Diet While Nursing Baby with Reflux

My son was also very sensitive to dairy when I nursed, so I had to cut it out. Now, even as a toddler, he won't drink it. He's not even fond of cheese. My husband was lactose intolerant as a baby, and supposedly grew out of it, but both of them have had tons of ear infections. So I now think they haven't outgrown it, and I'm cutting out dairy (except for a few cheese safe for lactose people) as an experiment. My husband's mom has adult-onset lactose intolerance.

My daughter spit up tons, but never seemed to have any problems with milk. My son had some reflux issues, but never needed medications. One major difference: between kids I was diagnosed with food allergies. I'd eaten all the offending foods with my daughter, but not my son. Both kids appear to have the same food allergies as I do.

It can take 3 days to know if something is irritating to a baby. Some irritations will become apparent sooner, but others take the 3 days.

Drinking more milk helps. There's also a "new mom's tea" (herbal) at Whole Foods that was very effective in helping my supply get going.

I can't give advice but I can give sympathy. I'm having the exact same issue because I exclusively pump but have to supplement because of supply issues. I take care of my son by myself most days and feel like I have no time to spend with him because of all the time taken up by pumping. I was having trouble finding anything to eat and was getting more and more depressed as time went on. My son is doing much better on Prevacid but I'm still going to formula only just to keep my sanity and actually have time to spend with my son. I know breast is best for them but not if it makes you more stressed and unhappy. Happy mama = happy baby. Good luck with your decision. It can be heartbreaking to make the decision to go to formula but I know that it's just as heartbreaking to watch your milk make them throw up.

There is a couple of things I can think of since my baby went thru a similar phase too. One, usually around this time, most babies will go through a fussy, gassy, collicky type of spell. A doctor told me once that some babies just have a intestinal system that needs more time to mature, so anything they are eating will irritate them. They usually outgrow it though in a month or two once their systems are a bit more mature. The other thing is that, it could actually be the formula that is more irritating. It's tricky to tell because you are giving both formula and breast milk. Dairy can take anywhere from immediately to even 2 days or so to start effecting a baby. Breast milk is the best at this point though, even though it is difficult, especially early on ( I KNOW!!) but breastmilk is the easiest for the baby to digest and the gentlest on their intestines. Anything "foreign" is considered an irritant. If you can, stick with solely breastfeeding. It will get a lot easier in a few months. If you go to formula, you may have a tricky road if your baby is irritated by the milk, it probably will cause you more frustration in the long run trying out different formulas over and over. I would suggest start with just breastfeeding for a few weeks. It can take your body and your babies body about a month to fully get rid of dairy. So even if you make a change now, you won't really know for about 4-6 weeks! Remember once you stop breastfeeding, if formula doesn't work out, you can go back! So I would say give it a chance first!!! Hang in there, it will get easier!

My DD was very sensitive to dairy in my BM... I'm not sure how long, since I just cut it completely out of my diet... But when I tested it out at 3 months she did fine. :)

I had the same problem with my son and cut out all dairy including cheese. He did do OK if their was dairy in things like baked goods. I also cut out tomatoes and acidic fruit and juices from my diet. He had issues until he was 6-9 months old with my having it. Now he is 20 months and around a year he completely outgrew his issue and can now eat dairy himself all though he still struggles with the reflux especially when he is getting teeth. I hope it works out and if you can keep up the pumping it's a good thing but if not your baby will be fine too. I was happy to eliminate the stuff from my diet to not have to pay out the big bucks for the formula but I know others who don't feel that way at all. I enjoyed nursing my son. In fact he is still nursing twice a day and probably will keep up at least one of those until he is two.

A few things come to mind. First, consult with a lactation consultant about breastfeeding help. I too am pumping for my twins and I feel it is totally worth it even though I've has to alter my diet. If you can get some help and stick it out for at least a few months more it will be helpful.

Second - Use a medical grade pump to make sure you are pumping all the milk which should prevent further mastitis and keep your milk supply up better. I pump on schedule every 4 - 5 hours (at night I have one 5.5 hour stetch to get some sleep.) I also take ibuprofen and use a warm compress on the occasion that my ducts get plugged and it works beautifully. You can also drink "Mother's Milk" tea by Traditional Medicinals to help your supply.

Last - I have read that the dairy protein in cheese is the most difficult for babies to digest when it comes through the BM, so it is possible the cheese is problematic while formula isn't. The formula, even though dairy based, is designed to keep the balance of whey proteins vs. casein proteins similar to BM and the AR has enzymes to help babies digest better.

I completely understand the struggles you are going through. I too had very colicky, spitting-up babies (yes both!) I switched to pumping milk for my sanity and to give them additives. I found 3 ml. of Wellements gripe water and 3 gas drops per bottle to be very helpful as well as feeding them at an incline and keeping them upright for 20 minutes after each feeding. I never used meds, because I found other ways of handling it. I do supplement with formula occasionally if my supply doesn't meet their demand (my midwife assured me if they are getting at least 50% BM they were getting all the extra good stuff they needed.) Now at 5 months, they are MUCH better and need less gripe water / gas drops. I anticipate cutting the additives completely soon.

The formula has ingredients in it that makes the milk digestible. Dairy is not. It probably makes your body more acidic, and that gets transferred into your milk. Maybe it is hard to give up your dairy, but it is worse to watch your baby be in pain. You could go to the health food store and buy some cheese alternatives made of soy. And you don't mention veggies or fruit... those are healthier options as well... R.

1st...your supply is based on demand. Make sure you drink lots of water.
2nd...breast milk is the best thing for your baby....no exceptions. Enfamil AR is predigested and broken down so its easier to digest. Cows milk is made for baby cows in my opinion. Baby humans need momma milk. I too supplement and have had to go to nutramigen. I have also had to cut out dairy. I feel like its the best thing to do for now.
My pedi told me that all babies have reflux! It just depends on how bad it effects them. It has to do with the immaturity.
I surely hope that you can keep it up. Its the easiest thing for your baby to digest. It is just as hard to wash all those bottles. I know its hard b/c i find it so much easier to just pop out a boob when she is crying.
Babies start to mature about 6 months or so.
Keep it up!