Question about breastfeeding and diet

[Carpo]

Sorry! Me again in another attempt to get to the bottom of (no pun intended) baby's windy problems.

Has anyone had any experience of altering their diet to try and prevent wind in a b/f baby? Did it work? I know there are certain things that may set it off but before I cut out wheat, dairy, onions, garlic, all brassicas etc. etc., I'd appreciate an opinion as to how effective a change in diet might be.

Thanks!

[nicnack2]

one thing i noticed when BF was citric fruit had an effect on baby. made him more prone to sore tum also strawberry/ raspberries also had an effect made hime sick. With ds1 that was a big problem as he was born in the summer and i love berries. hth

[moondog]

Nah.
So what if the baby farts anyway?
It's hardly offensive at this age.

[Carpo]

Thanks both. Believe me, I really wouldn't care if he farted, it's the trouble he has to go to to try and fart/poo that can reduce me to tears. It's feeling like I'm responsible because I'm the one that provides his sustenance and it seems to give him terrible wind. Anything I could do to avoid it, I would, but I'd like to know that diet really does have an effect before going too radical!

[moondog]

How old?
I'm guessing under 3 mths.
Any movement looks dramatic when they're that age 9although i do sympathise-had colicky b/fed baby from hell!)

[nicnack2]

have you tried infacol that seem to work. Give before a feed.

[nothercules]

I've known 15 year olds who dont know that chips are potatoes and come from the ground.

[nothercules]

oops wrong thread

[moondog]

lol
Most surreal...

[nicnack2]

maybe thats the magic answer to colic lol

[nothercules]

[kiskidee]

i found gripe water before a feed worked a lot better than infacol. its quite cheap so worth a try.

[Enid]

dd3 always looks utterly in pain before pooing

cutting out choc is supposed to help but i cant bear it so she has to suffer

[NotQuiteCockney]

Hmm, I thought DS2 had problems with cabbage in my diet (perish the thought, how could I live without cabbage?). Didn't make any difference, though. They do all struggle with poos in the first few months, I think they just can't manage to push them out.

[Carpo]

Thanks all.

Moondog - he's 15 wks. Kinda hoped all that would be getting easier by now but he still seems to generate and store enough wind to power London ;o/. If fact, if anything, it's been worse this week, reaching almost colicky proportions by bedtime on a couple of evenings. It just seems to all store up and leave him apparently desperate to shift a poo or at least a fart but too tired to do so. That's why I'm posting messages like mad to try and find some way of helping him.

[moondog]

Hmmm..
Carpo,have you tried cranial osteopathy?
Or massaging his tumy in a gentle clockwise direction?

[ScotGirl]

Carpo - you could be me!!

I too have been asking myself the same question - and been doing some research on the internet. I too have thought about giving up dairy, etc. This link was interesting
\link{http://www.acnem.org/journal/13-2_december_1994/manipulation_of_maternal%20diets.htm\here}

I am avoiding the obvious wind producers (brocolli, cabbage) but I can't help feeling somehow to blame when my 9 wk ds is struggling with what seems like painful and sleep destroying wind.....

[conni]

hi, i have major wind problems with dd, 12 wks and saw a b/f consultant last wk who advised using windy pops drops before feeds. my problem seems latching on because i have major oversupply resulting in multiple and way too powerful let downs, hence i've too reduce supply

[FrannyandZooey]

Scotgirl - did you used to post on the website Dooyoo, years and years ago?

[FrannyandZooey]

Oh and in answer to the OP, my ds definitely had reactions to certain things I ate when young. I dislike garlic and never eat it, but after I ate a very garlicky meal at a friend's house we were up all night with ds in pain from wind :(

It was unmistakeable, there certainly is a link between what we eat and how some babies react.

[Dragonhart]

My ds had wind prob for first 4months and was also sick alot. I found that keeping a diary of what I ate then seeing when he had the problem and what I had eaten. With him it was plums,onions and if I had lots of dairy products (but only when I had LOTS eg milk yog choc cheese a couple of times a day not a little bit of milk)

Know it sounds tedious but it saves you having to cut out all the posibilities to find out.

[moondog]

I tried dairy free diet for a few days with colic.
Made no bloody difference whatsoever.

[expatcat]

I had this problem with DS and it drove us crazy. He would wake up crying and in pain during the night with gas. I ate a lot of chocolate (!) and cheese and I did find that when I cut this out he improved. Infacol seemed to help as well, although not always. He seemed to grow out of it around 4 months and I'm not sure whether it was from latching on better, because we did get our act together around that time. Anyway, he is now 12mths and farts quite happily and pain free. Keep your chin up - it will pass eventually!

[Carpo]

Thanks everyone. Yes he's had 2 lots of sacro-cranial therapy {dunno if it's helped or not) and I do try massage but that seems to do bugger all unfortunately. I know he's just got to grow out of it really - perhaps it gets better with a few solids?

Interesting to see v. diverse opinions on effects of diet. I don't think I eat TOO much of the usual culprits but may try cutting down on dairy.

Scotgirl: solidarity sister! Whatever the effect, I guess we've got to console ourselves with the knowledge that our babes are getting the best stuff there is...