Hello, I posted a while back about milk supply issues (it seemed mine was low and I've been pumping like crazy ever since) and very slow weight gain in my beautiful baby girl. I would like to hear others' experiences with lactose intolerant babies. What worked for you? What doctors did you see? What would you recommend?
Our story... This week, after weeks of slow weight gain and struggles with feeding her, we found out through a "reducing substances" test that she is "lactose intolerant" (the kind that she should grow out of). I was elated to find out what the problem was, but she is still refusing to eat much, even though we are giving her lactaid as directed by my doctor, as well as Zantac since she seemed to be having silent reflux. It's only been 2 and a half days on Lactaid but I am extremely discouraged. She is refusing both the bottle and breast so it is incredibly hard to feed her. I am so anxious and depressed and at a loss for what to do.
I have a hunch it is related to lactose overload, where she was not nursing effectively enough or long enough due to my initial oversupply (too much low-fat, high-lactose foremilk). She began showing difficulty nursing around 5 and a half weeks (gagging on the milk as it came out and pulling away) and it got worse and worse from there even though I tried nursing in side-lying and other positions to try and help her out. Her weight gain has been really slow and it scares me so much.
Thanks for any guidance or suggestions or POSITIVE encouragement. I am really low and could use a boost.
It has been many months but I wanted to follow up. First I want to reiterate my gratitude to everyone who offered advice and support. A couple days after I posted here, my daughter was admitted to Children's Hospital. An OT witnessed her extremely intense eating refusal and all my feelings were validated. Something was seriously wrong.
She was given an NG (nasogastric tube) and put on hypoallergenic formula. We left the hospital five days later with the NG tube still in. It stayed in for two months, until I finally was able to wean her off of it, thank goodness. It was pretty horrible.
The theory is that she had severe reflux and cow's milk protein intolerance, though they are not sure. I'd given up dairy and soy and she still screamed her head off and arched severely at any attempt to feed her--by breast or bottle. She only fed when it was forced into her screaming mouth, which was not the way for any of us to live.
She is doing very well now. The NG tube is gone and she is fed hypoallergenic formula by bottle. It was so sad to give up breastfeeding, but for us, it was totally necessary and helped bring us closer!
You can read more about our experiences at my blog. Just google "life and times of stella johnson" if you are interested. Now that we are on the other side, I love to help support other parents going through the agony of feeding issues!
Thanks again!
A.
I do not have any advice on the milk problem but having just gone through a child my son with Silent Reflux and him not sleeping more then 1 hour in a row until he was 9 months is to get her to the chiropractor now! We suffered for 9 months then we took him to the chiropractor and with a week he was off of prevacid had been on Zantac and out of his sleep wedge and sleeping over 15 hours in a row! It was amazing.
Oh, how I feel for you! My daughter was a preemie, so we were that much more obsessed with her nutrition and weight gain. At about 6-weeks-old she started projectile vomiting. We tried Zantac, then Prevacid. Neither helped, and her reflux just got worse with blood in it. It was terrifying. Each time she would nurse, she would throw up, so then she wouldn't want to nurse and my milk supply went down. Her doctor said that if it was just reflux, the meds would have helped and that there must be another irritant in her stomach, so had me stop eating all dairy and soy. It was so hard, I was always starving but having a hard time finding things to eat (if you read ingredients, almost all food has some dairy or soy products in them!). I was taking fenugreek and trying to pump frequently, but my milk was still low. When I finally figured out some meals for me and ate more, it definitely helped my milk supply. My daughter's pediatrician said that it could take up to 8 weeks to get all of the dairy out of my system. During those 8 weeks we would keep her upright 24/7, sleeping with her on our chests on the couch in sitting. I took her to Children's hospital and had a custom foam wedge made for her - it was about 50 degrees and had bolsters and velcro straps - the works! It truly did take about 8 weeks though of me off dairy for her to get excited about eating/nursing and for us to be able to put her to bed in her wedge. I think she really did understand that nursing made her stomach hurt, so didn't want to nurse. I ended up back eating soy when she was 4 months old, but stayed off dairy the whole year I nursed her. I had to be incredibly aware of what I ate to make sure it had NO DAIRY! Even foods with nonfat dry milk would seem to upset her stomach. I tried the hypoallergenic formula to supplement her diet (Nutramagin), but she refused it. I couldn't blame her - it smelled so bad!! Plus, then when she would spit up, it smelled even worse!
Good luck! I would really recommend avoiding dairy and looking into getting a wedge made for your daughter. That combination really helped us! She is now almost 19 months old and tolerates cheese and yogurt just fine. She still drinks soy milk, but I'm hoping to transition to whole milk soon.
Hi, my son had silent reflux as well. Have you changed your diet as well?
We tried Zantac and it did not make things better, it seemed to make things worse actually. We, instead, had 3 sessions of craniosacral work and I took dairy out of my diet. This combination really alleviated most symptoms and then by 6 months it was completely gone.
This is what worked for us, I know every child is different, and it wasn't easy.
If you want a recommendation for cranio......we saw Beth at Mississippi Health Center...also Carol Gray is another name that I have heard is great. Hope that helps!!
It may sound silly, but cut your intake of dairy products. This will have a big impact on your daughter's digestion. Simethicone drops also work for indigestion problems and aren't as drastic as Zantac. If you have an over abundant supply of milk that it comes forth so much that it gags her, try feeding her more often, shorter durations, smaller amounts. Your flow won't be as fast, your body will adapt. It's quite common to have engorgement in the first few weeks until you and your baby adjust to the supply and demand cycle.
After she nurses intially, you can pump after to drain your breasts to the comfort level, freezing the milk to be used for those times you're not at home and she's with Dad or a sitter. She might have a 'failure to thrive' syndrome, your pediatrician should be contacted if she doesn't have at least 8 wet diapers a day. Don't let this go beyond 2 days. Have you changed your diet recently? Are you drinking a lot of coffee or tea? It takes time and patience on both your parts to get this nursing experience to a degree of pleasure for the both of you. You may find that hand expressing for a couple of minutes takes the pressure off so the flow is slower as well, making it more comfortable for her to nurse. Be sure to take her from the breast and burp often if she's having indigestion problems and taking air in with her milk.
Best wishes!!!
I echo others' suspicion that it is casein (milk protein) that is the culprit here, not lactose (milk sugar). Intolerance of this protein does damage the intestine lining. Kids with this intolerance often do not tolerate soy either, so remove both from your diet. That means no dairy, including butter, and for now at least I would try no soy. It's a big sacrifice but it made my daughter much, much better in only a month's time (takes 2 weeks to rid your system of the casein and some time for her to heal). Best wishes!
Does she actually seem hungry? Babies go through stages where they just don't eat much (maybe as little as every 5-6 hours), then a few days later they're nursing every 10 minutes.
I highly doubt that she's allergic to your breast milk, but she might be allergic to the dairy in your diet. You should remove that if you haven't already. Otherwise you should just relax and feed her when she wants to eat. You body is programed to feed her and will regulate the right amount of milk for your baby. I think that my breasts finally regulated at about 4-5 months (I made enough milk for 3 babies), but my best friend's regulated by 2 months.
My best friends son did a very similar thing as your daughter. He just wasn't a hungry for a while, but he always did eat when HE needed to.
Honey, relax! Your body is amazing! Your baby WILL eat when she needs to. There is no such thing as a baby that starves herself to death (that I know of). Nurse on demand. Don't force her if she's not interested. Stop reading horror stories and trust in your body. Relax!
As far as I know, breastmilk does not contain lactose, unless you are eating it yourself. I couldn't eat any dairy for about 6 months with my 2nd child. His reaction was not as severe as yours though, but he would cry and cry with tummy ache if I ate any dairy at all.
I really really feel for you. I know it might seem impossible to relax, but if you feel so anxious, your milk supply will definately be affected.
Can you get yourself to a massage or acupuncture treatment? This might really help your supply, acupuncture and some chinese herbs in particular.
There are also many massage therapists out there that do home visits. If you help yourself, you will help your baby.
Best wishes
Helen
I totally hear where you are coming from. My little girl has the reflux and the dairy thing too (besides sleep issues too). First of all take things one day at a time and each issue as they come. Since you have done the tests with you to see what it was in the milk just make sure you don't have dairy if you can or at least not very much. You can eat your cereal dry with juice you get the point. You can try a wedge in the bed or to lift the bed up but that may not work if they move in bed and off of it (as my baby does). Having them on something like zantac or previcid isn't the end of the world. After a month or so for my baby of being on the meds, trying a wedge, changing what I eat, and giving her 1-2 bottles a day of Nutramigine she was just fine. Her doctor even told me I did what I needed to and did a good job figuring it all out. A couple of times at the begining she seemed to have some fall back and it seemed like her tummy hurt or something. Nothing would help I tried everything. Then I remembered from my first what mother said was to try a teaspoon of dark karo syrup in her bottle and well it worked.
She is now 6 month and with these adjustments in my diet and the suppliment (which is not bad to do at all) she is a happy and healthy little girl. Good luck to you.
We figured out early on that my son couldn't tolerate lactose, so I cut out dairy while breast-feeding and since I also had low supply issues, we supplemented with a soy-based formula. Unfortunately, though, soy makes babies consitpated so my son did have some early problems with constipation. If he got backed up, under doctor's orders, I gave him an ounce of Gerber's apple juice for every month he was old. At one point that didn't work and we actually had him on medication at 9 weeks old to make him go. I think I mentioned before that he lost nearly a pound in the first week after he was born and came back up slowly. By the time he was 3 months old, though, he was a healthy, happy pudgy little guy! Hang in there as these things will get better the older they get! What does your doctor say about her weight gain? If your doctor isn't worried, I would try not to worry as well... It's really difficult, though, as you feel solely responsible for this little life! As long as she's gaining something and eating, though, it's a good sign. Friends of ours were always worried about their daughter being so small and she just turned 2 and is growing like a weed now. She also walked at 9 months old and was sitting up early, rolling over early, etc. And she eats more than any kid I know and she eats everything - vegetables too!! She is now catching up to other kids her age re weight and height and she's a very healthy active little girl. Good luck - I feel for you!
I know you must be very worried. I have The Breastfeeding Answer book, it says Lactose intolerance falls into 3 categories:
1. a congenital inability to process lactose, very rare except in Scandinavian countries. (Galactosemia)
2.Lactose intolerance comes on gradually with age, this is what happens to 70% of the worlds population, this doesn't happen usually before age 4.
3.This seems like maybe what's going on with you. Intolerance due to damage to lining of the small intestine through allergies or illness. If you daughter is sensitive to dairy through your milk or something thing else I could see this
happening.
It says in the book to maximize the hindmilk your baby is getting, finishing one side until the baby is done then offering the other side. And adjust your diet and continue nursing.
Possibly you could pump some before you nurse so she gets less foremilk. HTH
A.-
My son also had problems when I consumed dairy. I had to eliminate it entirely from my diet. From what I have read, and from what my son's pediatrician has told me, it is not the lactose (milk sugar) that babies react to. It is the milk protein. It isn't even an allergy. These babies' immature digestive systems just lack the enzyme needed to digest diary well.
The Lactaid does not have milk sugar in it, but it does have milk proteins. So maybe this is why your baby is still having trouble. I would assume that once you take all dairy out of your diet, your babe will be doing much better. Although it can take a week or two to get it out of your system. My guy is now 1. I still nurse him, but I started adding dairy back into my diet-yeah! pizza, ice cream, and yogurt. The last couple of days I began giving him cheese, and he seems to be doing just fine.
Don't worry too much. You will find something that works for you and your baby. And take comfort in knowing that most babies grow out of this and can eventually add dairy back into their diets. I also think Le Leche would be a great resource. There is also plenty of information on the internet.
Good luck and hang in there!
Hey A.,
I just want to say that you are doing a great job!!! I know from experience how terribly hard it is to deal with what you're going through and I'm so sorry that you have to do it. On the other hand, it is these obstacles that make us wonderful mothers and help us to bond even better with our children. I want you to know that my son went through some very similar issues as have many other children. You are not alone out there! The one thing that really helped me during my son's first year was going to a La Leche League group. There I was able to hear from other moms how they dealt with the exact same issue and got through it. You might check it out if you get a chance!
I have been through what you are going through as a new mother. If you ever want to talk or want some ideas please feel free to contact me. Even if you're down and just need a little encouragement. You truly are doing a great job for your little one!
D.
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We tried lactose-free formula for my first baby, and that worked for uw. The Lactaid that I think you mean is still cow's milk, so maybe your little one is not ready for that yet. We used the lactose-free formula until she was one, and then we switched to Lactaid, which she still drinks. Good luck!!!
Contact your nearest NAET person and ask if they work on babies. Mine does. They can get rid of the lactose intollerance and milk related allergies.
www.naet.com
I just wanted to tell you that my heart really goes out to you. My son is 15 months old now and those first five months were by far the hardest thing I've ever done. My son was a "sleep fighter" so I was so exhausted and everything felt completely overwhelming. I can't imagine how stressful it would be to have all the normal anxiety of being a new mom with the added stress of worrying about feeding your baby--I don't have any advice, but I do empathize with how your feeling. Would it be possible to take a quick baby break and get a cup of coffee by yourself or with an understanding friend?
my grandson was being breast fed and when he was about 3 month old he started refusing to eat and would scream. the solution was to start giving him cereal ith fruit. he would nurse during the night and eat times a day
paula
When my nurse suspected lactose intolerance in my baby, she suggested that I stop eating dairy products. I changed to soy milk, cheese, and Ice cream. In 3 weeks her rash cleared up and she was eating better. Good luck, hope that helps
My granddaughter was allergic to milk until she was 5 or so. She may have not been allergic sooner but her mother didn't think to test by trying milk.
I've not heard of a baby being lactose intolerant. The test that her pediatrician and then her allergist did was to test for allergies and the milk one as well as several others tested positive for an allergy. The only other food allergy was to peanuts and she's still allergic to them at 8 and will probably be for the rest of her life. The pediatrician did a blood test and the allergist did a skin prick test. The allergist said the skin prick is more reliable.
If the mother is nursing the allergist recommended eliminating all the offending food from their diet. My daughter quit nursing around 6 months and switched to Nutrimagen. My granddaughter did better but was still somewhat fussy.
My grandson who had no food allergies but he was projectile vomiting. He was also chronically constipated and had to take medication for that. The acid reducing medications did not work for him.
Both children slept in their car seat set inside their cribs for several months. The car seat keeps them more upright and reduces reflux. They both liked being in the car seat. I suspect that being swaddled in a small space was reassuring. Both babies slid off the wedge.
Hello there,
I've posted this before and always happy to help more moms on the board. I have an oatmeal milk recipe you can make yourself inexpensively and organically if you choose. I used it for a long time on my son. It's a wonderful alternative when you cannot continue breastfeeding for any reason and would like to avoid dairy and soy products.
Besides this, the reflux and lactose intolerance should be addressed. Those can be helped with Homeopathy and not have to continually give medication.
Liz
OK I know that what the world has made a huge huge deal about "breast is best" but that is not always the case. Lactose intolerance runs in almost every family member on my side and I have it so I like to think that I know what I'm talking about. If your baby has it, there is a chance that you have it...
To avoid any feeding problems, from the minute my girls were born they were on Soy Formula (Similac). I met with my oldest daughter's peditrian before she was born and discussed this with him. He encouraged me to skip the breastmilk and go straight to the Soy formula to avoid any problems. My girls are very health girls who were/are in daycare and didn't sucumb to getting sick all the time because they were "bottle feed". My 4th grader was just promoted to the advanced math class.
I get so tired of hearing mom's force the breastfeeding issue (and my mother-in-law laid it on hard) but I had to do what I felt was best for MY baby.
Similac makes numerous, wonderful products that you should give a try. If you log into babyzone.com you can recieve coupons for $5-$8 off.. very helpful.
You need to do what is best for the baby.. not what the world thinks is best.. and I know your mothers instinct will tell you what to do.
Happy feeding :p
ps.. I use lactaid.. it only works to a point. for A bowl of cereal or A bowl of ice cream in A day. more milk than that, for me it doesn't work.
A., I would so encourage you to check into Reliv nutritional formulas! People that are lactose intolerant can take them and they have helped nursing moms and their babies get what they need nutritionally! I would be happy to get you more information about what other nursing moms have seen and others with lactose intolerance in terms of results. You can get it through me or find another Reliv distributor. Just make sure you get the customer service that you should as that is one of the many things that sets Reliv apart is the goal of helping you to get the results you are looking for. It comes with a 30 day money back gaurentee and no side effects. Two differences from prescription drugs! Let me know if you want to learn more.
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