Guest guest Posted April 1, 2002 Report Share Posted April 1, 2002 I'm nursing my 18-month old about 3 times a day. He eats extremely well but he depends on nursing to go to sleep (another subject I may solicit help on at another time!). I've noticed for about the past 6 months that my scalp is becoming more and more itchy and flaky. Nothing has changed in my vegan diet and I'm still using the same hair products. Have any of you breastfeeding mothers experienced this? It seems that it might be diet related, but I eat well-balanced meals with plenty of dark green veggies, drink carrot juice, and drink fortified soy milk and can't figure out which nutrient I might be lacking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 2, 2002 Report Share Posted April 2, 2002 Sorry I don't really have a reply for your scalp but another portion of your message interested me. I am nursing my 14m old and he also eats very well and nurses 3-4 times a day but completely depends on nursing to go to sleep. This is becoming very tiredsome because I have to be home by a certain time or my husband or a babysitter can't do a thing to console him?I would love some advice on this from others and any input from you. Lindsay Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax http://http://taxes./ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 2, 2002 Report Share Posted April 2, 2002 Right off the bat without a food journal, I would suggest that you look at your intake of EFA(essential fatty acids), many people, veg. or not are off balance in this area. Good sources of Omega Fatty acids are essential for many things including hair and nail health. Olive oil, and flax or hemp seed oils are the ones that I reccomend on a daily basis. If you have more specific questions, please feel free to email me privately. Peace, Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 3, 2002 Report Share Posted April 3, 2002 I am a vegan who's nursing an 8-month-old. My scalp has gone beyond itchy and flaky. It's downright painful! I never had even considered a possible correlation to breastfeeding. Neither my diet nor hair products have changed, so nursing could be the difference here! Trin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 3, 2002 Report Share Posted April 3, 2002 I wouldn't be as likely to think that it is breastfeeding or nutrition related. Did any of your babies have cradle cap? It could be that you now have it. Cradle cap is actually caused by a fungus (like most dandruff) and you may have transferred it from your baby to you. Why not try a tee tree oil shampoo that is formulated for this kind of thing (on you not the baby) and see if it helps? I have had this happen myself and it was pretty easy to get rid of once I treated it. Jacqueline - trinjoy April 2, 2002 22:52 Re: Nursing Vegan with Itchy, Flaky Scalp I am a vegan who's nursing an 8-month-old. My scalp has gone beyond itchy and flaky. It's downright painful! I never had even considered a possible correlation to breastfeeding. Neither my diet nor hair products have changed, so nursing could be the difference here! Trin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 3, 2002 Report Share Posted April 3, 2002 Also, I don't know how much water you are drinking but besides the EFA's, a nursing mama needs to *really* up her water.......I felt at my best drinking 16 cups of water while nursing my 3 boys. Stacy >I am a vegan who's nursing an 8-month-old. My scalp has gone beyond >itchy and flaky. It's downright painful! I never had even considered >a possible correlation to breastfeeding. Neither my diet nor hair >products have changed, so nursing could be the difference here! > >Trin > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 3, 2002 Report Share Posted April 3, 2002 On Wed, 3 Apr 2002, trinjoy wrote: > I am a vegan who's nursing an 8-month-old. My scalp has gone beyond > itchy and flaky. It's downright painful! I never had even considered > a possible correlation to breastfeeding. Neither my diet nor hair > products have changed, so nursing could be the difference here! There are a lot of things that can cause an itchy, flaky scalp. Just because two nursing mothers have that problem doesn't necessarily mean the nursing is responsible, so I wouldn't jump to any conclusions. My husband has a condition called seborrheic dermatitis that sounds much like what you are describing. Basically, his scalp produces too much sebum and causes his skin to become raw and flake and peel. When it's really bad, his scalp can even bleed. The intensity waxes and wanes. Stress definitely makes it worse. Also, changes in seasons sometimes seem to make things flare up for him. There are over-the-counter and prescription shampoos available for treatment, and a doctor should be able to diagnose seborrheic dermatitis if that is indeed what you have. ---- Patricia Bullington-McGuire <patricia The brilliant Cerebron, attacking the problem analytically, discovered three distinct kinds of dragon: the mythical, the chimerical, and the purely hypothetical. They were all, one might say, nonexistent, but each nonexisted in an entirely different way ... -- Stanislaw Lem, " Cyberiad " Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 3, 2002 Report Share Posted April 3, 2002 My 26 mo. old nurses, but he also has lots of other ways to get to sleep. If nursing doesn't work for him or me, my husband will turn out all the lights in the house and 'dance him to sleep' to music. Ds still likes the sling so anyone in the house can 'wear' him to sleep. We also cuddle in bed and read stories if he wants to nurse while we do this and I don't feel like nursing then I give him something to munch on in bed (something without sugar obviously). I've also noticed he likes to fall asleep to dh and me talking. Ds sleeps with us and he finds it reassuring apparently to hear us having a conversation. I guess my point is...play around and find something that works for you and the little one. Maybe a bath? A massage? A story? A drive? A walk around the block? Get creative and you know your child better than anyone (except themselves) so you know what might make them calm or tired. I think it is great you are still nursing your little one, but if you are frustrated with the situation then it is better to find other methods of getting them to sleep. Take into consideration your child may be going through a growth spurt, a stressful time, learning something new, etc. All these things will affect nursing. Times of stress ('good' stress and 'bad') they will tend to nurse more and need you more. Pretty soon they will be off doing their own thing and nursing will be a memory. Also, a wonderful midwife friend of mine (she also has six children) suggests we draw a graph anytime we are frustrated with 'giving all the time'. Draw a graph of your child's life with you (up to 18 or so) and then color in red the time they are nursing (or any other behavior you are concerned with). Look at what a short time you really have to bond in this way. I am already looking back on times that were tough to get throug (waking during the night, etc.) and think 'wow that was over so quickly!' Now I have a little man on my hands and there is a twing of saddness over the time that has passed even though I love the time we have now. Try to hang in there and take care of yourself. Hugs, Linda Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax http://taxes./ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 3, 2002 Report Share Posted April 3, 2002 I started taking the flax oil about a month ago. Olive oil has always been in my diet daily. I drink about 8 glasses of water, about the same amount I drank before conception, so maybe that is the answer lack of water might be the problem. As for the mother who is still nursing her 14 month old at least 3 times a day. I feel for you. I never dreamed that I'd be nursing my son beyond 12 months but here I am, still doing it at 17 months!!! I don't see any end in sight for my son's dependency on me to go to sleep, but they tell me he will eventually lose interest. My husband thinks he will when he's 5 years old!!! " ~*~*~Stacy~*~*~ " <daverictor Wednesday, April 03, 2002 9:30 AM Re: Re: Nursing Vegan with Itchy, Flaky Scalp > Also, I don't know how much water you are drinking but besides the EFA's, a > nursing mama needs to *really* up her water.......I felt at my best drinking > 16 cups of water while nursing my 3 boys. > Stacy > > > > >I am a vegan who's nursing an 8-month-old. My scalp has gone beyond > >itchy and flaky. It's downright painful! I never had even considered > >a possible correlation to breastfeeding. Neither my diet nor hair > >products have changed, so nursing could be the difference here! > > > >Trin > For more information about vegetarianism, please visit the VRG website at http://www.vrg.org and for materials especially useful for families go to http://www.vrg.org/family. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 3, 2002 Report Share Posted April 3, 2002 i can commiserate! i have itchy dry skin on a specific patch on my scalp and am nursing as well. however, i had this condition three years ago when i was not nursing. i then corrected it with a tar shampoo. now however, i am looking for the cause. i am nearly certain it is dietary because it fluctuates so wildly in intensity from day to day. you should feel free to email me privately and we can talk more about this. i am considering an elimination diet to see if it might be an allergen that is causing this. i would also be interested in adding things to my diet to see if that helped. hope you solve your dilemma soon!!! best wishes, heather At 12:22 PM 4/1/2002 -0500, you wrote: >I'm nursing my 18-month old about 3 times a day. He eats extremely well >but he depends on nursing to go to sleep (another subject I may solicit >help on at another time!). I've noticed for about the past 6 months that >my scalp is becoming more and more itchy and flaky. Nothing has changed >in my vegan diet and I'm still using the same hair products. Have any of >you breastfeeding mothers experienced this? It seems that it might be >diet related, but I eat well-balanced meals with plenty of dark green >veggies, drink carrot juice, and drink fortified soy milk and can't figure >out which nutrient I might be lacking. > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 4, 2002 Report Share Posted April 4, 2002 On Wed, 3 Apr 2002, Heather Jill Coy wrote: > i can commiserate! i have itchy dry skin on a specific patch on my scalp > and am nursing as well. however, i had this condition three years ago when > i was not nursing. i then corrected it with a tar shampoo. now however, i > am looking for the cause. i am nearly certain it is dietary because it > fluctuates so wildly in intensity from day to day. you should feel free to > email me privately and we can talk more about this. i am considering an > elimination diet to see if it might be an allergen that is causing this. i > would also be interested in adding things to my diet to see if that > helped. hope you solve your dilemma soon!!! What you describe really does sound a lot like seborrheic dermatitis, especially since it cleared up with coal tar shampoo. Seborrheic dermatitis is not known to have any dietary causes, although according to the American Academy of Dermatologists a yeast-like organism may be important in causing seborrheic dermatitis. For anyone who is interested in learning more about seborrheic dermatitis, the AAD has some information available on the web here: <http://www.aad.org/pamphlets/seborrhe.html> ---- Patricia Bullington-McGuire <patricia The brilliant Cerebron, attacking the problem analytically, discovered three distinct kinds of dragon: the mythical, the chimerical, and the purely hypothetical. They were all, one might say, nonexistent, but each nonexisted in an entirely different way ... -- Stanislaw Lem, " Cyberiad " Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 4, 2002 Report Share Posted April 4, 2002 > As for the mother who is still nursing her 14 month old at least 3 times a > day. I feel for you. I never dreamed that I'd be nursing my son beyond 12 > months but here I am, still doing it at 17 months!!! The two of you make breast feeding sound like a chore. Enjoy it - it can be a major bonding experience for you and your child if you let it be. And once its done, there's no going back. I think?? that you will find, once your child is weaned that you will miss those special moments, so don't rush it to be over. There is a woman on one group I am on that is breastfeeding all four of her children and the oldest is 7!!! True - most children will not choose to breastfeed for that long (esp. with peer pressure and such these days) but given the choice most children will go long beyond the one year (or less) time frame that most parents set for weaning. Rachael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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