one last (I hope!) dairy elimination question

[justincase]

You mamas have been so helpful with this whole dairy elimination thing. I am over three weeks in and see what I would call dramatic positive changes in DD. Her skin is almost entirely cleared up, her congestion is 100% gone, her poops are back to yellow and frequent, and she no longer seems uncomfortable when trying to poop. My ped (and let me say I really, really like her but think she is in over her head in this area) wants me to add dairy back in to my diet to "see if that was really it" -- in other words, try to reproduce all the bad symptoms.

Has anyone BTDT? Is this a good idea? How much do I add back in (she's suggesting going on a half-day binge)? If it works, then how long does it take to get it back out of her system again afterwards (tell me not another three weeks!)? I've tried to research this but find wildly different answers everywhere I read. TIA!

Oh, and, while I'm at it... She also says that DD will likely grow out of this. Thoughts on if/when that might happen and how I would know?

[egoldber]

Well, in a sense your ped is right. The only way to KNOW that eliminating dairy the cause is by adding it back in and waiting for a reaction. Bit it could take 2-3 weeks for it to clear again. If dairy was the only thing you eliminated, then that seems pretty clear.

Why does she want to know for certain? What is the goal?

Amy did grow out of her dairy sensitivity by about 12 months. But to this day she does not like cow's milk. I also learned that it did not agree with me when I added it back into my diet!!!

[BeachBum]

We are doing the same thing. But I was told to try things separately like butter, yogurt, actual milk etc. I do expect a 2-3 week period to get back on track after each trial. But honestly I dont think it will take that long.

I must have missed your other posts b/c I've been going through the same things. I'm on week 3 also. We didn't have any skin problems, but lots of congestion (we have some during the night still) and still pretty infrequent pooping.

Good luck!

[twowhat?]

I would definitely add things back in stages as described in Baby 411 (starting with yogurts and hard cheeses). You would want to know what she can tolerate, because it will make eating a LOT easier for you if you know you can have certain dairy foods.

For what it's worth, one of my twins was sensitive to straight milk (diarrhea, blood in stool) but I could have any other dairy. Now (9 months old), she doesn't seem affected by it anymore, though I don't drink a lot of straight milk...I'll have it in my coffee, for example.

[LarsMal]

I saw your other posts about this, but hadn't responded.

DS had the skin/gas/poop issues, too. I was not very good about the elimination diet, though (combination of bad ped advice and plain 'ol 1st time mama not knowing what was reallly going on!). I agree that adding it back in is the only way to really find out if the dairy is causing the problem. As far as growing out of it, *if* it is the dairy then it's a matter of whether it's a sensitivity or a milk protein allergy. In DS's case he has the allergy. He's almost 4, and while his levels are definitely coming down, he still has the allergy and has to avoid all dairy- including shared equipment/facilities. I still think he's going to grow out of it, but it can take a while! A lot of other kids I know who have had sensitivities, though, have been able to handle dairy around 12-15 months.

My little one is starting to show signs of skin irritations, but no stomach (gas/poop) issues at all. I've cut way back on my dairy intake, but I am just really really bad at complete elimination. I need to learn from you good mamas and stick to it to see if it's her problem, too (and pray it's just a sensitivity, not allergy).

Good luck!

[Aishe]

I have to wonder if there's any kind of consensus on this stuff. My ped told me to wait until DS (currently 4 mos) is a year old before I reintroduce dairy into my diet. His reasoning is that you can't predict how severe the next reaction will be, so he prefers to wait until there's a greater likelihood that the baby has outgrown the allergy. I have accidentally eaten dairy a couple times and the result is always green poop. So I intend to wait (and be more careful about reading ingredients!).

[MamaMolly]

I agree with Aishe and would wait. DD has a dairy allergy though, not just a sensitivity so that is where I'm coming from IYKWIM. It skews my perspective :)

For me, it was an issue of how much discomfort did I want DD to be in. I'm sorry, I can't remember from your previous posts if you are EBFing or not. But if you are then remember that it takes about 2-3 weeks to clear YOUR system before it clears DC's system completely. So for me and DD it just wasn't worth 4-6 weeks of pain, sleeplessness and screaming just to pinpoint if it made any difference if I ate yogurt or just straight milk. If your DC has milder symptoms it might be worth it though.

Elimination while BFing is SUCH a PITA but you aren't going to BF forever (it just feels like it at the time ;)) Remembering that is what got me through it. Now that I'm on the other side I am glad I did it.

[justincase]

Well, in a sense your ped is right. The only way to KNOW that eliminating dairy the cause is by adding it back in and waiting for a reaction. Bit it could take 2-3 weeks for it to clear again. If dairy was the only thing you eliminated, then that seems pretty clear.
Why does she want to know for certain? What is the goal?
My read is that she doesn't really think this is what is going on. She told me flat-out that the skin problems would be all over her entire body if it was an allergy/sensitivity, and I have since read that is false. She seemed amused/tolerant of my saying I was going to eliminate dairy. I think she thinks the symptoms were all just coincidental, like a stage DD happened to grow out of. It's almost like she thinks if I add it back in there will be *no* bad reaction and she'll know I was wrong. Honestly, it was a downer visit, as I've never had this kind of feeling from her before.


I have to wonder if there's any kind of consensus on this stuff. My ped told me to wait until DS (currently 4 mos) is a year old before I reintroduce dairy into my diet.
This is a big part of my frustration. There just seems to be no consistency. I was hoping everyone would write back and say their peds all said the same thing as each other; that would be better than the random things I find when I research. But it seems like even the docs don't agree.


I agree with Aishe and would wait. DD has a dairy allergy though, not just a sensitivity so that is where I'm coming from IYKWIM. It skews my perspective :) ... So for me and DD it just wasn't worth 4-6 weeks of pain, sleeplessness and screaming just to pinpoint if it made any difference if I ate yogurt or just straight milk. If your DC has milder symptoms it might be worth it though.
I am with you. I am more inclined to wait. I'd rather deal with the hassle (and I am amazed at how fast I've adjusted and how much better *I* feel, actually!) than see her uncomfortable again, and she wasn't even *that* uncomfortable compared to what you are describing your DD went through. Sorry to be dense, but how do I know whether it is a sensitivity or an allergy? Should I be seeking out a referral to an allergist?


sorry, I can't remember from your previous posts if you are EBFing or not.
I am EBFing for now. This leads to another question, though... When I go back to work in Sept and DD starts daycare, she will have to have some formula as I don't think I will be pumping enough to get her through without. So then we are looking at some kind of special formula, right?

Ugh. Sorry to have so many questions. I'm sure my frustration shows. I hate that I don't feel like I can just ask my ped these things because she isn't buying the whole milk thing for some reason. And the thing is, this all started because I took DD to her for scary baby acne and she told me it was "the most severe she'd ever seen" and that we'd need to keep a close eye on it and start treatment if necessary to avoid facial scarring. At which point I started researching and this is where I ended up. *I know* that this is working for us. So what next? I almost feel like I have to add it back in against my better judgment to get her to believe me and discuss next steps. Gosh, that seems even worse typed out than it does in my head. Ugh again. As I've said before, I really really really like her. She's our family practitioner and this is the first time in years I've had any issues. I really want for this to be going differently.

[MamaMolly]

Trust yourself, trust yourself, trust yourself. You have really good instincts. If *you* see a marked difference in DD following this diet, then go with it. Restricting dairy isn't going to harm your child in the least.

I have a friend who's son tested negative to just about everything but when she finally pulled gluten and dairy he became a different happy child. He spent nearly the first 6 months of his life screaming his head off. Seriously, if he was awake he was screaming. I honestly don't know how she dealt with it. But because of the negative testing and her son's doctor pushing her to, she kept trying to reintroduce dairy and gluten. She finally realized there was no benefit in pushing those foods and plenty of drawbacks. Once she *trusted her instincts* things started getting better and better. And her son is thriving!

As for your doctor, many are in over their heads when it comes to food allergies. Heck, even some allergists who mostly deal with environmental allergies don't know how to treat food allergies. IIWY I'd seek out an allergist who is experienced with food allergies. There are tests that they can perform to see what kinds of reactions are going on. One is a blood test called the RAST, and the other is a skin prick test often referred to by SPT. Once you know what you are dealing with you can start to get a better handle on things.

I'd also suggest poking around over at www.kidswithfoodallergies.org. It is a message board that has been a LIFELINE since e got DD's diagnosis.

As for when you go back to work, there are all kinds of formula products out there that don't contain dairy, or where the dairy proteins are broken down in such a way as to make them more digestable. First I'd figure out what kind of reactions I was dealing with, then I'd start looking formulas.

Good luck! :grouphug:

[DrSally]

Uh no, I wouldn't do that at THIS point. Why? Your DD is doing so much better. AFter DS had a reaction and tested positive to milk, I eliminated it from my diet (just obvious sources) and it helped his skin (may have helped his tummy, I don't know). I started adding it back around 18 or so months--gradually-- and guaged his reaction. He stopped getting the red cheeks when I consumed dairy, so I took that as an ok to go ahead and resume a normal diet. This coincided with him testing neg for milk and passing the food challenge at 2 yo.

ETA: I did this on my own, as his allergist said to only cut out milk if it seemed to be bothering him. At 6 months, he would get bright red cheeks if I consumed milk, but not many other sx, so I decided to cut it out b/c I didn't know if it was also causing intestinal sx that he couldn't report, KWIM? Anyway, when he didn't show the red cheeks at 18 months when I tried adding some dairy, I felt safe adding it back for me. I have to say, it took MANY months for me to start producing lactase and be able to digest dairy again. Many crampy stomach aches later, I'm back to normal, enjoying my cheese, icecream, etc.

[Aishe]

I agree that you should trust your instincts. The only real drawback here is that you're inconvenienced by a limited diet. If you're comfortable with that then why should your doctor care? If you don't mention it will it even be a point of conversation at your next appointment? I don't think my ped would bring it up if I didn't, so maybe you can just avoid talking about it?