Could certain foods be causing my baby to fuss/get upset when bf?

[ladypop]

Further to another post about my 6 week old DS feeding issues when bf, I wondered if anyone else had experienced similar.
To summarise: bf got off to great start, but he started fussing/pulling away and generally getting himself worked into a lather on one breast at 10 days old followed by the other side at 3 weeks old. Have seen bf councillor who diagnosed tongue tie, got that snipped but no improvement.
Did think it might be silent reflux but he has taken a few formula feeds recently and has absolutely no issues with bottle. In fact he seems to love it!? The fussing/crying does not happen at every feed, can be a couple of feeds in a row or we go a whole day with smooth feeding and then following day it is feed after feed that is a nightmare! I often put him in the rugby ball hold that seems to suit him.
Yesterday a MNetter suggested forcefull letdown and oversupply. I have been taking him off the breast at letdown to stem the flow he is drinking and I thought that was doing the trick today with 6 good feeds in a row then this afternoon it was the same old story :(
I am wondering if the taste of my milk is annoying him due to certain foods I have eaten so I am going to start a food diary to see if it shows anything. Just wondered if anyone has experienced similar? Running out of ideas and it is worrying me that I don't know how to help him or improve things! X

Yes and I wish I'd been as sensible as you- despite countless GP visits it took me 2.5 or 3 years to realise that dd had dairy and wheat intolerance so you're v sensible to keep a food diary in case. In my case neither DH nor I were familiar with / expecting allergies but how I wish we'd known as it would have saved so much ill health and fussy eating from poor dd

I reduced my caffeine intake for this reason with good effect. Actually it had eased off radically but I had a coke today and we had it again! Our GP diagnosed reflux and prescribed infant gaviscon. She had a dose and settled tonight. Caffeine is a funny one - I had cut right in pregnancy and apparently that can result in babies being more sensitive to it through BF. apparently it can make reflux and colic worse.

It's worth asking about silent reflux but I think a food diary is a good idea. I would say if you drink caffeine it's an easy thing to try to cut down.

Thanks, really at a loss as even without starting the diary I can't work out any patterns but maybe it needs doing and looking at in more detail. Just had a bad night of feeds so feel pretty miserable this morning :( to make things more worse, he is only feeding from my left side and has been for a few weeks: I am totally lob sided! :/

i had a friend who couldn't eat tomatoes or strawberries when she was breast feeding for this reason

I have found every time I eat chocolate my little one gets really irritable and restless. She is 8 weeks old now, I also avoid caffeine as much as possible. Im sure there are some other foods that make her really windy, I'm still trying to work out what they are though! Broccoli is on my suspect list, whenever I seem to eat it she wakes up at 4.30/ 5.00am straining with so much wind.. This usually lasts most the day so I am trying really hard to figure out what foods do this to her.

The food diary sounds like a good idea, hope his feeding improves for you..

Ps I eat an average amount of dairy and wheat, but pretty consistently so why would these episodes be so sparodic of it were those causing the issue, for example? Also, 9 times out of 10 he will eventually settle to feed even if he starts off upset.
Thirdly, do think I could discount dairy as a problem if he has taken formula without any issues?
Maybe god diary is only way foreword!

God!? Bloody iPhone, that was meant to read food! Lol

Both my DC had a terrible time if I ate chocolate or tomatoes while bf. Coffee too come to think of it. (I was so tired that I would want a mocha so badly in the morning -at one point my Mum said she was going out for the afternoon if I drank the mocha in front of me as the crying that would follow from DC was just terrible). I had really strong cravings for chocolate both times and it was so hard to resist! (I don't usually drink coffee or eat chocolate). Food diary is the way to go.

Thanks folks, you have given me the insentive to start a diary! Here we go!.......

Must add that with DC1 I was sure it was the broccoli I was eating, then thought it was the carrots.....after eliminating every vegetable I was devastated when I realised it was the chocolate

Good luck -hope things get better for you