumes, chocolate, and some fruits from it. In case of almost continuous rumbling, it is imperative to consult a doctor .

What other rules are important to follow?

When breastfeeding, make sure that the baby's lips completely cover the area of ​​the nipple on the breast.

If the baby does not swallow the entire nipple, then air can enter the intestines along with food, which will lead to increased gas formation in your baby.

Also, air can get in when the baby cries for a long time before feeding , remember this.

The baby should be given the required amount of water per day. To help get rid of the rumbling, you can give baby a massage .

The doctor must show how to perform the massage correctly. With the help of massage, excess gases are removed from the gastrointestinal tract.

If the baby is formula fed, a bottle with a suitable nipple must be selected. Doctors advise putting baby on an empty stomach on the tummy.

This technique can be called a natural bowel massage , because it perfectly activates its work. In some cases, the child is prescribed drugs "Espumizan", "Bobotik" and similar.

But as a substitute for drugs, chamomile tea or fennel tea, dill water is excellent.

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