*Nursing Nuisance*

I personally have decided to breastfeed. I knew that's what I wanted to do long ago for all the children God decided to give to me.

Breastfeeding has probably been one of my biggest challenges with mommy-hood thus far. Krislyn has developed an intolerance for any moderate amount of dairy, and we've had a pretty rough time trying to filter it out of my diet. Ever since I was little I have loved ice cream, milk, and butter. I have learned that there are many other kinds of "dairy" products other than the typical cheese, milk, and cream. Such things as lactose and casein are secretly hidden inside almost everything we eat. For information on what casein is visit the link below:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casein

Any time I unknowingly ingest any of these products, a few hours later Krislyn will let me know. She starts to get a little fussy followed by a sense of restlessness and then lastly an off-and-on hour long episode of crying and screaming and lots of pitiful tears. It kills me whenever this happens because there's not a whole lot you can do to help. She won't want to eat so not even nursing for comfort makes her feel better.

I have acquired a few tips that have seemed to ease the discomfort a little bit. This always usually happens at night once Krislyn has taken in (via my milk) everything I've eaten over the last 12 hours making it very hard for her to get comfortable enough to go to sleep and sleep well. One thing that I've found to help calm her stomach enough to be ready for sleep is a nice warm bath right before her last feeding. This allows her stomach to settle enough for one last good full meal, which helps her to sleep more peacefully and for a longer period of time.

We have tried the mylecon gas drops and that has seemed to help momentarily, but I find that when I do watch my diet as close as possible (there are so many things that are not in labels) things are so much better. It's definitely worth it to forfeit the ice cream and have a happy, smiling baby instead.

Encouragement: If you are having problems with extended periods of crying episodes the best thing you can do is to hang in there. If you find yourself getting upset or irritated, it's best if you can find a fresh face to pass the baby off to; even for a moment. Go take a quick shower, walk outside for a minute or two, or drink a tall glass of water. Take a second to relax, breathe, and refocus before going back to the battle ground. Chances are the change of faces will calm your baby down as well. For a short time at least. * Also try and eliminate problem foods. Dairy is typically the first thing to go. Next, try to find foods that cause you to have an upset tummy. Spicy foods, broccoli, and wheat seem to cause babies problems also.