Does calpol/swallowing a bit of bath water etc. wreck the 'virgin gut'?

[LadyOfWaffle]

Or is it just formulas? Bit late now as DS has had a swig of bathwater (by accident) and calpol the other day, but was just wondering if anyone knew. Thanks

am watching this thread as I'm interested in the virgin gut as well.

Well I would gauge the 'virgin gut' by what the poo coming out of it smells like.

Both mine were ex. bf til 6m - both had calpol before that and it didn't make their poo smell. One little bit of banana when they got to 6m did thought! Anyway, calpol is effective in bringing down a temperature so I guess it is better to have your temperature brought down and risk not having a virgin gut than having a virgin gut and a seizure from high temp!

don't think calpol and water count, as they do not really change the bowel flora. formula does with its pre and probiotics

Me too. What about Infacol and gripe water?

I wouldn't withold calpol for this reason, I was just curious to whether it affected/effected (?!) it.

Although now you mention poo smells, DS2s smelt very odd after IV ABs - would that effect the VG? Err, well, if it somehow gets in there I guess... not sure what route these things go.

Antibiotics will make the poo smell funny as a large component of poo is bacteria from the gut and ABs will kill off a lot of those bacteria.

DD had antibiotics at 9 months - seriously bad poo smells!! DS also had them at the same time (age 2) and he did 10 diahoreas (SP!) in an afternoon with them. Yes, they wreck the virgin gut!!

Do IV antibiotics do that? Do they go into the gut? I suppose they do. dd had vast quantities of prophylactic IV antibiotics just after she was born - there was I feeling smug about exclusively breastfeeding for 6 months and her virgin gut was destroyed within 48 hours of birth

yes, antibiotics do,they kill the gut biotics too...

snickers the good bacteria were all replaced if you bf afterwards

what is a virgin gut and why do we want one?

Surely being born vaginally leads to gut colonisation which is a "good" thing?

Really, madmouse? So all is not lost, then?

The WHO's definition of exclusive bfing allows for vitamins, mineral and medicine. Not sure whether that helps at all.

Same here snickers, I was chuffed with BFing excl. but DS had 5 days of IV ABs when he was 2 days old. Obviously unavoidable, but still . Wish I was more in the know with DS1, because I had low low iron levels and he wouldn't latch the MW gave him 2 formula feeds, she said my iron was too low to express (middle of the night - coincidence?). Rambling off track now!

My 12 week old exclusively bf ds certainly hasn't got a virgin gut - his big sisters are forever sticking their fingers in his mouth.

I use paracetamol suppositories if needed for babies this age, as they have no additives and are very easy to use.

Belgo, that reminds me, DS1 shoved a Pom Bear in DS2s mouth - would even that effect it? Ruddy Pom Bears get everywhere!

what's a pom bear? I caught dd1 trying to put her foot into his mouth- I did tell her she shouldn't do it

A bear shaped crisp

I'm sure siblings grow up with healthier immune systems for exactly this reason

I have to say I find the whole notion of the 'perfect gut' a bit funny. So is it that with formula the gut loses its precious virginity? . What a metaphor.

OMG LadyofWaffle - i read that as PORN bear my mind couldn't even conjure up a possibility of what that might be...

Maria2007 - it's a phrase I've only ever seen on mumsnet, and now you've pointed it out, it's not a particularly nice one.

well, I have to say it's a really strange way to think of things! Personally I've never thought of my baby's gut in terms of virginity ()

And by the way, deal with it, fellow mumsnetters: virginity doesn't last for long !

I think ds's downfall was the day I caught him licking the dog.