Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Move Over, Bessie.


Ever since Naomi was a few weeks old, she's had issues with her stomach. It went from your normal run-of-the-mill gas to flat-out screaming and misery. Cub was a gassy little fella, so having a gassy baby was nothing new to me. However, recently, Naomi's gastronomical issues elevated from being gassy to not pooping for several days at a time. Then the normal fussiness that accompanied her gas became shrieks of pain that dramatically increased over the past few days. Last night I finally felt compelled to call the doctor, believing her condition had grown beyond something I felt I could handle without some advice.

(Naturally, after I hung up with the nurse last night, Naomi pooped and then slept all night.)

(They really do make liars out of you. FYI.)

I took her in this morning and explained her symptoms. The not pooping was the biggest issue for our pediatrician (I'm sure Naomi will be thrilled that I'm discussing her bowel movements with the Internet) and he asked me if I had given up dairy. Why yes, I told him. No milk or ice cream for me!

Then, in an effort to not treat me like a complete idiot, he gently said, "No, I mean, ALL dairy."

Hmm. That would be a no. In fact, when I went over in my head the list of things I eat on a regular basis, I realized that most of it was drenched in dairy: Creamer in my morning (and afternoon) cup of coffee, Annie's Mac 'n Cheese at lunch, a slice of cheese on my sandwich or broccoli and cheese for dinner, then possibly something with chocolate for dessert.

Apparently, I wasn't cutting out quite enough.

He told me that most carbs bought in packages can contain dairy, too, so I needed to check the labels. Or, better yet, just drop carbs and stick with meat and veggies and fruit for a week and see if that helps. I have friends who have had similar issues and who swear that once they cut dairy, their babies were significantly better. So, I'm absolutely willing to try. I don't want to hear that little scream again. Crying I can handle. Screaming in pain, not so much. It breaks my heart.

My pediatrician did say, bless his heart, that I may have one piece of dark chocolate a day, if need be.

So! I've had some advice from friends on Facebook on different non-dairy milks to try (like almond and coconut) and some other ways to sweeten my morning cup of coffee (like adding honey or flavored syrup).

If any of you have any other suggestions for me, I'd love to hear them! This is new territory for this bread-and-milk loving lady.

Have a lovely day!

7 comments:

  1. I love soy milk too...The vanilla kind is really good in coffee!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mmmm...I heart soy milk :-) But I don't have any suggestions! I drink milk like a crazy woman, am I not supposed to?! I haven't altered my diet much for her, except not to drink caffeine or alcohol...I hope your efforts pay off! Good luck :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hey LoriDarlin'! I say, if your baby's tummy is fine, then drink all the milk you want. And drink some more for me!! :) Apparently, if a baby has tummy issues and the mom is breast feeding, dairy products are usually the culprit. Who knew.

    Oddly enough, caffeine doesn't seem to affect her in the slightest. Dairy products I can eliminate. But my Dunkin' Donuts Original Blend cup of coffee? Mmm ... not so much!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. (Let me also mention here that I know milk and ice cream are not the only sources of dairy out there, obviously. I just figured a little cheese and such wouldn't be bad, but, apparently, it can be.

    Also. I LOVE chocolate soy milk. YUM.)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Well if you're sticking to protein and produce you are going to lose those last few baby pounds FAST! One perk of losing that ice cream I guess! ;) And for the record, I am still totally jealous of your ability to consume caffeinated coffee while nursing...Riggs just can't take it, and OH how I miss it on days when I need that boost!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh, I so feel your pain. Since Eli was born on 6/17 I have been steering clear of dairy, chocolate and any of the gassy foods. I just thought it best not to test it. I have kind of been adding here and there, but being very frugal about it and not every day.

    I can't do soy myself, but I recommend rice milk. I drink it in coffee, on my cereal, and mix it in with smoothies. It definitely doesn't compare to milk, but it is well worth not having a fussy, uncomfortable baby that keeps me awake all night.

    Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm a casual reader of your blog and this post totally stuck out to me! I had to give up dairy for 12 months (eek!) because it triggered my daughter's eczema. We lived in Tucson at the time, so I had a world of organic non dairy products at my disposal. Once you get over the initial hump of no dairy, it really is easy. There are so many wonderful soy products out there. I can't remember the brand, but there are some awesome little ice cream sandwiches that are soy and you'd never know the difference. I do remember there being lots of gross dairy replacement stuff, too. So, good luck in your non dairy journey! In the end, it's all totally worth it (literally!).

    ReplyDelete