Milk Issues? Food to Milk?

Updated on June 05, 2008
J.S. asks from Columbia, MD
11 answers

My daughter has been gassy (not terribly but uncomfortable and crying on occasion) off and on until she finally either burps, toots, poops or other (sometimes 30 minutes or so). So I began to take away dairy to see if that was the reason. We have given her two formula bottles over the past three weeks but have been breastfeeding other than those two bottles. If those formula bottles were regular organic (non-soy) milk based formula and she digested them fine with no gassiness within 12-18 hours than wouldn't that mean she most likely doesn't have an issue with milk? I'm just trying to find out the culprit although I realize it could just be her still "learning to eat and digest" since she's 3 weeks old.

I'm just attempting to get the diet down pat so she's most comfortable. I'm also wondering how long it takes things we eat to travel through and end up in our milk?

You'd think this was my first child, but my first daughter was so "easy" nothing seemed to bother her, sleeping, eating or otherwise.. gotta love the challenge of the second.

Thanks-

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L.B.

answers from Washington DC on

It may be as easy as she is sucking to much air with a bottle... Not latching it good enough and latches to you just fine... she is only 3 weeks... she may just need time to latch better with a bottle..

Good luck-

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S.C.

answers from Washington DC on

It seems as though she has a problem with Lactose. Try staying away from Lactose products and see how she reacts. Lactose can cause cramping in the stomach if your body can't hadle it. This may be the cause of the crying until she finally releases herself.

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S.M.

answers from Washington DC on

Hi - I have a four month old, my second child, and I am breastfeeding and doing some convenience supplementing with organic milk-based formula. I don't know about milk intolerance or allergies, but I thought I would share my expereince.

My baby was much more gassy, spitty, and harder to burp than my first child. It lasted from about 3 weeks thru about 6-8 weeks. Then she seemed more comfortable. She still spits up more, but her digestive system is much more mature and she is more pleasant :) So it is certainly possible that is what is happening for you. I watched my diet and tried to eat milder foods (although I did not avoid dairy), and I fed her as upright as possible and kept her upright for a little bit after feeding.

I think you are the mom who asked about colds/germs?? Keep in mind, if she is congested, she is probably swallowing a lot of mucus and that is likely to make her uncomfortable too.

I think the second ones SEEM harder because they are just different than the first - we think we have it all figured out and then they show up with their own quirks and personalities, darn-it! Enjoy!!

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K.W.

answers from Washington DC on

try removing soy from her diet. this may be difficult because almost eveything is soy based...sometimes even soaps. we had this same problem and it ended up being a mild soy allergy and once all soy was stopped there was no more issues.

D.S.

answers from Allentown on

Hi J.,

If you are breast feeding, contact the La Leche League with your concerns.

www.lllusa.org/VA/WebTidewaterVA or 1-800-525-3243

Hope this helps. Good luck. D.

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K.B.

answers from Washington DC on

There is a wonderful product that isn't marketed all that well- it's called Colic Calm! My daughter was very gassy, and after several trial & errors with formulas, mylicon, gripe water,etc... I found Colic Calm. It helps calm digestion issues, not just colic!!
It's a little pricey, but well worth the investment, and it's completely natural! Don't be scared by the black color either... the active ingredient is charcoal, it will stain clothes, so be sure to administer it with a bib on your baby, or in clothes that you don't mind staining; yet it has a sweet taste, and my daughter really does smile when she see's the bottle!!! I've told so many people about this, and everyone seems to have good experiences- and it's so safe for babies to take- even your little peanut, at three weeks!
If you google Calic Calm, the website will come up & it has lots of helpful descriptions, details, and testemonials... and I believe it's the only way to order it too!
Enjoy your sweetheart & best of luck. K. :)

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S.M.

answers from Richmond on

I myself have been dealing with formula/feeding issues with my son. He is 5 weeks old and has started to be very uncomfortable while eating. I have been feeding him formula since he was a week old. I used a regular milk based formula for the 3 weeks with no major problems. He spit up and was gassy and fussy a bit. It took him to have a spit up that looked like a foutain for me to think he may have feeding issues. I switched him to a low latouse formula. It helped but his tummy still grumbled while he ate and he started to cry while eating. I had to give him Gripe Water so he could finish his bottle. I put him on Soy yesterday. He has been much better...less spit up and no tummy grumble.

It may take you to have some trial and error to figure out what will work with your little one. I would have let my son be if it wasn't for his crying while eating and his crys of pain after.

My husband is latouse intolerent. He could not even eat his mom's breastmilk when he was little. Today he can eat milk products in moderation. I think my son is like his daddy.

Good Luck!

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S.L.

answers from Washington DC on

That is completly normal for a 3 week old. It is just hard for them to digest until they are about 6 months old. Try mylicon drops for gas, they REALLY work and are not harmful at all to the baby. Ask your pediatrician if you are not sure but they all recommend them.

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J.M.

answers from Washington DC on

It doesn't sound like she's having issues with milk. It sounds like it's just her undeveloped digestive system getting used to this "real world". It may well take a few more weeks before she settles into her comfortable feeding pattern. Keep calm and enjoy!

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M.R.

answers from Roanoke on

If it's true lactose intolerance, eliminating dairy will do SQUAT because your milk has lactose in it regardless of what you eat.

Likely it is a DAIRY PROTEIN intolerance which will go away if you eliminate all dairy from your diet (read labels on everything because lots of things contain dairy)

If you start off eliminating milk first, that is loaded with the dairy proteins, and might help. But remember to give any elimination 2 WEEKS before noticing results.

go to kellymom.com to do search on elimination diet, or do a search on gassy baby and see what they say. It's a wonderful resource for nursing mothers.

The BEST resource is La Leche, see if you have a local group by going to llli.org (it's a mother to mother breastfeeding support group)

good luck

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.C.

answers from Norfolk on

I would call La Leche League for ideas and support and I would start an elimination diet for you. Some of my kids have been more sensitive to what I eat than others. I would look at dairy, caffeine, raw veggies, tomatoes, very spicy foods, etc.,It could be any of those it could be all of them.

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