As a first time mom who is pumping exclusively- I am wondering if my baby girl maybe has a food allergy. She gets painful gas sometimes and her bottom has gotten VERY red (I have read this can be a sign of food allergy). Has anyone else experienced this? Were you able to figure out what your baby was sensitive to? My books all say that dairy is the most common cause so I am eliminating dairy for a couple of weeks to see if that helps. I am a vegetarian, and I LOVE cheese so this is difficult for me, but of course I will do anything to help out my DD! Any help is greatly appreciated!
Thanks!

Lurking here, but I would first try longer burping--perhaps even changing the bottle...and keep her bum well covered with some sort of diaper rash ointment. If it doesn't seem to clear...then speak to your pediatrician/lactation consultant about food eliminations.

It is possible! There are two separate issues that could happen. Irritants are different from allergens. Irritants might just make a baby temporarily fussy because they can cause gas to build up in their intestines. Allergens could cause an actual allergic reaction, which typically lasts longer and could cause long-term allergies to particular foods.

So it may just be and irritant. I would first talk to her doctor and see what he thinks about the rash and gas. and use some gas drops to help with the pain!

If the doctor does think it's something your eating then one way to find out is to temporally remove common foods that may cause it! Common irritants are: dairy, chocolate, caffeine and "gassy" vegetables (for example, broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, and onions). If you want to make it easy on you just try to eliminate one food at a time and after 2-3 weeks see if it makes a difference for the baby. it could take weeks to get it out of your system and the baby's so this could take a while.
The good news is that If baby is irritated by the foods you eat, it usually subsides as your baby grows and his/her gastro-intestinal track matures.

I have found that a lot of doctors don't really know much about breastfeeding. so if they are not very helpful or supportive you may need a new doctor to get a second opinion!
La Leche League is a great website. you can go to the
 
and find a group in your area that will have more information on helping figure out what is causing the gas and they should know of the best doctors in your area for breastfeeding support!

good luck and congrats on your little one!

Thanks so much ladies. We are burping her more often and have changed her bottle- she came home from the hospital using the NICU bottles which have the WORST nipples EVER- so much air! Luckily, she isn't too picky. We are now using the VentAire by Playtex and that does seem to have helped. We have also been using the gas drops which help ALOT- my sister gave me those as part of a big basket of stuff for my shower and I am so glad! I didn't think newborns could have anything, and I am so glad they can because they do help. We are also using Desitin on her red bum- although it does look different than diaper rash- that is why I think she has a food sensitivity. I am a vegetarian and I tend to eat alot of cheese- and all my books say dairy is the most common irritant- that is why I thought it might be dairy. We have a peds appt. tomorrow for her one month check up and it will definitely be on our list of questions- thanks ladies!

also I was told that babies get more air in the tummy's from being passed around then they do from nursing. So it sometimes helps to burp before feeding as well as during and after.
the rash could be a yeast rash. Let us know what the doctors say about it!