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trying to understand how gas is formed...
hi there, i have been abstaining from eating various foods, i have
been reasoning that if they are known to be gassy for adults(e.g. baked beans, cola) , then the gas might end up in the baby but now it is occuring to me that i dont have the slightest idea of what gas is or how it would move from the mothers stomach, through the blood and collect in the glands which produce breast milk. could someone enlighten me? thanks B |
#2
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trying to understand how gas is formed...
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#3
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trying to understand how gas is formed...
You are not going to avoid gas in an infant. It's their digestive systems
that are immature and until it matures, the baby will have some discomfort and gas. It's just a part of life. Some babies have gas worse than others. However, I would not abstain from any food unless the baby has a definite problem with it and not just some gas. You are making more trouble for yourself than it's worth. -- Sue wrote in message oups.com... hi there, i have been abstaining from eating various foods, i have been reasoning that if they are known to be gassy for adults(e.g. baked beans, cola) , then the gas might end up in the baby but now it is occuring to me that i dont have the slightest idea of what gas is or how it would move from the mothers stomach, through the blood and collect in the glands which produce breast milk. could someone enlighten me? thanks B |
#4
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trying to understand how gas is formed...
Hi -- For most babies, mom can eat anything she likes with no effect (positive or negative) on the gassiness of the nursing infant. High-fiber foods, like beans and brocolli, can make adults gassy. In this case, it is the fiber itself that causes the gas, and the problem won't affect the nursing infant, since fiber doesn't pass through into the breastmilk. In some cases, the baby's immature digestive tract won't be able to handle the proteins that mom is eating. The proteins DO pass into the breastmilk, so in this sense, baby is eating just what mom is eating. About 30% of nursing infants may have some sensitivity to what mom eats, a sensitivity which can result in uncomfortable gas, abdominal cramping, or occasionally more serious problems. In the most serious cases, mom needs to figure out the particular food trigger and eliminate it ruthlessly from her diet. Infant protein senstivities aren't that common, fortunately. Cow's milk protein (really, ANY non-human milk protein) is the most common trigger. Any other allergen on the standard list (eggs, nuts, shellfish, soy, etc.) can potentially be an issue. And occasionally you get an infant with a sensitivity (or allergy) to something not on the standard list. In short, don't eliminate foods from your diet unless you can identify a problem. Identify a problem by keeping a strict food diary -- Don't just guess! (Serious problems, such as food sensitivies that lead to bloody stool or food allergies that lead to hives will be identified by your pediatrician.) 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. |
#5
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trying to understand how gas is formed...
On Jul 24, 10:30?am, "
wrote: hi there, i have been abstaining from eating various foods, i have been reasoning that if they are known to be gassy for adults(e.g. baked beans, cola) , then the gas might end up in the baby but now it is occuring to me that i dont have the slightest idea of what gas is or how it would move from the mothers stomach, through the blood and collect in the glands which produce breast milk. could someone enlighten me? thanks B There are some common foods that have compounds in them that can pass into breastmilk and cause gassiness in the baby. Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli are an example. People get confused because many such vegetables are *also* fibrous, and cause gas in adults for that reason, so they start telling you to avoid high-fiber foods in general, which doesn't make much sense as fiber doesn't get into the milk, being indigestible. But gas in babies can have many causes, including an immature gut, as Sue noted. Many babies aren't much bothered, even though their bowels make a good deal of noise, while others apparently find the gas painful. Still others don't have much gas. You just never know. None of my babies ever seemed to be much bothered by anything I ate, except for the time I was on antibiotics for mastitis, and then they still weren't bothered much themselves, they just smelled funny (exactly like the antibiotic pills). An elimination diet can make a huge difference if your baby *is* one of the ones that is reacting badly to cow's milk protein or something, but there is no point in borrowing trouble if your baby seems to be doing fine. I'd try to eat healthfully, limit alcohol and caffeine and such, and leave it at that. --Helen |
#6
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trying to understand how gas is formed...
Sorry this is long, I just wanted to share my experience in the hopes
of helping someone else figure their child out. My son was super gassy and miserable. I tried getting help from my doctor and midwife and both said "babies are gassy - live with it". As a first time mom, I toughed through it for a while thinking that all babies screamed like he did. I figured it must be the normal peak in fussiness around 8 weeks, then I thought it was colic, then as the sleep deprivation set in I didn't care what it was but just wanted some relief. He was impossible to burp - it would take 15 minutes most feeds. He spit up constantly (we're talking a huge splat sound hitting the floor and making an 8" mess many, many times a day). He wouldn't sleep long - he'd wake up from a dead sleep, screaming, crunching, arching and then after an hour or two fart for 10 minutes and then fall back asleep. Gas relief drops and gripe water didn't seem to help either. I eliminated dairy at 2 weeks and had improvement but then it got worse again (in retrospect it was because I started drinking soy milk as a replacement which also turned out to be a problem). I tried keeping a food diary to figure out links between his super bad days and what I was eating and still didn't have much luck (now I know it's because he takes 3 days to react and then reacts for 3 days - I was looking for more instantaneous reactions). I eventually stumbled across something that said that mucousy poop was a sign of food allergies/intolerances and a light bulb went off - I did a total elimination diet (TED) just to see if it made a difference and see if his crankiness was food related. I ate only chicken, pear, potato, rice, sweet potato and canola oil. He was a new kid within a week - sleeping, not spitting up, and normal crying/fussing instead of screaming (although the mucous took almost 2 months as his intestines healed). We then started trying to add foods back in one at a time and the first few didn't go so well but did tell us how long it took for him to react and how long it took to clear out of his system. Once I realized it wasn't going to be quick diet I went to a registered dietitian to make sure we were both getting enough of everything. We have been able to successfully add about 20 foods back in and he's reacted to dairy, soy, egg, beef (he pooped blood on that fail), wheat, yeast, and tomato. We're both still eating a limited diet (he's 13 months old and still breastfeeding) but he's such a happy guy it's been worth every meal of chicken, rice and sweet potato I've had. Every time we have a failed trial and my DS is up all night screaming and farting my DH and I look at each other and wonder how we managed to survive when that was "normal". I know it's rare and I'm not saying everyone should go to the extreme of a TED. I'm just saying that it is possible. If my next child follows the same path I'll probably start with eliminating dairy, soy, wheat, yeast, citrus, tomato and chocolate as a first guess and then see where that gets us before going all the way to a TED. |
#7
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trying to understand how gas is formed...
"Cath" wrote in message oups.com... snip Cath - I just sent a question to your hotmail address regarding a friend who has been through almost exactly the same problem as you with her DD2 (including the very restricted diet and the gas issues). Can you please check your hotmail address? Ta Amanda |
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