Desperate...What am I doing Wrong? (Gas....)

I have been exclusively breastfeeding for the last week now and am very proud
of myself and my sweet six week old DS. The latch is great, the frequency
excellent, and my milk supply really seems to have improved thanks to the
nursing to sleep system we've worked on with your advice and support.

Problem: Baby has horrid gas! He's in such pain....burping and passing the
smelliest flatulence imaginable! He stiffens up in pain and I have to gently
press his tiny legs up to his belly to help push out some of the gas. It really
breaks my heart. Mylecon doesn't seem to help too much. Sadly enough the
breastfeeding naysayers in my circle have taken every opportunity to remind me
that he didn't have such gas when he was sucking the Similac down. I want to
smack them although they technically are right....

I am avoiding the obvious culprits- cruciferous veggies, too much citrus,
chocolate, acidic or highly spicy fooods (which I love!!! Incidentally, I
wonder how babies from cultures where spicy food is the norm fare. I ate spicy
foods for much of my pregnancy with no ill effects....let me know). I DO have
a glass of skim milk in the morning and am wondering if there is a lactose
issue. I hope not as I love cheese I adore cooking and already feel a bit
deprived..I can't imagine what else I am doing wrong.

Please advise and if possible let me know what a typical daily breastfeeding
menu looks like for you. Thanks.

Lisa

Sounds like you could try some fennel tea. Take fennel seeds from the spice
aisle and some boiled water. Use about a heaping TBSP for 2 cups or so. Let
it steep for a while and then drink it. I found it helpful to drink it about
30 minutes before a feeding and also during a feeding. You can also find
fennel tea at a specialty store like an herb store or health food store.
Sometimes you can find it in a grocery store, but not often IME.

If that doens't help too much, then you might try giving him a teeny tiny bit
of the fennel tea itself. We had to do that with our second child. We used a
medicine dropper and gave him about 5ml by mouth before a feeding. That really
worked wonders for us. Around 8 weeks, his gas automatically got better as his
tummy matured.

"Zucca4" wrote in message
...
I have been exclusively breastfeeding for the last week now and am very
proud
of myself and my sweet six week old DS. The latch is great, the frequency
excellent, and my milk supply really seems to have improved thanks to the
nursing to sleep system we've worked on with your advice and support.

Problem: Baby has horrid gas! He's in such pain....burping and passing the
smelliest flatulence imaginable! He stiffens up in pain and I have to
gently
press his tiny legs up to his belly to help push out some of the gas. It
really
breaks my heart. Mylecon doesn't seem to help too much. Sadly enough the
breastfeeding naysayers in my circle have taken every opportunity to
remind me
that he didn't have such gas when he was sucking the Similac down. I want
to
smack them although they technically are right....

I am avoiding the obvious culprits- cruciferous veggies, too much citrus,
chocolate, acidic or highly spicy fooods (which I love!!! Incidentally, I
wonder how babies from cultures where spicy food is the norm fare. I ate
spicy
foods for much of my pregnancy with no ill effects....let me know). I DO
have
a glass of skim milk in the morning and am wondering if there is a lactose
issue. I hope not as I love cheese I adore cooking and already feel a
bit
deprived..I can't imagine what else I am doing wrong.

Please advise and if possible let me know what a typical daily
breastfeeding
menu looks like for you. Thanks.


You may be doing nothing wrong, sometimes babies are just gassy and its a
matter of time before his body matures and he no longer suffers so.

Just because the baby has gas doesn't mean you are necessairly doing
anything wrong. Some babies are just gassy. Remember too, that baby's
digestive system is still immature and may just be a normal variant until
his gut matures.
--
Sue (mom to three girls)
I'm Just a Raggedy Ann in a Barbie Doll World...

Zucca4 wrote in message
...
I have been exclusively breastfeeding for the last week now and am very
proud
of myself and my sweet six week old DS. The latch is great, the frequency
excellent, and my milk supply really seems to have improved thanks to the
nursing to sleep system we've worked on with your advice and support.

Problem: Baby has horrid gas! He's in such pain....burping and passing the
smelliest flatulence imaginable! He stiffens up in pain and I have to
gently
press his tiny legs up to his belly to help push out some of the gas. It
really
breaks my heart. Mylecon doesn't seem to help too much. Sadly enough the
breastfeeding naysayers in my circle have taken every opportunity to
remind me
that he didn't have such gas when he was sucking the Similac down. I want
to
smack them although they technically are right....

I am avoiding the obvious culprits- cruciferous veggies, too much citrus,
chocolate, acidic or highly spicy fooods (which I love!!! Incidentally, I
wonder how babies from cultures where spicy food is the norm fare. I ate
spicy
foods for much of my pregnancy with no ill effects....let me know). I DO
have
a glass of skim milk in the morning and am wondering if there is a lactose
issue. I hope not as I love cheese I adore cooking and already feel a
bit
deprived..I can't imagine what else I am doing wrong.

Please advise and if possible let me know what a typical daily
breastfeeding
menu looks like for you. Thanks.

Lisa

I think someone suggested Fennel tea - give that a shot. You could go milk
free, but it's a LOT of work, and might not be the issue.

Babies can be gassy. This may just be a gassy phase, and have absolutely
NOTHING to do with you milk versus similac. Or maybe it's the transition
from one to the other. Or maybe not.

You're doing the right things - trying mylicon, and pressing his legs. Try
burping more vociferously after nursing - get a REALLY good burp out of him,
and hang in there. This too shall pass. (pardon the pun)

-Shannon

"Zucca4" wrote in message
...
I have been exclusively breastfeeding for the last week now and am very
proud
of myself and my sweet six week old DS. The latch is great, the frequency
excellent, and my milk supply really seems to have improved thanks to the
nursing to sleep system we've worked on with your advice and support.

Problem: Baby has horrid gas! He's in such pain....burping and passing the
smelliest flatulence imaginable! He stiffens up in pain and I have to
gently
press his tiny legs up to his belly to help push out some of the gas. It
really
breaks my heart. Mylecon doesn't seem to help too much. Sadly enough the
breastfeeding naysayers in my circle have taken every opportunity to
remind me
that he didn't have such gas when he was sucking the Similac down. I want
to
smack them although they technically are right....

I am avoiding the obvious culprits- cruciferous veggies, too much citrus,
chocolate, acidic or highly spicy fooods (which I love!!! Incidentally, I
wonder how babies from cultures where spicy food is the norm fare. I ate
spicy
foods for much of my pregnancy with no ill effects....let me know). I DO
have
a glass of skim milk in the morning and am wondering if there is a lactose
issue. I hope not as I love cheese I adore cooking and already feel a
bit
deprived..I can't imagine what else I am doing wrong.

Please advise and if possible let me know what a typical daily
breastfeeding
menu looks like for you. Thanks.

Lisa

Hi -

First of all, congratulations! You're breastfeeding!

Now, as to the gas ...

Some babies are just gassy. But with the gas being stinky, I'd look at
a dietary elimination. Specifically, I'd return the cruciferous veggies
and spicy foods to your diet; it's a myth that these cause infants
trouble.

Instead, eliminate milk products ruthlessly for 3 days. No milk, not
even the lactose-free kind, no yogurt, cheese, or milk cooked into
processed foods, etc.

Non-human milk PROTEIN (not lactose) affects an estimated 30% of nursing
infants. The proteins in non-human milk are not quite the same as the
ones in breastmilk, but can migrate from your digestive tract into the
milk you produce and cause trouble.

SInce the problem appears only to be excess gas, you should see results
pretty quickly. DO keep a food diary for 24 hours before starting the
elimination, and during the elimination period, which includes both
everything you ingest and how your baby is doing. Look back at the
diary later to make sure the milk elimination really helped.

Other things that sometimes cause this kind of trouble include vitamins
(esp. those that contain iron or milk-derived calcium), other
medications and, in rarer cases, any of the most common allergens (ie
egg).

My web site lists several sample milk-free menus to get you through the
elimination period.

And by the way, a lot of babies actually LIKE the spicy foods. It makes
the milk taste interesting.

I hope this helps,
--Beth Kevles

http://web.mit.edu/kevles/www/nomilk.html -- a page for the milk-allergic
Disclaimer: Nothing in this message should be construed as medical
advice. Please consult with your own medical practicioner.

NOTE: No email is read at my MIT address. Use the AOL one if you would
like me to reply.

Beth Kevles wrote:
Some babies are just gassy. But with the gas being stinky, I'd look
at a dietary elimination. Specifically, I'd return the cruciferous
veggies and spicy foods to your diet; it's a myth that these cause
infants trouble.

I agree with Beth on this, except to say that even stinky gas isn't
necessarily indicative of something in your diet causing problems. My now
4yo daughter had gas similar tothat described by the OP, and I did try dairy
elimination without effect. I ultimately concluded that it was a combination
of overactive letdown on my part, so that she was gulping air with her milk,
and a slow digestive system on her part (she only had a bowel movement about
every 5 days from 2-3 weeks of age). IME, rare stools mean stinky toots,
regardless of what mom eats g!
--
Be well, Barbara
(Julian [6], Aurora [4], and Vernon's [22 mos.] mom)

This week's special at the English Language Butcher Shop:
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