Hi all lactnetters
I saw a mother with a 5 week old baby last week with multiple problems.  I'll condense the
scene, as it took me hours to sort through:
1. Baby feeds for up to 1 1/2 hours at a time, screams for most of the time
in between feeds. Never sleeps for more than 1 hour stretches.
2. Baby gets green poo most days, plenty of wet nappies. Weight gain ok but not brilliant.
3. Baby gets rashes over face, armpits, around groin/abdomen
4. Baby spits up after feeds for ages after a feed, thick 'like mucus'.
5. Mother has lots of dairy products in diet, was told to drink 3 litres of fluid
a day to help her milk supply    aaaargh!! and is drinking lots of milk, plus cheese
yogurt etc. Baby born at term, vaginal birth with epidural. Symptoms started day 3 in
hospital - nurses commented that her baby was always crying, but gave no reason.
6. baby not latching really well - mum's nipple slightly bevelled at the end (hope you
know what I mean) but feeds with no pain. Baby has audible swallows but doesn't
choke with flow. Screams if taken off breast even if there for ages.
7. Mum is exhausted and desperate - no help at home, hubby works in isolated mining
town thousands of kms away.

I really suspect that the dairy products in mum's diet, plus attachment problems are
the answer to this baby, but I wonder if any of the wise people in lactnet land
could give me some details as to how quickly a baby is likely to respond to mum
stopping dairy products in diet, and how much she would have to reduce them (eg is
a splash of milk in her coffee ok, or does it have to be no dairy in any shape or
form?) What about milk solids in most breads ?  I'm not an allergy specialist, and
would appreciate any advice or ideas.

Fiona Coombes
Family Physician IBCLC
Perth Western Australia