Do You & Your Baby need Probiotics when Breastfeeding?

Probiotics can:

• Prevent & help accelerate recovery from mastitis

• Improve digestive health & reduce bloating

• Increase immunity

• Assist with weight loss and belly fat

• Reduce depression

• Promote heart health

• Lower inflammation 

• Prevent & treat thrush

• Treat colicky babies

• Reduce allergies

What are Probiotics?

Humans are naturally colonized by many microorganisms. The traditional estimate is that the average human body is inhabited by as many as ten times as many non-human cells as human cells. These human and non-human cells combined are referred to as the “human biome”.

The human biome is a complex miracle of nature. And it is not yet well understood. The interaction amongst these different strains of microbes is complicated. And we’re just starting to uncover how these microbes interact with the human body.

It is a miracle of nature that humans have co-evolved with these microorganisms. It is our symbiotic relationship with these microbes that have enabled us to become the dominant species on our plant.

Well done bugs! And thanks!

Our modern way of living has impacted the natural balance of our human biome. Between polluting our living spaces with aseptic antibacterial poisons and eating processed foods packed with preservatives, we have spoilt nature’s delicate balance. And the imbalance we have created has been linked to the increase in the number of modern maladies that we suffer.

Research indicates that there are many areas where supplementing our diet with probiotics can help to restore our natural balance. It is the natural balance of the human biome that has allowed our human species to thrive.

Benefits For Mums

Research indicates that probiotics can help both in preventing Mastitis and in accelerating the recovery from Mastitis. Studies have shown that some probiotics do this by reducing the number of pathogenic bacteria that cause Mastitis.

But supplementing your diet with probiotics is not just to help to prevent and aid recovery of Mastitis. Probiotics have also been recommended to prevent and help treat thrush episodes. But it’s not just mums who benefit.

Benefits For Bubs

Probiotics have been used to treat colicky babies with encouraging results. The studies are not rock-solid conclusive, but anyone who has spent night after sleepless night with a colicky baby will tell you that it can be a living a nightmare. Most mums would try promising health boost to help sooth a colicky baby!

There is also growing evidence for probiotics role in reducing the risk of allergies, eczema, type-2 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, obesity and celiac disease for our babies.

There are other studies that indicate that probiotics can Reduce or Prevent Acid Reflux for our babies. Other studies indicate probiotics can Reduce or Prevent Chronic Constipation, Diaper Rash and Diaper Yeast.

Benefits for Both Mum and Bub

Studies indicate that supplementing your diet with probiotics can also provide benefits that are common to both breastfeeding Mum and breastfed Bub.

Research indicates that probiotics can strengthen immune systems. Studies also indicate probiotics act as anti-inflammatory agents in both breastfeeding mothers and in breastfed babies.

Consuming probiotics can also help supplement vitamins (as they produce some of the complex of B Vitamins). And they can help your body absorb minerals and other nutrients, some of which get passed on to your bub in your breastmilk.

Probiotics can help to eliminate toxins in your body. Studies indicate they can helps control a variety of disorders and diseases, such as Infant Thrush (as an oral infection in babies), which can infect mother’s nipples.

As you can see, there are many areas that research indicates adding probiotics to your diet benefits both Mum and Bub. But it can take decades of researched until academics conclusively prove theories.

Where to get probiotics?

There are lots of foods that you can buy or make that contain probiotics. Consider any of the following foods. 

• Active culture yogurt - but avoid brands with unhealthy high levels of sugar

• Kefir – a fermented probiotic milk drink from Eastern Europe and the Northern Caucasus

• Raw Sauerkraut – fermented cabbage. Make sure to choose unpasteurized sauerkraut, as pasteurization kills the live and active microbes

• Tempeh – a fermented soybean product from Indonesia

• Kimchi – a spicy Korean dish of fermented cabbage and other vegetables

• Pickles (also known as Gherkins) – pickled cucumbers. Look for natural pickles that have been made without vinegar as vinegar kills the probiotics

• In Shape Mummy Health Shake - each serve contains 1 billion probiotics, along with 25 vitamins & minerals, organic vegan protein and more to boost your health. Our Chocolate Brownie and Vanilla flavoured shakes are the most delicious way to consume probiotics!