Hoping to become a success story

[Anonymous]

What a fantastic resource this forum is! I love how hell bennt has prompted posters to update their stories for us moms looking for answers and getting here through Google searches!

So, my turn…Really hope you guys can help! This is super long.

My daughter is going on 11 weeks old. I exclusively breastfeed her. At 3 weeks she started pulling her legs up to her tummy, writhing to have bowel movements, passing lots of gas, grunting, etc. At first I thought she just had to learn how to use her abdominal and pelvic floor muscles to have a bowel movement and I’m sure that was part of it. However, she then started having greenish-yellow mucousy stools. And her contortions and writhing were getting worse. They were waking her up in the middle of the night. (She and I co-sleep on a mat on the floor so I was very aware if how often she was bothered by it).

She also refluxed a lot, did a lot of throat clearing, wheezing, coughing/choking during/after feedings, etc. She had a red pimple-like rash on her cheeks, ears, and upper torso. We’ve dealt with redness around anus, diaper rash nearly every diaper, tight-sounding breathing, mouth breathing (instead of through nose), reflux, wet burps, curdled milk spit ups, wet hiccups repeatedly throughout day, frequent sneezing, etc.

I eliminated dairy (including hidden sources) and overnight her rash cleared except for a few spots here and there. Her diapers seemed a but better, but not where they needed to be. And she was still contorting and in pain.

She was the sweetest and happiest baby at first. When she stopped smiling for several days in spite of my best efforts to get her to smile, I started a TED (total elimination diet) based on Dr. Sears’ list.

A few days later she stopped contorting and her smiles came back! So worth it! But again her diapers didn’t go back to yellow/seedy. They were orange/runny or orange/what I call break-apart mucousy. (Looks mucousy, when I put two sides of diaper together and pull apart the mucous quickly separates).

I ran out of turkey February 2nd, so went to two grocery stores and they didn’t have any either. So, I bought and ate organic chicken. Her diapers went full, strong mucousy and greenish again – with one having blood speckles. I wasn’t sure if it was the chicken so I had it again, diapers got worse. Her rash started to spread. She got more gassy. I stopped eating the chicken, diapers went back to orange/runny/mucousy. Or what I call “dry” because there’s just stool residue/color on diaper but no substance to it.

As for the TED, she hasn’t gotten back to yellow/seedy. I felt mucous wasn’t right but read orange/runny can be in the range of normal. I tried not eating turkey…a bit better but not really. I tried not eating potatoes. I tried not eating rice (read some babies can have problems with it and there’s high levels of arsenic in rice).

I started looking at why Dr. Sears choose the foods he did and started looking into other less, allergenic foods. I started quinoa instead if rice because its supposed to be tolerated well and for the protein.

I have been eating quinoa, yellow squash, zucchini, pears, salt and pepper since February 6th.

On February 6, I tried avocado because I needed calories and fat. I was worried about my diminishing milk supply. I tried avocado February 6-9th. She seemed to be getting worse. But I also left her with her grandma alone for the first time on the 7th for an hour and a half. She cried a bit at the end. She was also fed pumped breastmilk from that morning. On the 8th, she only had wet diapers and no messy ones. I was hopeful thinking maybe we hit the right foods and her body was absorbing every last bit. But no, on the 9th she had green/mucousy diaper. She also had a very gurgly tummy and started contorting in her sleep. So maybe stress from babysitting? Maybe avocado? I stopped avocado on the 9th.

On the 10th the contortions stopped. But she had a green/mucousy diaper.

February 10, I only ate quinoa and yellow squash. February 11 I only ate quinoa. I’m hoping by going to only one food I can truly nip this in the bud. Her diapers are orange/mucousy.

I’ve now been dairy free for 6+ weeks and doing the TED, with tweaks, for over a month. I’m starving and confused. I read on this forum that babies can have a problem with complete proteins. Also, that mucousy isn’t good/normal and neither is green. I also read one person saying that baseline for TED is no smelly gas. But my daughter hasn’t had smelly gas. She had gas, doesn’t now. But her bowel movements frequently sound like wet gas being passed/diarrhea.

Also, I read a research study saying just two days of exposure to cigarette smoke can cause reflux. I live in an apartment where my neighbor is the manager and a smoker. We can smell second hand smoke in areas of our apartment where we have vents. We are trying to save enough money to move out of the apartment and actually away from this city (our city has some of the worst air quality in the country).

I read food intolerance/allergies can cause reflux. But can reflux cause bad diapers? (can the cigarette smoke cause reflux which then causes her to have bad diapers?)

My daughter is doing better than before. But I don’t know which way to go. I do feel that food is part/whole of the problem.

What is baseline for TED? Is it the lack of gas? Is orange/runny “normal” or is it yellow/seedy/creamy? How long do I wait after trying a food, realizing it’s a problem, and stop eating it before trying the next food? Just a few days after “lack of gas” or after other symptoms get better?

I’m sure I have more questions but I can’t remember them right now. I would really appreciate your help!

[Anonymous]

WELCOME!!! I hope too that you can become a success story! 🙂 I believe you will because I can tell you are a very strong, determined mom. I am so proud of you! I had such a hard time just trying to eliminate just soy and dairy. I didn’t even know about the TED when my boys were babies but not sure if I would’ve been strong enough to try it.

I wish I had time to offer more of my ideas for you but being a mom of three I am very tired and it is very late so for now I will just post a link to something that I wrote up about what we found to help our children. https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=16038

I hope you will soon find the answers you are looking for!!

[hellbennt]

you will be a success story1 read all you can!

the following links you’ll have to copy & paste- I’m always sashing out the door

OAL

http://kellymom.com/bf/got-milk/supply-worries/fast-letdown/

http://web.archive.org/web/20091002072029/http://www.users.qwest.net/~fsdebra1/refluxoal.html

http://web.archive.org/web/20090216042347/http://lalecheleague.org.nz/articles/gaining_gulping_grimacing.htm

Reasons a breastfeeding mother might think her baby is reacting to something in her milk:

*poop that is not ‘normal’ mustardy yellow, seedy breastfed baby poop

*mucous in poop; mucous can look like: snot, jelly, cottage cheese, stringy like the inside of a banana

*foul-smelling poop

*stinky, foul-smelling painful gas

*straining and grunting to poop and, when baby finally does poop, it’s soft

the TED takes two weeks and then you start adding foods in to see what you CAN eat.

Research all you can! You are your baby’s best advocate!

Look for all posts by Erinntx! (be SURE to read her ‘sticky’ – the link is below)

here’s some more light reading for you :

MSPI ‘Main’ page:

https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2697

best EXPLANATION OF FOOD ALLERGIES/INTOLERANCES and their RELATION TO REFLUX that I have found, to date: 2nd post: https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2697&PN=2

Misconceptions about how Neocate & Elecare work:https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=6013

THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT:

Erin’s sticky: https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=12948&PID=105126#105126

More Erin: https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=13175&PID=106395#106395

Erin post: https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=13576

Great anne post: https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9242

More recent post – TED and success also using probiotics

https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=15293&PN=1

Exposure to foods & blood testing: https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=12993

Sheri’s allergy/intolerance explanation: https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=10223&PID=87638#87638

Another Sheri explanation- intolerance/allergy post:

https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=11579&PID=97442#97442

Accuracy of allergy testing & great post by sherri explaining IgE and IgG (intolerance/allergies) https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=10815

(sue again, replying to gina- breastfeeding info to (TED)https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=11324&PN=1

probiotics, brands used:

https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=8970&PN=1

erin posts that mentions enzymes:

https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=12781&KW=enzyme

https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=12610&KW=enzyme

https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=12227&KW=enzyme

Post from me:

https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=12200&KW=enzyme

rather than gripe water or colic calm, maybe try probiotics?

I think if you would like to pursue the ‘colic’ route, then read here:

Wondertime article, Colic Solved:

http://web.archive.org/web/20101226170946/http://wondertime.go.com/learning/article/interview-colic-expert.html

page 2 of the article tells what probiotics help babies

probiotics, brands used:

https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=8970&PN=1

hellbennt2013-02-12 17:53:52

[Anonymous]

Thanks happy mom and hellbennt! I printed out all of the links to read throughout the day today and to highlight what I think is applicable.

[Anonymous]

Is orange/runny better than green/mucousy in diapers? Does that mean I’m on the right track and trending away from green while my daughter heals?

Also, I’m still going through the so-called “light reading” hellbennt assigned but I did read something from Erin’s story that bothered me. She was responding to another poster and they both mentioned how their little ones stopped growing (in height). Is this common while doing a TED? My daughter is pretty tall and thin right now and since birth. But I don’t want her to stop growing because I’m not providing her with the nutrition she needs.

By the way, eating only quinoa is a bad idea. I was starving and broke down and ate some rice which I believe my daughter reacts to. She got gassy (but not the stinky gas Erin talks about) later that evening. In fact, I was starting to wonder if she was reacting to the quinoa too. So, I’m following Erin’s initial diet of potatoes, squash, pears, salt, and pepper. Which is hard to do too but I’ve got to find baseline!!!honeybee2013-02-13 23:23:25

[hellbennt]

I believe so

it is NOT common for little ones to stop growing!

pay attention to Erinntx & make sure you’re getting enough water, vitamins, and FATS!!! so you need lots of oils – start with being heavy-handed on using olive oil- once things seem a little better, try avocado again – I haven’t read bad reactions to it- every baby is different, though – it’s so hard to know! so much is trial & error!!

hang in there! you will soon be a success story!

and, please know that diet alone may not be the only answer…’even’ Erin had her baby on prevacid at some point…but anyway, it sounds like you’re making progress!!!

[Anonymous]

So, I tried taking a hypoallergenic children’s capsule vitamin. They recommend children take 6 capsules daily. I took only 2 this morning. 8 hours later she has a green diaper with the same amount of “break apart” mucous as before.

Would 1/3 of a child’s dose cause her diapers to turn from orange to green? It doesn’t contain dairy, soy, etc. Is it possible that it’s the iron? Does iron from a supplement go from me to her?

I’ve got to take a vitamin supplement because I’ve been doing this diet far too long without one. I saw the brands other moms have tried on this forum and will order them soon.

[hellbennt]

It’s most likely some ingredient in the vitamin- a color or something? anyway, yes, try the ones that other moms have had success with…

you can do this!

also one green diaper doesn’t mean to stop what you’re doing – it’s when they’re green all.the.time.

it’s hard! so much trial & error! you can do it!

[Anonymous]

She returned to orange today. Diapers are seedier (yay) but stronger mucous and not sweet smelling at all (boo). It doesn’t seem like she has gas lately but the contortions at night and pulling the legs up to the abdomin are worse and she was awake/asleep/awake/asleep for the last few nights. (We co-sleep). It really is trial and error.

I also picked up a Mega Food children’s probiotic from our local health food store. It’s a capsule/refridgerated kind with 14 strains. I took one capsule myself last night and will be starting my daughter on them today. She was a c-section baby so she may have missed out on that first probiotic “dose.” We’ll see how the probiotics go.

Thanks Laura! Sometimes you just need a cheering section while going through something like this.

[Anonymous]

Another question for you. My daughter’s stool, urine, and breath have started to smell strongly sour / vinegary in the last day. Do you of anyone talking about their experience of probiotics causing this?

I read on kellymom.com that exercising to exhaustion can cause lactic acid to build up and make breastmilk taste sour for an hour. Probiotics often work because they create lactic acid to prevent harmful bacteria from growing in the gut. So, combining these two theories I’m wondering if the probiotics are causing my breastmilk to be sour and that in turn is causing her breath, stool, and urine to become sour too.

She seems to be healthy and not in any pain right now. So I don’t think it’s an impending cold/flu/teething/etc.

[hellbennt]

I know nothing about this? try

The La Leche League Breastfeeding Helpline w/access to toll free breastfeeding help 24 hours a day. Just call 1-877-4-LALECHE (1-877-452-5324) ?

In the meantime, keep watching poops 🙂

No pain is great!!

[Anonymous]

That is a new one on me about the probiotics and lactic acid build up. I’ll see if I can find out more about that.

[Author]

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