Calpol and the Virgin Gut

[NinkyNonker]

Hi all,

It suddenly struck me today that I have been protecting DD's virgin gut (4.5mo old) but simulatenously giving her the odd dose of Calpol as she's starting to teethe I think. Have I shot myself in the foot?

Obviously her comfort is the most important so if Calpol is the best solution than that is fine by me. I've looked on the internet but can't find any definitive answer as to whether Calpol does remove the virgin gut, some say yes but needs must and some say no.

If there is something else that works better I'd love to hear about it! She looks horrified when I give it to her, half of it ends up all over her top...

Organic - thats good logic! I was EBF and have eczema and psoriasis, will have to find out from my mum if i had any calpol as a young baby!! I think I'd rather mild pain as a baby that I wouldnt even remember...

That forum post sounds ridiculous, Ninky, poor baby :( I'm a firm believer in finding the root cause rather than treating the symptoms but that doesn't even make sense - how exactly can you treat the cause of teething?! That's exactly the situation in which you should treat the symptoms IMO since the cause is unavoidable and will go by itself in time. Calpol and other medicines don't have to be a first resort anyway.

That was my thinking...until the teeth appear surely the cause won't go away?!

I agree Activate, it might take ages for her actual teeth to come through. Until then, I'll just keep rubbing gums, giving Calpol etc!

Why is a Virgin Gut so important? I've never heard of it, but TBH, it sounds like another thing for us mums to beat ourselves over the head with...

They all end up sneaking off with their mates to McDs anyway...

I found this when googling calpol and the virgin gut (as I thought that medication had no effect on it) and found the article interesting but the comments (particularly from Chris) even more interesting - he had some points that I'd never considered about research on the internet.
www.analyticalarmadillo.co.uk/2010/08/calpol-its-paracetamol-jim-but-not-as.html

before you tie yourself in knots about your baby having a virgin gut, have a little think about how you'd feel if you went to the dentist for an extraction, and he/she said "You can't have any anaesthetic today, we think it's bad for you. In a few months you won't remember the pain anyway. never mind, I'll cuddle you instead!"

As an alternative you can try Ashton & Parsons powder, I tried to give DS as little Calpol as possible (because of the additives more than anything). A&P really helped sooth him, there is a reason why it is called Baby Crack

I think both Marzepanimal and Organiccarrotcake are correct.

When a baby is born, the gut is porous - so anything can pass through including stuff that is potentially allergenic. Introducing other substances such as formula milk can delay the sealing of the gut and retard growth of healthy bacteria which will protect the baby from allergies in later life. Which is why babies fed on formula milk are more likely to suffer allergies than babies who are exclusively bresastmilk. Babies who are mixed fed are also protected (though not the same as ExBF) as each time they have breastmilk the BM will help recoat the gut with the protective mucous.

This is not to say that babies fed formula will have allergies and ExBF won't as there are other factors to take into account such as family history, environmental factors, but some or all bm will certainly help reduce the risk.

A&P is just sugar basically isn't it?

It contains lactose - which is a sugar present in milk. So not recommend for those who are lactose intolerant.

Is it homeopathic?

Not sure don't really understand homeopathy.
It contains as the active ingredient tincture of matricaria which is derived from chamomile extract - which is well known for its soothing properties.
It certainly seemed to work, though when DS was really bad we'd still given him calpol, but certainly most of the time the A&P really helped.

Homeopathic just means there isn't really any of the active ingredient in it, it's sugar/water. I was curious as I've read that sugar itself works as pain relief in babies, and I was wondering if it's the sweetness of the lactose that soothes. Not really on topic though!

I never said I was even considering not giving her pain medication, whatever works. In fact I categorically said I would be continuing. I was being slightly more 'tongue in cheek' in my OP...in terms of how ironic that we try to protect these things but actually medication could ruin it type thing.

Sorry Ninky - we've kind of wandered off topic!
I don't think anyone is suggesting you shouldn't give pain relief - it is a case of weighing up the risk.
It is very distressing seeing your baby in pain so of course you are going to try find something that will help! I also had the whole issue with DS being very reluctant to take the calpol and making a huge mess
I was just suggesting an alternative in case you did want to cut down on the calpol.
And answering a few question about the virgin gut along the way.

No no no, I really appreciate the suggestions! I just re-read my OP and wanted to make sure no-one thought that I might not help her, if you see whst i mean. (One handed typing sucks.)

It is, as kara says, a case of weighing up the risk and making the choice oneself. Personally, I feel that the Calpol bottle is reached for too quickly when actually a cuddle and a teething ring may be sufficient and have no POTENTIAL negative consequences. Homeopathic teething granules can be extremely helpful (Boots and Holland and Barratt sell them). A bit of teething gel for an appropriately aged baby may take the edge off the pain enough. But, if they don't and the baby is in distress, then of course a stronger painkiller is appropriate (infant ibuprofen may be an alternative to those who want to avoid paracetamol but it's not appropriate for children with asthma).

I would also say in response to cuddly that scientific research isn't there to beat mums up but to allow them to make informed choices.

oraniccarrotcake- that's very interesting about the connection between eczema and paracetamol. In an ideal world I agree it's best to try and avoid anything at all if they're very little. I managed to do it with DS1 for nearly a year, but DS2's temp was so high there was nothing else they could do. Just glad he's still here really.

I often find that the first advice I get for pretty much anything is to give Calpol and that's from medical professionals. No issues at all about giving it if really needed, but it seems to be the default advice before anything else nowadays.

mishy of course - paracetamol is a wonderful drug. I'm concerned about its portrayal as a totally safe, first-bottle-to-reach-for fix-all with no downsides. Calpol's marketing encourages that image (but there's a whole new discussion ).

At the same time it's absolutely brilliant at dealing with a whole load of things, including fevers which in the past could have been much harder to control and therefore hugely dangerous, and IMO it's an essential first-aid standby.

Personally, as I've said before, I go with soluble Disprol (probably there are own-brand versions too) which doesn't have the added pink additives as a way of minimising any side effects.

Therefore, going back to the OP, if I gave paracetamol I wouldn't worry about it affecting the virgin gut because at the point where it was serious enough that a drug was needed, that would be more important from an acute health point of view than the VG - which is why for passing things which will resolve on their own I try to avoid it.

Thanks for the info organiccarrotcake. I'll definitely be looking at getting some Disprol instead of Calpol. Do you just ask for it from the pharmacist or is it available over the counter?

mishy yes, it's over the counter - just ask. It's just a branded soluble paracetamol like Anadin. There's no doubt own brand alternatives.