ONE OF THE BEST THINGS YOU CAN LEARN AS A NEW MOMMY IS A HOW TO GIVE A TUMMY MASSAGE FOR YOUR BABY!
I am the blessed mama of three children, and every one of my babies had tummy troubles.
Every. Single. One. Of. Them.
Thankfully, I discovered this simple tummy massage when our first baby was an infant, and used it for each of my little ones.
This massage is so effective for relieving discomfort caused by gas, colic, and constipation. I want to show you a super simple way to love your little baby and help relieve his or her tummy ache.
You can usually tell if a baby is gassy or constipated by gently probing the stomach area with your fingertips, which will feel hard to the touch.
1. First, lay Baby down on his back.
2. With the palm of your hand near the top of Baby’s rib cage, bring your hand down in a sweeping motion, gently pressing his tummy. The point is to work any air (gas) down and out, as well as to relieve any built-up pressure. Repeat this motion several times.
3. Place your fingertips on Baby’s belly button area and massage gently and slowly in a clockwise, circular motion. Continue for 30 seconds or so. This helps Baby pass any gas that is on his tummy, and also helps stimulate his bowls if he is constipated.
4. Lastly, take hold of Baby’s ankles and gently press his legs toward his chest and hold for a few seconds. Repeat several times. You can also “pedal” his legs (as if he’s riding a bicycle), and alternate the two motions. Repeat all of the steps several times until it becomes evident that the baby’s tummy is feeling better. (It usually only takes a few minutes.)
If Baby is too upset or his tummy hurts too much to massage it, try giving him a dose of Gripe Water first. After giving a dose of Gripe Water, hold your baby in an upright position, as if you are trying to burp him, and gently pat his back. The air in his tummy will usually come up or out within a few minutes and you can try the tummy massage again.