Cutting out dairy

na24

1. ?Both my babies have tummy trouble. ?After a feeding, they writhe around, get red-faced, pull up their legs, shriek (in their sleep), etc. ?It kills me to watch them. ?They are obviously having gas problems. ?Gripe water and Mylicon only go so far. ?Is cutting out dairy something I should try? ?I was thinking of doing that for two weeks and seeing if that helps them.

2. ?If I cut out dairy, how strict do I have to be? ?Can I just avoid "first-line" dairy, like not drinking milk, not eating cheese, not eating ice cream, etc.? ?Or do I have to avoid "second-line" dairy, like not eating a muffin if milk was an ingredient used to make the muffin? ?Is it like being strictly vegan in terms of the dairy in foods? ??

Angela814

We found DD had a dairy sensitivity when we found blood in her stools.  I only had to avoid the first line dairy items.  Basically no milk, cheese, ice cream, yogurt, etc.  She was fine if I ate bread or muffins even though they have a trace of dairy.  It take a good couple weeks to get all the dairy out of your system, although you should see some improvement within the first week if dairy really is a problem.

I've also heard people recommend to keep a food diary so you can try to tie their tummy troubles to what you've been eating.  It may be something other than dairy.  I've heard spicy foods and caffeine can both cause problems.

Amigosa

Cutting out dairy would be the first place I'd start. I had to cut dairy out of my diet when I was BFing DS. I started out with cutting out ALL dairy, even the hidden ones from my diet. I eventually started adding the hidden dairies back in. Even now, at nearly 2 years old, my DS gets eczema when he has too much cow's milk or ice cream.

Good luck! I think starting out with 2 weeks of cutting out all dairy is a great start. If you find that it helps them out completely, than you can very slowly add back in the hidden ones and see if it effects them.

Mrs White

I had to cut dairy.. all dairy.  Even the hidden ones seem to really affect my DS.  I noticed a difference within 2 days of cutting dairy completely.  If I slip up even a little it is noticed immediately for the most part. It is not easy but is do-able.