really fussy baby, reflux, cutting out dairy and FF question

Kristen050

How's that for a loaded title?  DS2 is 2 1/2 weeks and is a really unhappy baby. We suspect reflux, which DS1 also had but this seems worse.  Long story short, I am at my wits end. I have been working with an LC and the latest suggestion is to cut out dairy.  

I don't know that even have the willpower to try that now. I started today and am starving because I don't know what to eat! A part of me wants to just switch to formula but then I feel guilty because maybe I'm not trying hard enough. I definitely don't have a problem with formula itself but feel bad about not giving this more of an effort to get through the first hard weeks. Plus there is no guarantee that formula will even help the situation.  I'm sure a lot of this is just tough newborn stuff that I just have to give time to get through.

So I guess my question is, how did you deal with your fussy baby, your reflux baby, cutting out dairy or switching to formula?  We've tried every swaddling, shushing, rocking, wearing, you name it baby trick in the book but any advice is appreciated! 

CoffeeBeen

DS had a dairy allergy.  The thing to remember is that it takes between 2-3 weeks for the dairy protein to make it out of their system, so you have to stick with it if you're going to see results.

 https://www.godairyfree.org/

That was my go-to website for cutting out dairy.  It was really hard, but honestly, I ate healthier than I ever have in my entire life during DS' allergy days.  I attribute my post-baby body to my dairy free days and sometimes I wish that I still had DS' allergy as a motivation to eat better.

We discussed formula as well, and from what I remember you have to be careful because a lot of formula has dairy, and the ones that don't may have soy (and soy allergies are associated with dairy allergies).  

GL no matter what you do!  It's a tough road, but either way, chances are your LO will eventually grow out of this.  And I hope its sooner rather than later!

blowfish11

DS had pretty bad reflux. We started him on Zantac and it got a lot better.  He still spit up but wasn't in any more pain. 

persephonerose

The week we struggled through with D being so unhappy before the pedi prescribed Zantac was horrible.  He cried and screamed and I cried every time because I felt helpless.  He still has some reflux symptoms but not nearly as bad and we saw a change in him within a few days after starting the medication.  What helped me to get through the crying was to trade of with DH and for me to leave the room or go shower while DH consoled LO. Then I could come back less stressed.

I have also cut out caffeine which our doctor said can bother reflux. Are they suggesting to cut out dairy to stop the reflux? Because it was my understanding that cutting out dairy does not stop reflux.  Cutting out dairy would only help if your baby has MSPI, right? 

SpaceGirlSpiff

When my DS was a newborn, he also displayed symptoms like this.

What sort of symptoms besides extreme fussiness is your LO displaying? For us it was the extreme fussiness, excess gas, and there were very mucousy and watery stools.... the mucousy stools were what prompted me to consider the sensitivity, as it is a symptom of that.  Other common symptoms are projectile vomiting, blood in stool, etc....

The fussiness, well, that is very common newborn behavior in general and sometimes it could be a physical problem like reflux or allergy/sensitivity or nothing at all.... just the fact that theyre a newborn.  Definitely a good idea to consult the pedi if you suspect reflux/sensitivity/allergy though, to cover all bases...if your instinct tells you it's something more, follow that...that's what I did.  If your LC is suggesting cutting out the dairy and you want to continue BFing, that is usually the number one culprit and a good place to start.... there are various dairy-free guides you can find online to help you out.  It is hard at first, and can take a little while to go into full affect (so if there arent INSTANT results, still stick with it for a little while), so you have to be patient, but it is doable.

If you decide to formula feed, do not beat yourself up.  I ended up switching to formula after BFing for around 2.5 - 3 months.  I had cut the dairy out, and it was helping him (so my instinct was confirmed), but my supply started taking a severe hit due to VARIOUS issues, and he was not thriving as well as he should (he was growing, but not at as good of a pace)....first, the dairy being cut out made it very difficult for me to keep up a proper diet, so that probably did not help....dairy was a LARGE part of my diet before.  Second, I was working from home full time while also watching LO full time on my own, so the stress of that was affecting my supply, coupled with not taking care of myself enough in general (eating well, sleep)...and finally, he constantly struggled with establishing a good latch, even by this time and it was touch and go.  I finally decided that for my own sanity so that I could be a better/happier mother to DS, and so that I could have peace of mind that he was getting the proper nutrition, that it was time to let it go and switch to formula.  I ended up choosing the Soy formula since we were off dairy, and it was like night and day how much happier he became after that, and how much better he thrived.  This was just my situation of course, not trying to sway you...you have to do what you feel is right

I beat myself up alot, like you described... I hated BFing to be perfectly honest, because of all the struggles we went through with it, it was never a pleasant experience...But I didnt want to let it go because it was best for him, and even tried exclusive pumping (which I did not produce well with the pump).....yet I STILL mourned it when I gave it up, despite how unhappy it made me, so if you do decide to switch, is normal to feel that sadness.  Eventually I made peace with it though, and realized that I did what was best for us in the end, and he is doing wonderfully and has thrived beautifully.  It is OK, I promise.

I wish you luck and I encourage you to follow your instinct and consult your pedi and LC.  My pedi at the time was a little dismissive (I ended up switching because I dont feel she was helpful in many ways), but I followed through with following my instinct and eliminating the dairy since it seemed to be getting worse, and my baby improved 1000%... very glad I listened to myself.  If you have a good doctor you trust though, he/she should be able to guide you, as well as your LC if you decide to continue BFing. Keep in mind sometimes those sensitive to dairy are also sensitive to soy, so that's something to watch for too if there are still issues even after the dairy is removed. 

Hopefully this helps...

SpaceGirlSpiff

Also -- meant to add, shortly after DS's first birthday, he had completely grown out of it, and he is now full-on eating dairy and drinking whole cow's milk.  So it's a good chance if your LO is allergic/sensitive that he will grow out of it!