All the things I can't eat...BIG MOAN!

[Onewoman]

I just need to have a good grumble and get this off my chest! Since day one Ruby has been not exactly ladylike in the bottom department - not that I have a problem with farts (usually I think they are really funny), but obviously when they are hurting her or waking her out of a lovely sleep I am not laughing! So here is the list of things I have identified that I can't eat/drink. (It may be easier and quicker to write what I can eat  :shock: )

Tea/coffee/fizzy drinks/only juice that is ok is apple/beer/squash
No Chocolate in any form (this is one of the worst offenders)
Nuts make her cough
Dairy (Which is by far the worst and makes her do SQUARE farts...so painful  :shock: ) Nothing with any dairy in including cakes, pastries, white sauces. Also I am discovering there are a miryad of things you would not suspect with milk protein in...like breadcrumbs.
Fruits including, oranges, strawberries & tomatoes which make her have tummy ache and cottage cheese sick ups.
Regarding the tomatoes that means no pasta sauce, baked beans, sweet and sour sauce, bbq sauce, ketchup etc.
Crisps except ready salted
Raisins/sultanas
Egg
Onions, garlic, leeks (these are really bad as well)
Peas
Cabbage
Sweetcorn

(My older daughter and partner have also added to the list on the cupdoard door - MEN & CHILDREN.....though I never really liked the taste of them much to start with.)

I am Spanish so I am struggling to live without the basics of tomatoes, onion and garlic but at least I smell better :shock: My second favourite food, Italian, is also out the window. My diet mainly consists of meat, fish, potatoes, salad, bread, shredded wheat, plain rice, sesame seeds (for calcium), soya milk and the fruits and vegetables that I am "allowed". I suppose this is not too awful, it's just that I am craving cheese and chocolate all day long and I could kill for a pizza hut pizza  :shock: I hope I can keep this up for a whole year   :roll: .

If you made it this far, well done and thanks for listening  !

[Tamara]

Bloody hell!!!  :shock:

Really? you think all these foods are affecting your DD?

I didn't cut out anything at all when I Bf DD and I successfully BF for 16 months, and other than the usual bout of colic weeks 6-9 ish (crikey - I've forgottne already!), no probs

Well, I admire your dedication - personally don't think I could keep that up for long.

Good luck

[Erin (redstarfalling)]

Holy cow.  :shock: I am SO impressed with you!!  I don't know if I could have lasted - I think it's really incredible that despite all this sacrifice (and believe me - I TOTALLY see the sacrifice!) that you're still planning to bf for the first year. You're giving your dd one of the best gifts a mother can.    And who knows...maybe as her tummy matures, she'll be able to tolerate more of this...? :?

[Kayna]

I too have a fairly restrictive diet. Not as bad as yours but lets just say my last few pregnancy pounds are peeling off nicely  :wink:  :wink:  :roll: .

[marlowho]

As a child I had such bad allergies for one year of my life I could only eat chicken, potatoes, rice and applesauce- oh and oatmeal.   It was a pretty bland year to say the least!  Thankfully we haven't had to cut out that much around here - but that's great of you to be willing to sacrifice like that.   Kudos to you!!!

[dkjokisch]

Hang in there.  I had to avoid pretty much the same things plus beans, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower... and the list goes on.

However, when dd got to be about 3 mos, we started reintroducing things in small quanities, one at a time.  I can eat almost everything now (dd is 7mos), but in moderation.  The only things still on the prohibited list are milk (just milk, not all dairy), shellfish, and nuts.

Make sure you're taking a good multi-vitamin (I just kept taking my prenatals) and a calcium supplement to round things out.

[annamum]

Wow, that is a sacrifice! I was lucky, too, I could eat and still can whatever I like except tea, my dd would not sleep at all for next couple of nights if I had some. This was far the worst for me as I used to be a tea addict and it is also hard not to crave caffeine when you are sleep deprived with a newborn.
Other than that I had an easy sailing with breastfeeding. But you never know what is going to be like with number 2.

Well, I wish you enough energy to nurse as long as you planned. Keep going!

[Onewoman]

Thanks for the support and encouragement ladies    It's so good to know that I can come to these boards and tell it how it is ....and people understand! Thank you so much 

It has been hard going sometimes, but I am usually ok, just now and again I have a meltdown about it  :shock:  I am getting referred to a dietician, I guess to check Ruby for allergies and to make sure I am getting the right vitamins and minerals. That will be useful I'm sure.

I'm going to start trying a few things from the "NO" list, who knows, maybe she will be ok with some things now  :!:

Susana xx

[GraceKellysmom]

When a baby is very young, it is easy to blame our diet as breastfeeding mothers, on the baby's crying. You may find that a lot of the foods on your list can actually be tolerated, especially in small amounts. And now that your baby is older, you "know" her better, know her cries and how to soothe her. Her stomach and intestines are also more developed. Try one thing at a time and see how she does. As a first time mom I was quick to write things out of my diet, when in fact it was not the corn I ate, but the butter on the corn, it was not the brownie I ate, but the butter and milk in the brownie, etc. Make sense?

A true "allergy" to a food will be shown by rash, blood in the bowel movement, and/or inability to breathe because the windpipe is swollen shut. An "intolerance" to a food is shown by loose, explosive bowel movements, possibly mucus in the bowel movement, and possibly blood. A sensitivity may just be an upset stomach or heartburn.

It is almost impossible to test for allergies/intolerances other than stool samples unless the reactions are severe. A baby with allergies/intolerances should be BREASTFED as long as possible, with late introduction of 'safe' solids. FORMULA SHOULD NOT BE GIVEN unless the allergy is the most severe, life-threatening.

Good luck with your dietician. Hopefully she will be knowledgeable in suggesting great foods YOU can eat. Your baby is getting everything she needs from your breastmilk!    :wink:

[EllieLock]

I also was advised to cut out dairy products, and acid foods like tomatos, oranges etc.  I was gutted but then a lactation consultant told me it was a waste of time so now I don't know what to think (and have cut down but not cut out).  I do avoid fizzy drinks though as both time I've drunk fizzy drinks she's had really bad nights.

Cheers,
Ellie

[dkjokisch]

How old is your lo?  I can't speak for your lc, but in my experience, the elimination diet helped.  Dairy was the worst offender.  I was drinking alot of milk, and when I cut it out, 36 hours later it was like we had a different baby.

About the fizzy drinks... were they caffeinated?  Some sodas you wouldn't expect to have caffeine actually do (like orange soda).  Caffeine is a tough one for them too.  From what I read, their bodies don't process it ery quickly so it tends to build up in their systems leaving them wired long after you're tired and ready for bed.

[oscar10405]

I am also on a very restricted diet and totally unsure if I am wasting my time.  My 4.5mth has big sleep issues (as you know Susana!) and so I have investigated ALL possibilities - even hyperactive and ADHD!  :lol:  (his father is not the calmest of blokes...and i am a worry-wort).  Anyway - I have been on a total 'elimination' diet and cut out ALL preservatives and additives PLUS all natural food chemicals (salicylates and Aminos) which pretty much cuts out all fruit except pears and almost all veges except a few like swedes, potatoes, beans...

What do I eat?  Protein and rice basically - Gluten-free bread, Soy milk and that's about it!  It's very, very hard and not much fun. 

I'm finding it very hard to know whether this causing wakefulness in my boy and get soooooooo sick of the different advice from professionals too.  How can one person say EVERYTHING you intake effects the booby milk and the other say it makes no difference?   :evil:

Anyway - I am the extreme I guess.....!

I enjoy breastfeeding but looking foward to having my own body back and being able to eat what i want!

[Joey'sMom]

I was told to cut out all kinds of foods, too.  Joey is a reflux/colic baby, and his evening bouts are the worst.  After being told no veggies, bananas, tomatoes, or chocolate (which was hard, but I could deal with it), they decided to add the cow milk factor.  Once I realized that meant no cheese, I was pretty upset.  Then after a few days, there was no improvement, so I figured if my ds was still not happy, why should I be miserable too?  The next week I discussed this with my ped and she completely agreed.  Miserable moms do NOT help miserable babies!

[zayandme]

After going off of dairy for 4 months (I mean I went crazy- If it said dairy or any sort of dairy product on the label it was a no go) and only seeing mild results, i had a bowl of french onion soup one day and my son had one of his worst nights ever.
I went off of onions and it worked like a charm. Have you tried something funny like that that you may eat every day and could be causing the problem?

I'm sure you're pretty miserable about this. I'm sorry to hear about your struggle. I know that just finding a snack can reak havoc emotionally. I was a wreck. Hope that this subsides soon and that your lo either grows out of it or you find a missing link somewhere.
Best wishes

[hurr1]

As a child I suffered from asthma and multiple allergies so since i was 6 months pregnant until i finish brestfeeding- my  boy is 11 weeks old- I have cut out all dairy,eggs,fish and nuts- also caffiene to help with his napping.  It's been hard going at times but if it means he doesn't have my allergies it's worth a try. So I'm doing it for a different reason to you but it's not forever and I dream off eating chocolate again!   Hang in there.