I am breastfeeding my 3 month old girl and have supplemented (one to two feedings) with Enfamil's Nutramigen Lipil formula because she has a spitting up issue and what I like to call "razor farts". ("Razor farts" are when she passes gas so loudly that anyone in the room can hear it and she is in discomfort when she does pass gas.) She does not spit up with force, but usually spits up between 45 minutes to an hour and a half after feedings - both breast and formula. We tried the formula to see if it was better on her tummy than the main LIPIL or Soy types. She seems not to spit up as much when she is given the Nutramigen compared to other brands and types, but spits up the breast milk. So at her last doctor visit, the doctor suggested to eliminate cow's milk from my diet to see if that would lessen her gas and spitting up issues. Here are my questions for any one who has breast fed a "milk protein allergic" infant:
1. How long does the cow's milk I have ingested to get into and out of my milk supply?
2. How long does it take for my breast milk that may have had cow's milk in it to pass through my daughter's system?
3. How do I eliminate all cow's milk from my diet? I can't believe how many things have milk in them or have been prepared on machines that process milk.
4. Is a little milk ingested ok, such as a slice or two of bread?
5. What else contains "milk protein" that I should avoid?
I have only been eliminating cow's milk since this past Saturday, but have been eating bread. I have noticed a significant decrease in the amount of spit up, but she still has the "razor farts" and is fussy and screams when she cries.
Any advice or help is appreciated. Thanks everyone for your continued help. :)
You didn't say why you are supplementing. Maybe it's the formula causing the problem. Breastmilk usually doesn't cause problems with babies. I only breastfeed and still have got lots of spit up from my older girl and my baby girl. They just have immature systems.
I haven't had a chance to read other responses, so this may be totally redundant. I figured out that my ds (now 14 months) had a sensitivity to cow's milk protein. I cut out dairy of my diet and he instantly improved. I never worried about eating things that had been processed on machinery that also processes milk, but I did totally avoid dairy in baked goods til he was a year old. A very good resource is the yahoo group "foodlab". My only advice when you go there is do not bemoan how difficult it will be to cut out dairy. I have been taken aback at some of the responses to that kind of post. The list is really about getting good information about what foods to eat and what to avoid, how to do an elimination diet etc. It would be a good place to ask (or at least search for) about hidden milk protein in foods.
I agree that it is tough to cut out dairy (I do love cheese and milk and especially ice cream), but it is so worth it, and it doesn't have to be forever. I thought it would be so much harder than it was. I have to say, avoiding corn is way harder than dairy. It is in absolutely everything. Another benefit of cutting out dairy is talk about getting rid of baby weight fast! Between no cheese and breastfeeding, it is much easier to get back to prepregnancy weight (if that is an issue for you).
I just looked back at your request and want to add a few things. It took about six weeks of no dairy for things to totally clear, which I think is fairly normal for a person who ate as much dairy as I did. The other complicating factor was that he also has issues with corn and soy, which I didn't eliminate til after I had cut out dairy. Once you eliminate dairy and get to what they call "baseline," a one meal exposure to dairy will clear you and your baby in 4-5 days (in my experience).
I've already written a novel here, but if you want to email, please feel free.
best,
C.
Good luck with this.
Shopping at the co-op for a little while (hard on the checkbook, I know) can be helpful because everyone who works there will be able to give you some great advice on products to use that don't have dairy. So many people who can't or don't eat dairy shop there and the staff is super well-educated. Also, they try to carry products that don't have gratuitous dairy in them so it's easier to find things without whey.
I find it hard to believe that your baby is allergic to your breastmilk. A friend of mine has a history of allergies and the doctor suggested she feed her baby only breastmilk for the first year and then slowly introduce other foods so they could monitor for allergies.
Just something to think about.
