Many health problems of newborns can be attributed to inadequate food source. Here is some breast feeding education.
Your "colicky" baby may be suffering from lactose or milk protein intolerance due to your consumption of dairy products. To test your child you will have to give up dairy entirely for about two weeks. My infant had a "milk rash" on her face that was almost gone after two days on the diet. Other symptoms took longer to show improvement. The diarrhea and bloody stool lasted much longer, but subsided when I started giving her acidophilus from a gel capsule. It was most likely unrelated to the dairy problem, but the combination was her cure. I would squeeze the contents of one gel cap into her mouth, and any remaining residue on my nipples.
Check with your health care provider and pediatrician before trying any diet, or administering any herbal product to your infant. You should also ask about supplements needed, such as calcium.
Note that dairy intolerant babies sometimes are intolerant to other ingredients effecting the breast milk as well, such as nuts (walnuts were a problem for my infant), wheat, soy, or eggs. Some suggest giving up all of the suspect foods and slowly adding them back in.
Common symptoms:
diarrhea; excessive spitting up; bloody stool; constant crying; gassy; constantly hungry; diaper rash; pimple-like rash on face with red halos around the bumps (often called a "milk rash")
Ingredients to watch for:
milk; milk protein; whey; casein; caseinate; butter; cream; natural flavors (you can call the 800 numbers listed on products to find out if these may be dairy related)
Foods to beware of:
margarine; nondairy creamers; gravy packets; cereal; soups; bread; flavored chips; candy; luncheon meats; deli meats; fast food; fried food coating (french fries, chicken, etc...); breading; seasoning packets; cheese; baby formula
You get the drift, read ingredients of everything before you put it in your mouth. Don't take anything for granted, read them every time you buy them, as they often change. It's time consuming at first, but worth it if it gives relief to your baby and allows you to continue breast feeding. If it says 'non-dairy', read the ingredients, there's a good chance it contains some form of milk. Casein, or caseinate as an ingredient could cause problems, it comes from milk protein.
Need alternatives? Here are some suggestions of things I have found to help get over those overwhelming cravings to cheat:
Instead of milk, try soy or rice milk. I prefer the latter, in an original flavor and enriched. I use it on cereal, in coffee, or to drink. It doesn't taste exactly like milk, but it's pretty good when you've been without for a while. You can find it at a health food store, but many grocery stores carry it, usually in the same area you find evaporated milk.
There are frozen desserts made with rice or soy milk that I find very tasty, and very similar to ice cream. They have several flavors, something is sure to suit your taste. I have only found it at health food stores.
I have not found any cheese substitutes worth mentioning. Most have been unpleasant tasting. You need to be careful when trying "non-dairy" cheese substitutes, many contain casein. I simply had to learn to get along without it.
You can find dark chocolate that doesn't contain milk. There are even name brand chocolate chip cookies without milk.
Much to my surprise, pizza tastes fine without the cheese. Just get more of your favorite toppings added.
The most important thing to remember is that your baby will benefit from continued breast feeding, and it's worth all your trouble in the end.
