Breastfeeding and Diet

Have you tried any baby massage techniques. My son had the same problem. Their little stomachs have to get used to actually digesting food. Some babies take longer than others. If the foods that are bothering her don't bother you it probably isn't a food thing. My ped said that if food allergies run in the family (meaning you or dad) then it could be a food allergy otherwise it is probably something different. I did infant massage with my son and it was a world of difference. If you would like to learn some of the techniques I would be happy to tell you. Just let me know. A lot of the techniques I learned were to help move gas along so that she could get it out.

Any chance you could have thrush? Are your nipples painful or itchy? Any white patches in baby's mouth?

My son always had a lot of gas and seemed to be in pain. I thought it was due to foods I was eating, but now that he's 5 and I've had 2 more, I believe it was due to thrush, which is caused by an over-growth of yeast in the digestive system. Thrush is common after taking antibiotics, eating foods high in sugar, wearing damp clothes (especially sweat from being in the heat), and sometimes no apparant cause.

Hi S.,
Try Gripe Water! It is wonderful! My husband and I always called it "Happy Juice"! It is made by Baby's Bliss. It contains natural ingredients for relieving colic discomfort. My daughter didn't have colic, but it also provides relief from stomach cramps, hiccups, gas, and teething. It usually relieves the discomfort within 5 to 20 minutes. It is hard to find around here where I live, only 3 stores carry it. I have never used Mylicon. My Dr. recommended the Gripe Water instead. Hope you find something that works, good luck!
-J.

It sounds like she may have colic. Mine started at 2 weeks of age (as most colic babies do), they also start fusing at the same time everyday, generally in the late afternoon on into the night. If this sounds like your baby, everything I've read and my doctor says it's not what your eating it's just the baby. Their little stomachs are not done developing yet. You will find relief after many stressful days and it should disappear after three months. I tried many things, nothing worked. Several mothers suggested the book "Happiest Baby on the Block". I didn't think it would really help, but it did!! I was willing to try anything. She is now a happy baby, and the book helped us make her feel better which gave us relief from the crying and discomfort. Hang in there, read the book, it's not very long. (they also have a video I hear) Soon this will all be just a story to talk about when she is grown and you will be able to share with other mothers as well. I know it's stressful now, but we some how make it through.

Hello. My daughter is 8 weeks old and she had the same issue. Carbonated drinks (even caffeine free), eggs, and things with a lot of fiber bother her. Also, anything made out of tomatos (ketchup, sauce, soup). The doctor told me if it can or could cause you gas then it will definatly cause her gas. Also, does she spit up every time or most times when she eats? If so her stomach problem could also include reflux and that burns their stomach and throat. But a little medicine can solve the reflux if that is also an issue.
Hope something in here helps.

Missy

Hi S.,
Have you spoken with your doctor about the possibility of your baby having acid reflux? My oldest daughter had it and as soon as we started treating her for it, she did a 180. If your dr. thinks she may have it and treats her for it, you won't have to be so restrictive with your diet. :)
S.

Both of mine couldn't tolerate my milk when I had red tomato sauce. Sometimes it's just a matter of figuring out what it is that is irritating them. Luckily Mylicon helped mine--
Take care
D.

As a mom to two food allergic children, I would recommend a food elimination diet. This would mean NO dairy (including casienates and whey), soy or other legumes, gluten (wheat barley oats, eggs or shell fish.

After about 2 weeks, start adding one back into your diet for a week before adding another. It's hard but effective. If it is a food allergy, you'll need to stay off of that ingredient entirely.

It worked for me and my younger one has multiple food allergies.

Good luck,
S.

Dear S.,

Our youngest was the same. I found an out of print book by a famous nutritionist that said some babies have a lack of enzymes in their digestive system. Enzymes are are the jump start of digestion. So I purchased a full spectrum enzyme, meaning, it is made to digest fats, proteins, etc. Because I was afraid, I took a capsule and gave my daughter 1/4th of it in her mouth. I waited 12 hours and gave her another 1/4. Waited another 12 hours and gave her a half a capsule. Waited 12 hours and gave another 1/2 capsule. The next day I gave her one whole capsule. The book said if you give it over a period of three days, by the end of the three days all digestive discomfort would be gone. It said to give one whole capsule but I wanted to play it safe and do the most minimal amount first. Anyway, by the third day, ALL symptoms gone. It was amazing. The mylicon drops did nothing. The pediatrician had no answers. What started out as discomfort grew to full blown colic with her dad and I walking with the baby for four hours every night. We tried everything under the sun, and nothing worked except the enzymes.

The healthfood store sells enymes for babies but they charge double for the baby stuff yet the ingredients are the same on the label.

You can go to the internet and read up on enzymes.

This works! I have had other mothers (my friends) do this and the baby responded right away.

D.

Hi there, My little guy was that way too and the Mylicon did not seem to help. A friend suggested we try Gripe Water, you can get it at Storkland, and that was the only thing that would calm his stomach. Its all natural and he really seemed to like the taste, so it was never tough to get down. Hope it works!

Hi S.,

You have been given some great advice. You could also try Baby's Bliss Gripewater and/or chiropractic care for the baby. I understand they go through a lot of trauma on their way out and an adjustment can solve a lot of fussiness issues and help the baby get back "inline".
Good Luck and keep working on it! Breastmilk is so important!

N.

My daughters were sensitive too. I think you're doing everything you can do really. I would suggest trying the baby massages though. I know it helped my girls. I would put them on their tummies across my knees and would rub their backs. That really did help.
I will say this, with my daughters it was over by about 3 or 4 months so hopefully yours will be the same way.

I went through the same thing with 6 month old.. and there really was nothing that I could do to help calm his smotach. The Mylicon does work a little, but remember everything is new to her including trying to go to the bathroom, and her system is trying to work for the first time.. My son had such a sensitive stomach, that everytime he nursed, it was a war. His stomach made weird grugling noises and the he would scream.. the nnight were the worst. he would cry himself to sleep.. I read all the books about watching what I eat.. and it did not seem to help ( cutting out dairy etc) So I started to drink a glass of milk here and there, had some cheese. even had a little choc. and it sort of calmed his tummy.. it was so weird.. but again all babies are different, but it might not hurt trying.. other then that I really did not know what to do. but dont worry it will subside and she will be fine. but good luck. I know what you r going through..talk to you soon
K.

I'm off dairy, soy, and anything that causes a lot of gas like beans. It takes awhile for your diet change to affect you baby, so it's hard at first because you're not sure if that's what it is. My suggestion, be REALLY strict for 3-4 weeks, and see if that helps. If you think something might cause gas, have dairy or soy in it, avoid it. Soy is in EVERYTHING--it's such a pain--but for me it was worth it because my baby doesn't have gas pain anymore at all. Soybean oil, soy lecithin, and soybean flour are in almost every pre-packaged food out there, so you have to make most things from scratch. Vegetable oil is almost always pure soybean oil, mayonnaise, salad dressings, sliced bread, watch out! Fresh baked bread is usually okay to eat. I kept eating things with soy without realizing it (like my multivitamin, canned tuna, etc.). Now that I've got my diet right, my son is a joy! I've read that 50% of babies allergic to dairy are also allergic to soy. It takes 3-4 weeks for changes to occur because if your baby has a food allergy to milk/soy, it's caused his intestines to bleed, and they need time to heal. Your doctor can test his poop for blood, and this is one way to indicate a food allergy. Good luck!!

Hi S. H.,

First of all, you need to make sure that you are getting an adequate amount of fluids in your diet. Secondly, you should make sure that you are eating a well-balanced diet that includes plenty of calcium-rich foods, protein, complex carbs, fruits, and vegetables. Cinnamon is also reputed to increase milk production. Personally, eating a lot of beans and legumes (especially lentils) helped me.

There are a variety of web sites and books out there that can tell you more about what to eat to increase your milk production, but hopefully this has been a good start. Good luck!

C. Y.

My daughter was the same way, she was colic and Mylicon never really helped. I also breastfeed and watched what I ate. I didn't have milk, tomatoes, green vegetable, no spices etc and she still was colic for the first 3 mths. It is totally normally because their digestive system isn’t fully developed yet. Most babies are like this for the first 3 mths no matter what you do. Watching you diet just helps out. When I would drink milk she was a lot worse. This will pass and is unfortunately part of having a newborn.