DL Digestive Overload Pamphlet Print 2 pages - Flipbook - Page 2
What is Digestive Overload?
What are the symptoms?
Digestive Overload is the cause of colic,
reflux, lactose and dairy overload. It also
creates what is widely labelled as the
witching hour and purple crying.
Let’s list these per the different types of
Digestive Overload that a baby can feel.
A newborn can experience one or all of
these forms of Digestive Overload at
once.
Digestive Overload is descriptive of a
newborn, or infant feeling one or more
causes of digestive imbalance. Like
adults, newborns and infants can get
overloaded and uncomfortable in their
digestive system through overeating,
feeding frequently, holding on to too
much trapped air or gas, constipation or
diarrhoea from the overload and trying
to digest certain foods within breast
milk, or ingredients in formula. But
unlike adults, their digestive system is
just unfurling to all this so any overload
can bring discomfort.
Colic
• Irritability, crying, screaming.
• Bloating, cramps, excessive gas.
• Heightened communication around
bowel motions
• Frequent frothy and/or explosive
bowel motions, constipation.
• Large weight gains
• Short sleep cycles day or night
• Frequent rooting to suck
• Gulping their milk, seeming very
hungry while being restless - somet
times refusing to feed, pulling off the
nipple or when bottle-fed, having
flailing arms, legs and much turning
of the head because of digestive
discomfort.
• Arching backwards or sideways
• Writhing, wriggling.
• Pedalling legs
• Gurgling in the stomach
• Distended stomach
• Hiccups
Reflux
All of the previously listed symptoms
plus:
• The release of small or large amounts
of milk – spilling or projectile.
• Milk spit up is clear or lumpy
• Habitual swallowing of the burp
(often called ‘silent reflux’).
Dairy Overload
All of the previously listed symptoms
plus:
• Steatorrhea - fat in the stools, shown
as white globules
Dairy Intolerance
All of the previously listed symptoms
plus:
• Eczema
Lactose Overload
All of the previously listed symptoms
except eczema and possibly steatorrhea, plus:
• Green coloured bowel motions