I guess the main reason for sharing this journey on here is because over the last few years I have been introduced to this whole world of holistic health and treating the root of a problem. I would love to tell you that I only eat organic and use 100% natural products all the time, but I don't. However one step in the right direction is still one step. I know so many children with bad digestive systems and when Jeremy started showing signs of what my doctor refers to as a "sluggish gut" I knew I wanted to help him heal rather than get used to using medication to deal with his poop problem. A few years ago I would never have even considered thinking down this route, so if this post helps just one mum consider an alternative method to medication as a first resort, I would be stoked!
Can anyone guess what's happening here?
Jeremy was a once a three week pooper when he was just breast fed, which is completely normal for an exclusively breastfed baby however once he started solids he got so blocked up he would sometimes cry while he pooped, which was just heart breaking. I tried a variety of different food with not much progress and then I started doing some research which sent my head in a tail spin. What if my son has something really wrong with his digestive system? What if he is constipated because he is dehydrated? What if my breast milk isn't enough for him? What if... what if...what if? In the last few weeks I have been researching, trialling a few different things and today I spoke with my doctor and chiropractor and for the next few months I'm going to be putting the following plan in place to see if we can heal Jeremy's gut naturally under the supervision of my GP.
1. More Breastmilk
When my head was going down the, what if he is dehydrated route? I considered giving him formula. Again I researched and breast milk is going to be the best medicine for this boy to help him heal. That means I have to up my boobie game. Which includes the following
a// Weleda Nursing Tea- to boost my milk supply
b// Raw Energy Snacks with good fat- to increase the quality of my milk
c// Food and drinks high in probiotics- Miso, Kombucha and Keffir
d// Women's Multi Vitamin- to increase the quality of my milk and boost my energy. I can't have most breastfeeding support vitamins as they have fish oil in them and I'm allergic to fish
We are on week two of probiotic drops at the moment and we have seen some improvement with his tummy. Hopefully with me having pro-biotic rich food and drink he will be getting it through my milk as well
3. Bone Broth Based food
This week we have started bone broth based baby food. This week he is having spiced pork bone broth with spinach and sweet potato. He loves the taste of it and has been a lot more settled and less gassy. The bone broth itself tasted so good we actually added salt to half of it and had it with our dinner last night! I'll be sure to share the recipe soon
4. Chiro
Jeremy had adjustments from about 6 weeks and responded really positively to them. Since his last adjustment he seemed much more comfortable. We will continue on with monthly adjustments until his bowel movements are regular again. Here in Rotorua we go to Funnell Family Chiropractic who have just been so awesome. Jeremy absolutely adores his chiropractor Francesco, who is just so gentle and patient with him! If you are in Auckland make sure you contact Dr Shannon Ganesan from Dynamic Family Chiropractic
5. Kiwi Herb Kids Calm
When I saw that this syrup was an emotional and digestive soother I was incredibly curious as to how it actually worked. The first time I used it for Jeremy I got a 2 hour day nap! Prior to this we had been getting no day naps as 20 minutes after putting him down he would always wake up with wind that needed to come up. The day nap journey is still a battle but we are currently winning! Most days I will get at least one good nap and one short nap with the help of Kiwi Herb Kids Calm. It really is amazing at helping to bring up that wind after he guzzles his feed. The best part is is is 100% natural, it tastes really so he really enjoys having it and it is such a reasonable price for such a quality NZ made product
So this is my plan. Plans do change, and if he does a bit of medication to help him in a few weeks I am not opposed to doing what's best for my baby. But as it states above this is a journey and so I'll keep you all updated as to how he is going!
Hi Mags, it's so encouraging to hear you are going down this trail. My sister has a baby girl who is just over 8 months old. From very early on she gave her baby probiotics and we noticed a huge difference. Her baby just blossomed as she made better use of the breast milk. My sister also found that boosting her protein intake in the form of whey powder smoothies made a better quality breastmilk. Her baby was much more content and would sleep through the night. However when she didn't take the whey protien (or extra protien) her baby was less content and would be awake more in the night. My brother's baby born weighing 6 pounds who is now 4 months old was pretty scrawny. About a month ago they started her on probiotics and we are already seeing a difference. She is becoming quite nice and chubby. You're doing great!
ReplyDelete