Lactose Intolerance and Breastfeeding - HELP!

[SuperAmoo]

Hi, I'm new here. I really need some advice. My DD is 5 weeks old and since my milk came in she has suffered from near-constant abdominal cramps, wind and constant diarrhoea. I am presuming that it is lactose intolerance because she has the most horrific nappy rash and I read that lactose intolerance leads to a build up of lactic acid in the gut causing acidic diarrhoea. My poor little girl spends about 80% of her time straining and grunting trying to poo and cyring because of the pain. I dread feeding her, because it sets off the spasms in her gut even more. I started her on lactase enzyme drops a week ago and her nappy rash has healed very very slightly but she is still in constant pain and always straining. Am I eating something? I have cut out dairy and eggs and all vegetables and fruit apart from peas, apples and apricot jam. She is also sick all the time - I presume because of the constant straining? I just don't know what to do!! I eat alot of wheat (because there's nothing left to eat!) and now I'm wondering are her symptoms due to gluten intolerance?!! Anyone got any ideas? I'm thinking of trying lactose free formula because I just can't cope with this.

Is she gaining weight?

She is gaining weight at a disturbingly fast rate. Born at 9lbs 3, went down to 8lbs 11 and now five weeks later she is nearly 12lbs. She is feeding every 1.5 to 2 hours (breastfed). I'm not actually using Colief - I am using some lactase enzyme drops I bought online - the website said I could put two drops on her tongue before each feed and that would work. I just read on Colief's website that you can't give lactase drops directly because they immediately get broken down in the stomach and don't work!! I CAN't bear to start expressing milk to put the drops in - too much hassle as I'm feeding so often. My first DD has cow milk and soy protein intolerance and egg allergy and was constantly sick as a baby - hence I'm not eating those things this time round. What I am dreading is my second DD is also gluten intolerant because I am a type 1 diabetic and I suffer frequent low blood sugar - I need to be able to eat carbs to keep my blood sugar up. Basically if she's gluten intolerant too, I may have to stop breastfeeding. Gutted.

I think that you should take her to the gp and get a referal. It might help if before you go you keep a diary of when she is awake and screaming. awake and ok, feeding, sleeping and pooing. This way you will be able to show your gp that she is more unsettled than a normal baby and you are not neurotic or suffering from PND. IME, gps often have an 'all babies cry' attitude and are reluctant to consider anything is wrong apart from unrealistic expectations on behalf of the mother.

My ds's pead is lovely and very pro breastfeeding which is great but the reg I saw once wasn't clued up at all. It might be worth contacting the hospitals infant feeding advisor (or surestart) as they can help with reasearch etc that the peadiatricians may be unaware of. The reg wanted to give my ds admit my ds and give him supositories because he hadn't pooed for a week until the feeding advisor assured him it was normal in a bf baby.

Thanks so much everyone. I've got two things to try before I go to the GP again. Someone suggested I may have an overactive letdown and suggested I express a little foremilk before latching on bubs. And I am also going to try giving DD the lactase drops half way through a feed and up the dose to four drops and see if that makes any difference. Failing that I give up and hopefully will be get referred to a good paediatrician. Although the one first DD had was rubbish! He said she 'wasn't a very allergic little girl' even though she's had anphalactic shock four times, severe eczema and vomited up to twenty times after each breastfeed as a baby. Hello!!

Hi SuperAmoo,

I'm new here too! Your DD sounds like my DS at 5 weeks - gained lots of weight but was straining all the time. Eventually went to the GP and after several calls to NHS Direct and trip to casualty cos of blood in his nappy I was referred to the Paedatrician.

Basically, she said that it was a cow's milk protein intolerance - not lactose - coming through from my diet. Very disturbing since I hardly eat any dairy cos I'm slightly intolerant. She said to cut it all out, even the little things like traces in food - milk solids, whey, etc, etc and if that didn't work to cut out all soya, too cos the protein in soya was similiar. I did this and the problem went away almost immediately. Only hicccup was not knowing that bread had soya in it so when I ate it, the problem came back.

Think you should definitely insist on a referral from your GP to see the Paed because she gave me lots of hints and was very reassuring to hear it from the expert. Plus it's always best to get a proper diagnosis before you try to treat anything yourself.

I was also referred to see the dietician for both of us, because I wasn't getting enough calcium when he started solids.

Anyways, good luck, and do PM me if you want some more info/reassurance.

MGee x

Hmm that's interesting. I have cut out all traces of dairy and egg but I have to admit that I'm eating bread containing soya - just looked at the ingredients - might try cutting that out.

MGee - was your DS sicky as well? Did he have reflux. Or nappy rash? My DD has awful nappy rash but only around her...anus basically. Sorry to be graphic. Her poo is green - I thought that was lactose intolerance?

I will get a referral but it takes months and months to get to see anyone around here so I've got to figure it out myself really.

Hi SAmoo

No, DS wasn't a particularly sicky baby, but he did have wind and the grunting/straining.

He did have nappy rash for a little, but I only used cotton wool and water and then sudocream to get rid of it. Also tried a no nappy time during changes.

I didn't use wipes until he was nearly six months, and then it took me trying every type of wipe out there - and I mean EVERY wipe - till I found one that didn't give him nappy rash. It's the Bambino Mio wipes. Very expensive at £1.50 for 40 wipes, but it's the only one that works. I buy in bulk from Kiddicare.com.

Green poo is a reaction to something in the milk, I was told, not necessarily lactose. The doctor I saw at the hosp said that it's definitely not a lactose intolerance but another protein.

So much stuff has soya and/or milk in that I had to empty my whole fridge at first. But it does get better. It takes about a week for it to get out of your system. Had no reaction from egg that i can remember. From what I read it's usually the egg whites that cause a problem, yolks are usually fine.

Hope that helps.
MGee x

Thank you MGee

I'm going to attempt to go dairy/soya/egg/gluten free but I'm seriously dreading it. Dairy/soya/egg I am happy to live without but I am a total toast and biscuit addict and always have been and I already know from trying to give it up before that the withdrawal is a total killer! Which means I probably shouldn't be eating that stuff anyway but I'm like a junkie when it comes to jam on toast and biscuits!

Thank you - great blog!