Should I Continue

Could you drink the rice/ oat milk? That way you could still feed her. I know it's dificult and you want the best. If you are too tired then it's better to give it up. I did give up millk but was able to add soy back with no problem and later hard cheese.
Good luck

J.,

Is she on acid reflux medication? If not, I would seriously consider it. Breastfeeding has so many benefits and I think the benefits would outweigh the negative. If she can take the meds and breastfeed, you both will feel a whole lot better about it. Good luck!

Molly

I feel your pain J.. My daughter had reflux and once I stopped breast feeding life got a whole lot easier. I had lots of guilt but I have to tell you we were both happier than ever. I think you need to do what's best for your daughter and always do what's best for you!! I think as mother's we put the needs of our kids first but I'm learning as they get older, if I don't put my needs first... no one is happy.

I think any breast feeding is best even if you were only able to do it a short time. With my daughter, I nursed for 6 months then switched her to soy formula and I nursed my son until 9 months. My daughter's reflux went away within a month of stopping nursing. She is now a happy and very healthy 8 year old!!! I do remember giving my kids vitamins (liquid) for a while until I was sure they were getting enough nutrients from their food.

I don't know if my story helps but I think you should do what's best for you first so you can take the best care of your child.

J.

Hi J.,

Yes you are in a challenging position to be sure. First let me tell you that the nutritional components of breastmilk are far superior to formula as well as the other hundreds of goodies in breastmilk (that formula does not have) that build the body to its optimal levels. Breastmilk has well over 1500 ingredients (many of which we are still studying) while formula only has about 150 - you do the math.

The risks of formula are known and well documented and soy formula has its own set of risks starting with the massive amounts of phyto-estrogens that act like the estrogen in our own bodies. There are many countries that flat out ban ALL soy formula from use for this very reason. If we as adults were to ingest the same amount of soy per day that a fully soy formula fed baby does it would be like us taking 5 birth control pills per day - yes this has been documented. Now, with all that estrogen going into the baby's body - imagine what that is doing to the child's hormone levels...the research is there...

Secondly, it bothers me tremendously that a Dr is saying rice milk or oat milk is fine to feed the child as long as the child is given a multi-vitamin. This is not healthy and could be quite risky. If baby is eating solids that would help - but there are constituents in breastmilk and formula that make them both much more appropriate than rice/oat milk with a multi vitamin. I would not recommend this route.

As a mom who was 100% dairy and soy free for almost 3 yrs I can tell you that while it isn't always a breeze, it isn't terribly difficult either. My suggestion to my clients is go 100% cow's milk products and soy free for 2-4 weeks - then challenge (by eating some of one) and see what happens. As a vegetarian, I'm sure you are already making sure you have plenty of the B vitamins (one of the most difficult to get while being vegetarian). Eliminating only 2 foods from your diet leaves you still with several hundred other foods to eat. :) Cook from scratch and you can easily eliminate soy and dairy without sacrificing too much. :) We use rice milk in place of cow's milk to this day (14 yrs later) for all cooking...

Talking to a good nutritionist to help you with your diet so you don't feel like you can't eat anything and are making sure what you are eating is nutritionally sound for your health would be a very good idea. The gal who mentioned the IgG testing and healing your own gut to help heal the baby's had some good thoughts! Worth looking in to...

Lastly, I'd talk to a good lactation consultant in your area if possible. A baby who can't nurse is a big red flag to me - something was wrong - babies SHOULD be able to nurse. And if they can't I want to know why. Many babies have structural challenges (lots of tight muscles or body misalignment) due to the birthing process and that can cause reflux...I've see this time and time again. Baby has a spinal misalignment and reflux - go see a pediatric chiropractor or Bowen therapist for body work and the reflux goes away...there never was an allergy.

You are welcome to call me if you like - I am a Lactation Consultant here in Sacramento. I work with situations like yours all the time. They are manageable...with the right help. :) But please - don't stop breastfeeding. If your daughter is willing there are so many things good things about breastfeeding that are worth the efforts you are going through. You can do this!

Warmly,
J. Simpson, IBCLC, CIIM
###-###-####
www.breastfeedingnetwork.net

Breastfeeding is a very intimate and personal decision. One that has to work for both the baby and mama. That said, breast feeding is such an amazing tool not only for nutrition but also for parenting. If you wanted to continue and were willing to cut dairy out of your diet, there are a ton of resources available. I'm vegan and both of my kids are breast fed and vegan. It's been a great choice for our family.

I totally understand your concern about making sure it's a healthy choice. I shared the same concerns and did a ton of research to make sure that we would be okay. What I discovered was really comforting. Basically, if you're not eating meat, eggs, or dairy, you'll want to be sure you've got a B12 supplement. I like the B12 spray made by Pure Vegan (http://www.pure-vegan.net/Pure-Vegan_vitamin_b12_spray.asp) . I also take a multivitamin just to be extra careful. Here are a few other resources that might help.

1. Book: There is a book written by the Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine called "Healthy Eating for Life for Children." It discusses how to feed kids a healthy diet without meat or dairy. I don't have the book in front of me, but I'm pretty sure there's a section in there on breast feeding. It goes over what kids need at each stage in their development. It's a great resource even if you're not vegan. Here's the link: http://www.pcrm.org/shop/forlife/children.html

2. Yahoo Group: The Vegetarian Resource Group has an amazing on-line support group for vegetarian and vegan parents that might be worth looking into. Here's the link to the group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vrgparents/ and here's the link to their main site that has a ton of other great material http://www.vrg.org/

Lastly, for our family, breast feeding through the toddler years has been a life saver. I'm really grateful that we had that tool available to us. While taking dairy out of your diet is a transition (I know I was a big cheese lover) this is an amazing time to do it. There are so many alternatives out there that you really don't need to miss out on much. If you've got an iphone there are a bunch of great apps for vegans that tell what restaurants offer vegetarian and vegan alternatives. Here are a couple of my favorite vegan cookbooks that might help you get started:

How it all vegan: http://amzn.com/1551520672
The Vegan Table: http://amzn.com/1592333745
The Peaceful Palate: http://amzn.com/1570670315

Best of luck. I'm sure whatever decision you make will be the right one for your family.

Hi J.,
Well, I didn't read much of the responses you've already gotten. This subject tends to be very polarizing. There are so many women who think breastfeeding is the only way to go and if you do anything else, you're a loser and you're thinking of yourself and not your baby. Well let me tell you something. Some of us don't have any choice. I ran out of milk with all 4 of my children by 2-3 months. I had no choice but to use formula. I cried bitter tears over it. In retrospect, I now realize this is just one of those things that I got over and now wish I had not stressed about so much. It is not disasterous. Disaster is when someone dies, or when you lose everything you have or a tornado takes out an entire town. This is simply not a disaster. If your baby and yourself are struggling with breastfeeding, let me tell you, nobody is enjoying it. The wonderful bonding that can be achieved is being hampered, and it is putting your baby in pain. For these reasons alone, I would recommend doing as your doctor recommends. I guarantee you, your child will not suffer mentally, physically or otherwise. All four of my my children are bright, extremely intelligent, loving, well grounded children, and our bonding was never hindered. They are loving and caring children who love to be cuddled and held, just like any other breastfed child. This is one of those things that it is time to let go and stop beating yourself up over. This is not your fault. You have gone above and beyond what you could do to make it work. Now it is time to relax and just enjoy your baby. Stop worrying about doing what society says is "best" for your baby and don't worry about any condemnation you may think you will incur. You need to enjoy being a mother, and it doesn't sound like it is very enjoyable right now. The baby can feel that, too, so think about that. When you bottle feed, hold your baby close just like you would when you breast feed. Love on her, hug her, kiss her, talk to her, all just like you normally would. She will not suffer from this and she most likely will feel better, and so will you. Pick something bigger than this to worry and expend your energy on. Good luck and God bless.

Hi J.,

I would recommend to breast feed your baby as long as you can to give her the best nourishment she will have that will last her for quite some time. Mothers milk is the best nourishment you can give your baby.

Do you ever drink hemp milk?

I drink this young barley that comes from Japan and it is so healthy for you and your baby. It is organic and grown in an area that nothing has ever been grown. That is the highest organic value of any food. It is good for you and will help to alkaline not just your body but your baby.

Barley is known to be Natures most perfect food. There is lots of minerals, protein, and enzymes.

The reason your baby has acid reflux is because she is to acid. You can change that by eating alkaline foods and drinking alkaline water.

If you want to know more I would be happy to educate you.

I am a wellness coach.

Good luck.

N. Marie

Hi J.,

Wow. That sounds incredibly frustrating. It sounds like your Dr. is wisely paying attention to allergy symptoms rather than just writing out a prescription, but I wonder if it might be a good idea to talk to a certified nutritionist to get some really specific advice. I am also a veg (with occasional supplement of fish in my diet) but I can't eat cow's dairy. HAve you tried goat's milk products? There are some really good options out there: I eat a goat cheddar which is delicious. Also goat's milk is not as strong tasting as it used to be. Many of us who can't tolerate cow's milk have a much easier time with goat's, perhaps this is true for your daughter as well? ANother thought: sometimes global-seeming food allergies are gluten intolerance underneath it all. Have you tried to eliminate gluten to see how well she does? Best of luck. -K.

Hi J.,
My cousin is a pediatrician (trained at Johns Hopkins) who worked for some time w/ the National Institutes of Health reviewing research and research proposals. My son also had severe reflux (but could tolerate casein formulas, such as Alimentum, though still had reflux). My issue was that I have Multiple Sclerosis (diagnosed while I was pregnant) and had to go onto meds that would be expressed in breastmilk. I had no legit choice but to go onto the meds and stop breastfeeding, and I was really freaked out. My son was born at 29 weeks, and so he didn't eat much per feedng and I had pumped about 3 mos worth of milk that I had frozen by the time he was about one month old. I called my cousin, who had poured over the research available on the benefits of breastfeeding. After analyzing the studies, she concluded that the overwhelming majority of physical health benefits are passed to the baby in the first week with almost all of the physical health benefits being passed along to the baby after 5 weeks of breastfeeding. Because you cannot ethically randomize study participants in a breastfeeding study, the extant literature is rife w/ sample bias and other noise in the data. People will quote you all sorts of data, but the studies are not statistically sound because of the sample issues (and potentially other study design flaws depending on the study). In terms of bonding, kangaroo care is a good alternative. You strip baby down to a diaper, put her on your bare chest and wrap a blanket around the both of you to keep you warm. Even knowing all of this, I would have chosen to breastfeed for longer if I could have. However, a happy, healthy mom is incredibly important to a baby's development; don't underestimate that! Do what's right for you and your family. Don't let people guilt trip you. Breastmilk is wonderful, but your daughter has received lots already. I had the hardest time getting people to help me stop breastfeeding, and got the serious 20 question treatment: how long will you be on the meds? (forever barring a cure); can you wait to go on the meds? {no because i am unable to stay awake to care for my child); etc. Best to you!

ps: having read more responses, I want to add that I'm a huge proponent of body work (though prefer osteopathic manipulation over chiropractic big time -- far more precise and less jolting to the body). Yes, it can help a bit. We took our son to my osteopath (excellent doc w/ his own kids, internationally recognized and respected doc, etc.), and he could not make my son's reflux disappear. I would recommend seeing a pediatric GI if you can. Dr. Hyman (or Heyman) at UCSF is excellent.

Hi J.,

I would have your Doc run and IgG allergy test on both of you. It is likely that you &/or baby have a delayed food allergy. It may be something you have not thought of. My son was allergic to Apples, Oranges, Peanuts, Soy, all kinds of Milk, garlic, & beans. If you can keep the offending foods out of the diet for 4-6 months, the gut has a chance to heal. (the offending foods that the 2 of you are allergic to) I would try drinking Almond milk myself, and keep up the breast feeding...if baby is having that many problems, it is not going to be easier feeding stuff that she has to digest first. I wish that I knew when my son was a little bitty baby what I know now about allergies - I think it would have saved us the heart ache of trying to heal his gut. He would barf more food then another baby would need to survive (I am certain that I was feeding 2 children) we used bath towels not burp rags. This test is very easy to run you can get it at http://www.yorkallergyusa.com/ it can be ran with a little finger prick (not a full blood draw).
Hope this helps!
D.

Hi J.,

My son had acid reflux and vomited from my milk also. He went on nutramigen (at 5 months) and still vomited but the doctor recommended we keep trying. We had to give him prilosec for all the vomiting which I did not like doing. I stopped that after a few weeks. In the end, I found his muscle tone was weak which was causing his vomiting. With bottle feeding it is easy to regulate how much they take in but with breast milk, you don't always know.

My son is 7 now (he breastfed the first 5 months then was formula fed) and my daughter is 5 years old now (she was never breastfed but was 100% formula fed - Similac). In hindsight, I realize that breast milk is always the first choice but being flexible to every child's situation is important too. My daughter lived off rice and hazelnut milk starting at 12 months and continues to drink rice milk now. She is strong, healthy, smart, etc. I was too afraid to breastfeed my daughter knowing what happened with my son, so I went straight to formula with her. It was better for me also as I had recurrent mastitis with my son.

Take my suggestion as just another opinion, but don't worry about moving her to rice milk. She is right at the age where solids will be introduced soon, so milk will not be her only source of nutrition soon. We gave our daughter Pacific brand Rice Milk (at Whole Foods). You can also try hazelnut or almond milk if she is no allergic as that will give her more varied nutrition. I rotated the milks to prevent allergies from serving the same one every day also.

Good luck! The reflux gets better as their muscle tone strengthens and their food sensitivities get better.

Take care!

Hi J.,
Both of my girls weaned themselves at 6 months, and turned out to be fantastic kids. Breast milk is only "best" if it works for you and your baby! If your baby is in pain due to consuming breast milk, then by all means put her on something else! She will be absolutely fine. Don't worry, and enjoy your baby. =)

I, like you, struggled with breastfeeding with both of my babies. Breastfeedng is important, but it is only one aspect of being a mom. When too much of your emotional and physical energy is spent on the struggle to breastfeed, it can start to effect your whole parenting outlook. Give up breastfeeding if it is getting to be too much. There are so many great things about that first year that you and your daughter really need to enjoy!

Dear J.,
We all know that breastfeeding is best.
I couldn't believe how many of my friends who had children before I did never even considered it as an option, let alone the natural thing to do.
When I had my first baby, there was never a doubt or question that I would nurse her for at least a year.
There were no allergy or acid reflux issues, but she pretty much self-weaned herself from the breast at 4 months old. I thought I was doing something wrong, I was worried she wouldn't be healthy, I was engorged and begged her to nurse, I tried pumping and giving her breast milk in a bottle. I finally gave her formula one day just to try it and there was no turning back. She was just done.
That said, my daughter was perfectly normal, healthy and happy. Things didn't go the way I'd planned, but she was no worse for wear. I couldn't beat myself up about it.
I don't think you should be too h*** o* yourself.
I hope you will receive some great advice about alternatives, but I hope you won't feel as though you have to keep struggling.
After the way things worked out with my first baby, I was worried how things would go with my second one, but let me tell you.....I think he would have nursed forever if I'd let him.
You have to take care of yourself.
And whatever you do...
Don't feel guilty about anything because it's obvious you love your baby and that is the most important thing.

Best of wishes and blessings!

I would talk to a few more pediatricians to make sure the rice or oat milk would have enough fat for a developing brain. Many of the responses talk about using formula instead of breast milk which has plenty of fat. You may be able to supplement the lost fat with olive oil mixed with her veggies. I'm no expert but it seems like she would need more fat than is in the rice or oat milk. Until you make your final decision I would continue breastfeeding taking dairy out of your diet.

Hi

Good for you for being so unstoppable around breastfeeding so far! I love breastfeeding my 10 month old. I cannot give you personal advice as I am not vegetarian. But my friend's son is lactose intolerant and therefore she had to go dairy free on top of being vegetarian. She has breastfed her son all the way to 16 months by going dairy free herself. She just ensures that she ups her carbohydrate level and eats plenty of protein from other sources. She has also continued taking her prenatal vitamins.

I also have another friend who is not entirely vegetarian but mostly and she has never eaten dairy by choice - again she supplements with prenatal vitamins and extra magnesium/ calcium to ensure she has sufficient for breastfeeding and herself.

I hope this is helpful

M.

Hi J.,

I know this is a late reply and forgive me if someone else has mentioned it...You might try Goat's milk. The molecules are smaller than those in cow's milk and are therefore easier to digest which in turn eases the reflux. You can find it at Trader Joe's for 2.99 per quart. It's a bit more expensive but may make all the difference in your baby's (and you yours!) life. There is a slight change in taste but very mild. Hope this helps.

Sorry about your little one. By all means STOP breast feeding..REALLY!!! I had the same issue and my little ones were put on soy formula and did GREAT! At this age your little ones body is making it's own antibodies, and while many moms think it's better to breastfeed for longer, there truly are no substantial nutritonal benefits for your baby over formula. Formula is FINE for your little one and if makes the both of you happy, then do it! And don't let anyone make you feel bad for it. My little guy went to formula at 3 months for similar issues. He is the top of his class in school, and one of the tallest and most athletic kids in his class..he is 8! Do what makes you both comfortable, and remember if you breast feed or not, niehter one means your a better mom and breast feeding doesn't ensure how your child will "turn out" either. It's just a choice and everyone is different.

Hi J.,

I have read that reflux can be calmed not only by reducing dairy and soy but having an adequate amount of protien.
You can get a complete protien by mixing rice and beans together at a meal. You could try switching from cow milk to fresh goat milk for any dairy need and see if that makes a difference as well.
I am always trying to think- what is different now than back 100 years ago when all babies were breastfed. Reflux rates are SOARING in the last 5 years. There 's got to be something, perhaps in the environment like chemicals, or in the diet, perhaps how the food is processed or additives they are putting ino it. Or even nutrients taken out during processing.
Breads/baked goods can be another culprit for reflux.
I was reading how they used to put iodine in breads (iodine is a REQUIREMENT in the diet)but they have taken it out and now use bromine instead. Bromine is used in rat poison, and it destroys your iodine stores in your body. Chlorine destroys your iodine stores also. There is more chlorine in our tap water than ever. Iodine is one of those things you can take supplements and not worry about, because the body flushes out the extra. But it's an essential ingredient for a healthy body and thyroid.

Adding more protien might be a good start.Protien is required for vitamin A uptake. I have read that children must have animal fat from protien to make the conversion from beta carotene into a usable form of vit A/Retanol. Vit A is very important to mucosal tissues.
Protien also has high levels of Vit B, another one of those VERY important vitamins our body doesn't store and so you need to continually replace it. Being that sugars (and possibly carbs?) will wipe out vit b stores, anyone who eats the standard american diet would highly likely be deficient.
Zinc is another very important vitamin while breatfeeding.
Vit A, B complex, iodine, and zinc is very important while lactating.

One last thing I want to tell you about is Lactobaccillus. It improves absorption of nutrients, prevents candida overgrowth(which milk/carb diets contribute to)maintains intestinal walls and the PH in the intestines. They have this stuff called Bifido Factor superdophilus. You can put a 1/4-1/2 teaspoon in spring water for your baby and give it directly to her, and you can even take it. Bifido bacteria helps produce vit B and K in the gut.

Hang in there J.-! Especially if your daughter has already shown food allergies - she needs to be breastfed for a while - to support her system and support the proper development of her digestion. Yes - cut out all dairy. Do you eat eggs? Eggs for protein, and greens for calcium - plus take a good multivitamin. If you can go off wheat that would be even better - eat oats, rice, quinoa, millet, amaranth, etc. - Keep up the good work-! You can do this -

You can check with the milk bank through the Mothers Network in Sacramento and see if they know of any dairy free donated breastmilk. (I know that sounds scary, someone elses breastmilk, but if they check it and it's healthy that might be an option)

Just a suggestion as I know you've already had a rough enough time!! Maybe look into how vegans get a balanced diet without dairy and possibly soy. My daughter had a bloody stool once and I had to stop dairy and soy and it seemed like EVERYTHING had dairy or soy in it. My husband is vegan so he had some great suggestions so people do manage it. I know it's really difficult but if you could do it just for a couple more months I'm sure it would make a big difference. Especially if she's already allergic to other things, continuing breastfeeding might really help build up her tolerances.
I wish you the best and try and keep in mind not everything lasts forever.

I had to give my son goats milk. Kind of expensive but he was healthy.

Hi J.,

I've been thinking of your request the past few days, but only able to reply now... I agree with Catherine C. Breast is only best if it works for you and your baby. I am still breastfeeding our 21 month old, so I am definitely an advocate of breastfeeding. But you have already made it to 9 months, which is a wonderful gift for your child, and SO many wonderful, healthy children are never breastfed at all.

My daughter had/has a dairy allergy and I've had to cut out dairy from my diet for as long as 6 months at a time. It was not easy, and I'm not even a vegetarian (anymore, I was for 11 years)!

It's easy to get caught up in what we "should" do, but do what works best for you and your child. The stress of trying to keep to an extremely strict diet might negate the benefits of breastfeeding.

Anyway, that's my two cents. :)

H.

If I told you that you weren't allowed to breastfeed your daughter ever again, would you fight me on it?
Follow your heart.
Once you stop you are done!

Hi J.,
I found out at my second son's 4 month check up he has acid reflux. Which explained a lot. Insane behavior!!! My first son was so easy never spit up or had any of these issues, sleeping 12 hours at 7 weeks in his crib at night. My second son was 5 weeks permature but came out 6.14lbs. I was told preemies have a hard time lactching on and i too had to pump and i went bananas since he was eating every 1.5hour mostly to sooth himself form the pain of the acid reflux. I was so tired back then I had a very low milk supply and getting 3 hours a night of sleep was a vacation with him. I just didn't take care of myself. I was too tired and my older son was in so many activities and preschool. My older son was 2.5yrs old at the time and didn't like it when i pumped. climbed all over me so I finally gave up. I put both my boys on Ready Made Simulac Alimentum formula since birth. With my first son he was allergic to everything out there and soy. The Alimentum is the best hands down and neither of my children had any issues with it. My baby sees an upper GI dr in Walnut Creek who is fantastic and has gotten my baby on track and my household is more peaceful. He also told me Alimentum is the best out there for any allergies/digestive issues. Its pricy since I feed my baby Ready made but so worth it in the end. Everyone is happier. Have you tried it? Sometimes it takes a few days if you have been playing the formula game and switching babys formula a lot. But I would try a ready made base instead of poweder. My ped told me with my first son the poweder can cause some fussiness. My son will turn 1 this week so we get to cut down on the formula which will help with the cost but both my children did well on it.

Good luck. Your doing a good job.

SAHM 40yrs old with 2 funny adorable little boys. 3.5yrs old and 11 months. Was walking at 7.5months. crazy!

While there are undeniable benefits to breastfeed as long as possible, sometimes it is better to do what is best for you. Breastfeeding shouldn't be a stressful experience, and if it is, I am sure your child senses this. There are a lot of babies who are fed formula and are just fine. Don't feel guilty about it. You and baby will both be fine!

As someone who breastfed 3 kids up to age two, I am definitely pro-nursing. I think it's fantastic that you've been so commited and worked so hard to keep up the nursing even with all the challenges you've faced.
Having said that, breastfeeding is something that both you and your baby share, and if it it starting to feel like a struggle, by all means stop, and don't feel guilty! You have already given your daughter a wonderful start and she will continue to thrive and grow. I have seen moms nurse longer than they want to just because they think that's what they should do, and they end up resenting the connection rather than enjoying it.
Good luck :)

Hi J.,

My daughter had similar issues, although not as severe it sounds. From what I understand it is really the dairy that gets through the breast milk (as some can't yet process the protein), however, the soy should not be a problem in your diet. I have heard other wise, but for me, dairy was the only thing that mattered. If you haven't tried just cutting dairy out first, it would be worth a try before you cut out both.

It will still be hard to be on a vegan-ish diet while lactating (eggs should be fine), but you can also experiment and see if your daughter responds badly to all dairy. Some things, such as yogurt, hard cheese and cultured dairy (like buttermilk)don't cause the same reaction in some babies. It is unlikely that your daughter will be unable to digest milk protein forever, she should outgrow it soon (most by 1 year), the same with the reflux (they told us 8 months). I am curious if your baby is really reacting to the reflux or if it is the milk intolerance that is upsetting her. Hang in there, this will get better, I promise!

Best,
Lilia