Terrified to eat almost anything

[TCK_Runner]

After last Saturday's bout of diarrhea, as the title says: I'm scared to eat hardly anything. I'm not sure what caused the diarrhea - lots of explosive green poos and hours upon hours of her writhing in pain with gastric distress, inconsolable crying for on/off 24 hours - but I've narrowed it down to likely being one of the following:

- spinach (and/or quiche my husband made with eggs, dairy, spinach)
- a bowl of raw strawberries I ate
- maybe peanut butter or an apple? I had that for a snack.
- too much dairy or lactose (I am somewhat LI but ate two ice cream bars + cream cheese in 24 hours)

Normally she can get windy and have some distress, but that was definitely horrible diarrhea and she was ill. The week prior I'd had some Indian food with chickpeas and spices, which the MW chalked up to causing a full day of gas issues, but I still don't know what caused the diarrhea episode and weekend from hell. I'm now terrified to eat hardly anything because it seems like everything is a possibility (everyone says avoid dairy, nuts, etc and slowly add things back) and all I have been eating is potatoes and various forms of toast with margarine or jam since then... I had some pizza last night but limited myself because as I was eating it I kept freaking out that something in it (cheese, tomatoes, etc) was going to cause her gas pains. Although, I did have a slice of cheese yesterday and she seemed OK, so maybe it's just the amount of dairy I have to limit myself to.

I was also told that soy could be an allergen, but I cut that out two weeks ago because I was told it can interfere with milk production. This is a problem because I am a vegetarian and tofu is something I usually have in my diet, the other main proteins coming from beans and legumes (like chickpeas) and peanut butter.

I don't want to venture into eating gassy fruits and veggies - for example, I bought apples the other day and then it dawned on me when I got home that they are high in fiber and have always caused gas for me if I ate too much...

So what am I going to eat? I can't live like this.

 

[fatandlumpy]

Sweetie.... I (personally) would relax a bit. I eat nuts, dairy, spicy food etc as it's important that my wee one is exposed to what we normally eat. He's 9 months old and we've also been BLW since he was 5 months (went back to work at 6 months so started a little early). When he was very wee he had a lot of GI problems (green explosive poos, lots of painful wind etc). We tried Colief and that worked for us. Also he was diagnosed with reflux and so was on Ranitidine from 5weeks until I weaned him off it at 4 months. Unless there's a history of serious allergy in your family I would just eat normally. If her poos a little green it may be that you have a fore/hind milk issue.

Maybe. I'm not clinically qualified - I just want to stop you from stressing about what you're eating.

 

[TCK_Runner]

I have an allergy to raw cow's milk, I've also been lactose intolerant my whole life (some periods worse than others), my mother is allergic to strawberries and intolerant of soy. I know it's too early to tell what the baby has, but apparently I was classified generically as a colicky baby because no one knew I had so many problems with milk and lactose and my mom was shrugged off by doctors for worrying too much. (Turns out she was correct with the diarrhea and projectile vomiting and the doctors were wrong.) In any case, this is part of the reason I am panicking a bit. I don't want to label my baby a 'colicky' baby in the hopes she'll outgrow it, while she and the rest of us suffer. I think too many people shrug it off and it's tough to do when she is clearly suffering... and this particular weekend was WAY worse than normal, she was clearly in pain and not just trying to pass wind. She normally hates doing that anyways, but Saturday in particular there was no consoling her after she produced diaper after diaper of explosive diarrhea. It was horrible.

 

[patch2006uk]

Are you still taking lactulose? I'd blame that for your troubles initially. If you've stopped taking it now, eat normally for a few days and see what happens. Also, some babies are just windy. My eldest screamed after every feed. He grew out of it eventually. If the weight gain is ok, then it's nothing too fundamentally wrong. Don't make your life harder than it needs to be x

 

[TCK_Runner]

Are you still taking lactulose? I'd blame that for your troubles initially. If you've stopped taking it now, eat normally for a few days and see what happens. Also, some babies are just windy. My eldest screamed after every feed. He grew out of it eventually. If the weight gain is ok, then it's nothing too fundamentally wrong. Don't make your life harder than it needs to be x

No, not taking it because I'm afraid to now! But I kind of need it again

 

[Rachel_C]

Have you had a read of this? https://kellymom.com/nutrition/mothers-diet/mom-foods/

Foods might cause YOU wind because of undigested carbs in your digestive system but those carbs don't pass into breastmilk so they can't sit in baby's digestive system and cause wind for her, and the wind itself certainly doesn't get through either, so foods that make you windy are no more likely to cause wind in your baby than any other food. The only way something can get into the milk you make is if it goes into your blood. Wind has nothing to do with your blood, it's just stuff sitting in your intestine giving off gasses... like landfill Please stop avoiding 'gassy' foods unless you're trying not to fart yourself, there really is no reason to and you're just making it difficult for yourself

If you're really worried, work out a simple but nutritious (and NORMAL for you) meal plan and stick to it for a week. If LO reacts, look at it in more depth then. However, bear in mind that babies can pick up little tummy bugs really easily. Horrible as they are, what you eat won't stop that.

 

[JenX]

Agree with what Rachel said. Most things aren't going to pass into the breastmilk. The most likely culprits if there is truly a problem are dairy and soy, as the protein pass through the milk. I wouldn't worry about the other things.

For instance, a friend of mine's LO is allergic to all sorts of things, apples, pears, etc., but she had no problems when she ate those things and breastfed the baby. The allergens didn't come through. The only issue was with dairy. Same for me and my LO. In the vast majority of cases it is dairy, and if it is you may have to cut out even the tiniest traces of it and wait a few weeks before seeing improvement.

 

[patch2006uk]

Have you tried a higher fibre diet to sort your bowels? Needing meds to poo comfortably isn't normal, and longterm you'll feel better if you're sorted. Maybe try dates and drinking loads of water, plus consider swapping to brown pasta, rice and bread.

 

[annio84]

Are you certain it was food related and not a bug? How have her dirty nappies been since then?

 

[AC1987]

I was lactose intolerent as a baby until I outgrew it around 12ish so I know how annoying it is!!

Have you taken your baby to a doctor to get their opinion too?

Somedays they just have really fussy days.. I on occassion give gripe water and sometimes it'll be from a stuck burp or I think they can get gas cramps time to time.

 

[sheldonsmommy]

I think I suggested this earlier, but did you start a food journal? If you believe it is tied to a certain food, however unlikely, then maybe it would be a good idea. If you feel like you are being brushed off by medical professionals, this could be used in your favour if you found a correlation.

Maybe like Rachel_C said, start simple and add in foods. When you get no reaction from lo, you can feel comfortable eating those foods again with peace of mind.

It must be awful to see your baby like that, I sincerely hope you don't find any correlation

 

[TCK_Runner]

Have you tried a higher fibre diet to sort your bowels? Needing meds to poo comfortably isn't normal, and longterm you'll feel better if you're sorted. Maybe try dates and drinking loads of water, plus consider swapping to brown pasta, rice and bread.

Oh, I'm having a bowel movement just about every day now, the problem is that (TMI) it can be difficult to pass given my postpartum hemorrhoids (though those are getting smaller and only bleed a teeny bit now). I wasn't taking it every day before and have not taken it since her diarrhea episode at all. So my hemorrhoids bled twice this week. (I was also eating bran flakes for breakfast throughout pregnancy + into the second week PP.) PP pregnancy, good times.

I think the food journal is a good idea. The main thing that is crap for me is that as a vegetarian many of the things I eat have soy in them, which I have been told is not good for breast milk production. The doctor said I should try and limit myself to 3-4 servings per week of that (e.g. one glass of soy milk = 1 serving). Also, my favorite foods are Mexican, Korean, Indian, and middle Eastern, i.e. I love spicy and diverse foods with loads of vegetables and legumes. But I had Indian once two weeks ago, spicy with chickpeas, and she had horrible gastric distress after that. I also had some homemade curry a few days later, and she also had horrible gas after that, too. Given these were the only interesting things in my diet the whole week I am pretty sure that caused the issues (I doubt that the consistent toast, cereal, pasta, tea, etc would have had such an effect). So yes, bland diet is possible I suppose, just tough to adjust to when living as a vegetarian in a meat-friendly country. My choices are pretty much cheese, bread w/ various spreads, pasta, and potatoes.

 

[sheldonsmommy]

Have you tried a higher fibre diet to sort your bowels? Needing meds to poo comfortably isn't normal, and longterm you'll feel better if you're sorted. Maybe try dates and drinking loads of water, plus consider swapping to brown pasta, rice and bread.

Oh, I'm having a bowel movement just about every day now, the problem is that (TMI) it can be difficult to pass given my postpartum hemorrhoids (though those are getting smaller and only bleed a teeny bit now). I wasn't taking it every day before and have not taken it since her diarrhea episode at all. So my hemorrhoids bled twice this week. (I was also eating bran flakes for breakfast throughout pregnancy + into the second week PP.) PP pregnancy, good times.

I think the food journal is a good idea. The main thing that is crap for me is that as a vegetarian many of the things I eat have soy in them, which I have been told is not good for breast milk production. The doctor said I should try and limit myself to 3-4 servings per week of that (e.g. one glass of soy milk = 1 serving). Also, my favorite foods are Mexican, Korean, Indian, and middle Eastern, i.e. I love spicy and diverse foods with loads of vegetables and legumes. But I had Indian once two weeks ago, spicy with chickpeas, and she had horrible gastric distress after that. I also had some homemade curry a few days later, and she also had horrible gas after that, too. Given these were the only interesting things in my diet the whole week I am pretty sure that caused the issues (I doubt that the consistent toast, cereal, pasta, tea, etc would have had such an effect). So yes, bland diet is possible I suppose, just tough to adjust to when living as a vegetarian in a meat-friendly country. My choices are pretty much cheese, bread w/ various spreads, pasta, and potatoes.

I eat meat only a couple times per week and I rely on beans and eggs for protein. I never eat soy. It doesn't have to be bland. Maybe just avoid the spicy stuff for now, but it can still be flavourful

Edit: I found this link, I didn't check any credibility, but the advice seems sound.

https://www.ivillage.com/can-baby-be-allergic-breastmilk/6-n-137038