Formula – made from cow’s milk, soy, or other non-human milk – can cause difficult digestion for a baby and babies may be comforted by burping. However, because human breastmilk is a physiologic substance that digests easily and has rapid transit time through the stomach, burping is not necessary. Vigorous burping can stimulate an infant that has already fed well (suck and swallows) and fallen asleep at the breast. This can make it appear as though the infant is still hungry, when in fact the infant just wants to comfort itself back to sleep with the next breast offered.
If a baby seems to be “taking in air” when feeding, this is usually because mom’s milk flow is so high that the baby is having to suck and swallow very vigorously or break suction to catch its breath. Even still, a breastfed baby will burp and spit up on its own if needed. It’s also not the just “air” that is causing the infant’s gas. It’s the fact the infant is getting a large volume of milk (the “garden hose”) effect in a short period of time. This can be helped by feeding in the side lying position if you’re at home, or letting the high milk flow leak into a haaka or breast pad until it slows for baby to return to breast comfortably.
