Breastfeeding the Allergic Baby - It Can Be Done!

Today's post is from Becky at Happy Christian Home and Something Bigger Than Me.   I have gotten to know her through the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog challenge.  When I read her breastfeeding story, I knew I wanted to share it with you!

Becky is a wife and mom to two awesome little ones.  She lives in the desert where she is a stay at home mom, and most recently, has joined the ranks of Christian Mama bloggers!

Feel free to contact Becky via email at: happychristianhome@gmail.com.  Be sure to check out her blog at: http://beckysveryownblog.blogspot.com/.  Leave her a comment and thank her for visiting here!

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I breastfed my son for two years, so I thought I had gone through many of the challenges that can come with breastfeeding.  When my daughter was born, it really seemed like everything was much easier.  It was easier to get her to latch on, and everything just seemed to flow much better (pardon the pun). 

My daughter was gaining well, and everything was going great.  After about three weeks or so, I noticed that she was spitting up quite a large amount.  It was immediately after feedings, but alsobetween feedings...at times it seemed pretty constant.  I would put her down in a chair so I could take a shower, and when I would come out, her onesie would be soaked with part of her previous meal.  I was changing her outfits many times throughout the day.  I had to buy a big pack of cloth diapers to soak up the spit up, as the few I had leftover from my son's infancy were quickly used up and waiting to be laundered.  She would wake up from naps needing to be changed.  Did I say she spit up a lot?

She never really seemed to be in pain of any kind, and she slept really well.  I say that, because my first thought was that it was GERD or something.  Usually GERD is  characterized by babies seeming to be in pain, and often times those little ones don't sleep well at all.  I brought it up with her doctor at her two month check up, and the doctor just shrugged and said something to the effect of "babies spit up.  Sometimes it's a lot."  And proceeded to tell me to keep her upright for 30 minutes after feedings, etc. I had already been doing that and it really made no difference.  Something just told me it was not that simple.

Around that same time, she also had developed a rash on her face that I thought was just normal baby acne.  I kept expecting it to go away, but it stayed, and would flare up at certain times.  The most alarming thing happpened one night when I noticed blood in her stool.  I was sent home from thedoctor's appointment with a stool sample collection kit and spent the better part of the following week "harvesting" baby poo.  (After that experience, nothing grosses me out, people!)  I had asked the doctor if she recommended that I cut out anything from my diet, as I had read that those symptoms could be a result of food allergy.  She said not to, as she didn't believe that my daughter's symptoms were as a result of anything I was doing.  Well, after all the tests (for parasites, infection, etc) came back negative, her advice changed.  "Go ahead and eliminate dairy and soy from your diet- those are usually the biggest culprits."  At that point, we were referred to a pediatric gastroenterologist. 

On kellymom.com (a breastfeeding support website), I had read about several other ladies' experiences with their little ones being allergic, and exhibiting similar symptoms to my daughter's.  At least I knew I wasn't alone!  I started reading all about food allergies, and began the journey of eliminating suspected foods.  Within about a week of eliminating dairy (including hidden dairy- you really have to read labels, as it's lurking in many foods you wouldn't expect, as I learned the hard way!) her symptoms began to mprove.  I was encouraged.  Then on a couple of occasions, I ate out at restaurants, not really thinking that the offending food might be contained in that particular menu item.

Well, to my surprise, for the next couple of days, she was spitting up again.  I made the connection when I checked that restaurant's nutrition information online, and found milk to be one of the ingredients in the food I ate.  After the first couple of weeks, it seemed that the symptoms returned to some extent.  I later learned that dairy can take a full six weeks to clear a baby's system.  (It takes three weeks to clear mom's system, and then another three weeks to be fully eliminated from baby's system).  So, in that time, it seemed like the symptoms would come and go. It was a little discouraging, as I felt like I was doing so much, and I wasn't seeing results ike I thought I should.  I was keeping a food journal where on one side, I would write down the food I ate, and on the other side, the reactions (if any) I observed in my daughter.  I would usually trace the reactions to food I had eaten the day before.  Well, after some time, she was still having problems.  I kept on observing, and doing more reading, and after some time I linked her reactions to times I had eaten egg, another common allergen.  (Ninety percent of all food allergies are caused by eight foods: milk, soy, eggs, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, fish and shellfish).  So, I opted to eliminate egg from my diet as well.  This also made a pretty big difference, but again, not like I had  hoped. 

By the time we had our appointment with the gastroenterologist, the doctor assured me that what I was seeing (excessive spit up, eczema, mucous and blood in my daughter's stool) were infact signs of allergy.  She advised me to continue with abstaining from those suspected foods, and also begin a probiotic supplement.   She also advised me to continue keeping track of my daughter's symptoms, and if in about ten days or so they hadn't cleared up to proceed to eliminating wheat from my diet.  At that time, it really seemed like a lot to give up, and my head was kind of spinning at the seeming loss of food options for my diet, but I was willing to do whatever it took to give my daughter the best nutrition that is available. 

As you can well guess, I ended up having to eliminate wheat from my diet.  Milk was kind of a hard one to give up, as I was a big cheese lover, and as a cook, I love to make creamy sauces and other kitchen masterpieces containing milk in some form.  (Plus my husband loves eating all that stuff too!)  Soy was easy enough, I guess.  Except that many items that replace milk contain soy.  When it came to eggs, it was difficult, especially since I love to bake (and also eat the things I bake!) and breakfast has always been my favorite meal.  When it came to wheat, it actually wasn't that hard, because I had already given up many of the things contained in food made with wheat.  So by that point, it really wasn't such a big deal.  Just another ingredient to watch out for.  I had also been avoiding tree nuts, as I didn't really eat much anyway, but the times I did, my daughter would have projectile spit up.  Large amounts of peanut butter did the same thing.  I don't really eat seafood all that often, so really, for all intents and purposes I don't really eat any of the "big eight" food allergens. 

What do I eat???  Well, I can eat pretty much whatever kind of meat I want.  I usually don't eat pork of any kind, but I no longer totally avoid it like I used to.  I eat rice, vegetables, beans, fruit, and other grains like oat and corn.  I can eat cereal, and usually can eat stuff with small amounts of peanuts or other nut ingredients.  I eat very well.  But at first it was difficult as a busy and tired new mom...I couldn't just walk into the kitchen and grab something, or swing by the drive thru and get a sandwich.  It has definitely been a challenge- and for a time I was seriously uninspired in the kitchen.  I went through a phase where I simply didn't want to eat- I didn't starve myself or anything, but I just didn't have a "passion" for food like I used to.  Every day I am discovering other foods I can eat, so it's just a matter of not focusing on what I can't have. 

Since I've eliminated all those foods, starting more than seven months ago, I've discovered a couple of online resources that have recipes that are allergy-friendly.  One is cookingallergyfree.com (this one is awesome, it lets you customize the food you need to avoid and only shows you recipes that are safe), and another blog I love is fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com (she doesn't specifically list recipes without allergens, but she has many wonderful recipes that are allergen friendly.  I've also experimented with replacement products.  I used to be a big ice cream lover, and I discovered "So Delicious Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert" made with coconut milk.  It's wonderful. Even my husband now prefers it over regular ice cream.  The same company also makes a coffee creamer that is really good.  I've recently discovered brown rice pasta, and that is a really good replacement, my family doesn't even notice a difference!  I'm now experimenting with recipes in baking.  I plan on posting those recipes in the near future. 

Also, I should add that eating out has been an interesting experience.  I think it may be easy enough dealing with one or even two allergens, but in my experience, I've only found a couple of restaurants I can eat at and both are Mexican restaurants (my favorite is Chipotle Mexican Grill).  A lot of places have the information online, you just have to check. 

So, if you're in a similar situation, don't despair!  There is hope.  It's not the easiest thing to eat differently than the rest of the people on the planet, but I can assure you, it's so worth it, and you do not have to give up on the breastfeeding relationship.  My daughter, now going on ten months old, rarely has any challenges like she used to.  And I am hopeful that she will outgrow many if not all of the allergies that she experiences. My plan at this time is to continue to breastfeed her until she seems ready to wean...just going to play that one by ear!  She is gaining weight really well, and at her last doctor's appointment, she was in the fiftieth percentile for weight and the seventy-fifth percentile for height!  And I still have baby weight to lose, just to show that I am not wasting away or anything!  Feel free to contact me by email if you have any questions, or utilize the resources I've cited in this post.