trying to figure this out for 5 month old DD

[Katica]

As the title says I have a 5 (almost 6 months old) baby and her Dad had multiple allergies as a child.

She has no eczema, not fussy (other than at nursing time) and sleeps OK. She has mucusy stools and refuses to nurse most of the time. She only nurses lying down while drowsy. This has been going on for almost 4 months now. She is gaining weight although she is leaner than my older two were at her age.  I`ve never had a baby who refuses to nurse this much. I`ve been thinking about switching to formula (especially after a bad day or two) but I figure if her refusal to nurse is due to sensitivities she will do terrible on most formulas.

I`ve been off all obvious dairy for two months and soy for the most part. I admit I haven`t been reading labels though. It`s almost impossible to avoid all soy since we live in Japan and practically everything has soy in it.

Does this sound like food sensitivities to you? Since there is no eczema and she a happy baby otherwise would the problem lie somewhere else?

I am very desperate about this. I can`t imagine going through this refusal stage for at least another 6 months. My goal is to breastfeed her at least till she is one but I`m already going crazy.

Any input is appreciated.

[BabySmurf]

All I can say is that it won't hurt to try, but figuring out the particular food may be hard.  If it is going to work though, you have to eliminate ALL traces of the food.  It's hard to do, but if she is getting a protein that she is intolerant to, it's going to give her a reaction period.  Doesn't matter if it's a little or a lot.  The mucus is a definite red flag that her gut is inflamed though, so I would think that there is something bothering her for sure. 

[dawnberries]

Can you not have her tested for allergies?  My ds had blood and green mucous in his diaper as well as eczema.  He had an IgE blood test at 5 months that identified several food allergies.  After I removed all those from my diet, the symptoms disappeared.  Really, I think testing is so much easier than a food diary.  I know that IgE tests won't pick up delayed reactions, but why not get as many definite answers as possible.  I hope you can figure it out soon!  It sounds like if you can't get testing (or if it doesn't help), then you are either going to have to be super strict with your diet- like just a few foods for several days and then slowly add things in one at a time and wait for a reaction- or switch your dd to formula/table food so it is easy to know exactly what she is getting.

[BabySmurf]

Originally Posted by dawnberries 

Can you not have her tested for allergies?  My ds had blood and green mucous in his diaper as well as eczema.  He had an IgE blood test at 5 months that identified several food allergies.  After I removed all those from my diet, the symptoms disappeared.  Really, I think testing is so much easier than a food diary.  I know that IgE tests won't pick up delayed reactions, but why not get as many definite answers as possible.  I hope you can figure it out soon!  It sounds like if you can't get testing (or if it doesn't help), then you are either going to have to be super strict with your diet- like just a few foods for several days and then slowly add things in one at a time and wait for a reaction- or switch your dd to formula/table food so it is easy to know exactly what she is getting.

This isn't necessary, and with suspected food allergies will likely make the problem worse. 

How are things looking, OP?

[dawnberries]

Originally Posted by BabySmurf 

This isn't necessary, and with suspected food allergies will likely make the problem worse. 

How are things looking, OP?

How could allergy testing make it worse?  It helped us a ton.

[scsigrl]

Originally Posted by dawnberries 

How could allergy testing make it worse?  It helped us a ton.

If you look, she bolded the statement that would make it worse. 

If you are set on BFing and you suspect foods I would start a detailed food log.  I would also talk to your Dr about silent reflux.

[BabySmurf]

Originally Posted by dawnberries 

How could allergy testing make it worse?  It helped us a ton.

I didn't mean the allergy testing - that could definitely help OP, I was referring to the switching to formula - it has many of the major allergens in it, and I have seen babies fail to thrive even on the predigested formula (I donated milk to one), and OP's baby is still much too young to be relying solely on table foods.  Having BTDT, I can understand wanting to make that change to make things easier, but I truly believe, at least in our situation, that it would have made things worse...and many times that break is enough to decrease supply and if LO was reacting to formula negatively, then OP would be stuck, and that would be even more of a nightmare. 

I wasn't intending to be snarky toward you, just in a hurry. 

[dawnberries]

My ds did half Neutramigen formula and half breastmilk until he was 2 years old.  I did keep a food diary.  And he did have testing.  They tested for the top 8 or so things + a couple of things I suspected.  I just thought my perspective/experience might be helpful. I have been dealing with food allergies (immediate and delayed reactions+ some environmentals) for 6 years and it started when he was an infant too.  Our course has worked well for us up to now.

[Katica]

How did I not notice all the posts on my own thread??

Thank you everyone for your replies. DD is now 9 months old but we still struggle. To my shame I never ended up eliminating all dairy.

We did the allergy testing at 7 months. They tested for a wide variety of major allergens. All came back negative. I cautiously added back dairy/soy into my diet.

She still has low weight gain and the occasional mucus in her poo. She loves solids but I have been very cautious with what I give her. She mostly eats rice with veggies and chicken. She also loves bananas and apples.

I still think she has a food sensitivity. Just can`t put my finger on it.

[Hillary77]

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

I'm wondering if this could be the issue?