Can't figure out what is wrong with my breastmilk.

[@llli*audrey7]

Background info:Baby girl is 15 weeks weighs 14 lbs. Exclusively breastfed, Several wet diapers a day and at least two bowl movements typically yellow/greenish but more greenish in color lately. She started out a fairly content baby but the past 10 days much more fussy, not taking long naps, pulling off breast and crying more often. I just started back to work 3 weeks ago and the first few weeks seemed to go fine. Baby was happy and i have been able to pump 12 oz each day. Took to dr. 1 week ago and mentioned the increased fussiness and that baby has had runny nose/mild congestion since 3 weeks old. Ped said she may have an allergy to cows milk so i stopped dairy but not seeing any real improvement yet. Daycare said she was very miserable again today. I feel there has to be something wrong with my milk but i cant figure out what has changed she used to be so happy.

[@llli*lllmeg]

Hi Audrey 7. Welcome to the forum!

It is actually pretty rare that a moms breastmilk causes a baby any issues. However, there are a couple things to look out for. Any issues with mama milk typically boil down to one or more of the following: not enough milk, too much milk, food allergies, forceful letdown, and/or sceduling nursing sessions and limiting length of nursing sessions. Also sometimes babies start to have issues with nursing after they start getting bottles. So I have a bunch of questions that I hope will help figure this out if you don't mind!

Besides the fussyness and congestion, is there any other indication of ill health or allergies? Poor weight gain, blood in babies stool, rash?

Does baby tend to fuss more at home or more at daycare or about the same? How is baby fed at day care (I assume breastmilk in bottles-but how? Is baby cue fed, sceduled, what is the scedule, how big are the bottles?)

How does the day care handle fussiness or unhappy baby? What comfort measures do they use?

Is baby able to nap when baby wants at day care or is there a scedule?

How long each day is baby at day care and is it a typical weekly work scedule of 5 days at day care, 2 days home with you, or some other scedule?

How many times a day does baby nurse on day care days? What about on your days off? Is baby nursed mostly on cue or more on a scedule?

Do you notice any difference between babys' behavior on your days off vs. day care days?

Is baby fussing more when or just after nursing, or any other time in particular?

How is baby sleeping at night? Any changes there? Where does baby sleep at night?

[@llli*elliemommy]

If it really is a dairy allergy-It took 5 weeks of no dairy for me for the symptoms to go away. I was not dealing with fussiness though. Ellie had reflux and mucus and blood in her BMs.

[@llli*mommal]

It sounds to me like your doc sent you down the dairy elimination rabbit hole without enough data to suggest that you really needed to go there! LLLMeg's questions are good ones- let us know what you think!

[@llli*audrey7]

THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP MY ANSWERS ARE IN CAPS BELOW:
Besides the fussyness and congestion, is there any other indication of ill health or allergies? Poor weight gain, blood in babies stool, rash? NO

Does baby tend to fuss more at home or more at daycare or about the same? How is baby fed at day care (I assume breastmilk in bottles-but how? Is baby cue fed, sceduled, what is the scedule, how big are the bottles?) IT SEEMS TO BE THE SAME AT HOME AND AT DAYCARE. THE BEST TIME OF EACH DAY IS WHEN SHE FIRST GETS UP IN THE MORNING—SHE IS CONTENT FOR ABOUT AN HOUR EACH MORNING. I INSTRUCTED THE DAYCARE TO FEED HER APPROX EVERY 3 HOURS (BECAUSE THIS IS TYPICALLY WHEN SHE NURSES) BUT TO OFFER A BOTTLE IF SHE SEEMS HUNGRY MORE OFTEN. IT SEEMS THEY ARE FEEDING HER ABOUT EVERY THREE HOURS ON AVERAGE. THE BOTTLES ARE 4 OZ. SHE IS FED 6-7 TIMES PER DAY @ APPROX 5:30AM, 8:30M, 11:30AM, 2:30PM, 6PM, 9PM (SOMETIMES THERE IS AN EXTRA FEEDING AT NIGHT—SOMETIMES SHE CLUSTER FEEDS AFTER I GET HOME IN THE EVENING)

How does the day care handle fussiness or unhappy baby? What comfort measures do they use? THEY SAID THEY HAVE TRIED ROCKING HER, THE SWING, WALKING HER AROUND. I CALLED THE DIRECTOR TODAY AND SHE ASKED IF WE COULD TRY FEEDING HER MORE. I WANT TO DO WHATS BEST FOR HER BUT I CAN ONLY GET 12OZ PUMPED PER DAY—I PUMP THREE TIMES PER DAY. SO WE WOULD HAVE TO SUPPLEMENT WITH FORMULA IF SHE NEEDS MORE THAN THIS DURING THE DAY.

Is baby able to nap when baby wants at day care or is there a scedule? NO SCHEDULE, BUT I ASKED THEM NOT TO LET HER GET TOO OVERTIRED. IF SHE IS UP FOR MORE THAN TWO HOURS THEN SHE STARTS GETTING TIRED AND FUSSY.

How long each day is baby at day care and is it a typical weekly work scedule of 5 days at day care, 2 days home with you, or some other scedule? I WORK MON-FRI. BABY IS AT DAYCARE TUES, THURS, FRI AND AT MOTHER-IN-LAWS ON MON AND WED. SHE GETS DROPPED OFF AT 7:30AM AND I AM HOME BETWEEN 5-6PM.

How many times a day does baby nurse on day care days? What about on your days off? Is baby nursed mostly on cue or more on a scedule? SHE NURSES APPROX 3 TIMES (TIMES LISTED ABOVE IN FIRST QUESTION) ON WEEKENDS SHE IS NURSED ON CUE—IT ENDS UP BEING ABOUT EVERY THREE HOURS OR SO.

Do you notice any difference between babys' behavior on your days off vs. day care days? NOT REALLY. SHE WAS FINE THE FIRST 10 DAYS OF DAYCARE BUT THESE LAST 10 DAYS SHE HAS BEEN STRUGGLING ALL AROUND—AT AND AWAY FROM HOME.

Is baby fussing more when or just after nursing, or any other time in particular? I CAN’T REALLY FIND A PATTERN. THERE ARE TIMES WHEN SHE SEEMS HUNGRY OR TIRED SO I OFFER THE BREAST—SHE NURSES FOR A LITTLE WHILE AND THEN PULLS AWAY. NOT IN THE MORNING—ONLY AT NIGHT WHEN I GET HOME FROM WORK. ON THE WEEKENDS SHE DOES THIS OCCASIONALLY TOO BUT NOT CONSISTENTLY. SOMETIMES SHE SEEMS HAPPY NURSING (I OFTEN OFFER THE BREAST) AND SOMETIMES SHE CRIES AND PULLS AWAY EVEN THOUGHT SHE SEEMS HUNGRY.

How is baby sleeping at night? Any changes there? Where does baby sleep at night? ODDLY ENOUGH NO CHANGES IN SLEEPING AT NIGHT. SHE DOES GREAT AT NIGHT AND HAS SLEPT FROM APPROX 9AM-5:30AM SINCE 2 MONTHS OLD. A FEW NIGHTS A WEEK SHE MIGHT WAKE UP FOR A FEEDING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT. SHE TYPICALLY GOES TO SLEEP IN MY BED (MY HUSBAND WORKS OVERNIGHTS) AFTER NURSING. DURING THE DAY ON THE WEEKENDS I LAY HER DOWN IN HER BASSINET TO GO TO SLEEP OR ROCK HER AND THEN LAY HER IN HER BASSINET. I ALSO DID THIS BEFORE I RETURNED TO WORK. I ONLY LAY DOWN AND NURSE HER TO SLEEP AT NIGHT.

UPDATE: SHE HAD ANOTHER ROUGH DAY TODAY. WE TOOK HER TO THE DOCTOR AND THEY SAID SHE IS DEFINITELY NOT TEETHING—NO MEDICAL ISSUES LIKE EAR INFECTION OR ANYTHING. AFTER ASKING A LOT OF QUESTIONS THEY THINK IT IS ACID REFLUX—THEY GAVE US A PRESCRIPTION.

[@llli*audrey7]

okay thank you for the info. Took her to the doctor again today--saw a different doctor at the practice and he told me they don't think it is a milk allergy. We have no history of this problem in the family. He said it was very unlikely. He thinks she has acid reflux and gave us a prescription.

[@llli*audrey7]

Thank you for your response--I don't think cow's milk is the problem, but I'm willing to try whatever I can to see if it helps.

[@llli*lllmeg]

hey sorry for late reply, my responses are in blue ok:

THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP MY ANSWERS ARE IN CAPS BELOW:

Besides the fussiness and congestion, is there any other indication of ill health or allergies? Poor weight gain, blood in babies stool, rash?

NO.

ok good.

Does baby tend to fuss more at home or more at daycare or about the same? How is baby fed at day care (I assume breastmilk in bottles-but how? Is baby cue fed, sceduled, what is the scedule, how big are the bottles?)

IT SEEMS TO BE THE SAME AT HOME AND AT DAYCARE. THE BEST TIME OF EACH DAY IS WHEN SHE FIRST GETS UP IN THE MORNING—SHE IS CONTENT FOR ABOUT AN HOUR EACH MORNING. I INSTRUCTED THE DAYCARE TO FEED HER APPROX EVERY 3 HOURS (BECAUSE THIS IS TYPICALLY WHEN SHE NURSES) BUT TO OFFER A BOTTLE IF SHE SEEMS HUNGRY MORE OFTEN. IT SEEMS THEY ARE FEEDING HER ABOUT EVERY THREE HOURS ON AVERAGE. THE BOTTLES ARE 4 OZ. SHE IS FED 6-7 TIMES PER DAY @ APPROX 5:30AM, 8:30M, 11:30AM, 2:30PM, 6PM, 9PM (SOMETIMES THERE IS AN EXTRA FEEDING AT NIGHT—SOMETIMES SHE CLUSTER FEEDS AFTER I GET HOME IN THE EVENING)

OK so 7 feeds a day is on the slightly low side. Would she like to nurse more often do you think? Does baby ever want to nurse during the night?

How does the day care handle fussiness or unhappy baby? What comfort measures do they use?

THEY SAID THEY HAVE TRIED ROCKING HER, THE SWING, WALKING HER AROUND. I CALLED THE DIRECTOR TODAY AND SHE ASKED IF WE COULD TRY FEEDING HER MORE. I WANT TO DO WHATS BEST FOR HER BUT I CAN ONLY GET 12OZ PUMPED PER DAY—I PUMP THREE TIMES PER DAY. SO WE WOULD HAVE TO SUPPLEMENT WITH FORMULA IF SHE NEEDS MORE THAN THIS DURING THE DAY.

so baby gets 12 ounces in a 10 hour separation right?..the rule of thumb is 1-1.5 oz per hour. So if she needs more it would not be much more. I would suggest they try feeding slightly smaller bottles mor often. Esp. if the issue is reflux, smaller feedings may help. I suggest consider asking dc and mil to learn this method of feeding baby: http://www.llli.org/docs/00000000000...astfedbaby.pdf

Is baby able to nap when baby wants at day care or is there a scedule?

NO SCHEDULE, BUT I ASKED THEM NOT TO LET HER GET TOO OVERTIRED. IF SHE IS UP FOR MORE THAN TWO HOURS THEN SHE STARTS GETTING TIRED AND FUSSY.

ok.

How long each day is baby at day care and is it a typical weekly work schedule of 5 days at day care, 2 days home with you, or some other schedule?

I WORK MON-FRI. BABY IS AT DAYCARE TUES, THURS, FRI AND AT MOTHER-IN-LAWS ON MON AND WED. SHE GETS DROPPED OFF AT 7:30AM AND I AM HOME BETWEEN 5-6PM.

Do you pick baby up? Anyway to nurse baby right there at daycare or your mil's before heading home?

Also, Do you think the jumping back and forth so much between the two different care situations may be upsetting baby? Look at this from baby's pov. Baby does not have a calendar, this could be very confusing and may be interfering with baby's adjustment to the daily separations from mom, which is stressful as it is for both mom and baby. I am not sure there is anything you can or would even need to change about the care situation, baby will in all likelihood adjust. But sometimes just looking at a situation from baby's pov helps us understand why a baby may be a bit out of sorts. Baby needs to bond with the person caring for them when you cannot, and if it is a different person each day, that can be difficult for some babies.

How many times a day does baby nurse on day care days? What about on your days off? Is baby nursed mostly on cue or more on a schedule?

SHE NURSES APPROX 3 TIMES (TIMES LISTED ABOVE IN FIRST QUESTION) ON WEEKENDS SHE IS NURSED ON CUE—IT ENDS UP BEING ABOUT EVERY THREE HOURS OR SO.

It never hurts to nurse more often. Nursing is much more than a way to feed a baby. While there are some exceptions, for most babies, nursing is an instant mood fixer. It helps baby soothe to sleep. It helps baby wake up calmly. It soothes upset, calms fears, brings joy. When there are long, almost daily separations, nursing allows baby and mom to reconnect so calmly and peacefully. For a baby, nursing at the breast is a big love fest with the love of baby’s life-you.

Do you notice any difference between babys' behavior on your days off vs. day care days?

NOT REALLY. SHE WAS FINE THE FIRST 10 DAYS OF DAYCARE BUT THESE LAST 10 DAYS SHE HAS BEEN STRUGGLING ALL AROUND—AT AND AWAY FROM HOME.

OK

Is baby fussing more when or just after nursing, or any other time in particular?

I CAN’T REALLY FIND A PATTERN. THERE ARE TIMES WHEN SHE SEEMS HUNGRY OR TIRED SO I OFFER THE BREAST—SHE NURSES FOR A LITTLE WHILE AND THEN PULLS AWAY. NOT IN THE MORNING—ONLY AT NIGHT WHEN I GET HOME FROM WORK. ON THE WEEKENDS SHE DOES THIS OCCASIONALLY TOO BUT NOT CONSISTENTLY. SOMETIMES SHE SEEMS HAPPY NURSING (I OFTEN OFFER THE BREAST) AND SOMETIMES SHE CRIES AND PULLS AWAY EVEN THOUGHT SHE SEEMS HUNGRY.

When she cries remember she is not rejecting you. Hold her close and cuddle her or do whatever else she might like. Mom's return to work is a huge adjustment for baby and you, it can take a while before it feels normal and routine.

How is baby sleeping at night? Any changes there? Where does baby sleep at night?

ODDLY ENOUGH NO CHANGES IN SLEEPING AT NIGHT. SHE DOES GREAT AT NIGHT AND HAS SLEPT FROM APPROX 9AM-5:30AM SINCE 2 MONTHS OLD. A FEW NIGHTS A WEEK SHE MIGHT WAKE UP FOR A FEEDING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT. SHE TYPICALLY GOES TO SLEEP IN MY BED (MY HUSBAND WORKS OVERNIGHTS) AFTER NURSING. DURING THE DAY ON THE WEEKENDS I LAY HER DOWN IN HER BASSINET TO GO TO SLEEP OR ROCK HER AND THEN LAY HER IN HER BASSINET. I ALSO DID THIS BEFORE I RETURNED TO WORK. I ONLY LAY DOWN AND NURSE HER TO SLEEP AT NIGHT.

So you co-sleep but she never or rarely nurses at night? Nursing at night is often helpful for 2 main reasons. 1) it helps a mom who is back at work keep a good milk production, which can be hard when mom is pumping instead of nursing much of the day. 2) it is comforting to baby and also a little baby can get pretty hungry in 8 hours.

UPDATE: SHE HAD ANOTHER ROUGH DAY TODAY. WE TOOK HER TO THE DOCTOR AND THEY SAID SHE IS DEFINITELY NOT TEETHING—NO MEDICAL ISSUES LIKE EAR INFECTION OR ANYTHING. AFTER ASKING A LOT OF QUESTIONS THEY THINK IT IS ACID REFLUX—THEY GAVE US A PRESCRIPTION

OK here is a good article on acid reflux. http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/par...-faq%E2%80%99s If that is the problem, there are many comforting measures that can help as well, such as nursing frequently and holding baby more or less upright (head above tummy) most of the time. If that is the problem the meds and those comforting measures should help!

Hope this helps! Thank you for answering all my nosy questions!

[@llli*audrey7]

Thank you very much. This was helpful and you have given me some good things to think about. I am staring to think it may be a combination of several factors that have led to the increase of fussiness and crying spells....