Do you have a baby that is suffering from colic symptoms? (Colic is defined as a baby crying for more than three hours a day, three days a week, for three weeks.) Are they crying and fussing a lot? Do they seem gassy and uncomfortable? Are you noticing a change in their stools (green in color, extra runny or mucousy, some bubbles or frothiness, or being prone to repeated diaper rash)?
These can all be signs of an unhappy tummy, as I’m sure you already guessed! A lot of times this can be caused by a lactase imbalance in the digestive system. A lack of lactase enzyme in the small intestine results in a baby’s inability to digest the milk sugar lactose. The undigested lactose is then broken down in the bowel, producing lactic acid and hydrogen gas. This leads to discomfort, bloating, and gas.
This can also cause what we call lactose overload. This is when babies’ bodies have difficulty digesting lactose. When lactose passes through a baby’s their not fully broken down and digested this can cause colic symptoms. This can also change the consistency, color, and texture of stools.
According to Dr. Jen 4 Kids: “If we have a high volume feed from a mother who has a lot of milk, we get lactose but not much fat. That means we have fast stomach emptying. The small intestine may have a problem with all that lactose being delivered quickly. If lactose is not all broken down into its component parts by the enzyme designed to do that, lots of lactose enters the large intestine. This is where lactobacilli and bifidobacteria can break it down producing lactic acid and hydrogen. We use “hydrogen breath tests” to check for lactose intolerance caused by the lack of the enzyme lactase. However, in our case, the lactase deficiency was a result of the speed at which the feeding went into the small intestine, where we may not have had enough lactase to break down all of the quickly-delivered lactose. Thus, it is not a true intolerance. The phenomenon is often called a “lactose overload.” The rapid production of hydrogen, a gas, stretches the colon, so the baby has gas and pain. Water goes into the colon because of the high sugar load which then causes loose stool, and the lactic acid often causes bad diaper rash. (5,6) Because the feeding did not have a lot of fat, there is no CCK driven satiety or milk coma. The baby may be very cranky and may always seem hungry.”
This is where Colief comes into play. Colief contains lactase, an enzyme naturally occurring in our bodies that helps break down complex sugar lactose found in milk, dairy products, breast milk and infant formulas. This enzyme helps to balance out babies’ tummies, reduce gassiness and discomfort, and make babies a lot happier! The drops can be used every time you feed your baby. At around 3 to 4 months old a baby’s digestive system will naturally cope better with lactose and usually symptoms will disappear. However, if symptoms persist you can continue to use Colief. As with any product, it is highly encouraged for you to see the opinion of a medical professional or lactation consultant to see if Colief is the right option for you and your baby.