Does this sound like a food sensitivity?

[DKPA]

I've just been driving myself crazy trying to figure out if my baby(4 months old, exclusively breastfed except for one bottle of formula in nicu) is sensitive to something in my diet or not but also struggling with low milk supply so I'm really not too keen on cutting out a bunch of foods and calories if I don't have to.  She's a very pleasant baby, only 2 green stool episodes since she's been born, no blood in her stool or any of the other major signs but she just spits up like crazy, the only time she doesn't seem to spit up so much is when she's upright in a baby carrier or when I was really sick and had really, really low milk supply.  She doesn't seem to be in pain at all when she spits up though.  Also her stools are always mucusy but I know that could be attributed to all of her drooling.  She does have cradle cap but not the really bad kind, I know that could also mean a possible sensitivity but could also be due to other things.

 No food allergies in the family just seasonal and my bf's mom and aunt have celiac disease.  I've been really limiting my wheat, dairy,eggs and soy since she's been born but definitely have had a little of each (very little dairy though, i know thats the big one) and peanut butter is my absolute favorite food and I do eat a lot of other nuts too.  My other ideas would be oatmeal which i eat at least once a day, corn, berries or citrus.  

It's mainly the spitting up that worries me so much, we had been using a nipple shield until last week and I thought maybe since she was swallowing s much air and I wasn't burping her enough that maybe that was causing the spitting up but it definitely hasnt stopped since shes been off the shield.  I did eliminate peanut butter and eggs for 2 weeks and eliminated all the major allergens plus berries and citrus for one week and I didn't see any real changes but i dont know if thats long enough to tell.  

I know this is such a long rant but I've just been so stressed out and I'd appreciate any suggestions at all, I hate feeling like i could be hurting my daughter every time i eat and i hate watching her lose her milk all the time but at the same time she didn't gain any weight the week i did the elimination diet, dont know if thats because i was so hungry all week or just coincidence.  Thanks to anyone who actually read through all this!

[scsigrl]

I would think reflux first.  Have you talked to the Dr. about that maybe being an issue?  The mucus in the stool is a bit of a worry but if you are already dealing with low supply, I understand not wanting to cut anything.

So that's where I would start.  I will say that you mentioned seasonal allergies.  Just so you know that if there are ANY allergies (seasonal OR food) that the child has a 50/50 chance of having any allergies.  Just the tendency to have an allergy is what is passes on.

[mytwomonkies]

Originally Posted by DKPA 
my bf's mom and aunt have celiac disease.  I've been really limiting my wheat, dairy,eggs and soy since she's been born but definitely have had a little of each (very little dairy though, i know thats the big one) and peanut butter is my absolute favorite food and I do eat a lot of other nuts too.  My other ideas would be oatmeal which i eat at least once a day, corn, berries or citrus. 

"bf" meaning boyfriend? If you are referring to your baby's father then that would mean celiac is in her family. If this is the case it could most definitely be wheat (gluten), dairy, and oats (which are cross contaminated with wheat unless they're certified gluten free oats) causing the spitup.
 

[DKPA]

thanks for the replies, her dr didnt think it was reflux because she's never in any pain or fussy when she spits up and yes im now learning that even seasonal allergies can lead to food allergies, wish i knew these things when i was pregnant:( and yes bf meaning boyfriend and babys father (sorry still learning all the abbreviations on here;)) so the oats may be the issue then, i eat them a lot because of the low milk supply so i think ill try eliminating them for a while or just getting a different brand since i didnt realize they needed to be certified gluten free as well as being more completely diligent about the wheat and dairy.  Is it true it takes 3 months for all gluten to be cleared from the system? what a nightmare lol

Thanks for the advice!

[scsigrl]

I have never heard 3 month.  I know it can take some time but is so dependent on a variety of things.  I know my DS has been gluten free for almost a year now and at 6 months GF he still had elevated ttG levels (that is the Celiac blood work they do) but that has more to do with things other that eating gluten.

Just because there is no pain does not mean it isn't reflux too.

[mytwomonkies]

If it is celiac disease the healing can happen quickly or take some time, I've read that typically in children it can happen much quicker. As far as outward symptoms go, with my girls it usually takes about a week to two weeks for them to stop having symptoms from gluten. They have not been diagnosed celiac but are definitely gluten intolerant.

I thought you meant "boyfriend" but just wanted to clarify, my other guess was best friend but that didn't really make any sense

With his grandmother having celiac I would definitely be suspecting at least a gluten intolerance. My girls both had terrible spitting up as babies, DD2 would basically vomit after every feeding. I'm also gluten intolerant and one of my symptoms is acid reflux when I've had gluten.

If I were you I would take gluten and dairy out of your diet for at least a couple weeks and see if there's any improvement. It will be a little challenging on your end but it certainly won't hurt anything. If you're worried about taking the oats out due to low supply you could either try gluten free oats or there's also other ways of boosting your milk supply.

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/low-supply.html

http://www.kellymom.com/herbal/milksupply/fenugreek.html

Hope this helps!

[scsigrl]

Really, if you are at all thinking it is Celiac, you truly should talk to your Dr. about it before puling gluten totally.  4 months old is pretty young to test and I am not even sure that they would test.  It is important to know that IF you ever want a definitive DX, the child would have to be on a decent amount of gluten for an extended period of time.  For some people, a dx isn't important and that's fine, just pointing out things that you may want to consider.

[SweetSilver]

I think the key here is that she is not fussing.  Is the spitting up the only trouble nursing?  Often allergic babies (I speak to regular allergies, I don't know about celiac disease) will often scream and squirm while nursing as well as after, though that can ease at night and naptimes when sleepiness dulls the senses.  Spitting up could just be her still-maturing digestion, and sensitive skin, while it could indicate allergies, might just be sensitive skin.

     I would lean towards being cautious and vigilant, but if the baby isn't in pain, I would relax.  Focus on what you can do to increase or feel confident in your milk supply.  Try not to stress, that definitely affects production, at least with me.  I had a TOUCHY milk supply that increased and decreased with changes just like that.

[DKPA]

mytwomonkies thanks for the kellymom links, that site is always so informative and i definitely agree about no gluten and dairy for a while, although no luck finding gluten free oatmeal o well
 

Originally Posted by scsigrl 

Really, if you are at all thinking it is Celiac, you truly should talk to your Dr. about it before puling gluten totally.  4 months old is pretty young to test and I am not even sure that they would test.  It is important to know that IF you ever want a definitive DX, the child would have to be on a decent amount of gluten for an extended period of time.  For some people, a dx isn't important and that's fine, just pointing out things that you may want to consider.

this is a very interesting point since at some point we'd obviously want to know for sure!

[DKPA]

Originally Posted by SweetSilver 

I think the key here is that she is not fussing.  Is the spitting up the only trouble nursing?  Often allergic babies (I speak to regular allergies, I don't know about celiac disease) will often scream and squirm while nursing as well as after, though that can ease at night and naptimes when sleepiness dulls the senses.  Spitting up could just be her still-maturing digestion, and sensitive skin, while it could indicate allergies, might just be sensitive skin.

     I would lean towards being cautious and vigilant, but if the baby isn't in pain, I would relax.  Focus on what you can do to increase or feel confident in your milk supply.  Try not to stress, that definitely affects production, at least with me.  I had a TOUCHY milk supply that increased and decreased with changes just like that.

thanks for your reply i definitely need to be reminded not to stress out, its crazy how much it affects supply.  And yes spitting up is the only trouble nursing, the mucusy diapers worry me too though.

I'm surprised no ones said anything about all the nuts i eat, i definitely expected to hear about that one, but im going to try eliminating them for a while too, a possible link to eczema scares me...

[SweetSilver]

Nuts can easily give trouble through breastmilk, as I've heard over and over from so many moms, and is worth a try.  Dairy seems to be the one to be dropped first, but any of the allergens can cause trouble.  

     Yes, mucous in diapers is strongly linked to allergies, at least by the experience of moms. Our first NP was no help at all so I didn't figure this out for a long time.  My experience was much more immediate and gut-wrenching: writhing and screaming and pulling away while nursing, massive amounts of mucous in the diaper.  Surprising little spitting up, though.

     I always say this when a possible allergy pops up but doesn't seem severe: go with your gut, be watchful but patient, try different things, and relax!

[DKPA]

Originally Posted by SweetSilver 

Nuts can easily give trouble through breastmilk, as I've heard over and over from so many moms, and is worth a try.  Dairy seems to be the one to be dropped first, but any of the allergens can cause trouble.  

     Yes, mucous in diapers is strongly linked to allergies, at least by the experience of moms. Our first NP was no help at all so I didn't figure this out for a long time.  My experience was much more immediate and gut-wrenching: writhing and screaming and pulling away while nursing, massive amounts of mucous in the diaper.  Surprising little spitting up, though.

     I always say this when a possible allergy pops up but doesn't seem severe: go with your gut, be watchful but patient, try different things, and relax!

very good advice thank you:)
 

[kjbrown92]

My DS was a "happy spitter". There was no squirming or fidgeting. But he projectile vomited during and after every feeding (when I ate dairy) and spit up nasty stuff in between. That was his only symptom at the time, but considering how much of his food was coming back up, it was a concern for me. I hadn't heard of mucous in stool being from drooling. I've heard of testing pretty young for celiac. And it is a genetic autoimmune disease, so if it is a possibility, I would test for it quick, then go off it. If it comes back negative, I'd still take it out for about a month (yes, it can take up to 3-6 months to get fully out) and see. A neighbor of mine is celiac, and both her kids are gluten intolerant, but not actually celiac. My daughter and I were both tested for celiac, and negative, but we're both gluten intolerant as well (and my son, who wasn't tested for celiac). There's also a genetic test for celiac and I'm pretty sure you don't have to be consuming gluten for that one.

[DKPA]

Originally Posted by kjbrown92 

My DS was a "happy spitter". There was no squirming or fidgeting. But he projectile vomited during and after every feeding (when I ate dairy) and spit up nasty stuff in between. That was his only symptom at the time, but considering how much of his food was coming back up, it was a concern for me. I hadn't heard of mucous in stool being from drooling. I've heard of testing pretty young for celiac. And it is a genetic autoimmune disease, so if it is a possibility, I would test for it quick, then go off it. If it comes back negative, I'd still take it out for about a month (yes, it can take up to 3-6 months to get fully out) and see. A neighbor of mine is celiac, and both her kids are gluten intolerant, but not actually celiac. My daughter and I were both tested for celiac, and negative, but we're both gluten intolerant as well (and my son, who wasn't tested for celiac). There's also a genetic test for celiac and I'm pretty sure you don't have to be consuming gluten for that one.

o wow so the odds of it being gluten intolerance are pretty high, in your experience anyway. ill definitely have to look into having it tested.  I cant believe it takes 3 to 6 months to get it all out, the only gluten ive really had since she was born 4 months ago is from cross contamination in oatmeal, maybe it will take a little less time...

and if mucous cant be from drooling, thats really a concern too.  thank you for posting, i appreciate seeing other people who worried about spitting up, everyone loves to tell me that all babies spit up and not to worry, im not buying it!

[scsigrl]

The genetic test usually isn't done till AFTER they do the initial test.  If the initial test comes back +, they will likely want to do a biopsy. The genetic test isn't really that great because it is a pretty high % of people who have the gene.  Having the gene doesn't = Celiac though.  If there is an inconclusive biopsy, they will typically do the genetic test at that point.  SOME Dr's will do the genetic test prior to a biopsy if you really push.  If the biopsy is -, you can't/won't have Celiac.  It does NOT rule out an intolerance.  

You MUST be consuming gluten for the initial testing and the biopsy.  They genetic test can be done whenever but again, it's really useful in the greater scope of things.

[mytwomonkies]

We did the genetic test with DD1 since she was already gluten free when we saw her GI. It's an EXTREMELY low chance of having celiac if you don't possess one of the two main celiac associated genes (according to where the research is at right now, this could change). On the other hand if you do possess one or both of the genes then there's a chance it could be celiac. Since you know she has celiac in her family I would suggest doing the genetic test now since she's young and hasn't (from what I understand) been exposed to much gluten, if it's positive either think about some sort of testing in the future or just keep her gluten free. If it's negative then it would be very rare for her to ever develop celiac (though it does happen, I've talked to people who have celiac and don't possess either of the genes).

This has a good explanation of the genetics of celiac http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coeliac_disease

[DKPA]

thanks ill definitely look into testing. btw it could be coincidence or something else but the spitting up has improved somewhat since i cut out the oatmeal