I NEED HELP!!!! Lactose intolerant baby!

[amazz]

We finally got Kami to eat every 3-4 hours, 15 minutes on each breast, and keep her suck going the entire time. BUT she is lactose intolerant and she screams and screams from gas pain after every feeding. We don't *need* to supplement with formula anymore because she is eating well, but we just can't listen to the screams anymore! Not for our sakes, but for hers--she is miserable. She made it through the night without any problems when we did two feedings of formula (please no flames) but as soon as I BF'd this morning she was back to screaming.

We have a call into the pediatrician, but she hasn't called back yet (probably at church so it may be a couple of hours) so any advice you can provide would be wonderful!! We are desperate at this point.

We know BM is the best, but it makes her so miserable that I just can't do it to her anymore. Until we find a good solution we are going to feed her soy formula and I am pumping to keep up my supply.

ETA: Here's what happens when she eats: if we give her formula she is a happy content baby. If she is breastfed she screams for an hour (or more) and moves her body as if she is in pain. The screaming is not normal baby screams (I have been around enough babies to know that), they are horrible, painful screams that make me wish I had never breastfed her. We have not had an official diagnosis of lactose intolerance, but I made that assumption based on the reaction she had. I haven't had any dairy in 3 days but I know that is takes longer than that to get it out of my system. I tried to do a search for "elimination diet" in this forum and the maternity clothes, but had no luck. Any other search ideas that I might use?

TIA!!
Angela
Mama to Kami Allyse (10/10/04)
A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on. ~Carl Sandburg

[JElaineB]

How do you know she is lactose intolerant? It is extremely rare for an infant to be lactose intolerant. There may be other things in your diet she may be reacting to. She *may* be intolerant of cow milk proteins if you are eating dairy products yourself. There are other things in your diet she could be reacting to. You may need to put yourself on some kind of elimination diet for a while until you figure out what is going on. I'm no expert on this, though, so hopefully someone else will chime in or you might try to search for elimination diet in this forum as well as the Maternity Clothes forum (it used to be the Feeding Forum - go figure). Good luck!

ETA: I just read your post in the Lounge. Did the doctors actually diagnose Kami with lactose intolerance? If so, I'm curious as to what testing they did. I'm also wondering if they diagnosed with actual lactose intolerance why they would put her on soy forumla instead of lactose-free formula? I personally would use lactose-free before soy formula (especially if you end up needing it long term - hopefully not). The problem if she is truly lactose intolerant (her body does not make enough enzyme lactase to digest the lactose (milk sugar) found in ALL milk) is that your breastmilk will always contain lactose. I don't have any statsitics but lactose intolerance in newborns is extremely rare, as they wouldn't be able to properly digest breast milk if they were. I suppose if she has had some trauma to her digestive tract it could be a temporary lactase deficiency and she could recover her ability to produce lactase, if that is the problem. Lactose intolerance usually develops as a child gets older or even moreso in adults, especially in certain races. Unless your doctors really did some conclusive test for lactose intolerance I imagine there is something else going on. You could try lactose-free formula instead of soy and then maybe see if it could really be a lactose problem (if she tolerates that formula ok) or a dairy problem (if she doesn't tolerate that formula). If she tolerates lactose-free but not your breastmilk, though, it could still be something else in your diet causing the problem rather than the lactose inherent in the milk itself.

Jennifer
mom to Jacob 9/27/02

[Momof3Labs]

I have a lactose intolerant DH and DS, and don't know how you know that Kami is lactose intolerant. There is no test for it; it is diagnosed by process of elimination. Gas is perfectly normal in a newborn; every newborn has gas since their digestive systems are so immature. Plus, it takes a while for the lactose to bother them. It doesn't happen immediately after consuming the milk.

And even though Colin is lactose intolerant, he had NO problems with breastmilk - the problems arose when we switched to whole milk.

ETA: Maybe she's allergic to dairy? That is much more likely that lactose intolerance at this stage. Your best bet, if you want to nurse, is to go on an elimination diet.

[Tori_s mom]

FWIW, I was diagnosed as "allergic to milk" as an infant. Of course this was 29 yrs ago, so who really knows what I was reacting to in mom's BM. (My money's on nicotine since it was the 70s and they didn't tell you to stop smoking!) I drank soymilk until I was 5 (ick ick ick :)). I had lots of other problems going on with my GI tract, too. Now I have no problems w/dairy.

Definitely check again with your doctor. Maybe she can recommend an elimination diet as PP suggested. Being a baby mammal, lactose intolerance would not be a common thing. It's hard to thrive if you can't eat your food! ;) Hopefully, she's just not enjoying something in your diet, like cow's milk. Here's a link to some info about lactose intolerance and causes: http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/lactose-intolerance.html. This site has lots of other info, too.

The first two weeks are definitely the hardest as far as breastfeeding goes. I know I wouldn't have made it without my wonderful DH encouraging me. Hang in there!

HTH,
Tasha

Tori (3/11/04)

[kfcboston]

I agree with everything here. My DS had a cow's milk intolerance we didn't figure out until 8 weeks, when his poop was forest green with trace of blood. :( Long story short, I went dairy-free myself and hence my BM was also dairy free. We did that with soy formula supp. until 7M when I weaned. He transitioned to whole milk at 12M with no problems at all!!

If you want to try something right away, stop eating all dairy, incl. whey and casein! You could also omit soy, wheat, egg and nut to be safe (what we did) and reintroduce one at a time to find the culprit.

Good luck!!

[psophia17]

I was just wondering if your DD might be swallowing air while you BF - DS did this and would then have horrible gas. It didn't start until my milk came in, and then my milk let down so quickly that he wasn't really sucking, just swallowing. When I expressed a little BM before he got the chance to latch on, he did a lot better latching and the gas wasn't as bad, although it was still there.

It took a long time, maybe 2 months, for DS to get good at nursing without swallowing a ton of air. In the meantime, it wasn't easy to listen to him when he had gas, but we got through it and he's doing great now. We used Little Tummies drops and eventually figured out that if we held him fairly tightly in the fetal position while rubbing his lower back he would get some relief. He also responded well to monotone humming and to having his legs bicycled.

Here's hoping that you have some good luck with BF and find out that DD isn't actually lactose intolerant!

-Petra

DS - Nathan, 12/29/03

[Momof3Labs]

ITA that it sounds like a technique/style thing - not lactose intolerance. Definitely not lactose intolerance.

When you bottle feed her, what position is she in? Is she more upright? Are you more vigilant about burping her? I would suggest experimenting with different nursing positions and with burping frequency while nursing. Screaming immediately after eating doesn't sound like anything related to your breastmilk, but probably taking in too much air and/or not burping as well.

[Marisa6826]

Ang-

Have you had any luck at all finding a LC in your area? I think that you really should give one a call to make sure that Kami has a good latch and that your postioning is correct.

Here is a link from La Leche for their Lubbock group. PLEASE call them!!

http://www.lllusa.org/web/LubbockTX.html

hugs

-m

[jk3]

Just want to go against the grain to let you know that if you decide to formula-feed, it is okay. We had to for a variety of reasons and my DS turned out perfectly fine. If you can BF, that's fantastic. If not, try not to feel guilty about it. Either way, you are doing what's best for your baby.

Jenn
DS 6/03

http://lilypie.com/baby2/030603/2/5/1/-5/.png

[JElaineB]

Angela,

As the PP said, if she is fussy *immediately* after BF then it is most likely a problem with the BF technique rather than the breastmilk itself. Have you tried giving her pumped breast milk in a bottle to see if she still screams her head off? That way you would know for sure if it is the milk itself or the feeding technique causing her to ingest too much air, etc. If problem is the feeding technique, definitely see as good lactation consultant ASAP. They will get you on the path to having a happy BF baby. If the milk itself is indeed the problem, a LC might also be able to help you figure out how to adjust your diet, or there are lots of online resources too. Here are a couple of previous threads on elimination diets/food sensitivities if it comes to that (you have to click on Advanced Search and click "and" to search for 2 terms together - not very intuitive):

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=86&topic_id=7048&mesg_id=7048&listing_type=search

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=11&topic_id=12225&mesg_id=12225&listing_type=search

Jennifer
mom to Jacob 9/27/02

[marinkitty]

In case it is a milk protein intolerance and not a bf issue, here is my two cents . . .

DD had a milk protein intolerance that manifested itself in much the same way, but not until she was about 3 months old. If you want to cut out dairy to continue bfing - make sure you cut it ALL out. You will need to label read everything and not eat anything with whey or caesin in it (which is in a ton of things). Basically no prepared foods, soups, breads etc. Over time I found certain prepared foods that were safe, but they are few and far between. If you have a Whole Foods market near you that will be helpful. Also - watch out for the words "natural flavoring" on labels as that often includes milk proteins. Even hot dogs and some packaged meats have milk products in them (as well as soy cheeses, which contain caesin, the most allergenic milk protein of them all).

No one (including our ped., an LC or our GI specialist) explained this to me when I first started eliminating and it made for a miserable two weeks of me thinking I was "dairy-free" when I totally was not and it was the milk proteins I was still getting through non-dairy foods that were making DD so uncomfortable. It can take between 2 weeks and a month for dairy to leave your system - our GI doctor insisted it would take at least 2 weeks and we didn't see an improvement in Mia's eating/post-eating behavior until she was totally dairy free for 11 days. Then it was like a new child.

Good luck figuring out the problem - really diagnosing can be the biggest battle at this point, but I'd probably go totally milk-free until you do figure it out even if it ends up being something else.

Holly
Mom to Mia (3.17.03)
Another March baby EDD (3.22.05)

http://lilypie.com/days/050322/0/0/1/-6/.png

[calebsmama03]

ITA with the consensus that it's probably not lactose intolerance at this age, that is very rare. The advice you've gotten re: dairy protein sensitivity and ensuring she's not swallowing too much air are good ones. Here's just another link on food sensitivities and elimination diets.
http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/food-sensitivity.html
This site is a great one in general for BFing info! FWIW, there was a lady in my LLL group with a severely food sensitive NB who went on an elimination diet that was super strict - ate only rice (incl rice cereal and rice milk!), blueberries, bananas, plain grilled chicken and a few other mild protein sources for several weeks before she started adding things back in slowly to determine what was "safe". That is a really severe example. FOr most people eliminating dairy/whey/cassein and wheat is often enough.

Good luck, and keep us posted on how it goes :)

ETA - It also just occurred to me that some babies will be extra gassy/fussy if they get a disproportionate amount of foremilk vs hindmilk. You said she nursed 15 inutes on each side, correct? did you stop her and switch breasts, or was the first breast "empty"? You might try (inaddition to eliminating possible problem foods) letting her finish the first breast completely and/or pumping off a little before she nurses to ensure she's not filling up on foremilk before she gets the rich stuff.


Lynne
Mommy to Caleb 3/3/03
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_emerald_18m.gif[/img][/url]
Oh my!! #2 5/05

[amazz]

Holly--
So what things CAN you eat? I know rice is safe, but what else--just some suggestions on how to get started would be great. Or some resources on how to start would also be really helpful. I'm clueless as to what to do at this point to start an elimination diet.

TIA!
Angela
Mama to Kami Allyse (10/10/04)
A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on. ~Carl Sandburg

[amazz]

Jennifer--Thanks for the links...I thought I did that search with "and" but I could have messed something else up. We will try the breastmilk in a bottle soon. I tried BFing today and she had a hard time latching on (nipple confusion I think may be part of it now) so I am just so unsure on how to proceed. I have called the lact. specialists at the hospital and they gave what advice they could over the phone, but I think that if the situation doesn't improve rapidly then I will make an appointment to go see one of them.

Thanks for your help,
Angela
Mama to Kami Allyse (10/10/04)
A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on. ~Carl Sandburg

[sntm]

ITA with previous posters. Hope things are going well with elimination diet. Citrus is another frequent offender that I didn't see mentioned. RachelS and etwahl would be good people to PM for info on elimination diets.
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shannon
not-even-pregnant-yet-overachiever
trying-to-conceive :)
PREGNANT! EDD 6/9/03
mama to Jack 6/6/03
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_gold_12m.gif[/img][/url]
Breastfeeding 16 months and counting

[DDowning]

A girlfriend in my son's playgroup has a lactose intolerant child. She eliminated everything possible from her diet and her child, who was born 7 lbs 14 oz, dropped 2 lbs in the course of a month because he was constantly throwing up and couldn't keep anything down. I met her before we both actually had children so I knew she was struggling with this since birth. She consulted a LC and was just in a fit. Finally, she switched to a soy based formula and he started eating well and regained some weight. When he was 12, she tried regular cow's milk and the throwing up started again. He's been on soy milk since. He's still in the 10th percentile for weight and height but he's growing and maintaining. Yes, I know breastfeeding is best, but goodness, the most important thing is that your baby does indeed get fed! Good luck to you!

[Vajrastorm]

Here is a hard-core elimination diet that I tried during Aine's colic. http://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/T041200.asp

Alternately, you could work on cutting out the most common allergens: http://www.askdrsears.com/html/8/T083301.asp

Good luck, I hope you figure out what's going on.

[amazz]

Thank you to everyone who responded to this thread. I tried BFing again today (I have been dairy-free for 6 days, so thought I would give it a try) and we have SUCCESS!! I held her in a more upright position and was able to eliminate the nipple shield that we had been using for her very poor suck. So whether it was a combo of that or one thing individually, I am so happy that my baby is sleeping soundly with no screaming and cramping.

Thanks again for all your advice and support!!
Angela
Mama to Kami Allyse (10/10/04)
A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on. ~Carl Sandburg

[Saartje]

Hurray! I'm so glad you've met with success. Congratulations, Angela, on your beautiful baby girl.

[calebsmama03]

Woo-hoo Angela!!! COngratulations mama :) Big hugs!!
Lynne
Mommy to Caleb 3/3/03
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_emerald_18m.gif[/img][/url]
Oh my!! #2 5/05