Worry Over

I took bubbies to the allergist and recieved peace of mind. Ethan is not allergic to cow's milk, goat's milk or egg! Yay! All of his symptoms indicate he has a milk and soy protein intolerance that should resolve itself by the time he is 12 - 18 months old.

Dr. Scott B. was recommended to us by Beth. I am so happy with her rec because I really liked him and felt like Ethan received very good care. The doc was very friendly and put things into layman's terms for me. I always ask for doctors to dumb down things for me - I need to be sure I understand them and sometimes medical terms fly around and go through one ear and out the other. He explained that an intolerance is different than an allergy. But, an intolerance can have similar symptoms as an allergy, such as: upset tummy, stuffy nose, diarreah, puking and irritability. What allergies have that intolerances do not have is: hives, rashes, blockage of the airways and anaphylactic shock. Kinda scary!

I was also told that Ethan can be introduced to foods just like any other baby. He said that if a child is going to have a reaction, he is going to have a reaction whether it is a first or fifth feeding. His system should be able to digest everything else, he just can't have any type of dairy or soy protein that will put his white blood cells into attack mode. An intolerance occurs because your body attacks the food like it is a sickness. So, Ethan's digestive system sees milk and soy protein as an invader that it must annihilated. This is what causes inflammation of the bowels, upset tummy, bloody stool and puking. Basically, when he has dairy or soy his body reacts like it has food poisoning...in layman's terms. He also said, which is quite interesting, that waiting on certain foods doesn't mean your child won't develop an allergy. Peanuts, for example, could effect a child at any point - even if you have been feeding them peanut butter or peanuts since they were one (or two, which I waited for). What keeps the allergy at bay is HOW much peanut is in their diet. He recommended a child eat some form of peanuts five days a week. That is the best way to keep a child from developing a serious nut allergy.

What can I do? The best thing I can do is breastfeed him as long as I can with the removal of dairy and soy from my diet. When he turns 12 months old I can try adding a little creamer to my coffee (assuming he hasn't weened himself - I am self weening him just like I did P) and see what happens. Once we determine he is okay with what is coming through the breastmilk we can try a little milk in his cereal, a spoonful of yogurt, etc, etc. The doc said take it slow and see what happens. Whew! What a load off my mind. I was so ready to hear the worst...because I can be a glass is half empty kinda girl. Thing is, the glass is usually half full...that's life, isn't it? :) I need to change my perspective on things.

So, my darling boy will be able to eat yummy Greaters ice cream and cheese pizza! Things I have been craving for the passed few months of being dairy-free. Really, it hasn't been horrible - and I would do it forever if my boy needed me to.

Milk is for nuts

I am currently trying to cut the Silk soy creamer out of my coffee in the morning because I think it is causing a reaction in Baby E. He is allergic to soy formula, so it makes sense that he'd not be able to ingest it from me, too. The pediatrician said that soy breaks down differently than milk protein, so eating soy "should" be okay, but cut it out if he isn't doing better to test him. Well, everytime I use the creamer he spits up a ton and has diarreah, so I am thinking it is the soy. I am really hoping it isn't all soy - like the actual bean or the soy they use in baked products. That will limit my diet even further!

I cannot have any type of dairy because of his milk protein intolerance. He is extremely sensitive to even trace amounts of whey, milk fat, casein, and all dairy like milk, butter, etc. We are SO fortunate to have a Whole Foods down the street. That is the only market I can find certain foods I can eat. For instance, Almond Breeze. I simply love this alternative to milk. I just found it the other day and am jonsing to try it on my cereal. I used it in my coffee and it was good. I could even drink a glass of it alone. It is SO good. I am so happy because I think soy milk is dreadful - and the only way I could drink it was in my coffee with sugar. Almond milk tastes almost like dairy skim milk with a hint of nuttieness and sweetness.

And, it seems that the higher the percentage of cacao in chocolate, the lower the chances buttermilk or regular milk is used. So, I am able to still eat certain brands of dark chocolate! yeah! Having to cut out chocolate on top of everything else was killing me! I also find that there are a ton of delicious vegan recipes out there for desserts and things that normally include cheese or dairy.

I will continue to test him and hopefully get him to a point where he has no tummy problems. As I wrote before, thank goodness I can nurse him!

It is easier than I thought to live dairy-free - hopefully it won't be gluten, wheat or anything else-free.