Have you ever heard about baby indigestion? Do you
even know what that is? Well think about heartburn and indigestion and
how it can make you feel. The deep pressure and in your chest and
abdomen is enough to make you feel like you are having a heart attack.
Now imagine that feeling on a 2 weeks old baby. YIKEES!!! I can tell you
that whatever that you feel is magnified by 100% in your child. Added
to the intense pain that the child is feeling is the fact that they have
no way of telling you how they feel. They cannot say "mommy my tummy
hurts".
What causes baby indigestion?
Well, in adults there are several causes, but, for babies, I think
we can safely rule out alcohol consumption, smoking and eating spicy
foods! It's also fairly uncommon for babies to have stomach ulcers or
gallstones. This means that we can focus on food allergies and
sensitivities as the 2 main causes of baby indigestion. So now that we have a general idea of the potential causes of baby indigestion; how can we tell if our baby has indigestion?
Symptoms of baby indigestion can include:
- Fits of fussing and/or crying that may end after gas is relieved
- Irritability
- Constipation
- Sleeplessness
- Curds of undigested food in stool (okay, let's just call it poop, that's what it is!)
- Very foul-smelling poop and even diarrhea in extreme cases
Now it is very important that we understand one thing; and that is
indigestion is not a cause or disease unto itself. It's just a symptom.
So what we need to do is find the actual cause of baby indigestion. Therefore be aware that the real causes of baby indigestion are:
- Spoiled food
- Food allergies
- Food sensitivities
Spoiled Food and Baby Indigestion
Spoiled food is not good for adults as it can lead to all sorts of
stomach problems and this is no different for our children. Therefore if
you are formula feeding your child – ensure that the best before date
hasn't expired. Additionally you need to take extra caution when
sterilizing all bottles and equipment that touch baby's formula. Make
sure water you are giving baby or using to mix powdered formula is safe
and has been boiled.
Another thing that we should avoid doing at all costs is re-heating
bottles. Mothers if you are guilty of this practice please, please, STOP
IMMEDIATELY. If baby has not consumed all of it, dispose of it. Also
if you are pumping breast-milk, make sure that you use ONLY sterilized
containers to store it. Refrigerate and use up the milk within a couple
of days or store in a freezer to make it last longer. Just following
these simple tips could significantly reduce baby indigestion.
Phew!!! Now that took care of spoiled food. Okay, what about food
allergies and how do babies have allergies when they get fed only one
thing?? J I mean does this even make sense? Read on.
First of all it can be confusing trying to differentiate between an
allergy and food sensitivity. So how can you tell the difference and how
does it relate to baby indigestion?
Food allergies and sensitivity and baby indigestion – Formula
First of all we need to understand that allergies can cause strong
reactions like hives and severe rashes, vomiting, swelling of soft
tissue like ears and lips, or be life-threatening with anaphylactic
shock reactions. Sensitivities; however, are milder and cause
indigestion, discomfort, constipation and less severe skin rashes. You
know those foods that just don't ‘agree' with you.
It is very common for babies to be allergic to or sensitive to cow's
protein. Take comfort in the fact that most will grow out of this by
one year of age, but that first year can be tricky. For those formula
feeding moms, you will need to switch to a soy-based formula or one's
formulated especially for babies with cow protein sensitivity.
Oh there is one word of caution; and that is, it is common for
babies with cow protein sensitivity to also have soy protein
sensitivity. However, rest assured that there are formulas out there
that have neither soy nor cow's milk in them.
Food allergies and sensitivity and baby indigestion – Breast feeding
If you are breast-feeding, cut all dairy out of your diet. This is
because the foods that you eat are passed onto your child through your
milk. Therefore your breast milk can contain traces of cow's milk
protein from dairy you are eating. So, I mean cut out ALL dairy if you
wish to reduce baby indigestion. Start reading food labels!!
Trust me, I know this sucks, I've done it myself in the past. You'll
get some headaches and feel like crap for a few days as your body
detoxifies and works the dairy through your system. Basically, you'll go
through a bit of a withdrawal. Cheese as a drug…who knew?
The Fix – substitute cow's milk with goat's milk as this can usually
be tolerated quite well. After breast-feeding my kids for 6 months, I
switched them both to goat milk and guess what?? They still love it.
It's available in most major grocery stores and can be frozen if you
need to stock-pile!
So how can you give your baby relief from Baby Indigestion?
You can use gripe water for more ‘instant' relief of baby indigestion.
You can get this at any drug store, and many health food stores have an
alternative with all natural ingredients. I have also tried some of the
tablets that are on the market – most manufacturers call indigestion Colic
so look for products that say Colic Relief or something like that. The
label "Colic" is a bit of a misnomer because colic in infants may have
nothing to do with indigestion but that debate is for another
newsletter!
Additionally you can give your baby tummy massages and baby enemas to alleviate indigestion. Remember though that none of these "instant relief" techniques are aimed at the cause of the indigestion; they just treat the symptoms.
A more long term solution to the problem is to look for the food sensitivities and allergies that may be causing the indigestion in the first place.
How can this be done?
By analyzing a stool sample from your baby, your doctor will be able
to determine if there is undigested cow protein present and that your
baby is sensitive to dairy.
As always, I recommend talking to a medical or naturopathic doctor about your baby's symptoms if you are concerned.
If you found this article helpful, please share it and post your comments below!
Helping you turn frustration to fun,
Leah Mullis
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