Off of Dairy- Can I "Cheat"?

amother

Tue, Dec 02 2014, 12:23 pm

My baby EBF 5 mo. old had a gas problem and thanks to suggestions here on this site Smile

, I went off of dairy. I am now off of dairy for 3 weeks and am seeing very good results. The baby used to make one diaper a week and is now making more like one a day. The baby used to have terrible gas and a lot of pain and not has less gas and less pain.

But what about me, the selfish nursing mother?! First of all, I miss dairy. Second of all, I am taking supplements, but I don't feel that it's enough and I am way too lazy to eat food w/ calcium other than milchigs.

Can I eat a little bit of dairy or will it mess everything up? Can I ever go back to eating a lot of dairy or am I doomed to be "fleishig" until my baby is weaned?

MaBelleVie

Tue, Dec 02 2014, 12:45 pm

I wouldn't risk it. The beginning is the hardest, then you get used to it. Being a mommy doesn't really allow you to be lazy, so get cracking on making it work for you Smile

boysrus

Tue, Dec 02 2014, 12:48 pm

my doctor says to wait until baby is at least 6 months until going back on dairy. I have done this too. It is realy really hard, I love dairy, my fave foods are dairy. But it just isnt worth it. Your baby is happier and healthier like this. It is one of the challenges of being a mother. Talk to your pediatrician, but dont cheat! he might suggest trying just cheese first, and staying off other dairy from what I remember. dont do anything you will regret.

acccdac

Tue, Dec 02 2014, 12:53 pm

side question for you.

in your original post you said "The baby used to make one diaper a week and is now making more like one a day."

when your baby went was your baby constipated? was it a painful event? dairy can be a culprit of constipation?

amother

Tue, Dec 02 2014, 12:59 pm

acccdac wrote:

I have no tangible proof to suggest that the baby was constipated. Her stool was nice and soft and it can be normal for an EBF baby to make one diaper a week. But, the baby also had terrible gas, so I decided it was worth a shot and as a result, the number of diapers also increased. I don't know very much about the topic, but if you're willing to try, then go off of dairy for 2 weeks and see if it makes your baby feel better. Just make sure to be better than me and eat non-dairy foods that have calcium in them and supplement!

amother

Tue, Dec 02 2014, 1:01 pm

I had to go off dairy when my baby had eczema. You really can't cheat, I accidentally ate something I thought was pareve that turned out to not be, and the baby broke out again, it took a week to clear up. That said, the doctor had me start slowly reintroducing dairy about 6 months after I stopped, and there was no reaction, so I was able to fully return to dairy and by one, he could eat dairy directly without a problem. It is VERY common for young babies to react to dairy, most outgrow it. In the meantime, fleishigs are your friend! Some fresh deli slices in a salad or on toast will give you the protein you crave. And you don't have to worry about keeping track of time/limiting your options for the next 6 hours because you're not eating milchigs anyway! Also, nuts are a good replacement too.

amother

Tue, Dec 02 2014, 1:02 pm

bnm wrote:

don't. takes 2 weeks to fully clear out of yours and his systems. What do you miss? I can offer you parve substitutes.

That is so sweet! No, I don't think I would like any of the substitutes Sad

. But, do you know of non-dairy foods high in calcium that are easy to find? (I live in Israel if that helps.)

bnm

Tue, Dec 02 2014, 1:06 pm

amother wrote:

That is so sweet! No, I don't think I would like any of the substitutes Sad

. But, do you know of non-dairy foods high in calcium that are easy to find? (I live in Israel if that helps.)

its Shmitta now- how accessible is spinach?

according to this list:
http://greatist.com/health/18-.....lcium

sesame seeds are good for you and almonds.
add some tchina to your salads.

amother

Tue, Dec 02 2014, 1:14 pm

MaBelleVie wrote:

Salmon, sardines, broccoli- all easy foods, you can even have canned salmon. I'm sure there are also some fortified cereals and drinks.

Thank you for the advice, but I need more ideas (see below)
Salmon: good idea, nice expensive treat Smile

canned salmon is not readily available in Israel Sad

Sardines: I tried that, but got grossed out
Broccoli: makes the baby gassy
Cereal: can't have the milk Sad

Drinks: Do you know any specifically?

Esther23

Tue, Dec 02 2014, 1:35 pm

There are alot of foods high in calcium aside from dairy. Dark green leafy veg, almonds, salmon, white beans, figs, oranges, broccoli. You can search online for more ideas.
Another point to consider is alot of the babies that can't tolerate milk it's mostly cow's milk. If you can get goat milk at a health food store near you that would be the best milk substitute Smile

. It's probably due to the fact that cows milk takes about 3 hours to digest while goat milk takes only 20 minutes to digest. (I think that's the same as breast milk). It's a very healthy milk, especially for babies and children.
And once in a while if you want to "cheat" I would suggest you take digestive enzyme supplements along with the meal so that you give your baby's body tools to help him digest it.

Last edited by Esther23 on Tue, Dec 02 2014, 1:42 pm; edited 1 time in total

MaBelleVie

Tue, Dec 02 2014, 1:38 pm

In the US they have fortified orange juice and almond milk. Not sure what they have in Israel. If you're taking a supplement plus vitamin d to help absorption I really wouldn't be terribly concerned though.

chatouli

Tue, Dec 02 2014, 2:25 pm

I wouldn't risk cheating. I had real milk in my coffee once - probably about two ounces (DH forgot when he made my coffee) and my baby was back to screaming in pain for two days. He's almost three now and is still lactose intolerant but can drink lactaid and eat real dairy if he takes a lactaid pill.

rkade10

Tue, Dec 02 2014, 2:45 pm

I'm in Israel too and have partially cut out dairy for nursing.

Sesame seeds are cheap and very easy to add to your diet, I toss them whole into salads, schnitzel breading, stir fries. Techina as a dressing or dip or spread is also good. In the early days of being dairy free I would eat an omelet with raw techina and honey or maple syrup for breakfast

Soy and almond and rice milks are available in most stores. Some places import US brands with OUs.

Where I shop it's hard to find lettuce that's not romaine, but I recently started ordering "curly red leaf lettuce" from bodek2go. It's darker than romaine, which usually means more nutritious. And cheaper than broccoli or spinach (frozen)

If you want to try non cows milk products, the company Gad makes goat and sheep yogurt. Some soft cheeses are from goat and sheep also, check the labels

amother

Tue, Dec 02 2014, 2:59 pm

rkade10 wrote:

Thank you! I like your ideas and I am very excited about the goat milk idea. I love feta cheese Smile

Is it OK? I am off of dairy for digestive issues (gas and possible constipation).

rkade10

Tue, Dec 02 2014, 3:12 pm

amother wrote:

Thank you! I like your ideas and I am very excited about the goat milk idea. I love feta cheese Smile

Is it OK? I am off of dairy for digestive issues (gas and possible constipation).

Thanks! I love feta too. I've had a lot of fun reading all the labels in the "fancy dairy" sections of stores and finding new products.

If you're going off dairy with the guidance of your dr, maybe ask him/her if goat or sheep dairy would be ok for you. I would think that every person's digestive issues are different. Personally, I went off all dairy for about three weeks starting when DD was 4 or 5 weeks old, then slowly reintroduced hard and soft cheeses. She's 4 months old now and I'm about to reintroduce milk. But this is only what worked for me.

amother

Wed, Dec 03 2014, 7:45 am

rkade10 wrote:

I did this on my own, not w/ the guidance of the dr. In fact, the dr. told me that what I eat has no effect on my milk! I didn't believe this for a second, but I obviously couldn't ask this dr. about going off of dairy! My baby's main issue is gas and possibly constipation b"H, bli ayin hora, no known allergies. Feta would be amazing, especially for Chanukah... I can't imagine Chanukah w/o dairy...