Help me figure out intolerance/sensitivites, please

[Ashley_R]

My 3 week old DS is having some horrible colic issues.  About a week ago he was having EXTREMELY mucuosy stools which seemed to be related to tomatoes (I had tomato soup and red sauce for 3 meals in 2 days during that time).  As soon as I stopped tomato his stool was normal the next day. 

But he still has an extremely upset tummy at night and this morning he seems to be having issues too.    I'm guessing its a dairy issue.  The only time I drink milk is in my coffee or if I have cereal. I switched to lactose-free milk yesterday, but then I ate a bowl of ice cream without thinking about it being dairy.  Last night he cried for 3 hours before he finally fell asleep. DD didn't have colic issues but she did have reflux, which I'm now starting to think we're probably related to my diet, but I didn't know any better back then.

Does this sound like a dairy issue? If so can goats milk be used as a cow's milk substitute or no? Anybody else have issues with tomatoes (thats one I hadn't heard of before, but if I eat them too much they upset my stomach so it makes sense)?  How long do I need to eliminate all dairy, before I can try to reintroduce things like cheese and yogurt?

Thanks ladies!

[PatioGardener]

If it is a dairy issue, it is a protein issue, not a lactose (sugar) issue, so lactose free milk won't help.

You may want to take a look at these great kellymom pages, they really helped me! 

http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/fussybaby.html

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/fast-letdown.html

http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/food-sensitivity.html

It's a hard time- hang in there!

[Ashley_R]

I do have fast/forceful letdown and I've been block feeding to help with that.  It could be just normal fussiness since its in the evening, but it seems different than the fussiness DD had (could just be difference in kids tho).

[Ashley_R]

O and thanks for the links!

[amyhulen]

Both of my girls are dairy intolerant and I recently found out that I am as well.

DD #1 had issues with projectile vomitting as an infant until I switched to a different kind of formula and I discovered the issue when she started complaining about tinunitus (ringing in the ears) as a toddler. Removing dairy completly resolved the issue.

DD#2 had a severly bloated tummy and horrible colic like symptoms starting at about 2 weeks old or about the time I finally started finding the time to eat again after her birth. I talked to some women at my local LLL group and they suggested removing dairy from my diet. Within a day DD had completly stopped screaming and became the happiest baby on the block. We did finally reintroduce some dairy after she was a year old and she has since been able to tolerate small amounts of dairy without a problem. When either of my girls get too much they both complain of stomach aches.

There are TONS of dairy free options out there these days and I almost never miss the real thing. You just have to watch for hidden sources of dairy and stay away from even small amounts of it. I found that eating margarine with tiny amounts of milk protien on a piece of toast was enough to cause DD to react.

www.godairyfree.org has lots of info on a dairy free diet as well.