Thoughts on being dairy-free? (bf-ing)

[jackpackage]

I cut out dairy completely about a month ago. I starting keeping a food journal at about a month because ds seemed so miserable. I rarely drink milk anyways (I use coconut milk), but the times I had milk or ice cream, we noticed that the next few days were especially bad. He always had really bad gas and it seemed like he was uncomfortable right before pooping (and his poops were so loud). For the past 3 weeks, he has been amazing. He seems so happy, naps well, and sleeps 12 hours TTN with one feeding session after 7 hours. He has gone from crying 4+ hours every day to about 1 hour a day, right before bed.

When I told his pedi that I had cut out dairy, he said that he rarely sees a mother's diet change a fussy baby. Am I supposed to just assume that he grew out of his fussiness at the same time that I cut out dairy? I'm afraid to introduce dairy back into my diet, because I see how well he's doing and I don't want to hurt him.

[jinnifah]

How old is he? New babies tend to get pretty fussy in the 6-7wks age, then it tapers off.

If it is the dairy I know it takes a couple weeks to rid it from your system and it sounds like his fussiness ended right on cue. Unfortunately the only way to really know is eat seem dairy.

Eta: saw your siggy. Ds's worst fussiness and improvement happened about the same as your timeline. He always seemed gassy too. Nothing I changed in my diet made any difference.

[ijack]

I actually know quite a few people who cut out dairy and it had a noticeable difference on their kid. I mean you could try having a bowl of ice cream and see what happens, but I doubt it's just a coincidence.

[jackpackage]

He's almost 3 months. He has been fussy since we came home from the hospital, so we never really experienced the "babies are sleepy so just wear him and go about your day" type of baby.

[water*drop]

It made a huge difference for me. I saw some improvement in DD's disposition within a week (she was much calmer while nursing and didn't wake up arching and screaming as often). It took 3-4 weeks before her diapers really improved (we didn't have visible blood, but her poop was very mucousy) and for spitting up to not make her cry. Now she's a happy spitter - before cutting dairy, spitting up made her inconsolable.

We're planning on trying dairy again at 6 months. I think we're going to do it using frozen milk from before I cut dairy, though, so at least the dairy only has to leave DD's system if it doesn't work.

[anna7602]

I'm lactose intolerant, but wasn't during pregnancy. As soon as I had DD though, my system went back to normal even though I kept eating things I would never have dreamed of before I got pregnant. Once I cut it all out again, not only did I feel better, but I did notice a difference in DD as well. Who knows if dairy was the real root of the problem, but going back to it was out of the question for me anyway.

[kimibrighteyes]

I had twin boys. One was a happy baby, the the other one was very fussy and always unhappy and had reflux as well. I was breastfeeding them. When they were six months old, they started to drop off their weight curves and my pediatrician suggested supplementing with formula. The first time I gave the fussy twin formula, he developed hives all over his body. We cofirmed dairy allergy with the allergist and I went dairy free (completely, including cutting out butter, most margarines except dairy-free etc). It made a huge difference - my little fussy guy became happy for the first time.

[luvmagoldn]

The loud poops/explosive diapers were my first tip off to a milk allergy - although I didn't recognize it at the time (when I was EBF). Like Kimi, the hives came when I started supplementing with formula.

If it were me, I would stay off dairy. My LO was allergy tested at seven months so you may be able to find out for sure before too long.

[iheartbanjos]

I had to cut out dairy and soy, but besides being fussy, DD's skin was covered in a rash and she was a little raspy when she breathed. The only thing that happened from soy is that she would have bright green liquidy poop, the fussiness and physical issues came from dairy. The mild soy allergy lasted about 4 months and the dairy allergy lasted quite a big longer, but she was drinking cow's milk by about 14 months.

ETA: She also had mucus and blood in her stool.

[arch01]

We had mucus and blood in DS' stool and I cut out dairy for 7.5 weeks. It didn't make a difference in his stool, but it did in his mood. After 7.5 weeks I called the pedi and we slowly added dairy back in with no effects. The mucus went away after about 4 months. His unofficial diagnosis was that his digestive system was just not 100% and it took awhile to get there.

IMO the pedi is a little behind. The first thing we were told to do was cut dairy. It's a pretty well documented thing that fussiness has to do with what the mother is ingesting and that's the easiest thing to adjust before looking into other causes.

[dochas]

An LC I know said the same thing - it's rarely the Mother's diet. But rarely isn't never! If you've noticed improvement, and you didn't eat much dairy to begin with I'd just avoid it.

[sometimesrunner]

DS had MSPI (milk soy protein intolerance). He was super fussy and had mucus and blood in his stool. (we couldn't see the blood, only the mucus; a lab test at the ped's office found the blood) A lot of babies grow out of MSPI as soon as 4 months. I would have a bowl of ice cream and see how it effects your LO. If he becomes fussy, then I would keep with the dairy free diet.

[MadamePresident]

From my non-medical professional perespective, it seems strange to think that what you eat wouldn't have an impact on the milk your baby is receiving. Why would it be important to eat a good diet then? Tell your doctor that you decided you were going to live on chicken nuggets and coke and see what he says then!

I have a couple of friends who have had to do similar things when BF, due to food allergies.

[Deleted]

Sept 18, 2012 10:59:35 GMT -5 MadamePresident said:

From my non-medical professional perespective, it seems strange to think that what you eat wouldn't have an impact on the milk your baby is receiving. Why would it be important to eat a good diet then? Tell your doctor that you decided you were going to live on chicken nuggets and coke and see what he says then!

Milk is more like a blood product than anything else. There's nothing wrong with the breastmilk of a mom that lives on junk food. It's no less nutritious than a mom that eats entirely healthy whole food.

[Deleted]

I notice a huge difference in ds if I eat dairy - hes cranky, has explosive bms, etc. my neighbour is a nurse and she suggested cutting dairy - worked like a charm!

[MadamePresident]

Sept 18, 2012 12:09:08 GMT -5 @tokenhoser said:

Sept 18, 2012 10:59:35 GMT -5 MadamePresident said:

From my non-medical professional perespective, it seems strange to think that what you eat wouldn't have an impact on the milk your baby is receiving. Why would it be important to eat a good diet then? Tell your doctor that you decided you were going to live on chicken nuggets and coke and see what he says then!

Milk is more like a blood product than anything else. There's nothing wrong with the breastmilk of a mom that lives on junk food. It's no less nutritious than a mom that eats entirely healthy whole food.

Hmm.. did not know that.

[Deleted]

kellymom.com/nutrition/mothers-diet/mom-diet/

"According to Katherine A. Dettwyler, Ph.D., breastfeeding researcher and anthropologist, women throughout the world make ample amounts of quality milk while eating diets composed almost entirely of rice (or millet or sorghum) with a tiny amount of vegetables and occasional meat.

Are healthy eating habits recommended for mom? Absolutely! You will be healthier and feel better if you eat well. It is best for anyone to eat a variety of foods, in close to their naturally-occurring state, but this is not necessary for providing quality milk or for maintaining milk supply. Although it is certainly not recommended, a breastfeeding mother could live on a diet of junk food – mom would not thrive on that diet, but her milk would still meet her baby’s needs.

Making women think that they must maintain ‘perfect’ diets in order to have thriving breastfed babies is an unnecessary obstacle to breastfeeding."

[shouldbworkin]

Peds are notoriously uneducated when it comes to dairy protein sensitivities, as this is more a GI or allergists area. Many will label it colic and tell you it will go away with time. It will b/c most babies outgrow it by 6 - 12 mos old. Their guts are immature and cows milk protein is one of the few things that can get to baby through your breastmilk and upset their immature systems. No matter what the ped says, if your baby is happier without it and you can do it, eliminating dairy is a harmless fix for everyone.

[jackpackage]

Thanks everyone for your input! I'm going to stick with the dairy-free diet and try to get h on board as well. It'll be healthier for me in the long run (goodbye pizza and nachos!) and it's been easier to stay on track thinking that it makes him miserable.

[keyslover]

Late to the party, but I went DF while nursing both my girls. It didn't last the entire time. I nursed DD1 18 months and started dairy around a year. Still nursing DD2 at 15 months and I do eat dairy, although unrelated to nursing was told I need to cut it out

I will say the girls both felt better when I was DF (no painful gas and diapers were better) and I felt better.