Hi Mamas,
My 2 week old is finally nursing really well (thanks for your advice on my previous posts) but is super, super gassy and miserable, especially at night, which means we're getting even less sleep than expected with a newborn. This morning the pediatrician recommended cutting out milk, green vegetables, "gassy foods" (including broccoli, cauliflower, beans, etc.) for at least a week to see if that helps in addition to her other recommendations (Mylicon, tummy rubbing, pumping his legs, lots of tummy time, etc.). My regular diet is mostly vegetarian - we only eat meat 1-2 times a week - and heavy on the foods the doctor is telling me to avoid. Any suggestions on what to eat on this diet? FYI I've also got a 2 year old that I need to feed, too, and don't have it in me right now to make separate meals for everyone.
Thanks!
Thanks for the advice. I've cut out dairy but am trying soy. We had one good night and one bad night so far. He's getting the gas out better but is still having tons.
Personally, I'd pick milk first and then see if it's just dairy or something else. The problem with cutting out both at once is that you don't know which thing it was. Then I'd go back to milk if that wasn't it, and cut out one veg (like broccoli), etc.
You might also call a La Leache League leader or certified Lactation Consultant to get her take on it, too.
I know you said you don't have it in you to make extra meals, but you may have to find it or deal with a gassy baby. For me, just cutting out caffeine helped my baby a lot. Try eating pastas and other simple foods, and slowly adding other greens back in to see what upsets him.
E. - I was in the exact same situation (mostly vegetarian, with a 2 year old and a newborn who had a bad dairy allergy so I had to eliminate all dairy products which was the bulk of my protein intake). In all honesty, we ended up eating meat or fish 3-4 times a week instead of once. Personally, I don't think vegetables cause most babies any distress - the main problems tend to be dairy and soy so you might want to start there, keeping in mind that it can be 2 -4 weeks before all dairy proteins are out of your system. We ate very traditional meals (a meat or fish, starch and a vegetable for dinner) I'm not saying that you have to eat meat, but that ended up being the easiest solution for us. The first month was the hardest and then it does get easier.
Here's O. article:
http://kellymom.com/babyconcerns/gassybaby.html
my first kid was sensitive to almsot everything I ate. I couldn't have more than a tiny bit of dairy - so suddenly no milk, cheese, etc. I couldn't eat fried food, or gassy veggies like brocoli or acidic foods like tomotoes or citrus. For about 6-9 months I ate a lot of pasta with broth - I'd toss in spinach, asparagus, zucchini, artichoke and a tiny bit of tomatoe sauce for flavor. I made a lot of grilled chicken, grilled bugers (salmon, turkey, beef), grilled steak. (I realize that's not an option for you.)
Once she was a year old and could come off formula / breast milk she coudn't tolerate milk. I gave her almond milk which she was OK with (she would have nothing to do with soymilk).
It's all trial and error - but she was healthy once I figured out what to avoid - and it helped me lose my weight. My second child had no sensitiities at all so I never lost that weight and he's 12 now!
I, too, would cut out milk/dairy first. A lot of times, that's all you need. My super gassy and miserable baby had a dairy sensitivity and didn't deal well with acidic foods, so once I cut out dairy and lowered my intake of tomatoes, she was great. I don't drink caffeine, but I did hear that it could affect babies too.
My daughter had enough digestive issues that we saw multiple specialists... and none ever recommended cutting out green vegetables. Beans, yes, but only if eliminating dairy wasn't enough.
So... give yourself a bit of a break and do just diary first. Make sure you're getting all it out of your diet, though - and that means butter, sour cream, ice cream, milk, yogurt, cheese, and baked goods with casein or whey.
This isn't related to food, but look into baby massage to help alleviate the gas. http://www.babycenter.com/slideshow-baby-massage
I question the green vegetables. Green beans, green leafy vegetables, peas should be OK. Carrots, potatoes, corn are OK. It's the gassy foods that are more likely to be the culprits.
I agree that you should cut out dairy first. It's a common cause of gas in babies and adults. If that doesn't help, then cut out gassy foods.
You could consult with a nutritionist. Ask your pediatrician's office for a referral. I also think the LeLeche League may have some info.
Its likely an overactive letdown than a food causing his gas. If his poops are green, stringy and mucousy, like wet lettuce, he's getting too much foremilk. you need to make sure he gets hindmilk by not switching breasts mid feed, only one breast per feeding, and evne letting him nurse one breast for two feedings in a row so he gets hindmilk.
A baby poop should look yellow and seedy, like dijon mustard. If its not, then he's probably getting too much foremilk and you need to nurse him one breast only, no switching mid feed and using one breast for two feedings in a row until you are no longer engorged. Look up overactive letdown on kellymom.com
I also want to chime in to recommend cutting out dairy and soy! I had a colicky baby and I had friends who recommended cutting out dairy but my pediatrician said there's no proof that colic is linked to that so we didn't. Years later we discovered she has had a dairy intolerance all along and are now giving her probiotic and enzyme supplements to try to heal her leaky gut from the years of damage caused by dairy! So please listen to your baby!
Dairy protein and soy protein are very similar so if she's intolerant to one, she may be intolerant to the other.
As for what to eat while you can't eat dairy, I love this site: http://www.theppk.com/
It has great vegan recipes. Great ideas to be found there.
As a substitute for milk on cereal, I like almond milk the best. Original flavor (sweetened) almond milk at Trader Joe's or by Almond Breeze has a nice mild flavor. It's sweet but not too sweet.
Good luck!
I had to do this with my first. I cut out milk and dairy for 10 days. It was HARD!! I love my cheese! But it didn't do anything to help or hurt her, so it was just that she was still so new. She ended up being fine and I could eat whatever I wanted - but always heavy on the veggies in our house.
So I'd cut out all dairy first and see how that goes. Good luck.
"gassy foods" are gassy (for us, the moms) because of the undigested byproducts which ferment in the gut. Undigested, which means they can't get into breast milk!
Myth, old wives' tale, false!
ETA: I agree with almost every response!
Yes it's better to avoid eating gassy foods for breastfeeding a baby that young. I avoided many foods like beans, potatoes, brocolli , spinach etc etc the first few months. I continued drinking milk but I have heard some babies get gassy if moms drink milk.
Try Baby bliss/ M. bliss gripe water. All natural ingredients , it helped with my son's gassiness a lot.
My son is very allergic to dairy and must avoid it 100%. Here are some of the things he eats most often (and usually the whole family does too)
Pasta with vegetables mixed in - carrots, bell peppers can be good if you're avoiding the gassy ones
Stir fry - chicken and veggies served over rice
Sunbutter & jelly sandwiches
lots of fruit
Tofu - just cut it into cubes, mix in a little soy sauce, and cook it in a frying pan
He drinks soy milk, but depending on what you're using the milk for, you may prefer rice milk.
Follow Your Heart is a good brand of vegan cheese if you're looking for something that melts; Tofutti is pretty good if you don't need it to melt. Most other brands of soy cheese still contain milk proteins.
