How to give your baby a good gut start: Ask experts Lucy & Lotta - £200 voucher to be won

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Embarking on the journey of parenthood can be both rewarding and overwhelming, especially when it comes to ensuring your baby's optimal well-being. That's why we have invited Lucy and Lotta, experts in baby gut health, to address any concerns or queries you may have on how to give your baby a good gut start. From feeding practices to establishing healthy routines, they're here to provide you with valuable insights and guidance to support your little one's digestive health.

• Everyone who shares a questions on the thread below by 21/06/23 will be entered into a prize draw
• One lucky Mumsnet user will win a £200 voucher for a store of their choice
• Lucy and Lotta will be back on the week commencing 3/07/23 to answer some of your questions

About Lucy Upton - Children’s dietician and feeding specialist:
“Lucy Upton AKA ‘The Children's Dietician’ is a Paediatric Dietitian with over 12 years of experience. Her special interests include early years, food allergy, gut health and feeding difficulties. She is a feeding specialist and works in a feeding therapy clinic.”

About Lotta Johansson – Microbiologist at BioGaia:
“Lotta Johansson is a microbiologist with a passion for probiotics. She has a long experience of working with beneficial bacteria. For the last 28 years Lotta has specialised in research on different probiotic L.reuteri strains.”

Here’s what BioGaia has to say:
“We at BioGaia are passionate about probiotics. Products for babies and kids are at our core and we’ve spent the last 30 years on scientific research on gut health and the importance of good bacteria for how we feel. Our products are used and loved by parents in more than 100 countries around the globe.”

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw!
MNHQ

Insight Terms and Conditions apply

When can you give probiotics, and how much should you give?

Can you talk about prebiotics and the significance of those?

i am also interested in your thoughts on the impact of ultra processed foods on our guts - I’ve recently read the book by Chris can tulleken and it’s pretty damning. He also implies that supplements aren’t the solution! What would you say to that?

finally breastfeeding is known to be a massive positive contributor to the infant micro biome. What impact could products like this have on the balance in the gut in breastfed or combination fed babies?

Hello, why do you think we need them ? If you start at a young age what are the side effects if you stop or pause taking them because of holiday or illness , or are they just a boost ?

Are babies born with good bacteria ?

Do low fat yoghurts have less probiotic than full fat yoghurts?

Can you give this on and off - eg after a dose of antibiotics ? or once you start adding this to your diet, you need to continue or it's not really benefiting you ?

Do you have any data on the long term health of babies who have been given this type of product - as opposed to those who have not - is there significantly less stomach, skin and allergy cases ? Thanks, this would be really useful

Since breastfeeding provides all a baby needs, isn't it wrong and illegal to promote commercial products for gut health in new babies?

Since your company is part of Nestle, which was involved for decades as one of the main interests in the babymilk scandal, don't you think it's inappropriate to try to sell nutritional products for new babies?

Came on to say pretty much this

This.

in addition:

Babies’ microbiome benefits hugely from vaginal delivery https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8294792/

whereas most probiotics have been shown to be ineffective, and in some cases harmful due to eg lateral gene transfer https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6517882/

Is the dosing applicable to weight and age of thee baby ? - and is this clear on the packing ?

Are probiotics necessary for babies, or can I use diet to improve my baby's gut health?

Do you have any research which has been published for the babies who have taken the probiotics with those who have not - in respect of eczema and asthma cases. I'd like some data which shows me that this has benefits before I decide to give this. TIA

Why would healthy babies need this ? I would have thought breastfeeding from a mother with a good diet and immune system would be enough - unless you can persuade me otherwise - how much does it cost ?

Hello everyone - We are delighted to see so many of you and to read all your interesting questions. We have done our best to answer them, and we hope this will make you feel more knowledgeable and empowered when making choices and taking care of your little ones.

Hello @BristolMum96. I'm sorry to hear your child has been struggling with chronic tummy pain. There could be a number of different causes for functional abdominal pain and it's difficult to provide any specific advice without more information. Dietary factors may be a consideration, and to delve into this further a food and symptom diary can be a helpful place to start, alongside the support of a qualified health professional e.g. Paediatric Gastroenterologist, Specialist Paediatric Dietitian

Hello @Montydoo, you can offer BioGaia Protectis Baby Drops from day of birth

Hello @lovemyflipflops, There is no conflict in using probiotics during breastfeeding. It is rather the opposite. Some probiotics thrive on the carbohydrates present in the breastmilk also called HMOs (human milk oligosaccharides). These HMOs function as a prebiotic (food for probiotics), supporting the growth of beneficial bacteria.

Hello @pushchairprincess, Colic is a multifactorial condition sometimes caused by an unbalanced microbiota (meaning that the bacteria composition in your baby´s gut is not optimal). Adding a good probiotic, like L. reuteri DSM 17938 found in BioGaia Protectis Baby Drops, can contribute to a better and healthy composition of the microbiota in the gut. Clinical studies have shown specifically that L. reuteri DSM 17938 contribute to improved gut motility, which speeds up the passing of stool, resulting in reduced gas formation. This has been shown to reduce crying time in colicky babies.

Hello @jacqui5366, Some probiotics have been shown to help with allergies, although not specifcially with allergy resolution but focused more so on scope for prevention or reducing risk. The so-called Hygiene hypothesis suggests that our modern way of living; antibiotic overuse, eating processed food, cleaning excessively, giving birth by C-section, chlorination of drinking water, are all contributing to a depletion of the beneficial microbiota in the gut. This is thought to result in an inadequate education of our immune system, which may contribute to allergy development and other auto-immune diseases. Consuming a good probiotic might counteract the negative side effects of our modern way of living.

Hello @DinkyDaffodil, L. reuteri DSM 17938 is a probiotic bacteria generally regarded as safe and is on the European QPS list (Qualified Presumption of Safety), which is a safety risk assessment performed by the European Food Safety Authority’s scientific panels. In safety studies performed, a 1000 times higher dose of L. reuteri Protectis (DSM 17938) was tested without any negative side effects. So L. reuteri Protectis (DSM 17938) can hardly be overdosed, but that is not necessary the case with all probiotics. This may not be what you’re asking for but there is a condition called SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth) often caused by surgery or injury of the small intestinal. SIBO occurs when there is an abnormal increase in the overall bacteria population in the small intestine, particularly types of bacteria not often found in that part of the GI tract.

Hello @lillypopdaisyduke, This might be a misunderstanding, BioGaia Protectis Baby Drops can indeed be added to food, formula or drinks. The only restriction is to not add to hot food or drinks since this can harm the probiotic bacteria. The drops can be given at the same time as feeding or any other time of the day.
Regarding the survival, there are numerous clinical trials showing excellent survival in the gut of L. reuteri DSM 17938 (the probiotic used in BioGaia Protectis Baby Drops) when analysing the poo of the infants.

Hello @DanBenandBud, Poor thing! On the contrary, you should continue giving probiotics when your little one is on antibiotics. But to secure the effect of the probiotic, it should always be given two hours apart from the antibiotic. Good luck!

Hello @LittleDeeAndME, A balanced microbiota, a beneficial composition of microbes in the gut, is essential for good absorption of vitamins and minerals. Giving a good probiotic like BioGaia Protectis Baby Drops can contribute to a balanced microbiota.

Hello @Montydoo, BioGaia Protectis Baby Drops can be given for day of birth and use for as long as you want to. L. reuteri DSM 17938, the probiotic strain in BioGaia Protectis Baby Drops, is a temporary coloniser of the gut meaning when you stop using it, the bacteria will be washed out within a couple of weeks. L. reuteri DSM 17938 is a probiotic bacteria generally regarded as safe and is on the European QPS list (Qualified Presumption of Safety), which is a safety risk assessment performed by the European Food Safety Authority’s scientific panels. In addition L. reuteri DSM 17938 has never been shown, in clinical trials, to have any negative side effects.