Jen's Blog

Gut Bugs

Gary and I are giving Lexi bacteria to help make her less fussy.

There have been some studies that suggest giving babies probiotics can reduce their symptoms of colic. Gary thinks Lexi is colicky; I am less sure, but she can definitely be quite fussy sometimes (and would be daily if I were not on the no-dairy diet.) Our pediatrician said it may not help, but it wouldn't hurt, so we could give it a try if we liked. She also said she had read recent studies that suggest that when a pregnant woman takes probiotics her baby has fewer symptoms of colic (of course we're too late for this!)

So what are probiotics? The kind we are using are bacteria, in powdered form, the sort that are found in yogurt. It looks a lot like powdered yeast used for making bread; Gary says the powder has a slightly sweet taste (I haven't tried it yet). We've only given it to Lexi twice, this weekend. Gary mixed half a teaspoon in with a few ounces of breastmilk, then fed the mixture to Lexi. She didn't seem to notice a difference, and we haven't noticed an adverse reaction yet.