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Pediatric nutritionist Marina Chaparro explained the dangers of not feeding your baby correctly.
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She has seen babies with ketoacidosis, a sign of hunger, caused by an almond milk diet.
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Diluting infant formula can cause lethargy and life-threatening seizures, doctors say.
Pediatric nutritionist Marina Chaparro About five years ago, I was working at a children’s hospital in Miami when an infant was admitted with symptoms like weight loss and vomiting.
baby had Ketoacidosisa potentially fatal condition that can occur when the body begins to break down fatty acids for energy, releasing ketones and making the blood dangerously acidic.
Initially, Chaparro and fellow physicians working in pediatric endocrinology thought the baby had type 1 diabetes, a common cause of ketoacidosis.
But after a series of tests, the provider learned that the baby’s condition was caused by starvation, not diabetes. I was feeding him an almond milk diet.
Chaparro Now feeding her own bilingual children and familiessaid the story has stuck with her over the years because it illustrates the dangers of medical misinformation. wider in recent years.
Nut milk is not a safe substitute for infant formula
Although nut milks can be incorporated into most infant diets, there is no adequate nutrient alternative to breast milk or formula in infants under 1 year of age. American Academy of PediatricsSo are milk and other non-dairy milk substitutes.
Formulas are “really hard to recreate. It’s really hard to strike that balance that food scientists have been working on for years,” Chaparro said. California Strawberry Commission“Not to mention the risks of cross-contamination and infection” when creating your own formulas.
The baby’s mother was “doing everything she could,” Chaparro added, adding that the almond milk worked for her, so she thought it would be good for her baby.
Chaparro said the baby was eventually fine and was discharged after several days of proper formula. Her mom also received a better education.
However, the experience made Chaparro “realize how deeply these diet messages sometimes permeate our culture, and we listen to them and sometimes translate them to our children and families.” She said, “It’s like, ‘This could be really dangerous.'”
Doctors say diluting formula is also dangerous
Other mothers are turning to internet recipes for homemade baby formula these days. Lack of formula last year.
Dr. Owais Durrani, a former emergency room doctor in East Texas, said: I spoke to an insider He witnessed firsthand the consequences such as lethargy and seizures.
In some cases, parents have diluted the formula with water in an attempt to make it last longer, which can offset the electrolyte balance and lead to low sodium in the infant. There is a possibility. cause low blood pressure Life-threatening low levels of circulating oxygen.
“In order to ensure that the infant’s kidneys, liver and electrolytes are developing, formula is essentially as tightly regulated as prescription drugs.
“They aren’t as resilient as an adult being exposed to the sun for 12 hours can become dehydrated. Most are still fine, but not for babies.” Electrolytes, each component, each mineral are very important.”
If faced with a shortage, Durrani advised parents to switch to other available brands if possible, or ask their pediatrician or local hospital for a sample of formula.
“We’re here to help. We’re not going to take a hungry baby out of the emergency department. We’ll make sure there’s some kind of plan in place when that baby leaves the hospital,” Durrani said. “But don’t use other options as they can lead to life-threatening problems.”
Read the original article at insider