Author Topic: MSPI? Lactose Intolerance? Someone talk me through this please?  (Read 1715 times)

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Offline LucyA

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Chloe is nearly 11 months now, and has always been a terrible sleeper, sometimes worse than others! It has recently dawned on me that some of the sleep troubles we're having might actually be food related, rather than just due to a complete lack of sleep training.

When Chloe was very little, from a few weeks to around 3-4 months we had a period of crying during feeds, refusal to feed, very slow weight gain. After a number of weeks we finally figured out that the problem was excessive foremilk causing excessive wind - lots of crying and farting, poor girl! I started pumping a little bit of milk off before feeds and our problems disappeared almost immediately.

We then had a period of things being ok with feeding and sleep. She's always woken several times at night, but I assumed that was due to us AP-ing her to sleep. She would have the odd night where she would wake not long after bedtime and I wouldn't be able to feed her back to sleep. She would start to feed but after a minute or so she would pull off crying and get really upset if I kept trying to feed her. I would end up getting her up, she would usually eventually do a poo then after a while I would be able to feed her back to sleep. This could take 2-3 hours.

Over the last couple of months these very unsettled nights where she's been up in the evening have become more and more frequent, to the point that they're now the norm rather than the exception. Very tiresome!! A few things have happened in the last few months: we've started solids, including cheese and yogurt; I went back to work, which changed our bf habits. I started pumping twice a day at work (at normal feed times) for the first few weeks, but was pumping so much milk that I dropped to pumping just once a day, usually late morning. I suspect this has meant that when I feed her at bedtime there's a lot of foremilk there again.

The last week or so I've been pumping before the bedtime feed, and we've seen quite an improvement in her sleep - waking lots, but back to sleep quickly. Last Th and Fri we gave her cow's milk on her cereal for breakfast. Thursday night she was very unsettled, Friday had diarrhea, and Friday night was awful, up for hours and really miserable. So since Saturday she and I have been completely off dairy and things seem to be improving.

Sorry for the very long post! Any thoughts? Thx
Lucy




Offline momtoandrewandthomas

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Re: MSPI? Lactose Intolerance? Someone talk me through this please?
« Reply #1 on: July 08, 2008, 17:52:13 pm »
It does sound like there is a chance the milk is bothering her belly.  Does she have any other symptoms like rash or runny/stuffy nose or sneezing along with the belly troubles and difficult sleep?

It is weird that she did OK in the middle there even though you were not watching your diet.  I would try keeping a detailed food diary and see what kinds of things go together when you feed her.  Is she more restless?  Is she nursing better or worse?  Is she pooping more or less?  What colors are the poops and what consistency?  How is she napping? 

It will be hard with another person providing care while you are at work, but day care workers are pretty good at writing things down anyway.

I would try a week or 2 with keeping close track of things you and she eat and then see if any links can be drawn. 

Does her pedi have any thoughts?
Jen - pediatric physical therapist and wife to Brian
Mom to Andrew - 5 1/2 sensitive preemie
           Thomas - 2 1/2 MSPI textbook baby

Kindergarten is stressing me out!!!!

Offline LucyA

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Re: MSPI? Lactose Intolerance? Someone talk me through this please?
« Reply #2 on: July 09, 2008, 12:15:05 pm »
Thanks Jen.

She does have a bit of mild exczema, but it's mainly just the belly/sleep trouble.

The fact that she was ok in the middle (meaning that she still had the disturbed sleep etc, but much less frequently) leads me to believe either that it's a lactose issue, because that's not affected by what I eat, or that it's a mild intolerance to protein, so the small amounts that come through in my milk aren't a big problem for her. Is that logical?

I have started keeping a diary as of last weekend, when we both stopped dairy. She's certainly sleeping better and having less discomfort/wind. And her poos are more solid than they have been for a while. No more pulling off during nursing. Naps are still a bit tricky, but that's partly due to juggling the demands of two children.

We have a nanny, so there's not too much of an issue with having another carer.

We saw our gp today and he didn't have much to say really. He agreed that it could be a milk issue, and that we need to keep a diary and keep going with excluding food and reintroducing to figure out what the problem is. He gave me a referral to a pedi allergist, but don't know how long it will take to get an appt.

So we'll see how we get on over then next couple of weeks.
Lucy




Offline RachelC

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Re: MSPI? Lactose Intolerance? Someone talk me through this please?
« Reply #3 on: July 09, 2008, 15:50:31 pm »
Just wanted to add some {{{hugs}}}


Proud to have breastfed for a combined total of 35 months


Offline Peek-a-boo

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Re: MSPI? Lactose Intolerance? Someone talk me through this please?
« Reply #4 on: July 09, 2008, 16:41:52 pm »
Lucy--My DS was similar.  We didn't realize he had a dairy intolerance until he started solids.  I continued to bf and not drink liquid milk, but consume cheese and yogurt and that seemed to work fine for him.  But ANY dairy--even trace amounts that he consumed led to nightwakings with what seemed to be intestinal cramps. 

Offline LucyA

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Re: MSPI? Lactose Intolerance? Someone talk me through this please?
« Reply #5 on: July 10, 2008, 11:39:09 am »
So I made an appt with the pediatric allergy guy today - in November! I assume if you're having serious problems with allergies you can get in a little quicker than that...

Digestive issues still  much better today, but now she has a runny nose and croupy sounding breathing. It's just one thing after another atm!
Lucy




Offline momtoandrewandthomas

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Re: MSPI? Lactose Intolerance? Someone talk me through this please?
« Reply #6 on: July 10, 2008, 12:20:56 pm »
Oh Lucy.  I feel for you.  I know that Wendy had mentioned before about the MSPI/belly issues affecting a child's balance of good and bad bacteria in thier gut.  In looking back, I think that this was definitely the case with Thomas when we did not know what he had.  He was the worst nighttime sleeper of all times and would be so restless you could barely hold him.  We did not know what to do with him.  I kept trying to feed him and he would just be more upset.  I had no clue and my pedi was not a help.    He was so sick his first year and it was proabably due to the fact that my older son had just started pre-school and that his gut was so out of wack that he could not fight off anything.  Every little sniffle would knock him out.  He had RSV, rotovirus, croup, an intestinal bug that lasted 2 months and roseola all before he was 15 months.  It drove me nuts and that doesn't count colds. 

Hang in there and keep us posted.
Jen
Jen - pediatric physical therapist and wife to Brian
Mom to Andrew - 5 1/2 sensitive preemie
           Thomas - 2 1/2 MSPI textbook baby

Kindergarten is stressing me out!!!!

Offline Mydreamcametrue

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Re: MSPI? Lactose Intolerance? Someone talk me through this please?
« Reply #7 on: July 14, 2008, 18:41:36 pm »
Hi there:

Jen is right.  My lo was very sick the first 15 months of his life also.  His digestive system was so out of whack.  I believe about 80% of your antibodies is in your digestive tract.  When you have diaherra, take antibotics, sickness, etc.  your good bacteria can get shed away and the bad bacteria takes over.

Once I removed all dairy and soy from my lo's diet and started on a daily NON-Dairy probiotic, he was a new kid in 4 months. 

He will be 3 next month and has only been sick 2 times since.  He is on an antibiotic now for a sinus infection and I give him the probiotics everyday.

Google: Probiotics or good bacteria in your gut and you will find SO Much information.



Wendy -

Zach - 3 1/2 yrs old. My sweet, loving, gentle boy that loves playing in the dirt!

Tyler - 17 months.  My very very spirited little boy.  Can't turn your back for a minute.  He is doing the cutest things now!  Loves to eat and climb!

Offline momtoandrewandthomas

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Re: MSPI? Lactose Intolerance? Someone talk me through this please?
« Reply #8 on: July 14, 2008, 19:58:58 pm »
I am convinced too Wendy after trying it myself!!
Jen - pediatric physical therapist and wife to Brian
Mom to Andrew - 5 1/2 sensitive preemie
           Thomas - 2 1/2 MSPI textbook baby

Kindergarten is stressing me out!!!!

Offline LucyA

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Re: MSPI? Lactose Intolerance? Someone talk me through this please?
« Reply #9 on: July 14, 2008, 21:11:54 pm »
Thanks, I'll look into the probiotics. Both my kids have pink eye now, as well as coughs and colds. Sounds like probiotics could help!

On a more positive note, Chloe's sleep, although still terrible, is much better. And now I feel like it really is just a sleep issue - she's waking every hour or so wanting to be fed back to sleep. But I know how to fix a sleep problem!
Lucy




Offline KellyC

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Re: MSPI? Lactose Intolerance? Someone talk me through this please?
« Reply #10 on: July 15, 2008, 13:23:20 pm »
Sorry I missed this when you posted Lucy but I'm glad things are a little better.  No advice but lots of {hugs}.

Kelly x
Mummy to Zander (2005), Nathaniel (2007) and Caleb (2009)


Offline momtoandrewandthomas

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Re: MSPI? Lactose Intolerance? Someone talk me through this please?
« Reply #11 on: July 15, 2008, 17:33:01 pm »
Lucy - I know that sleep was the last thing to resolve for Thomas.  I felt the same way; as long as his belly was better, I could deal with the sleep coming around.  He is doing great now and sleeps most nights all night.  He will sometimes get up briefly for a pat and binky replacement, but that is it.  He is wonderful from where we once were.  he takes a 2-3 hour nap each afternoon and sleeps from 10-7:30 or 8 each morning.  This was the child that began getting up for the night at 10 or 11 and we had to hold him until morning.  It was awful but lots of great reality TV viewing.
Jen - pediatric physical therapist and wife to Brian
Mom to Andrew - 5 1/2 sensitive preemie
           Thomas - 2 1/2 MSPI textbook baby

Kindergarten is stressing me out!!!!

Offline Mydreamcametrue

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Re: MSPI? Lactose Intolerance? Someone talk me through this please?
« Reply #12 on: July 16, 2008, 02:50:49 am »
Hope things continue to improve. 
Wendy -

Zach - 3 1/2 yrs old. My sweet, loving, gentle boy that loves playing in the dirt!

Tyler - 17 months.  My very very spirited little boy.  Can't turn your back for a minute.  He is doing the cutest things now!  Loves to eat and climb!

Offline momtoandrewandthomas

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Re: MSPI? Lactose Intolerance? Someone talk me through this please?
« Reply #13 on: July 18, 2008, 03:12:59 am »
Thanks Wendy.  I kinda miss Oprah at 1:00 am but I sure do love the feeling of sleeping lying down!!!!  I still wake up at 1 or 2 and laugh at the thought some nights!!!!  This too shall pass.
Jen - pediatric physical therapist and wife to Brian
Mom to Andrew - 5 1/2 sensitive preemie
           Thomas - 2 1/2 MSPI textbook baby

Kindergarten is stressing me out!!!!

Offline Sylvia.

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Re: MSPI? Lactose Intolerance? Someone talk me through this please?
« Reply #14 on: July 18, 2008, 04:01:45 am »
hi lucy, the girls take probiotics most days, sorry the kids are sick again, been thinking of you guys, we need to catch up soon, take care xoxo