Using EBM in rice cereal

[~Sarah~]

Not sure which board I should ask this on so please move me if you need to!

DD is starting solids...yes I know it is early, but this is Doctor advised and I feel good about it as well as she seemed more ready than DS did at 6mo.

With that being said, we do 2 feeds of rice cereal with about 1T cereal and  1oz of EBM each time. 

DD I have figured out is MPI.  So my question is this, the EBM I have frozen is from when I was still eating/drinking dairy and also some of it is from when I had an oversupply issue so it is probably high in foremilk.

Will either of those things cause a problem?  I guess I am most worried about the MPI, although hers is not the worst case-hidden dairy *seems* to be ok right now although I stay away from it if I can.

So basically she may be getting 2 oz/day of tainted EBM, but this will go up when she starts taking more solids.

If it will, How should I go about pumping more without screwing up my supply?  Right now I have a good balance and I am prone to plugged ducts, so I want to try to not get too much extra going on IYKWIM.

Also, and this may need to go to the MPI board, but when would it be ok to give her that EBM?  I have a ton of it and am not sure what to do with it if she can't have it

Thanks!!
Sarah

[deb]

You *could* try giving her a bit of the dairy-containing EBM and see what happens, since you said she doesn't seem to be so sensitive that hidden dairy is a problem, but to be honest, I'd be chicken and hold off. Can you mix any of it in with something your older LO eats if he's not MPI? That way at least it'd get used up instead of wasted. You couldn't really add it to anything for you since you're still pumping for DD.

[~ Vik ~]

Well you really have a couple options....

One, like Deb suggested, you could *try* your frozen ebm (starting with a small amount!) and see how she reacts.  Watch for the same symptoms that she was having when you discovered that she was MPI.  Remember though too that rice cereal can cause constipation, gas, etc. in some los because it is difficult to digest.  Not sure how long she's been having it already, but if it's new then keep that it mind.  IMHO, like Deb, I would be a bit frightened to try this   We have multiple food allergies here, so I just avoid things like the plague.

Your other option is to pump only what you need for the solids, maybe even just before you need it.  That's the best way to ensure that your dd is getting dairy free ebm without increasing your supply more than necessary.  I actually had to do this because of Dylan's dairy allergy and the fact that my milk doesn't keep for more than about 18 hours in the fridge before it soured   I would pump a few oz first thing in the morning (when milk supply is highest), just what I needed for his food for the day.  I didn't notice any appreciable difference in my supply by doing this.

hth

[muddyfeet]

Hey, Mommy Mertel! Where'd your photo get to?

How long have you had that EBM frozen? My lactation specialist said that although you can keep deep-frozen breast milk for up to 6 months, the balance of fat/carbs/proteins and nutrients changes from month to month based on baby's age-related needs. So the frozen milk, if it's a few months old, might not be the best nutritional option either. You're only talking about using a little bit, but you also have the "dairy taint" on it. I respect your desire to use it, but if I were in your position, I think I would probably sacrifice it. I like pps suggestion of just pumping exactly what she needs for cereal the next day. That shouldn't stimulate your supply too much.

[~Sarah~]

Thanks ladies-
It is kind of what I was thinking, but I thought I could get a second opinion.  Is there any reason why I could not give it to my 16mo?  Just hate wasting!

So, the rice cereal actually helps our constipation here...Prevacid is what started it

Her symptoms were actually not enough for my Dr. to *worry* about, but she said if I had the time and I wanted to, it could not hurt to log what I ate and her mood/symptoms.  I found that first feed of the day was fine.  Second, after coffee with cream and yogurt for breakfast, she cried during the whole feed and would pop on and off.  If I had an actual glass of milk, she would cry and cry, get all phglemy, not be able to sleep, sneeze, have boogs in her nose, (I think you see where I am going) and basically was just miserable!!

So I thought I would give it a try and now we are back to 2 hr  naps and a happy baby who latches on until she finishes a side.

Oh, she also would get dark under eye circles and got a patch of really dry skin on her elbows.  That was the last straw bc it seemed like eczema to me.

Thanks again ladies-anything else I should know?

[Canwi]

EBM stash: You could most certainly use it for your older child.  Mix it in whatever food you want to.