Cracking the Case of a Gassy Baby

Katie Brierley, M.Ost, M.Sc., B.Sc. (Hons)
Jul 3
2 min read

Updated: Oct 18

Gas can turn even the calmest baby into a restless little mystery. For three week old Oliver, constant fussiness left his parents searching for answers. With gentle osteopathic care, the hidden clues behind his discomfort began to surface showing how small shifts can bring big relief for the whole family.

A visibly upset baby is held in the arms of a concerned father. The father has medium brown skin and short dark hair, wearing casual clothing. Beside them, a concerned mother with light skin and straight dark hair looks on. The background is light tan with soft abstract shapes, and the illustration style is flat, minimal, and inclusive.

Parenting in the early weeks often feels like detective work. Babies don’t come with instructions but they do leave clues, and sometimes the biggest one is a gassy, uncomfortable tummy.

That’s where Oliver’s story begins.

The First Clues

At just three weeks old, Oliver was a very noisy baby. Gas left him fussy and restless after nearly every feed. His parents were puzzled. Why did this baby seem so uncomfortable, when their first had been such a dream?

For Mum, the breaking point came one long evening when nothing seemed to help. She tried rocking, bicycle legs, burping, even switching feeding positions. Still, Oliver’s body stayed tense, his cries sharp and unsettled. Later she told me, “I felt like I was missing a piece of the puzzle.”

So at 1 a.m., exhausted and searching for answers, she went online and booked him an appointment to see me.

Piecing the Puzzle Together

When Oliver arrived at the clinic, his little body told its own story. His belly was firm and gassy, his ribcage and diaphragm felt tight, and his nervous system seemed stuck in high alert. It all seemed more “fight and fuss” than “rest and digest.”

Oliver was also born by scheduled c‑section. Sometimes that means babies miss out on the natural “big squeeze” of contractions, which helps expand the ribcage, free up the diaphragm, and get digestion moving more smoothly. For Oliver, that missing step seemed to add to the tightness in his system, making it harder for him to release gas and settle.

An osteopathic manual practitioner treats a baby who is sleeping peacefully in a modern setting.

Osteopathic care is like detective work for the body, looking at how these pieces connect. By easing the snug spots around his diaphragm and ribcage, softening his belly, and helping his nervous system shift gears, we gave his body the chance to settle.

Cracking the Case

Within two visits, Oliver’s parents noticed a difference:

Gas passed more easily
Feeding felt smoother
He was less fussy and more content

Mum described the change as a relief, saying it felt like Oliver could finally exhale. And perhaps most importantly, his parents felt reassured. They weren’t doing anything wrong. Oliver’s body just needed a little extra support in the right places.

A peaceful scene where the mother, with light skin and straight dark hair, gently holds a sleeping baby in her arms. The father, with medium brown skin and short dark hair, stands beside her. Both parents are smiling and chatting warmly with the practitioner, a white woman with shoulder-length brown curly hair and glasses.

Every Baby Leaves Clues

Every baby leaves hints through their wiggles, squirms, and cries. For Oliver, it was gas. For another baby, it might be tricky burps or straining to poop. Osteopathy offers a gentle way to follow those clues, piece the puzzle together, and help little bodies find comfort.

If your baby’s fussiness feels like an unsolved mystery, you don’t have to crack the case alone. At Bloom, I work with families to uncover what’s underneath and settle the mystery of discomfort.