Breastfeeding Donts

Aleks - posted on 08/13/2009

Quoting Kimberly:

Sounds like colic. I asked the same questions when my son was born because I am breast feeding him and our daughter was severely colic (she was not). The nurses told me there was nothing that should bother him, but I have heard of babies being lactose intolerant of the mothers breast milk so the mom has to cut out dairy. But I would say the baby is colic because being fussy at the same time every day is the first sign of colic. It happens the same time every day and when it ends it will end with no warning just one day it won't happen. Try mylicon drops before the feedings when the baby is fussy. It is good for all ages and it is a major gas reliever. Also try drawing the babies knees to her chest when she is fussy and see if you can help expel some of the gas if she can't on her own. Also move her legs in the motion of riding a bike that also helps. Good luck as I said my daughter was colic 24/7 until she was six months. My ped. said she was the worst case she had ever seen. We were in the hospital, tried prescriptions, and all the old wives tales. I've been there. In time she will feel better.

To start off babies are not lactose (sugar) intollerant to their mothers milk, that would, in an evolutionary scale mean death to the baby - babies are only intollerant of the dairy proteins that pass into the breast milk from the dairy that mum eats.

My first baby had fussines at the same time each day/evening.. My maternal and child health nurse  (including many books and magazines) stated that this is quite normal... I accepted that, however, he also presented with other symptoms ( blood in poo ).  I got that investigated and finally got an answer of "dairy intollerance".  I eliminated dairy from my diet ( exclusively breastfed ).  Now with my second, same thing occured, very unsettled in the evenings/night, crying until falling asleep, etc.  She also was throwing up a bit which also bothered her. I bet that most people including doctors would say that its only reflux and probably would put her on some chemical to make her less pained. Thank God she also had blood in poo and also mucusy poos also which led me to suspect same issues as my first born. As soon as I eliminated dairy all changed. NO MORE REFLUX!!! NO MORE FUSSINESS!!!

I suspect that people made up the term "colic" cause its much easier to use as an explanation than to really look for the root of the problem.  Actually, colic is a term used when people don't know why baby cries - question should be asked: "why?" and then followed with seeking out an answer to this question.

Like many mothers here I would recommend you look for the root cause in your diet.  If all the common diet issues have been eliminated then speak with your doctor.  Babies cry for a reason.

Good luck and I hope that you find your answer soon, and most importantly your baby gets better soon :-)

Amanda - posted on 08/12/2009

wow Crystal my oldest is 6 and after reading your post I FINALLY figured out why he must have been so colicy as a baby, we had major latch on problems. I would be interested to see a number on how many first babies that are breastfed are colicy as opposed to baby # 2,3 and on, simply because we learn better tecniches for bfing as we have more children.

very informative post, thank you

Crystal - posted on 08/12/2009

I found some other helpful info; check it out...





"Colic in breast-fed infants may be part of an increasingly recognized syndrome of frequent feeding , symptoms of hunger between feeds , excess wind , loose watery stools and failure to thrive in extreme cases. The syndrome usually results from incorrect latching of the baby on the breast leading to ineffective emptying but other causes include switching the baby to the second breast before the feed on the first breast is complete and a vigorous milk rejection reflex in the mother allowing the baby to feed without actively 'stripping' the breast of milk. All of these factors lead to the frequent consumption of high volume , low calorie feeds with a low fat and high lactose concentration which results in increased fermentation in the colon with colic, excessive wind and explosive watery stools. (2)



Simple manipulations, therefore, such as careful attention to correct attachment of the infant at the breast and advice on feed patters may be all that is needed to considerably improve troublesome colic and its associated symptoms in breast-fed infants. This approach also has relevance to those who strive to improve not only breast-feeding rates on discharge from hospital, but more important , the continuation of successful breast-feeding in the community.



Dr FJ Thompson Consultant Paediatrician Northampton General Hospital Northampton NN1 5BD



Chloe Fisher Infant Feeding Specialist John Radcliffe Hospital Oxford OX3 9DU



1. Lucassen PLBJ, Assendelft WJJ, Gubbels JW, van Eijk JTM, van Geldrop WJ, Knuitstingh Neven A. Effectiveness of treatments for infantile colic : Systematic Review. BMJ 1998;316:1563-9 (23 May)



2. Woolridge MW, Fisher C . Colic, 'Overfeeding' , and symptoms of lactose malabsorption in the breastfed baby: A possible artifact of feed management. Lancet 1988;2:382-4 (13 Aug)





And here some info from the Le Leche League website...



http://www.llli.org/ba/Nov98.html



I hope this helps. Good luck!!

Tonya - posted on 08/12/2009

I was thinking more like colic. You can tell if its a food fussy or colic. Food fussy is less intense than colic fussy and if its happening at the same time every night and nothing will sooth. Yeah its colic.

Vernice - posted on 08/12/2009

I'm not really sure about the whole breastfeeding thing. I am pregnant with my first child, so I've never experienced this. But, I know you are not supposed to drink alcohol while nursing, obviously because it passes into your blood and will affect the baby. So, the idea of things we consume getting into our blood and affecting the baby is completely logical to me. Think about having high cholesterol. This is basically where fat accumulates into the arteries (where blood flows), due to certain food you eat. So, again the food that you eat affecting your blood stream and therefore the food you eat seems logical. Besides, the actual evidence from other experienced moms seems evident.

Kat - posted on 08/12/2009

There is perhaps logic & scientific reason that what we eat shouldn't effect our babies in regards to gas & tummy upset. But when it comes to pregnancy & birth logic & scientific reason go out the window. I have seen for myself that foods I have eaten have affected my child. I have seen it happen with my friends. I avoided dairy & I saw an improvement in my daughter for my doing so. I snuck in a glass of milk every now & then & was very quickly reminded why I shouldn't be having it.
Every child is different & every child reacts in different ways to things. Though when I read your post Colic did come to my mind 1st thing.
Good Luck

Kimberly - posted on 08/11/2009

Sounds like colic. I asked the same questions when my son was born because I am breast feeding him and our daughter was severely colic (she was not). The nurses told me there was nothing that should bother him, but I have heard of babies being lactose intolerant of the mothers breast milk so the mom has to cut out dairy. But I would say the baby is colic because being fussy at the same time every day is the first sign of colic. It happens the same time every day and when it ends it will end with no warning just one day it won't happen. Try mylicon drops before the feedings when the baby is fussy. It is good for all ages and it is a major gas reliever. Also try drawing the babies knees to her chest when she is fussy and see if you can help expel some of the gas if she can't on her own. Also move her legs in the motion of riding a bike that also helps. Good luck as I said my daughter was colic 24/7 until she was six months. My ped. said she was the worst case she had ever seen. We were in the hospital, tried prescriptions, and all the old wives tales. I've been there. In time she will feel better.

Jessica - posted on 08/11/2009

It's so hard to say what might be bothering your little one. If I were you I'd keep a log of what you're eating and see if there is any correlation. As far as the possibility of colic, I think it definitely could be that. There is a book that a friend recommended to me (that her Dr. recommended to her) and it absolutely worked to stop the colicky behaviors. It is called "The Happiest Baby on the Block". Like I said, it worked for me and for my friend as well.



My other suggestion is something I do...I am never afraid to give my Dr. a call even if the question I have seems stupid. (I'm not insinuating your does AT ALL) The get paid so much to do their jobs and they usually have the best answers!

Molly - posted on 08/11/2009

I know that the food we eat DOES in fact change our breastmilk. Eat asparagus and pump. That will prove it. It can turn your milk green. My daughter did not like my asparagus milk...

Sarah - posted on 08/11/2009

The same thing happened with me and I cut out caffiene and that really seemed to work...also try infant drops for gas that really worked too. Good Luck!!

Chelsea - posted on 08/11/2009

I also disagree with Lisa. She is correct that we don't make broccoli milk or spaghetti sauce milk but there are proteins in food that can be passed through milk. Mothers have to cut out foods from their diet while breastfeeding to stop the behavior that Taylor wrote about above. Some of the common food culprits are:

Beans
Onions
Dairy
Fish
Corn
Eggs
Peanuts

This does not mean that this happens often but it does happen. One thing to try before eliminating foods is to take beano before eating. It's all natural and may help to break down the proteins that can get into the milk before they make it there. If that doesn't work after 2-3 days of trying it start by removing one food at a time for 3 days or so. Start with beans and go down the list. If you notice a drastic difference in behavior keep that food out for a week and then reintroduce it and see if it has the same effect. It could just be a phase your infant is going through. All infants have periods of time during the day or night that they are fussier. This could signal that they need a nap at that time or they just need more closeness for that period of time.

You should also try giving her gripe water to see if that relieves her.

Kristin - posted on 08/11/2009

Before I left the hospital the lactation nurse told me to avoid foods that made me gassy cause it gets passed to the baby. Then at the doctors, they told me the same thing. I did notice when I ate things like broccoli and cole slaw may daughter would defintiely have a reaction. I'm not saying anyone is wrong or right but I did notice the difference when i didn't eat certain foods

Taya - posted on 08/11/2009

My daughter had problems with dairy as well. She had a milk protein allergy. So I had to cut out all "major" sources of dairy-- milk, yogurt, butter, cheeses, ice cream, etc. That made a huge difference. No fussiness or bloating or gas. When she got to be 6 months I started to introduce these back into my diet slowly. She did much better because by that time her digestive system had matured. Although now at 15 months she still cannot handle whole milk very well, she's okay with other dairy foods.

Samantha - posted on 08/11/2009

We had lots of problems, the biggie was dairy, and I didn't even realize all the stuff dairy was in, or how much I ate. Caffeene is also bad, and orange juice and other acidic foods and drinks. I felt for a little while like I couldn't eat or drink anything, but it helped, and became a very rewarding experince. Still nursing at 8 months. We also had colic and the only cure for that is love, patience and mostly time. for us it was 6 months. it truly did go fast, just don't forget to smile, even colicky babies learn to smile and those smiles mean the world when the is so much crying! good luck!

Crystal - posted on 08/10/2009

Until you figure out what is causing it you could try gas drops.If it is gas those things can work magic. She could just be getting over tired. My first did that for a while till I started putting him to bed earlier.

Crystal - posted on 08/10/2009

I found this info helpful...

http://www.llli.org/ba/Nov98.html...

It is in EVERY childs best interest to have a pro-active parent who makes INFORMED desisions/choices

Amanda - posted on 08/10/2009

I just clicked on the Kellymom link to see what other people have to say on the subject and it says "There are NO foods that a mother should avoid simply because she is breastfeeding. It is generally recommended that you eat whatever you like, whenever you like, in the amounts that you like and continue to do this unless you notice an obvious reaction in your baby to a particular food. "

So this is what I take from this, some of us posting here have noticed obvious reactions in our babies, and should therefore watch what they are eating, my personal experiance being, I ate the onions and my son spent the next hour litterally screaming like someone had cut off his arm, pulling up his legs and generally being inconsollable. I had no idea what had caused it until I realized that the only time he had this reaction was when I ate the onions, I dont eat them anymore, he has never had that reaction again.

We have a 6 month well child checkup soon, this will be an interesting question for the dr as I have seen no doctor credentials to back up anything that has been said here, only personal opinions.

One point that I think we can all agree on is that we have our babies best interest in mind and when we see them in pain or upset we want to try anything to make it better for them.

Amanda - posted on 08/10/2009

we all make our own choices :}

Nicole - posted on 08/10/2009

Thanks for posting this. I never can't get through to folks that unless an allergy is involved mom's food won't affect baby. Hell I eat habaneros regularly as well as SriRacha chili paste as I did while pregnant too. No gassy baby and hot food did not ship me into early labor. As for burger king- who needs to eat their crap anyway :) ?

Minnie - posted on 08/10/2009

Sorry ladies- it's a myth that certain foods cause gassinessor that spicey/acidic foods make baby fussy.



Allergies are a different subject entirely- babies CAN be allergic to cow's milk protein, wheat proteins, or peanut protein.





'Eating certain foods may cause gas in mom due to the normal breakdown of some of the undigested carbohydrates (sugar, starches, soluble fiber) by bacteria in the large intestine (see Gas in the digestive tract).



However, breastmilk is made from what passes into mom's blood, not what is in her stomach or digestive track. Neither the gas nor the undigested carbohydrates (whose breakdown can cause gas in mom) pass into mom's blood, so it is impossible for these things to pass into your milk to make your baby gassy.'



"Can acidic foods that mom eats be "too acid" for baby?

No. Acidic foods like citrus, tomatoes, etc. can not change the acidity of breastmilk. "



http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/mom/mo...

Vanessa - posted on 08/10/2009

My son was sensitive to me eating nuts, especially hazelnuts, pecans, and almonds. Also, he was sensitive to me drinking regular cow's milk, but, I could eat yogurt and cheese without any problems. I noticed a BIG difference when I cut out the nuts and the milk.. He may have had fussy evenings now and then, but as soon as I cut out the offenders, his legs didn't pull up anymore (a sign of crampiness/gassiness) and he didn't writhe around in pain... also, hopefully this is not TMI, but his poo was "normal" when offenders were out of my diet. Now that he's 7 months old I can have cow's milk in small amounts (about half a cup a day), and I think nuts are OK now, too, but I have not re-introduced them in full force yet!

Claire - posted on 08/10/2009

Oninons had a bad effect on both my boys and garlic. I also had to stay away from eggs in the early stages and anything very hot like chillis because they used be in a lot of pain.

Amy - posted on 08/10/2009

I disagree with Lisa, my mum couldn't eat peas or cheese when she was breastfeeding me and I eat both regularly now. My little boy gets an upset tummy when I eat eggs. I thought it was chocolate so stopped eating that, then thought it was nuts so stopped eating them and only a couple of weeks ago (he's 12wks now) realised it was eggs.

Jen - posted on 08/09/2009

My mom discovered that I had a milk allergy while she was breastfeeding me. You might want to try cutting out certain parts of your diet for a few days at a time and see if it helps.

Amanda - posted on 08/09/2009

oooh its a conspiracy at burger king lol. That is so crazy about the onions, I wonder how many other bf babies are affected by burger king onions

Teresa - posted on 08/09/2009

I couldn't eat onions when my girls were babies. I ate onion rings from Burger King one time and they were miserable w/ gas that night. I thought it might just be a fluke, so I tried it again a week or two later w/ the same result. I also had to avoid cabbage (and I think broccoli) for the same reason. They have no food allergies, but if I ate those foods while I was nursing them... they had BAD gas. They never had bad gas at any other time.

Mandy - posted on 08/09/2009

sorry to disagree with someone, but i had to cut dairy out for my little boy when he was a nb. it did upset him. i noticed a BIG difference if i had even a small amount of dairy. it is quite common. i still cant eat curries as it upsets him. it may not flavour the milk, i am sure he isnt getting curry flavoured milk, but it does go into the milk.



i agree with amanda, eliminate allergines from your diet and see if that makes a different. this is what my pead told me to do.

hope this helps

Debbie - posted on 08/09/2009

here is a great article on colic in BF babies.

http://www.nbci.ca/index.php?option=com_...

Minnie - posted on 08/09/2009

If she's not allergic to anything, NOTHING is a don't.

What you eat has no bearing on your milk as long as she's not allergic to a protein in that particular food. What you eat doesn't cause colic, it doesn't cause gassines. If you eat broccoli, you don't make broccoli milk. If you eat spaghetti sauce, you don't have spaghetti sauce milk. YOU may get gassy from those foods, but that is only because of the way the foods are broken down in your gut. If the gas got to your baby, you would have gassy blood.

Fussiness in the evening is normal. Babies can become overstimulated at the end of the day. They may also want to nurse very very frequently in the evening. That's normal too.

Amanda - posted on 08/09/2009

I found that anything that would give me gas would make my sons tummy upset too, I cant eat any sanwich from burger king- the onions from there really mess with him, no other onions, also bran, like if I eat raison bran cereal for breakfast. I have heard cabbage also but since I dont eat it I dont have first hand experiance. Everything I have heard is to eliminate one thing from your diet for a week to see if it makes a differance, if not then try one more thing at a time until you get it figured out.

There have been a few [very few] instances of babies being sensitive to cows milk [if mom drinks cows milk]

wish I had more help to give