Hi -

There's been a lot of discussion about breastfeeding and mom's diet in
the newsgroup misc.kids.breastfeeding.  You might want to look through
the messages there.

In short, though:

Some foods (not all) that mom eats can get through to her breastmilk.
Usually it takes 2-4 hours for food eaten to arrive in her milk.  The
offending food can stay in the milk for up to two weeks (although
improvement in the baby is usually seen MUCH sooner, even in 1-2
days).  If the only symptoms are gas and fussiness, then the problem
is probably an infant food intolerance, which will pass as the
baby's digestive tract matures.  To determine if there is a specific
offending food, you can track what you eat in a comprehensive food diary,
and compare it to how and when your baby has gas and related trouble.
You can also (ruthlessly) eliminate suspect foods for a few days to see
what the result is.

If the symptoms are eczema or rash, then the probalby is more likely
(alhtough not certainly) an allergy.  Allergies may or may not go
away as your baby gets older.

Other causes of gas, by the way, include foremilk/hindmilk imbalance,
which is caused by the baby getting too much lactose-rich foremilk
and not enough of the fatty hindmilk.  This can be resolved by letting
the baby nurse on the first breast until it's empty, and only then
moving to the next breast (if desired).  You can wait until the next
feed to move to the second breast.

Another problem, surprisingly common, is inadequate burping (especially
after night feeds when mom is too tired to pay proper attention).  Be
SURE your baby burps enough!

In younger babies, a poor latch can cause gas (as the baby gulps air),
but that's less common in older babies, since a poor latch usually
causes other problems (such as sore nipples) which mom makes CERTAIN
to solve :-)

While dairy protein (not lactose) is the most common cause of infant
colic/gas (I'm limiting myself to food-caused problmes here), any food
can be a culprit.  Eggs, soy and the other common allergens can also
cause problems, as can caffeine, citrus, and anything else!  I've heard
from people who couldn't eat peas while nursing, or bananas, or apples,
but could eat ANYTHING else!  So it goes.

I hope this helps,
--Beth Kevles
  [log in to unmask]
  http://web.mit.edu/kevles/www/nomilk.html -- a page for the milk-allergic
  Disclaimer:  Nothing in this message should be construed as medical
  advice.  Please consult with your own medical practicioner.

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