I, too, have pondered the concept of exclusive breastfeeding and the use of
such things as Gripe Water and oral treatments for thrush.  A baby who is
suffering with painful gas and is crying in pain for hours is very hard to
watch.  [I know from experience.] I try to find out the cause of the pain
and help the mother resolve the problem if  I can.  Most times we can
discover the basis of the intestinal cramping but sometimes we can't.

To fail to offer relief to the infant's suffering because of a dedication
to exclusive breastfeeding seems a bit off to me. I know that anything
given to an infant other than human milk changes the environment of the gut
and doing that should be avoided if at all possible. And I respect that.  I
also know that when the invasive substance is discontinued and human milk
becomes the only substance ingested, the gut returns to its former
health.  Baby can then go on to feed for 1,2,3 years...with pleasure.

The same concern comes up with treating thrush.  I'm sure that Nystatin
suspension or gentian violet or Diflucan is not what an infant's gut is
supposed to have introduced to it.  But I don't advocate a baby's
continuing to suffer with a terrible sore throat and irritated mouth that
causes her to limit her feeding times, while Mom is crying through each
feeding with burning, damaged nipples.  And  I don't advocate failing to
treat to the resolution of her yeast overgrowth when her bottom is terribly
irritated, her intestines are cramping with gas pains, and she feels
generally miserable.

So even I, who am a strong advocate of exclusive breastfeeding, would not
feel that I am serving my clients well if I discouraged their treating
their infants for pain--whatever the cause--, when such treatment can
assure continued breastfeeding for an extended time.

I know that every culture has had something that is given to baby for
stomach/intestinal distress .  I hope that the current ones are an
improvement over some of those in the past.

Pat Gima, IBCLC
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Mailto:[log in to unmask]

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