Wednesday, September 29, 2010

The Diet and Breastfeeding.

So I have been on a really restricted diet since June. We're breastfeeding and Lucy is sensitive to any dairy or soy in my diet. Now we're not just talking cheese or soy sauce here, we're talking whey protein added to cereal, soy lecithen added to candy....there is literally dairy and soy in just about everything! At about 3-4 weeks old she started having really gnarly green poops and was super fussy all the time. I did some research and thought it might be a cow's milk protein intolerance so I cut out all dairy. I cut out soy and it made a huge difference! The problem is finding things to eat. I've lost all but about 3 lbs of my pregnancy weight and I'm sure that I would be struggling with that a lot more if I didn't have to watch my diet so closely. I'm planning to breastfeed for at least a year, probably a good bit longer, so I'm hoping that she outgrows this in the next few months. It's amazing how a small amount of dairy or something can really hurt her and make her fussy for about 12 hours after I eat it. I try to not eat anything with dairy or soy but sometimes things slip by and I don't realize it until it's too late. She's worth it though for sure.

I wasn't sure how I would feel about breastfeeding but I love it. I love that it gives her the absolute best nutrition, that it saves us loads of money on the specialty formula we would have to have her on, that it decreases my chances of osteoporosis and certain cancers, that it decreases her chances of diabetes and other diseases later in life, that it gives her immunity while her immune system is still developing....I could go on and on! My initial plan was to breastfeed for 6 months, and if I made it to a year that would be bonus. Now I'm leaning towards breastfeeding her for at least 2 years since that's what is recommended by several medical associations. I just don't know anyone that has breastfed for longer thean a year and there is definitely a social stigma to extended breastfeeding. Although I've never been one to let what other's think stand in my way ;) Breastfeeding is not easy, at least at first it wasn't. I had mastitis, this crazy diet and playing around trying to figure out her food issues, it is time consuming because breastfed babies eat more often than formula babies in general, it's a pain to pump, but in the end I just decided that it was the best decision for us.

But I'm not gonna lie...I would kill for some:

or some:


We'll trial her on dairy or soy at 6 months to see how it goes. Most babies start outgrowing these intolerances (they're not actual allergies) at about 6 months.

8 comments:

Shannon said...

Wow, I can't even imagine not having cheese. I can give up milk in a heartbeat (I only drink it on occasion, and its lactose free skim milk.), but I love me some cheese!

Carolina John said...

breastfeeding is awesome! It really helps you lose the weight and lucy grow in the best way possible. We weaned them at 13 months and 11 months respectively.

and when Kelley used to eat asparagus - which we love - the baby's pee diapers would stink like asparagus pee the next day. it made me laugh every time.

Lindsay said...

dude i hope she outgrows this fast!! i am allergic to soy and it SUCKSSSS. i know how you feel - it is truly in EVERYTHING. :-/ at least you know what it was making her feel bad and aren't still having to guess/trial & error.

MCM Mama said...

Good for you! I breastfed both of my boys until they were about three years old and dealt with the whole food allergy thing too. I was sooo skinny for a while because I had to cut out so many foods and was nursing a kid. If you ever want to "talk" about it, email me at mom2shoo at gmail.com. If nothing else, I can give you lots of moral support, having BTDT. Hang in there.

Alisa said...

I feel like breastfeeding can go either way, some mom's can do it with minimal pain and effort and others can't do it at all. I guess you should consider yourself lucky!

Also, losing your pregnancy weight that fast provides all the rest of us ladies hope that if we ever get preggers we can do it too.

Julie D said...

Time to crack out the vegan stuff? I recently discovered Daiya, and it is very similar to cheese... you can have nachos agaiN!

Megan said...

I'm glad you're sticking with eventhough you've had some issues. I nursed both my girls. I stil feel like it was the best thing I could do for them. Be sure to listen to yourself and the baby to determie when the best time to give it up. I nurse both until 10mo. By that time the pumping at work/nursing at home got to be too much. I felt like it was a job. I beat myself up for quiting before a year with the first kid. But really it was best.

Toni said...

I know I'm late commenting on this, but I say good for you! I always thought that people who frowned upon breastfeeding after a year were the ones that couldn't hang in there for 3 months to begin with. I breastfed my babies until they were done--it just so happened to work out that Mia was about 11 months and Merrick around 14 months. And who knows, as Lucy gets older, her little tummy might be able to tolerate a bit of ice cream or some cheese enchiladas?