Just curious...and venting...when anything happens to your BF babies, do you blame your diet? I did at first...if they were cranky or wouldn't sleep well I would wonder what I ate (once I got over wondering if they were getting enough). As if I wasn't bad enough with questioning myself, my MIL always tells me to watch what I eat...no spagetti sauce or chocolate...b/c she found it gave her son problems when she BF. So I hear it a lot, I think it a lot...and I try to keep myself sane about it, especially b/c my babies are usually pretty easy going (of course no one credits that to the BM, do they?). But now, when I have had visitors for the past few days to help, both babies got a diaper rash. The first question...what did I eat. I was so bothered that my mother and MIL both had a conversation about it...but why couldn't it be the extra hands changing the diapers? So now I'm back to changing them myself and watching the rash go away...but I'm still annoyed that when you work hard to BF to give your babies the best, it sems like the milk is always the first thing called into question! Thanks for letting me vent...but I am curious, do you all blame your diet?
I remember how fussy my twins were, especially one night. Then it occured to me that I had eaten apples that day. After people on this forum talked me out of that being a cause, I learned to relax and realized that they had silent reflux. They were just cranky babies! :hug: It's hard... there are so many things that it could be, but yes, breastfeeding tends to be the first thing people look at.
I'm definitely in the same boat... I did it a bit to myself, but I'm trying to get over it. But I do get that always from DH and my mom. Whenever the babes are fussy... it's either that I ate something or that I'm not making enough milk and they hungry. Of course, they are gaining well and having plenty of wet dipaers etc.. and no one ever says how great they are doing on the BM. I guess that's why I have to come here for all my moral support! -maria DS 1 4 yrs old DS2 and DS3 6 weeks old
for me it's not so much about questioning what i ate as constantly questioning my supply. i've made a point of always reminding myself that they have more than enough wet/dirty diapers whenever i personally call into question my supply. but it drives me CRAZY that every time they get even slightly fussy my DH's first comment is always "i think they're hungry". i finally just started saying "no, they're not". and leaving it at that. it's so annoying! and you're right - how come we never get told how great we're doing at BFing? why is it always the first culprit when a baby seems a little fussy?! *sigh*
Ack! I know exactly what you are going through!! On the advice of a friend, I first cut all cow's milk products...cheese, yogurt, milk, ice cream and chocolate. I gave that a good week and a half. When the gassiness persisted, I dropped all tomato products (ketchup, spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, tomatoes). Still, not really any consistent improvement...then whet all citrus fruits and strawberries. I was seriously getting annoyed!! There was very little left in my freezer for dinner that didn't use a tomato sauce or have cheese in it! Finally, I decided to just eat what I want...the gassiness was getting better. This week, we had a rough night with Molly and gas...she just really needed to go pooh (I have infrequent poopers). I started to question myself again and considered dropping milk products again. But, I am not going to do it! I really believe (on the advice of others on here) that TIME will fix this...their systems are still maturing. My ped agrees. So, hang in there...I feel like there is always a lot of finger-pointing at my BM from friends/relatives. I wonder if they would do the same if I was FFing the babies???
yup, totally normal!!!! My dd had blood in her stools and we thought it may be dairy, but it was just a virus, but before then and even after it cleared I would wonder if it was something I ate. But then again, I never did change my diet at all ardon: I LOVE to eat and if I had had to cut out something I can almost bet I would have given up bfing!!!!
QUOTE(excitedk @ Sep 24 2008, 04:01 PM) [snapback]995846[/snapback] But then again, I never did change my diet at all ardon: I LOVE to eat and if I had had to cut out something I can almost bet I would have given up bfing!!!! OT: You don't LOOK like you love to eat!!
I can relate too! I am always wondering if Tyce's fussines, gassiness, occasional red butt, runny poo's, his previous facial rash, his eye...his every little change is a reaction to something I've eaten! I've eliminated nuts all together for many reasons but that hasn't stopped me from questioning myself and my milk. When I am gassy I wonder how bad Tyce is going to get it...But you know, I was just as bad when I formula fed my twins. Bf or not, you will wonder if what you are putting in your baby's body is what is causing symptoms. I HATE it when my DH tells me the baby is hungry when he fusses - 20 minutes after eating! I know when he is hungry better than anyone and yet I always have my kids and husband telling me "I think he's hungry". Grrr. Just let me do my job and you do yours, right? Tyce was born at 8 lb 4 oz and now weighs 11 lbs! He is 6.5 weeks old - I'd say he is eating plenty!
The visitors didn't change them often enough or clean them well enough after a poop. Blame them. Seriously, I ate whatever I wanted and no ill effects. They're just not allergic kids and they eat whatever they like now with no reactions (and they like everything which I love to say is because they ate lots of flavors of breastmilk). If you see a really serious reaction (like blood in the stool), I'd pay attention to that but babies have fussy times, babies get rashes, babies cry, and babies get gas. Period. It's rarely what they eat; every baby does these things. My DH was famous for handing me a baby whenever he cried saying he must be hungry even if the poop scent was wafting across the room. It didn't take me long to catch on. Some people just love to shirk responsibility and will use nursing as an opportunity to do so.
I honestly think it just depends on the baby. With my son he was a super fussy baby so I questioned my diet & ended up cutting out dairy. I don't think it really made a difference it was just something he had to grow out of. With my twins I have no problems at all and they are never fussy. Yeah I think everyone thinks when a baby is fussy they need to be fed which is just not the case. Just keep in mind that you are doing the best thing for your babies and your the mom who always knows what is best for them
