Benefits of BF after 6 months....

[Beata3]

Hi ~ I was wondering if someone can help me with some information.  I know all of the WONDERFUL benefits of BF a baby ~ I never thought I would be THIS successful at it.  My son is 5 months old today, and I am wondering what the difference (advantage) would be to continue bf him past 6 months (my new goal is 6 months).  My son has a soy/milk protein intolerance.  We finally figured it out a few weeks ago, and I am on a restricted diet of no soy/dairy/citrus/berries/tomato & sometimes wheat (I say sometimes b/c I obstained from it for 2 weeks & his ped. said I can have wheat again, and his bowels returned to the green mucous so I stopped & now trying again) so I am not sure if I will or will not be able to eat wheat as of yet.  Anyway, I really feel VERY torn over this decision & very guilt ridden... & am looking for help.  I won't lie & say that NONE of this is for me, because some would be ~ but not the big portion of it.  This diet is getting to me on some days & it is worth it for my son, but it is hard!!!!  I have not been to eat out in a month (which is fine, for the most part).  I miss cheese & berries ALOT (especially now that it is strawberry season).  BUT more importantly I am worried about my son.  His bowels have yet to fully, 1--% go back to the seedy yellow.  They have returned (most times) to that sweet smelling odor (before they were foul smelling), but most of the time there is still mucous in them (kind of like a booger ~ sorry, I know it is WAY too much info) & at times they are green (or green mixed with yellow).  Sometimes I think it is because of lettuce that I may have had, and sometimes I wonder if something else is bothering him.  I have a limited amount of things that I eat b/c I am worried about affecting him ~ & ther are times that he gets gassy ~ so now I am afraind to eat mushrooms or beans b/c he had BAD gas & green stools the next day (and was very fussy).  Anyway, so I am wondering if maybe after 6 months he wouldn't be better off on formula (I think his ped suggested Alimentum if we were to switch).  (I know breastmilk is best ~ but in my situation ~ is it really?  I get so upset when he has tummy problems).  So, I was wondering what are the added advantages to bf past the 6 month mark?  Or is the BIGGEST & BEST boost happen upto 6 months?

Thanks for reading this & any info would be appreciated ~ I am so torn!!!

Beth

[Lilah'sMommy]

The longer you breastfeed, the more benefits for your baby, especially in the allergies department.  As you continue giving antibodies through your milk to your son, you will be continuing to build his immune system, which will in turn make him less likely to suffer from allergies down the road.  I also think that formula will really only compound any problems he has with allergies, and the hypoallergenic formula is VERY expensive.  I understand that the diet restrictions must be very difficult, but oftentimes the bfing mom can start adding those allergy trigger foods back in down the road.  If you can possibly stick it out to at least a year (even longer, if you and your ds are willing), the benefits will more than likely be totally worth the effort.  I read once that when babies are allowed to self-wean, those who have family histories of allergies and asthma were the most likely to wean the latest, around age three, sometimes longer.  It seems that the babies were stockpiling antibodies to dramatically decrease their chances of developing allergies later on.  Food for thought, anyway.

[Beata3]

Thank you!  I really can continue on this diet if this is in the best interest of my son ~ it would completely stink, but I am sure I can do it.  But at the same time, I am not sure if it is doing him any good (I know he gets good things from it) but because he is still continuing to have the green poops I am worried that I am doing more harm vs. good for him. 

Also, my husband & I do not have ANY food allergies (atlhough my husband has eczema), my side of the family doesn't have any food allergies (actually my brother does BUT it developed in his late 30's & when he moved to a foreing country ~ he is VERY allergic to uncooked apples & strawberries ~ but never as a child).  And my MIL has asthma & eczema... my husband had a lot of ear infections as a child ~ those are the reasons (the MIL & ear infections) that we decided to bf.  But, again, I am worried that b/c he has not "cleared up" yet & continues to have the green mucousy poops that I will do more damage than good.  I am so sad over this & not sure what is the right decision! 

Thank you again.... also, if you would happen to know ~ since my brother has food allergies (apples & strawberries) does that make my son more prone to them (even if my brother did not develop the allergy until the age of 35?)

Thanks!

Beth

[CaedensMama]

I have heard too that esp with allergies like what your LO has that BM is best - don't know the exact reasons, but I know its better.
If you wean him now, keep in mind you will need to now find a formula that he can handle till a year - if you can continue to nurse then you can maybe just transfer him to a rice or oat milk with no lactose.
I will see if I can find some links for you -

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/bfextended/ebf-benefits.html

http://www.kellymom.com/store/reviews/review_whattoexpect.html

http://www.lalecheleague.org/FAQ/bflength.html

http://www.lalecheleague.org/Release/cancer.html

http://www.lalecheleague.org/NB/NBMayJun95p86.html

I got these off the LaLeche League and Kellymom websites - they are great and I am sure there is more information there too!

http://www.lalecheleague.org

http://www.kellymom.com

hope that helps!

[VickyB20]

Beth, I just wanted to say WELL DONE YOU!!!  We all want the best for our babes but it's clear from your posts how much you're prepared to do for your little one.

Hang in there as long as you possibly can.  What the others have said here is true and since he is suffering from food intolerances of some sort now, the longer you can breastfeed the better.

Can I just ask you how many feeds he has in a day?  I found that my daugher had green poos if I fed her too often (so apparently as a consequence she was getting too much foremilk and not enough hindmilk).  She also possetted quite a lot at this time.  When I figured out that not all her cries meant 'hungry' but that some meant 'tired' (when I got her onto EASY) then we were able to break this cycle.  I just mention it in case it might be something else as well as / instead of related to what you eat.

Well done.  And good luck!

Vicky
x

[rachelle]

just wanted to throw out that while mucous is never good in poop if it happens more than once or twice, color can certainly vary.  As long as it's not consistently DARK green (too much foremilk).  So, just because his poops sometimes have green in them, doesn't mean he's not thriving and doing well.

I agree with what everyone has said.  And if you can do the diet, it will be SO much better for him in the long run (probably the short run too!).

[Erin M]

Just wanted to throw in a plug for the "Food Allergies" forum - I know there's a MSPI thread on there that you might find very useful.  I know I've also read that BF is extremely beneficial with babies with allergies such as yours -- a big cheer to you for sticking to the diet, I'm sure it must be quite hard.

[ashtonsmummy]

i also was told when my lo's pooh was green it could have been that he was getting to much foremilk and not enough hind milk that i should leave him on the one side longer and soon as i started doing this the green mucus poohs went away and the seedy yellow ones were back, so not sure how long u nurse on one side but it check it out hopefully thats the prob. Good luck

[Beata3]

I went to a lactation cons. a while back (when his pedi wasn't overly concerned about his poops & we were) & that is what she suggested (that it is too much formilk & she thinks that I have a large supply of milk).  So, I did drink Sage tea for a little while (but it got to be too many things to remember, & I soon kept forgetting to drink it) & to leave him on one side for feeding ~ & I have been doing that ~ for a while now... and the green poops are still there ~ I am not as concerned about the color as I am the mucous that is in them (although I did read that green + mucous = milk intolerance.  But he is fed primarily on one side & I always start the next feeding with the side that I left off with last.

Thank you all for your tips & help!

[ashtonsmummy]

oh sorry not much help, just wanted to say you are really commited to your lo and doing a great job. will say a little prayer for u and lo .

[Petunia]

Here's something to consider:

According to the AAP, "Human milk is species-specific, and all substitute feeding preparations differ markedly from it, making human milk uniquely superior for infant feeding. Exclusive breastfeeding is the reference or normative model against which all alternative feeding methods must be measured with regard to growth, health, development, and all other short- and long-term outcomes. In addition, human milk-fed premature infants receive significant benefits with respect to host protection and improved developmental outcomes compared with formula-fed premature infants… Pediatricians and parents should be aware that exclusive breastfeeding is sufficient to support optimal growth and development for approximately the first 6 months of life and provides continuing protection against diarrhea and respiratory tract infection. Breastfeeding should be continued for at least the first year of life and beyond for as long as mutually desired by mother and child."

A.A.P. Breastfeeding Policy Statement: Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk Pediatrics Vol. 115 No. 2 February 2005
(http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;115/2/496)

[/i]

They of course mean that after 6 months of age you move from exclusive breastfeeding to adding solids to your breastfeeding regimin.

Check this out for more reasons to continue breastfeeding:
http://www.promom.org/101/index.html

It is my understanding from what I've read that the benefits inherent in breastmilk do not drop off dramatically until after the 12 month mark.  Breastmilk is the milk you baby needs until then.

Whatever complications your little guy is experiencing from breastfeeding, I imagine they would be ten times worse if you were trying to feed him formula.

[Beata3]

Thank you so much everyone.... ashtonsmummy ~ thank you, and it was helpful b/c for as many times as someone has told me that it is the milk imbalance, no one said that it happened to them ~ so that was helpful.  But that would explain the green, but not the mucousy part.... & that is driving me nuts... as I have tried SO hard to figure out what it is & his ped was so certain that it was the mspi ~ but it still isn't clearing up a 100% ~ so maybe it is other things?  Or maybe he just needs more time.  Makes me nervous to start solids (not starting until 6 months).  But thank you ~ you are very kind & exactly what I needed

Petunia ~ THANK YOU!  And I so agree with you (about formula may make it 10 times worse) ~ I talked to his ped. about it at his 4 month check up (before the restricted diet) & I said that if he told me that Matthew would be better on formula I would do it in a heartbeat ~ but I am nervous that it will make things worse & I do not want that for him... and he agreed (although he isn't all BF ~ he thinks if you do ~ fine, if you use formula ~ that is fine, too)... so, he said he may do better, or maybe not ~ and said if I was in it then to give the diet another try (I tried the diet 3 times in his 4 months of life ~ but each time I was told to do it for a week, or 10 days & nothing changed... I decided to do 3 weeks & this is when we have started to see improvements). 

I really do want to stick with bf ~ like I said I just needed to know it was best for my lo ~ b/c of his situation.... I will continue trying (can't get much harder than the road I have traveled so far   And he is soooo worth it if it will help him! 

I do have another question ~ if I ate beef last night (steak) for dinner ~ how long before I can assume what he outputs is THAT dinner?  He usually poops 2-3 times per day (BIG improvement from the 6 times per day when I was eating dairy).  I heard that it takes about 4 hours for it to show up in my milk, but how long for him to eat it & "react?"  For example, last night we had dinner at about 7:30ish, Matthew woke up at 12:30 am & ate, and then at 2:30ish & ate, and then at 6ish & ate (he is eating ALOT lately, he use to sleep through the night but not anymore)... so, this morning he pooped once ~ & the second poop (at about 11ish) it had a foulish smell to it & had a little mucous in it (but overall not all that bad)... so, was that the steak?  I just need to have somewhat of a gage of when I eat something ~ 4 hours later he gets it & how long till I see it to see if he is reacting to it?  And if he doesn't fuss ~ does that mean it wasn't too bad on his system?

Sorry for all the questions ~ but I am so overwhelmed by all of this!!!  Thank you again & all your help & support is SO appreciated!

Beth

[CaedensMama]

More then likely meat shouldn't affect him too much - but I would give it 8-10 hours at least for sure. If you notice anything off, wait a few days - try again and if it happens again I would stay off it.

I did hear of one child once that all he was allergic too was meat and it took a long time for his mom to figure it out but once she went off it he was great - still allergic to this day - odd, but true!

[erinsmum36]

forgot to ask.. if at some point I wanted to say do 2 bf a day and the other 2 as formula, would this cancel out the benefits of bf, or would they still stand? I would only consider doing this after the 6 months - possibly the 2 daytime ones would be formula or the lunchtime and bedtime one.. would my milk still be ok if i was only doing 2 feeds a day? thanks!

[CaedensMama]

forgot to ask.. if at some point I wanted to say do 2 bf a day and the other 2 as formula, would this cancel out the benefits of bf, or would they still stand? I would only consider doing this after the 6 months - possibly the 2 daytime ones would be formula or the lunchtime and bedtime one.. would my milk still be ok if i was only doing 2 feeds a day? thanks!

Yep - your body will adjust, may take a little, but it will make the milk your LO is drinking and adjust accordingly for dropped feeds. And any breast milk is better then none, so whatever works best for your family is great!