Hello and welcome!! First of all… You are certainly a strong mama. I know what it is like to get very little sleep and watch your baby be in pain, try many different things and still not know what to do. (((HUG))) And I am so proud of you for sticking it out with nursing!! That is awesome! NO formula can ever replace breast milk!
I am not a doctor and am not claiming to cure or diagnose anyone. I am simply telling my story of what we found to help our children. I know that what works for one will not work for the other so although this helped my children it may not help yours. I do know of many babies, children, and adults that have found at least some relief for their digestive problems with probiotics and enzymes, so it may be worth a try for you and your little one.
My first 2 children suffered badly from digestive problems. My oldest had blood in his stools before he was a week old and soon spent most of his time screaming in pain. He always acted hungry but very quickly threw up whatever he ate and he slept for only very short periods at a time. At a couple months of age his pediatrician labeled him “Failure to Thrive”. Eventually we figured out that dairy and soy were a big part of the problem. Until he was age one he drank Nutramigen, then we tried different milks with no success. He was on Prevacid until age 3. He was able to quit the meds when we started giving him alkaline water to drink. Although it did not cure him, he was quite a bit better with the water than the meds.
My second child was pretty much a rerun of my first except that I knew just a little bit more about reflux etc. He too was able to quit the reflux meds at age 1, when we started him with drinking alkaline water.
Alkaline water helped with the reflux and pain, but did not make it so they could tolerate foods.
A year after starting them with the alkaline water, a friend suggested that I contact a well known nutritionist named Shan Stratton that specializes in digestion. I was surprised and impressed at how much he knew and how well he explained what was going on with my children. I will try my best to explain what I have learned from him along with some of what I have learned on my own through research. What I write is correct to the best of my knowledge, but it is possible that there is some incorrect statements and if so, I ask your pardon.
Before a baby is born, their digestive tract is sterile- meaning it is free from bacteria. The baby will pick up it’s first “dose” of good live bacteria (also known as probiotics or gut flora) from the birth canal. Whatever kind of probiotics mom has in there is what the baby will get. The next “dose” which is the highest strongest dose a baby will ever get, is from colostrum. Probiotics play a huge role in the health of the baby. They make up over 70% of the immune system and they are what line, coat, and protect the entire digestive tract.
Antibiotics kill not only bad bacteria but the good also. If a mother has been on many different antibiotics throughout her life it can alter her probiotics. This in turn will alter what kind the baby gets. If the mother has been on antibiotics while pregnant, for sure close to or at the time of giving birth this can severely alter the probiotics that baby gets. In fact, if on antibiotics at the time of birth, the mother may have no probiotics to pass on to her baby. And of course if baby has antibiotics at any given time it will kill off the probiotics. If the mother takes them while nursing, she will pass them on to her baby and it also will kill his/her probiotics.
If a baby is born by c-section, this can make him/her be behind in building up the probiotics. But if he/she gets plenty of colostrum it will certainly help.
Some babies who are born by c-section, are on antibiotics, get no colostrum, or all of the above, are not necessarily doomed for digestive problems. Some babies are really strong and healthy and their body has no problems making and building up its own probiotics. But for some, this can be the start to the digestive system not working well.
For some babies, they will greatly benefit from a probiotic supplement. When someone is low on probiotics, they are low on many, so the best supplement would be one that has at least 10 different strains in it. But the bottom line is that your child gets relief.
Another problem for some children can be a lack of sufficient digestive enzymes. Digestive enzymes are what are in all foods (before they are cooked or processed) to aid in breaking them down. They are especially needed for breaking down proteins. If a nursing mom eats a diet of mostly raw foods this can help some but unless the foods are organically grown, they are not very enzyme rich. The pancreas is what makes digestive enzymes and it will try to compensate for the lack of them in foods, but for some babies it can be difficult for their pancreas to keep up making enough to break down the food (proteins in particular) that they take in whether it be through breast milk, formula, or solids as they get older.
For some babies, they can inherit the problems of their body not making enough digestive enzymes, and for these children, they may carry this problem all of their life. Just like the diabetic doesn’t make enough insulin.
When “food” is placed in the stomach, the stomach will excrete a small amount of acid to activate the enzymes so they will start breaking down the food. If there are no or little enzymes, then the stomach will excrete a little more acid. Eventually the food is forced into the intestines even if it isn’t fully properly broken down. If the food isn’t broken down then it will very difficult for the body to be able to absorb and use it. For some children, this undigested food will sit in the intestines too long and the longer “food” stays in the intestines, the more moisture that is drawn out of it, and it can cause constipation.
This excess acid that the stomach makes, can play a major part in some babies digestive problems. Too much acid will kill probiotics. And beings that probiotics are the protective coating for the entire digestive tract, then without it, the food, reflux, or stool will rub right up next to the esophagus and intestines themselves and can cause them to become raw, inflamed, and even bleed sometimes.
So, how have digestive enzymes and probiotics affected my children? Well, they have made a huge difference. Cure? No! They have been taking a supplement of them for 2 years and today they are able to eat any and all foods. But they have to take a pill with every meal and any snack that does not have enzymes in it. I still try not to let my boys a lot of dairy though. But if the ask for a glass of milk I normally let them. They were not used to drinking milk when they were younger so it is not something they like terribly well. One evening awhile ago, when I let them have a glass of milk, I reminded them to take a pill with it. After they went to sleep and I was sitting in their room with my laptop, I noticed how restless Quinton was. Soon he sat fully up he was so uncomfortable but he didn’t wake up. This reminded me so much of how he used to be and I got to thinking that he had probably not taken a pill. So I went and got 2 of them with a glass of water and woke him up and made him take them. I was impressed how in about a minute he completely settled down and peacefully slept the rest of the night.
There are many different brands and companies out there that sell probiotic and enzyme supplements. We use a product called “Digestive Health” sold by Core Health Products. It contains 13 dif
ferent strains of pH stabilized probiotics, prebiotics (which are food for the probiotics), over 20 types of broad spectrum plant based digestive enzymes, and several different types of soothing herbs. If you wish to look for a different brand then here are some things to look for that I personally feel are really important because of my own research that I have done.
Probiotic supplements should have at least 10 different strains in them. And they should be stabilized meaning that they have gone through a process that keeps the probiotics alive but dormant, they are in a capsule, and don’t have to be refrigerated. When probiotics have to be refrigerated to stay alive, it is more likely that they will die in our warm bodies too quickly and won’t be of as much value and benefit. If probiotics are pH stabilized it means that each strain will become activated only when it reaches the correct pH level in the body where it is needed. A lot of probiotic supplements are heat activated, meaning when they reach a certain temperature they are activated.
Prebiotics are also important in a probiotic supplement because if they are not in there, then the probiotics will derive the body of the “food” that they need.
Digestive enzymes supplements should be plant derived. If they are pancreatic or animal based then they are the same kinds of enzymes that our own body produces. This can cause the pancreas to become dependent on them and stop making its own all together. Whereas plant derived ones are the same as what we would get through our food and not something the body will become dependent on. Enzyme supplements should also be broad spectrum. This means that there are not only the major enzymes that break down protein, fat, carbs, but also the minor enzymes that help out with the different stages of digestion.
As I have said before, the key is finding something that works! So, if you try one kind and don’t get results then don’t give up. But as I said in the beginning… what works for one may not work for another. And not everyone will get help with probiotics and/or enzymes.
If you decide to try probiotics and/or enzymes, be aware that it can possibly make symptoms worsen for a day or two. This is called Herxheimer Reaction. The Herxheimer Reaction is an immune system reaction to the toxins (endotoxins) that are released when large amounts of pathogens are being killed off, and the body does not eliminate the toxins quickly enough. Simply stated, it is a reaction that occurs when the body is detoxifying and the released toxins either exacerbate the symptoms being treated or create their own symptoms. The important thing to note is that worsening symptoms do not indicate failure of the treatment in question; in fact, usually just the opposite.
I hope that you can soon find answers and help for your little one!!!
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