Breastfeeding Question - Las Vegas,NV

It looks like a lot of moms are telling you to cut out certain foods. For my kids, I had to limit herbs and spices and tomatoes in my diet. Limit, mind you, not eliminate.

I also went to Wild Oats and got some herbal tummy tamer drops. The combination worked great. My recommendation is instead of going off everything, thinking it's food allergy or sensitivity, try the tummy tamer drops.

Don't eliminate everything, take out one thing at a time and see if it helps, if not you can continue to eat it.
My sister had problems with her babies and chocolate. You do have to eat so keep hunting.
Good Luck

Just remember, if it gives you gas, it'll give him gas! Just certain veggies (broccoli) do it worse than others. I remember I couldn't eat any type of sausage. However, when they are so young, for the first couple of months, many kids get the "night-time grizzles". It usually starts after 6pm, and they want to nurse and nurse and they get upset and are a little cranky until they fall asleep. I'm pregnant again and my hubby is DREADING those night-time grizzles again for the first few months!!!

Make sure to stay away from broccoli, onions, and garlic. I was not able to eat any of those things when I was breastfeeding. Breastmilk is so much better for your little one, but then again you know this. : ) You just have to try things and see how it affects your milk. Call La leche league or a lactation consultant. They can help you. You should not be cutting out veggies, not sure where you read that, only a couple are triggers. Dairy did not bother my l.o., but everyone is different. For protein try lean beef.

Here is some info I found that seemed to say the same as my breastfeeding class. Oh and Mylicon works wonders. Good luck.

Occasionally a baby will be fussy at the breast or gassy after you eat a particular food. If you notice a pattern, avoid that food for a few days. To test whether that food really was the cause, reintroduce it once and see if there's an effect. Mothers report that babies most often object to chocolate; spices (cinnamon, garlic, curry, chili pepper); citrus fruits and their juices, like oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruit; strawberries; kiwifruit; pineapple; the gassy veggies (onion, cabbage, garlic, cauliflower, broccoli, cucumbers, and peppers); and fruits with a laxative effect, such as cherries and prunes.

A daily cup or two of coffee is fine, but too much caffeine can interfere with your baby's sleep or make him fussy. Remember that caffeine is also found in some sodas, teas, and over-the-counter medicines.

Hi H.,

I have a 4 month old son, who was 2 months premature. I had the HARDEST time nursing in the begining. It sounds like the same thing you are going through. My son would bop on and off, scream, cry and have gas like you would not believe. He would wake up out of a dead sleep screaming from the gas pain. I tried all the gas relieving methods...milicon, moving his legs, putting him over my knee. nothing helped. I asked his doctor and she said the last thing you do with be what works. It seems like it is a phase they go through. For me, it was cutting out dairy. I did not put him on formula, but with in a day, I had a different baby. Just hang in there. DON'T give up nursing. It was a long road for us, but I am so happy we are finally comfortable with eachother. Another few thoughts came into mind, maybe he is not getting enough to eat (crying b/c he is still hungry) or he is only getting the foremilk (more gassy), or he is not comfortable with the position? Maybe try pumping before you normally feed and give that to him in a bottle? Also you could hire a lactation consultant. that helped me a bit. Good luck!!! I know it is hard, but don't give up. It is so worth it!!

that's strange usually formula gives babies gas...i had to eat very bland..i stuck to sandwiches..no dairy etc..you know the only thing that helped was colic tablets by hylands..my son wasn't colicky but the tabs helped w/ the gas.

I would definitely talk to a lactation consultant or LLL. My little guy is allergic (yes, allergic not just intolerant) of milk. As a pp said, I had to cut ALL dairy for WEEKS to get it clear of both our systems. It took about two weeks for the milk proteins to clear my system (at your son's age it's usually an intolerance of the proteins in the milk, not the lactose, so buying lactose free milk won't help at all), and then another two weeks for them to clear my son's system. Not fun.

Personally, I would be vigilant about checking labels (milk hides in some bizarre places) but, as pp said, add back in all the foods that don't make YOU gassy. I would add chicken back in, and a lot of veggies, and just keep the highly reactive veggies out for a couple weeks (beans, tomatoes, what have you) to see how he does.

H., I am so sorry to hear that your son has gassy problems /possibly from your breatmilk- all babies are gassy and are you sure that the reason the baby is not fussy,1)he is eating more with formula-maybe he is hungry/your not making enough breastmilk to feed him (only 4 wks-maybe your not making enough breastmilk yet- try eating oatmeal and taking suppliments) or 2)because he is "knocked out" by the formula?(my babies were gassy and colicky ON FORMULA) Maybe you should try breastfeedin and supplimenting with formula (and pumping those feedings and freeze them for later when babies digestion is a little more mature? The benefits of the breatfeeding outweight the fussiness/gas- which you can use mylicon abd/or gripe water to treat and he will grow out of it!!-we used them like candy th first 3 months w our premie twins...

You should stop by "The pump station" or call in Santa monica and talk to the laction specialists, they will give you great advice , bring the baby too- they will tell you what foods to avoid and what you can eat- and I seem to remember chicken being something I can eat!! I think besides caffine, most everything else you eat is rather tollerable by the baby-and supossedly their metabolism is so fast its out of them pretty quick!!
Good luck and definately GO or CALL The PumP Station, sant monica, CA

All my children went through this. At first when they are born, they are super tired all the time. Then they wake up a little bit more and seem to get gassy and uncomfortable in the evening hours. It is so frustrating because you don't know what to do to help them. You end up feeding them but this actually just makes it worse. It is only for a little bit of time that my kids went through this. By about 3 months it goes away. I would lay my babies on their back and pump legs in bicycle motion. This helps their tummies and he may pass gas. I also use my sling and pull his legs up into his tummy. It is a frustrating time period but I would like to report that my son is almost 4 months old and is past it. Don't restrict your diet too much. It probably isn't the food you are eating, but your son's digestive system getting acclimated. Good luck and remember that this is only a stage and should go away with time. If you can, keep breastfeeding!!

Call the Pump Station in Santa Monica. They give wonderful advice over the phone. I had a similar problem and it turned out that I was producing too much milk (4 1/2 oz per breast). The result was my baby was getting too much foremilk and not enough hindmilk. The lactose rich foremilk causes lots of gas. The Pump Station told me to feed off one breast every two hours. It worked and my baby is still happily breastfeeding!

I had a similar experience and discovered my daughter got fussy and gassy when I ate red sauce (pizza, spaghetti, etc.), raw onions and broccoli. I'd stick with the bfing and try to figure out what it could be but don't starve yourself!! :)

I don't know if someone has already mentioned this (don't have time to look at all the responses!) but Google the term 'overactive letdown' and see if this sounds like you. I had this problem, and once I started nursing my baby laying down, his gas and "colickyness" went away. I was able to start nursing him upright at about 3-4 months, once he was ok with the forceful letdown. Good luck!!

Every baby is different, so you don't know for certain what's bothering him. The obvious foods are the ones that cause gas in humans: broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, beans, soy. Milk is a culprit for many babies and it certainly was for BOTH of mine, so I had to avoid all dairy. That alone made a HUGE difference. Try just eliminating these foods and see if that helps. If not, then slowly eliminate other things---fried foods, etc. Also, sometimes when your milk first comes in, it's spraying so fast, baby gulps and swallows air, which translates to gas. Put baby to your breast until your milk comes in, then pull him off for a few seconds until it slows a little (he won't be happy), then put him back. That also helped my son. When they get older, they can manage it better, but some younger babies struggle with that.

Gas or not YOUR milk is MADE FOR YOUR baby, formula is chemicals... so your milk is better even with a little gas. In terms of your diet caf, pb... shouldn't matter, but maybe pay attention to foods that make you gassy. All in all, babies get gas, it mayb be nothing you're doing. Think more about his position while taking the bottle vs. the breast. Was he sitting up more, not getting as many bubbles...

From your own words it is clear that the formula is what the baby needs. You can keep him on the bottle and see how well he does and he will or do both breast and bottle so you are both happy.
Certainly your husband must enjoy giving the bottle to the baby.
B. v. O.

I'm a whole-hearted breastfeeding proponent, so you'll hear my bias. My 5th baby was lactose intolerant and it took several months and LOTS of spitting up to figure that out. I did have to go dairy free, even too much beef in my diet would upset her, and it was hard. The lactation consultant I spoke with said it takes about two weeks to get dairy completely out of your system. It did really help. I was able to eat lots of foods, but many foods had dairy. I just had to be grateful for everything I could eat. I would go back to breastfeeding if I were you and cut out gassy-producing foods and dairy for two weeks and consult a lactation consultant. Drink lots of water, get enough rest, and trust your body to give your baby what's best. This fussy season should pass.

i have to laugh! i ate nothing but rice for a whole weekend thinking my son's colic was from my milk!!! eventually i realized he was just fussy and that's who he is to this day at almost 8! don't break your spirit over this. call a lactation consultant or get in touch with la leche league. i'm guessing you just need to wait it out a little. i was avidly against formula. i did it a little, but i believe the breastmilk should win out!!!
good luck! and don't give up!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi H.,
Is he having green bowel movements, particularly in the afternoon? My daughter did, and I thought she was allergic to the Mother's Milk Tea I was drinking every morning. My pediatrician told me if the baby is having green bm, it means something is moving through her system too quickly. Looking back on it now, I don't think my daughter was allergic to the tea; I think it was causing me to produce too much milk, and it was the watery foremilk that was running through her and giving her gas.

Good luck, and great job on nursing. If you really can't figure it out, try Mylicon drops or get help from a lactation consultant.

If you are getting engorged, maybe try pumping off a little milk first thing in the morning so your son is getting more of the hindmilk and less of the foremilk.

Caffiene is bad if you want to nurse. Otherwise, if you ate it while you were pregnant, you should be ok while nursing.
Keep a food log for you and a fussy baby log for him. It will help you narrow down what is giving him the gas, then just cut that out... Are you drinking enough water? I drank about a gallon a day, and never had a fussy baby from gas... Never really had a fussy baby, except when she was wet, now that I think about it...

Also, you could try giving him a formula once a day or so and nursing all other times. Or nursing just at night or in the morning or whatever. You can do both, that is OK. Any amount of breastfeeding is better than none...

Good luck
R.

You've got a lot of great advice here, but I'll add my 2¢. I went through the same thing while breastfeeding my son, and by modifying my diet, plus bicylcing his legs a few times a day to help him pass gas, made a HUGE difference for us. It was a sacrifice well worth it.

Check out this link for veggies to avoid (about half way down the page: http://www.loveyourbaby.com/foods-to-avoid-while-breastfe...) but don't eliminate meat from your diet (unless you're a vegetarian). I had a lot of chicken, rice, potatoes, green salads, ceasar salads, steak when I was bfing and my kiddo did fine. I avoided dairy (drank soy anyway but no butter, yogurt, icecream), all the "gassy" veggies, tomatoes and caffiene.

Every baby is different so you'll have to see what you guy reacts to. Good luck!!

I have never heard that you should need to cut chicken, and have only heard to cut "gassy" vegetables.

I personally cut milk, soy, eggs, peanut butter, caffeine, chocolate, spicy food, and veggies like beans and broccoli. I read wheat can be a culprit but I couldn't even figure out how to cut it.

You should know I was often at the point of tears when my hubby asked what I wanted to eat ("I cant' eat anything!" sob). I was relieved to find The Calm Baby Cookbook online, though I didn't use it that much. That was the only thing I found suggesting what you CAN eat in a world of CANT. Though some of the recipes did have things like eggs.

Good luck, and know that this WILL PASS!

Hi H. - I know how you feel - the same thing happened with my son at about the same age! He is now 4. There are two things I would recommend.

Firstly it is important that you keep eating a balanced diet including vegetables! The vegetables that caused the problem for me were the cruciferous vegetables - broccoli -cauliflower, brussel sprouts. Also and I hate to say this but chocolate! This was a real shocker for me but I notice an immediate difference when I don't eat it. In terms of the taste and crying my little girl couldn't stand garlic when I was nursing. So those are a few to try.

Now in terms of helping your little boy be less susceptible there is a homeopathic remedy called Lycopodium that is fantastic for bloating and gas. I don't know where you live but there are homeopathic pharmacy's like the one in Santa Monica (Broadway and 7th) and they could make sure you got the right dosage and in a form that would simply melt on his tongue. The other thing is having some cranial work done on him by a cranio sacral specialist.... I have seen colicky babies go from screaming their heads off to lying totally peacefully in seconds from some gentle soft tissue manipulation.

Hope this helps and best of luck!

My experience was broccoli gave my little one gas. No problems with any other vegetables. I happened to work this out when I went for an entire day without eating any green vegetables due to travelling and not eating well. Turned out it wasn't so bad as it helped solve the gas issue. I went back to my normal healthy diet except for the greens and then slowly introduced one green vegetable every other day - I left broccoli to the last as I had a feeling it was the culprit and sure enough after the broccoli little one got gassy and uncomfortable. Scientifically it doesn't make any sense to me as gas is caused by the digestion of the food in your own system and breast milk only contains the nutrients from the food. Still I'd have to admit the broccoli seemed to affect my little one. Keep up the breastfeeding and the healthy diet.

44 weeks old is the age when boys start to have colicky, it may last up to 3 month.
I do not think that you have to cut meet or diary products 9you and your child needs nutrients)
Do not drink any carbonated drinks (no soda's...)
Some veggies are Ok, but be careful with green one's (cucumber, lettuce and any kind of cabbage), Beans are not a good food for nursing moms
Drink as mach as you can chamomile and nettle teas (chamomile reduce gas, nettle helps to produce more milk); one or two walnuts per day will significantly improve quality of your milk.
Good luck and patience!

I just wanted to share that I have a friend who finally concluded (after major fussing witrh her diet, work with the baby's ped, gastro soecialists & lactation consultants) that her baby was taking in air while nursing that was causing his gas & major discomfort/unhappiness. With bottles of breastmilk, he was fine, no matter what she ate. As much as she wanted to BF, she ended up pumping & giving him bottles of breast milk instead & that cleared the problem...I think her situation is unusual, but I wanted to share it since she went through a long time of trying different stuff with a "colicky" kid, and a lot of lost sleep for her & baby & sharing this might save someone else a lot of heartache & difficulty.

H.,

My now 2.5 year old (who was breastfed for 18 months) was colicy and it was due to food sensitivity/allergy to both dairy and soy. Dairy is relatively easy to avoid compared to soy. When I started my elimination diet I avoided dairy, soy, eggs, caffeine, chocolate, citrus, nuts, peanuts, fish, shellfish and tomatoes. Once my son was happy, I started adding stuff back and I was able to add back everything but dairy, soy and eggs (I was able to add eggs when he was around 1). I basically went to a "whole" food diet. I ate meat, potatoes, rice, veggies and fruit. The less processed it was, the less chance there would be something in it he couldn't have. It is a difficult diet to start but it isn't a difficult diet to maintain - once you figure out what you can eat it is pretty simple. As a bonus, I lost 25 pounds and my cholestrol dropped considerably. At 2.5 my son is still allergic to both dairy and soy and he now maintains the diet that I did when I was nursing him (obviously I don't anymore but we do eat that way at home because it is easier for all of us to eat the same thing). All things being equal, chicken and vegetables are relatively rare allergies. If I were to do it again, I'd start with the same list I did last time. If you are successfully eliminating the problem you should see improvement within a week. If it is dairy you will continue to see improvement for about a month (it takes a long time for the dairy proteins to completely leave your system). It is not unusual at all for someone who is sensitive to dairy to also be sensitive to soy. The proteins are very similar.

An elimination diet is kind of inconvenient but not as inconvenient as a miserable baby. I obviously thought it was worth it because I did it for 18 months. Good luck to
you!

FYI- if I wouldn't have seen improvement, I would have added gluten and corn to my elimination next. And when I mean elimination, I mean elimination. I avoided all dairy, soy and eggs hidden in other foods, too. If you don't see improvement, you aren't effectively eliminating the problem. Which means you either haven't found the right combo of foods or you aren't avoiding the right food(s) effectively.

I have quite a bit of experience with this. If you need more info, my email is teralee999 at hotmail dot com.

T.

Are you a vegetarian? You did not say what foods you had cut out, (in the "here and there" phase), but it seems there is much more left than fruit and grains, unless you are also a vegetarian... Simple roasted and fried meats (fried in good oils like olive, safflower, sesame, sunflower, grapeseed - not deep fried and and in unhealthy oils)are great. I would only stay away from seafood (shellfish), but eat the other meats in rotation, so you can know which food is causing the problem if you get a reaction. Pork on Monday, beef on Tuesday, Turkey on Wednesday, etc. I wouldn't give up all chicken, but switch to organic chicken that you prepare yourself, with healthy ingredients. Homemade soups are good. And Pair the meats with things you know he can tolerate, like noodles, and vegetables that are easy to digest (like, NOT corn and NOT broccoli or cauliflower)Maybe not spinich or Kale, either. Try eating only cooked fruits for a week or so (applesauce, fruit cocktail, then add back the raw or frozen counterparts one at a time, watching for reactions. I am curious to know which foods you were told to eliminate. I don't know why you would have to eliminate dairy, unless you wanted to cut back to just milk and yogurt, and cut out ice creams and cheeses temporarily. Once you have sorted out which meats and veg. are tolerated, I would use only root veg. (potatoes, etc) for startches, and then rotate the grains in one at a time. (wheat, rice, oats, barley). You can't really find anything out by cutting things out "here and there", you need to start with a multiple food elimination diet (that eliminates the things the most people have problems with: Milk, wheat, corn, oranges, egg, peanuts, pecan, soy, tomato, and the common gassy vegetable, (beans, broccoli, etc.) Eat that for ten days, and then if you have no gas, (in the baby), add things back one at a time, about 4 days apart. Then you will know exactly which foods are causing the problem. Write the new food on a calendar, and put a mark if there is a problem with fussiness that day. Of course, this is all assuming you are eating fresh, healthy foods you have prepared yourself, not things that come in boxes or are processed or take out food. B.

Hey now! Great job keeping the breastfeeding going. My son was the same way. Mylicon is a miracle! We rubbed his belly (flat palm pressing in a downward motion toward his pelvis) and did the bicycle. I cut out dairy and grain then slowly added one item back at a time. I figured out that it was cereal! That's it! Cereal! Good luck and have patience - Congratulations!

You are so right to want to nurse, it gives them the right nutrition, and your breast milk even changes for your baby as your baby grows. I had to stop eating meat altogether not only was it giving her gas, but she was in pain. (she is 10 weeks) I do a lot of fruits and veggies and whole grains, dairy seems fine, but we have been drinking organic milk. Studies say that if you change one thing in your diet to organic milk should be it. Anyway the best thing I have done is try to eat mostly fresh, unprocessed food. It seems like what is really healthy for our bodies is the best thing for them. Also once in a while she still gets a tummy ache and those homeopathic colic tablets from the grocery store work wonders. Good luck!

The same thing happened with my daughter, she was breast feeding and supplement with formula and kady just screamed with colic or whats know as gas pains. I felt so sorry for her. Anyway when she stopped nursing and just switched to formula, the pains were gone, i just thought at time maybe the breast milk was too rich. I went through the same thing with her and my husband said thats it and put her on regular milk with a litttle caro syrup added. And that was also end of her gas. We told the doctor on her checkup and he was surprised but also pleased at how well she was doing and gaining weight etc.