Help--Need breastfeeding-friendly meal ideas

[MomofMooch]

I have a 4-week-old that seems very uncomfortably gassy. I fear that I have a colic-y, high-needs baby on my hands (totally unlike my first, so this is all new to me), so I am trying anything to salvage what little sanity I have left. But, in my extreme sleep-deprived delirium, I can't think clearly enough to figure out what to eat, since I'm exclusively breastfeeding, to help him be more comfortable. So, some questions for you seasoned moms/colic survivors out there:

1) veggies: OK, I've cut out beans, onions, broccoli ... what veggies are ok to eat? Are soybeans also bad, meaning no edamame and no "fake dairy" products made from soy milk? What about chickpeas, i.e., hummus? What greens are ok--spinach? Lettuce?

2) dairy: This kills me, since cheese and ice cream are two of my staples, but I'm trying to cut out dairy too. Does this include butter? Is soy milk allowed (see above question about soybeans)? Dairy is my prime source of protein, as I don't really like eggs (except a good cheesy omelet, now off-limits), and I don't care for nuts or peanut butter at all. I do eat meat, but aside from meat, how do I get enough protein in my diet without dairy? And at one point can you start trying to re-introduce it gradually? You can tell that this one is really hard for me!

3) coffee: I've been drinking decaf or half-decaf coffee, but, let me guess, some cruel person is going to tell me that could affect baby too, so I need to cut that out too? Ugh, how will I function?!

What else do I need to be aware of while breastfeeding a gassy, fussy baby? And finally, what the heck do I eat?! Anybody have any good recipe ideas that are breastfeeding-friendly? I am just too tired to think clearly anymore ...

Thanks for any help anyone can provide, and sorry if my post is rambly or confusing--it's all been typed one-handed (fussy baby in the other), in the throes of exhaustion ...

[mlynn]

First--congratulations on the birth of your baby. :) I wouldn't categorize him as "colicky" just yet. I think most babies go through a fussy period--perhaps you're just lucky your first child bypassed this.

Second, I would suggest looking at http://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/T041200.asp This elimination diet should provide you the nutrition you need, and avoids the most common food sensitivites.

Best of luck to you!

mlynn

[ellery]

To be perfectly honest, I ate pretty bland food for the first few months of breastfeeding out of fears that otherwise DS would be even more fussy. ;) I didn't do dairy for a while - maybe a glass of milk or yogurt per day, ate lots of carbs, limited fruits and no veggies. I can't comment on caffeine as I cut it out once I was pregnant.

I don't know if I needed to do that, or if it helped, as DS was gassy and colicky anyway. ;)

Congratulations on your new little one and on making it this far with nursing. :)

[MinEaston]

I would also suggest that you take a look at this link (http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/gassybaby.html) from Kelly Mom about gassiness in babies...

it may not be your diet entirely.

good luck, and hang in there!

[LHBryan]

Hi MomofMooch! Congrats on the birth of your baby! I'm so sorry you're having a tough time. I can empathize. DD (now 10 months and still BF) had lots of trouble with gas and fussiness. Have you talked to your ped and lactation consultant just to rule out any medical problems/nursing issues other than diet?

I second the link posted by MinEaston. Great info there. For the most part, I tend to agree with their suggestion that the effect of the mother's diet is often over-emphasized. One major issue we had around 5 weeks was with too much milk and foremilk/hindmilk imbalance, which caused DD major stomach cramps and gas pains, particularly late in the day. (Click on "Too Much Milk" if you suspect this problem. I didn't really have the telltale signs.) That said, I noticed in the first 3 months a few specific foods did tend to irritate DD--corn, broccoli, cauliflower, and strawberries were the primary culprits. I limited beans for two months, but still ate them. I never could decide about coffee and chocolate. I continued to drink a half cup of regular coffee a day (eliminating it didn't seem to make any difference for us) and tried not to eat tons of chocolate;) for the first couple of months. I did try eliminating all dairy for several days, but that didn't seem to help so I resumed my normal diet. We ate BLTs (w/ turkey bacon and basil), other types of sandwiches, grilled meats w/ easy sides, quesadillas, omelets, chicken and rice casserole, and take out. I wish I had more suggestions, but last summer is a bit of a blur.

It used to drive me crazy when the pediatrician told me that DD's explosive, runny, frequent BMs and terrible gas were due to her immature digestive system, but for the most part she was right. Some babies are just more sensitive than others. I know it seems hard now, but they do outgrow it. Fortunately, I can count on one hand DD's uncomfortable gassy episodes over the past several months, and I eat whatever I want. Things that helped us get through the first 3 months were the 5 "S"s from Happiest Baby on the Block (check out the DVD from your library if you haven't watched it), being persistent about burping and trying various techniques, and bicycling her legs. For some reason Mylicon didn't work well for the first several weeks (but it did when she was a bit older), so our LC suggested gripe water. It seemed to be more effective. Also, at the suggestion of our ped I just bought Culturelle Kids priobiotic/acidopholus capsules to help DD's digestive system during a round of antibiotics (diarrhea ~8 times/day and a nasty diaper rash) and it really seemed to help. I noticed on the box that they claim it helps with colicky babies. Just thought I'd mention it b/c I would have tried ANYTHING during the colicky/gassy phase. Keep in mind that a lot of experts say that fussiness peaks around 6 weeks, which I didn't know at the time so I wasn't prepared.

HTH. Hang in there!

-Laura

[MomofMooch]

Just wanted to thank those of you who responded to this desperate plea (and if bumping it up elicits any more replies, that's great too)! I really appreciated the helpful links and the support. The kellymom info was really helpful and encouraging--I do love that website but am easily overwhelmed by the extensiveness of it. I also found the elimination diet interesting and have definitely tried to focus on the blander foods they list, although I am not going hard-core. I can't imagine living on just 7 ingredients for 2 weeks (sounds like a Top Chef challenge to try to figure out varied meals from that list of 7 ingredients, plus salt and pepper!).

For a bit of an update, my now-almost-7-week-old does seem to be a bit less miserable now that I have [mostly] cut out dairy and have really focused on a kinder, gentler diet for him. So, that's encouraging that maybe things will get better as his digestive system matures, and maybe you all are right, and he isn't really colicky officially. It's just that he is so very difficult to soothe in the evenings, despite doing all the tricks (e.g., the Happiest Baby "S"s), and he is really a high-needs baby during the day, too. Our first son was a baby who could be set down in a bouncy seat, and soothed well with the swaddle blanket, swing, and a pacifier; this baby, not so much. Hates the bouncy seat and swing (seriously, screams bloody murder in the swing, you'd think it was a torture device), rarely takes the pacifier, and just cries and cries unless he is being held. He refuses to sleep when set down, so we are still quite sleep deprived because we have to take turns holding him all night for any chance of sleep for either of us. I have actually learned to sleep flat on my back, not moving, holding him in one arm against my body--when I do that, he sleeps for 6 hours straight! And to think I was anti-co-sleeping once upon a time.

But, as they say, this too shall pass, right? I guess it's payback for having such an easy baby the first time around ... Thank you again for the support from the fellow moms out there!

[mst]

Have you tried babywearing (slings, wraps, etc)? Sounds like your baby likes to be held, and with babywearing, you can have a life too.

A great website is www.thebabywearer.com. They even have a for sale or trade section where you can buy used babywearing stuff, and then sell it back when you have moved on.

(I am not saying this will solve the breastfeeding issues, but might help with some of the neediness during the day.)

[MomofMooch]

Hi, mst, I feel like I "know" you from the pregnancy thread! :) Thanks for your reply, and you are very right, I do have a baby that needs to be held. I will definitely check out that website. I have been using a baby bjorn on the days that I have my 2-year-old home with me too, and he will sleep in it, but it's not really allowing me to get much done (it still feels like he's "in the way" a lot, e.g., for folding laundry, cooking, etc.). I'll check out other kinds of slings--feel free to share if there's one you recommend!

[mst]

Isn't it funny how we have all of these connections with people that we have never met?

I can tell you that for my soon-to-be baby, I borrowed a Moby and I have a Kangaroo Korner Pouch. I did not use either of these with DD when she was a newborn- I learned about babywearing later (I hate that term- sounds too crunchy for me!) I also have two Mei Tais (babyhawk and kozy), and a soft structured carrier (kind of like an Ergo.) If you google these, you should be able to find the website to learn more. The hardcore babywearers are against the Bjorns, but if it works for you...

You can learn to put your baby on your back, but I have to tell you, I never got too good with it except with my soft structured carrier (mine happens to be a tentoes click, but that is because I am too short for an Ergo). But, for the women who are good at it- they have the best of both worlds. You can snuggle, and have very little limitations for things like laundry.

Personally, I am so, so excited to use the Moby. They look so snuggly and great! I am hoping to learn to breastfeed in it. Can you imagine the freedom?:D They don't work well once the baby gets heavy. It is a stretchy fabric, so it is great when they are little, but not as comfy when they get bigger.