My 11 month old baby had a runny nose one day, and the next day he had a fever. Forty-eight hours later, he still had a fever.
The fever activated an outbreak of cold sores which was quickly spread by teething drool all over his chest and chin. A day later his gums began to swell, almost puffing over his eight tiny teeth. I took him to the doctor, fearing that my poor baby boy had contracted swine flu, but he was diagnosed with a severe viral infection which had decimated his immune system, making way for the cold sores and a bacterial gum disease called trench mouth.
My baby was prescribed a ten day course of high-dose antibiotics to help his immune system beat the secondary infections, but for those ten days he had the worst case of baby diarrhea I have ever seen.
This year is predicted to be a bad one for illnesses. Between H1N1 and the normal seasonal colds and flu, we can expect far more babies than just mine to end up on the receiving end of a seriously strong antibiotic regimen.
So, why do antibiotics often cause diarrhea in babies, and how do you recognize diarrhea?
Diarrhea in a baby is first recognizable by a need for frequent changing of dirty diapers soiled with watery, runny poop. Antibiotics kill bacteria, and therefore are prescribed to infants to kill off the bad bacteria in your babies’ body which are causing the baby to be sick. Unfortunately, antibiotics also kill the good bacteria that thrive in your babies’ digestive tract, keeping bowel movements healthy and regular. This upset in the bacterial balance of your babies’ bottom half causes’ diarrhea.
Why is diarrhea dangerous to my baby?
Diarrhea can cause dehydration. A baby who is already fighting an infection and possibly a fever is already at a higher risk of dehydration to begin with. Diarrhea induced by antibiotics is also known to cause severe diaper rash, either from the diarrhea irritating your babies’ butt, or from a fungal infection caused by the absence of the protection of the regular bacteria in your baby’s intestine.
What cured my baby’s diarrhea that was caused by antibiotics?
After trying a wide variety of home baby diarrhea cures, I found one that worked wonders, and was nutritional too! Now I want to share it with all the parents who may soon need some relief for their baby from antibiotic-induced diarrhea.
Yogurt!
Why is yogurt effective in relieving diarrhea in babies, and adults for that matter, who are taking antibiotics?
Yogurt contains active strains of several kinds of beneficial bacteria whose kindred cousins living in your babies’ intestine were killed by the antibiotics. Even though the ten day course of antibiotics will continue to kill the bacteria consumed in the yogurt, it still reduces the incidence and severity of diarrhea attacks. Eating yogurt replaces the good bacteria as they are being shot down by the antibiotics. Continuous feeding of yogurt to a baby on a course of antibiotics will ensure that there are always at least some good bacteria living in the baby’s intestine. This will in turn reduce the occurrence of diarrhea in your baby, which reduces the danger of dehydration as well. You’ll want to continue feeding your baby yogurt for a short while after the antibiotic prescription is complete to replace the killed bacteria for good.[1]
Is yogurt safe for my baby?
Naturally, it would be foolish to suggest a treatment for baby diarrhea induced by antibiotics were it not safe, however there are a few precautions with regards to babies and yogurt:
– Most pediatricians do not recommend yogurt for babies before 6 to 8 months.
– If there is a history of lactose intolerance caused by allergies in your family you may not want to try yogurt as a treatment for diarrhea as it could make the diarrhea worse. Diarrhea is also a common side effect of milk consumption in those who are lactose intolerant.
Note that if you already know your baby has the type of lactose intolerance caused by not having the lactase enzyme then it should be safe to feed your baby yogurt made from goat or sheep milk. Double-check with the baby’s doctor if you are unsure.
– If you opt for fruit blended yogurt, be sure only to use mixes that have fruits you have already introduced to your baby’s diet. That way you can be sure they will not trigger a surprise allergic reaction to a new fruit in the yogurt.
I honestly wish as a parent that I would have known about the benefits of feeding yogurt to babies on antibiotics before my baby was put on his antibiotic regime and his little bottom revved into hyper-drive! I hope this helps, or will help, other babies and their parents to manage and recover more comfortably from what may ail the family this season.
Sources and Citation:
[1] Yogurt’s effects on Antibiotic induced Diarrhea study in Digestive Diseases and Sciences (2003;48:2077-82) found online at:
http://bastyrcenter.org/content/view/914/
Why do antibiotics cause diarrhea in babies?
http://blog.childnparent.com/2009/05/18/why-do-antibiotics-cause-diarrhea-in-children/
Diarrhea and Dehydration
http://www.babycenter.com/0_dehydration_11527.bc
Diaper Rash from Diarrhea induced by antibiotics in babies
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/8/t080600.asp
Babies and Yogurt
http://www.babycenter.com/408_when-can-my-baby-eat-yogurt_1368506.bc
