If I am breastfeeding my 4 1/2 month old baby and he has really bad gas, and cries most of the time, should I try to cut out dairy. What all foods would this consist of and how long would I need to do it to see a difference? I do not eat any spicy foods or beans, or onions.
2006-08-28 15:52:13 · 10 answers · asked by Bird79 2 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Newborn & Baby
It sounds like cutting out dairy and or wheat could help. Try cutting out both for 2 weeks, and see if you notice an improvement. It is very common that your baby might be sensitive to wheat or dairy. My son (5 months) had really bad gas and colic and eliminating wheat and dairy totally helped. Be careful though, wheat is in just about everything! To cut out dairy it would mean milk, butter, chese, yogurt, etc. Eggs are usually ok. You can do soy, but some people are also sensitive to soy.
See how it goes for 2 weeks, then add back in one and see what happens in a few days. If everything stays good, leave it in. If not, cut it back out again. I heard that around 6 months their stomachs can process things better, so you might be able to add them both back in after that.
Good for you for continuing to breastfeed! I hope the elimination diet works for you. You might also try a homeopathic remedy called Colic Ease- the homeopathic remedies for colic really helped us, too. You can get them at a healthfood store, or sometimes in a good regular grocery store if they have a natural medicine area.
2006-08-28 16:22:21 · answer #1 · answered by Ellie 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Most babies have dairy problems because their your digestive systems cannot break down the enzymes in cow's milk. Remember, Cow's milk is for cows. Your next watch should be soy then wheat. For now, try the no dairy thing for about a month. It will take 3 weeks to completely rid your body of dairy but you should start seeing results in the next 2 days. Thank you for nursing your child, I wish more Moms did. Just remember, no dairy for your child until at least 1 year old. No solid food until 6 months. This will allow for proper digestive system development.
2006-08-28 15:59:33 · answer #2 · answered by dirkdiggler9999 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It is common for babies to have a hard time digesting the proteins in cow's milk. It cannot do any harm to cut out milk products for a few weeks and see if it helps.
You will have to be very careful, and read labels. Unfortunately, dairy based ingredients are hidden in many foods.
Some ingredient names to look for on labels:
*Whey (this is the watery part of the milk that separates when cheese is made, it is often used as flavoring in bread and spice packets)
*Casein (this is a protein that forms the hard curd in cheese. it is also used as a flavoring in some packaged foods)
*sodium CASEINate- this is actually a very common ingredient in "non-dairy" whipped topping and coffee creamer. This ticks me off. If the label says "non-dairy" it SHOULD NOT have anything made from milk in it!!!
butter
nonfat dry milk
You will need to be very thorough for several weeks if you want to be certain whether or not it is milk causing the trouble.
Be careful about substituting a lot of soy for milk in your diet. Many people who are sensitive to milk also react to soy. Also overdoing it can trigger a reaction, so go easy on the "milk substitutes."
In addition to food sensitivity, consider the possibility of a foremilk imbalance. This is another common cause of gas in infants!
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/milkproduction-faq.html
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/fast-letdown.html
http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/fussybaby.html
http://www.breastfeed-essentials.com/toomuchmilk.html
2006-08-29 05:34:30 · answer #3 · answered by Kathryn A 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Have you tried giving the baby Infant's Mylicon?
Is the baby burping after each feeding?
Have you tried burping between breasts?
It would take about a week if you were to try cutting out dairy. You would cut out milk, cheese, yogurt, and sour cream. Any milk product.
2006-08-28 16:01:40 · answer #4 · answered by C K Platypus 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It could be that you need to move to formula. The best that I found that was very, very gentle on infant stomachs was Good Start. It breaks all the ingriedents down for the babys' stomach to handle better. If nothing else buy some gas drops for your baby. Trying to cut things out while you are breastfeeding is being thoughtful to help out your child but could be terrible for your health at the same time. You need all the vitamins you can receive from natural foods.
2006-08-28 16:00:25 · answer #5 · answered by jewels_of_fire76 2 · 0⤊ 3⤋
My sister couldn't have any dairy when she had her little boy. She cut out all dairy and replaced it with soy products. (eg soy milk).
For as long as she breastfed she simply didn't eat dairy, and she breastfed for a good eighteen months.
I think its a small price to pay for the comfort of your baby!
2006-08-28 15:59:28 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
You need some help from La Leche League. They have a great website and have breastfeeding counselors that are available to help you.
I also suggest you talk to your babies Dr.
Cutting out cows milk MAY help. But, I am guessing there is more to this fussiness than just that.
2006-08-28 16:00:10 · answer #7 · answered by Am 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
First I would try to cut out all roughage...like veggies...like cabbage, brussell sprouts...and things like that...give it two or three days and if that doesn't work try cutting out a little dairy...
2006-08-28 16:11:28 · answer #8 · answered by g_bug 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
No. Your body needs dairy to help with breast milk production. Also if you get no dairy your baby will get the nutrients that they need and deplete what your body has stored and you can end up getting Osteoporosis
2006-08-28 15:57:45 · answer #9 · answered by Ryan's mom 7 · 0⤊ 3⤋
well u should have ur baby on formula now!!! my niece went on formula at the age of 4 months!! and she drinks something called enfamel (somethin like that) and make sure the baby burps after drinkin!!! and start feeding the baby baby food
2006-08-28 15:57:00 · answer #10 · answered by babynam2 4 · 0⤊ 4⤋