tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5741036541041672560.post3494593379320221977..comments2024-03-24T12:47:49.253-04:00Comments on Dou-la-la: Our Babies, Our Guts, Or: What Napoleon Dynamite Can Teach Us About BreastfeedingAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01019907275666753543noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5741036541041672560.post-50682421604987333762015-03-17T20:44:02.105-04:002015-03-17T20:44:02.105-04:00I know this article is old but maybe someone has a...I know this article is old but maybe someone has an opinion on this. My son is 8 weeks old and has only pooped once a week for about 4 weeks. His poops are not formed so he's not constipated and they aren't blowouts. I definitely think diet is important so that's why I changed my diet with my second baby. But he poops way less than my daughter did when I was on more of a regular American diet. Here's an example of what I eat every day. Breakfast: two apples. Snack: raw almonds. Lunch: sweet potatoes and eggs. Dinner: broccoli, carrot, cashew stir fry over rice. Snack: popcorn. I rarely eat wheat and sugar. I have meat 1-3 times a week. I eat only organic and the only beverage I drink is water. What's with the kid not pooping?!<br /> Thanks in advance!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5741036541041672560.post-51527177855470973762012-08-24T08:50:12.952-04:002012-08-24T08:50:12.952-04:00I would say just pick one new habit/food at a time...I would say just pick one new habit/food at a time and integrate it. The easiest and best thing you can do for your health and gut is switch to raw milk and homemade stock, taking cod liver oil and probiotics. Those four things will catapult you into the next level of good health and make a huge difference in the quality of your breast milk. Stephaniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05889839060285842444noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5741036541041672560.post-68079468926354005942012-08-24T08:47:04.840-04:002012-08-24T08:47:04.840-04:00Sheila, check out the Weston A Price Foundation we...Sheila, check out the Weston A Price Foundation website, it is the perfect place to start. What most people think is healthy, is not really healthy.Stephaniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05889839060285842444noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5741036541041672560.post-35625457242954831682012-08-07T23:36:23.470-04:002012-08-07T23:36:23.470-04:00I totally agree with this post. My diet has improv...I totally agree with this post. My diet has improved a lot since my first child, and I beleive that I can see this in my son as he is developing. He is stronger than she was at this age. He's 4.5 months and already starting to crawl! Also he poops s<br />everal times a day. Fortunately we EC, so almost always in the potty. :) But even as a doula I try to stress to moms how important their diet is to a healthy pregnancy and breastmilk, and that doesn't just mean taking a prenatal. It's healthy fats and no vegetable oils, with lots of nutrient-dense foods.<br />And constipation is NEVER good, not for breastfeeding babies or anyone else!sara r.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5741036541041672560.post-77595880000086907612012-08-04T18:56:19.768-04:002012-08-04T18:56:19.768-04:00Thanks for your thoughts, Elita! "But I don&#...Thanks for your thoughts, Elita! "But I don't ever want a mom to think that her diet has to be perfect in order to make good milk." SO much yes to this. I hope I've put that across well enough. On practical advice: I really, truly hope to have more viable answers as I progress through my education. Much, much more to learn.<br /><br />Interesting on the vitamin/prenatal matter - I think this is situation dependent. Say you have a mom who lives in a food desert and doesn't have a lot of resources - but she is able to get prenatals due to Medicaid coverage. For her, that could be a helpful option, maybe?Annehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01019907275666753543noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5741036541041672560.post-65425845385897077232012-08-04T18:46:19.498-04:002012-08-04T18:46:19.498-04:00Well, it might be that some of the above re: certa...Well, it might be that some of the above re: certain food sensitivities might be a factor worth exploring. I also know for myself personally, my own gut had some healing to do from years of crappy dieting and such. NO idea if that might be true for you, but possibly a place to start? I wish I knew more to be able to help from a distance.Annehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01019907275666753543noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5741036541041672560.post-52458686410401141052012-08-04T18:28:12.801-04:002012-08-04T18:28:12.801-04:00The Healthy Home Economist piece is a good place t...The Healthy Home Economist piece is a good place to start, yes. It sounds like you are already doing a lot of great work for yourself and your family! It might be worthwhile to try eliminating some of most common allergens and see if that makes any difference: the biggest ones are typically dairy, wheat/gluten, soy, and eggs. For us it was gluten, soy, eggs and peanuts (she grew out of the egg sensitivity). Probiotics could also make a difference(for yourself and baby). <br /><br />I do worry about sending moms on a wild goose chase with difficult and often inaccurate elimination diets, so beyond just those primary culprits, I think it's worthwhile to see a naturopath who works with babies and food sensitivities. BUT, I also realize that this isn't on everyone's health insurance, if they have insurance in the first place (and therein lies the rub discussed above re: resources and privilege). <br /><br />So, take that with a grain of salt, of course! I do think it's worth exploring the food sensitivities in particular.Annehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01019907275666753543noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5741036541041672560.post-86926797991761493392012-08-03T18:04:43.761-04:002012-08-03T18:04:43.761-04:00GL I'm amazed!!!!It's 26 years since I BF ...GL I'm amazed!!!!It's 26 years since I BF my daughter. What has happened to diet in the meantime, I'm horrified!!Vonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17421069895155350144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5741036541041672560.post-63858149786361343092012-08-03T13:08:21.528-04:002012-08-03T13:08:21.528-04:00This is such an important topic and one that has a...This is such an important topic and one that has actually been on my mind a lot recently. My first tongue-tied baby struggled mightily with breastfeeding and had to practically live on my boob to just barely get enough. He had a blowout once a week. When I had my daughter I got her TT corrected within the first week and breastfeeding was infinitely easier. I was also eating a much, MUCH healthier diet and I found my baby pooped after literally every nursing, sometimes twice! I was telling a friend and she said, "What, did you forget how it is in the early months?" and no, I didn't forget, my first baby just did not behave the same way. Anyway, it's such a complex issue. I'm so glad that I spoke to Jennifer and cleaned up my diet a TON before having the second baby and have continued to eat much better ever since. But I don't ever want a mom to think that her diet has to be perfect in order to make good milk. But still, there is evidence that moms who eat better make better milk. I've always heard IBCLCs tell moms that they don't need to take their prenatals while nursing, but I wonder if that's a good place to start. Would even just adding in a good, food-based multivitamin make a difference? I know it was hard for me to eat well as a new mom, trying to take care of a newborn and a toddler, period. Is there any practical advice we can offer new moms that is easy to implement, that they can feel good about doing, so we can at least begin the process of healing while they maintain the breastfeeding?Elitahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01294923997458681675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5741036541041672560.post-69025919462909432282012-08-03T12:57:46.411-04:002012-08-03T12:57:46.411-04:00Right, so what do I do? My son poops about once a...Right, so what do I do? My son poops about once a week, and it's always much thicker than my first baby's was. I eat what I would consider to be a healthy diet. I'm not constipated myself. In the past I've had symptoms of magnesium deficiency, but it doesn't seem to be correctable by diet ... I eat lots of supposedly magnesium-rich foods. But I hear our soil is so bad that food in America is becoming magnesium-deficient. So back to square one ... take a supplement? Or is it something else that's missing in my diet? Or does my homebirthed breastfed baby have messed up gut flora for no reason? He's never had an antibiotic, a vaccine, or even tylenol.Sheilahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10853868724554947854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5741036541041672560.post-6285548180714959742012-08-03T10:56:35.080-04:002012-08-03T10:56:35.080-04:00I've had my doubts about the irregular poop th...I've had my doubts about the irregular poop thing, I admit, but I've always felt relieved to hear that other moms have it happen too. So what do I do? I'll look at this Healthy Home Economist post you linked to. <br /><br />I'm always working to eat better so that I can be a good example to my kids (and keep the crap out of my house so they don't ask for it once old enough), but I neglected the fact that some of my son's (34 months) nutrition and all of my daughters (5 months) are already affected by my eating habits by virtue of the milk quality I am providing.Arualhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15864953064301451142noreply@blogger.com