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?? 簿 ? 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
Co-founder
From the Diaper Pail Communications Inc.
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