Is this my diet or beginning of reflux?

[~Carly~]

DS2 is EBF, has the occasional bottle of EBM.  For 2 days, he had no bowel movement, but was farting and burping a lot, as well as wiggling and bearing down like he had to go.  Then at the evening of the 2nd day (yesterday), he had 3 BIG ones in a row.  I think he was a bit constipated, because it was thick and pasty, kind of like toothpaste.  This morning, he projectile vomited his entire first feeding, it was a huge pool in my lap and the couch   

Over these few days, he has also been having a hard time nursing.  It feels like he is fighting the breast, kicking and arching his back, then choking and gasping.  I lift him up, burp and calm, and re offer.  I eventually just end the feed, but not because he is full- it is because he is upset. 

Does this sound like I have eaten something that has altered my breastmilk, or is this just a phase, or the beginning signs of reflux?  Up until now, nursing has been a breeze- I want to go back to that!!

[Kirsten~]

Hi Carly,
I'm definitely no expert, but I did do a lot of research on diet and breast milk. I know a lot of people will read my post and argue, but from what I looked through, there is no scientific research that links a woman's diet and a baby's reaction the BM. What goes into your blood, not your stomach, is what goes into your BM (hence things like caffeine and alcohol affecting BM). It is possible for a baby to have a reaction to some proteins in BM (cow's milk protein being the most common), but those cases are actually much more rare than I think most people think. Also, these reaction would look like an allergic reaction with other symptoms, like a rash, for example. It's most likely not something in your diet.

It sounds like you could be going through the same thing I am with a forceful letdown and/or oversupply of milk. If you pull him off the breast after your milk lets down, do you have milk shooting all over? The gulping and fussy at breast makes me think this might be the case.

My DD is having a tough time with this too. She used to have a bowel movement after each feed, but now she's having only one or two a day, and when she does have a bowel movement, they are HUGE! She has blown out the diaper each time. I just started to block feed (same side for 2 feedings in a row) to help with the supply. I also feed her with her in a sitting position, and when I feel my milk letdown, I pull her off and catch the fire hose of milk in a towel. This cuts down on the gulping and fussiness at the breast. This article helps:
http://www.lalecheleague.org/nb/nbjulaug02p129.html
There's also more information on the La Leche League website about this issue.
Hope this is helpful.

[my3girlsjde]

Hi Carly  and hugs. We went through a lot of this with E.

It could be a couple of different things, overactive letdown being one of them, as well as reflux or something you're eating.

There are conflicting studies out there but I will share our experience which sounds very similar to yours: E is intolerant to cows milk protein. She's so intolerant that she would have blowout poops very similar to what you're describing and lost volumes of weight. She did also have reflux and feeds were horrible. She later on developed eczema when I consumed any dairy but the poops and feeds were the biggest indicators that something was up.

Keep an eye on your lo and start noting behaviour and feeds and sleep. I found a straddle hold really helped to bf and put E sitting on my leg. Even a pillow under her head while feeding elevated her enough to get some relief. But due to her reflux the feeds really didn't get better until she went on reflux Meds. An intolerance to a food will certainly aggravate reflux and it can pass through what you're eating.

Take a look here: http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=189899.0

 http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=107244.0

 http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=654.0

All I can say is that if you suspect something you're eating is setting off your lo, try taking all traces of it out of your diet. For dairy, the proteins stay in your system for ten days and then your los for another ten. We saw a marked improvement within a week but three weeks really was how long we had to wait for dairy to be completely gone.

If you look through the reflux info and think that's what's going on, definitely get in to your Dr.

Big hugs, I've been down this road of wondering and I really hope it's  something simple that can be corrected quickly. 

[~Carly~]

Thanks! 

K- No spraying when he comes off, but I have never leaked with either of my boys.  When I pump, I get about 3 oz in 5-7 min when I let down, so I know it is coming fast.  Maybe he just needs to learn to control it with his sucking? 

I always thought that over active letdown gave them green poos- we haven't had any, though. 

Vicki- I had no idea that milk stayed in your system so long!  I am writing down everything I eat right now and documenting his diapers and mood so I can have the info to take to the doctor this week. 

Thanks for the links- I am headed over to see if we fit any descriptions.  Hoping it is just a fluke, though!