Hi

My LO seems to have colic already, according to the mw. He is in pain intermittently through the day and every night and has been for days, screaming and pulling his knees up - he has severe wind and when he does poo it is very watery and diarrhoea. However I understood colic started from 2 weeks onwards, 4 days seems very early!

My DD (who was FF) had a milk protein intolerance which had her screaming in pain at every meal from early on until I finally got the right help after 20 weeks of frustration with GPs and HVs. I do not want my DS to go through this too, so if it seems my milk or the dairy food I eat is causing his upset, I want to work it out sooner rather than later.

Does anyone have experience of food intolerance while bf or know how I can get more info on it - I am searching online but you may already know where to look? Do these sound like MPI symptoms or is he too young to tell? I have been trying to cut all dairy out of mu diet but if I do this wont he miss out on calcium or take it from me - affecting my own health as well?

Thanks
Gayle

Hi, I don't have kids but I do have a milk protein allergy.  I read on a site about dairy allergy/intolerance that colic in newborns can be because their bodies do have the (naturally occurring) bacteria in their guts to break down food properly.  The article said that probiotic supplements can relieve colic in babies.

It might be worth a  try but please find out from your midwife how you can safely give a probiotic supplement to your son.  I guess you can't just give one of those yoghurt drinks to a tiny baby.

Good luck,

Cat

Hi Gayle

I hope you have managed to get to the bottom of what is causing the upset, my youngest had the same problem we were changing between 10-15 nappies a night when we got him home, the midwife wasn't concerned until his bottom got too sore I however always felt it was an allergy. Luckily as DS1 had milk intolerance his consultant told me to cut out dairy when Harry was 1 week old as he said it runs in families, harry still reacted to my milk but I have since found out his has more allergies.

In case you are still struggling I was just told to cut out all dairy and that it can take up to 2 weeks to leave your body completely, to increase your calcium just have soya milk (most contain added calcium as do other soya products like yoghurts and custard style desserts) and anything else high in calcium.

You could also try colief but get it on prescription as its expensive to buy it also is a pain to give while breastfeeding but worth it if it helps

Hope things are better now though

Love

Shell xx

I'm a vegan and currently BFing my 14 week old. Your little one will get calcium from your bones if you haven't got enough in your diet.

As you are giving up your (possible) main source of calcium, i would recommend supplements as it can take months for your body to become more efficient at calcium absorption. Make sure you get a supplement that isn't from shellfish which may have mercury issues.

If you aren't a vegetarian then eating whole sardines or whitebait is a good source from their bones.

K

hi gayle

so sorry for the late reply - been mega busy. you've had some fab replies already.

calcium can be found in most green leafy veg, quinoa is a fab source of calcium too - infact way more than in milk. its very bland so is best cooked in stock or added to stirfries etc.

how is LO now? its horrible seeing them in pain isn't it. i fought for months to have my DD dairy intolerance taken seriously.

do let us know how things are. xx