Eliminating Dairy/Reflux Questions

[ilovetivo]

Hi Hillary - sorry you've had such a hard time! What did the GI say?

Do a search for my posts and you'll find a lot of Food Allergy 101 type stuff. Here's one: http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/dcboar...topic_id=51156 the info that may help is further down.

The best site i've found is www.kidswithfoodallergies.org

The big info for me from your story is the blood in the stool. Could be other things of course though.

Most kidlets hate tummy time

The preemie status may mean her gastro system is underdeveloped than other kids her age, i'm sure it would affect things.

Vomiting or spitting up?

I've heard things about bf all on one side until completely empty (like a few in a row a day, then switching sides) has helped people. Maybe she's going thru a growth spurt?

It takes a couple weeks or so of you eliminating dairy to be all out of dd's system. In my posts, i think i listed all names of dairy. Some bf kids are ok w/ major dairy elimination, others with just main sources

Z was diagnosed (dx) w/ allergies b/c of her reactions (dairy was vomiting, eggs was hives). Dr's use person's history, reactions, skin and blood tests all together.

Reflux was diagnosed by a ped GI just based on symptoms (sx). Her main sx was problems sleeping. Zantac helped. That was dx months before the food allergy. I wonder how much of the sx were the allergy. I didn't eliminate foods until the food allergy dx.

Good luck!

[hillaryb]

Thanks for the great information; this message board has been very helpful. When I called the LC to ask her about all this, she said I was very informed already. ;)

We went back to the GI ped today. Test results from the stool sample were fine, so we're going with the milk protein allergy as diagnosis. She was on non-dairy formula for the last week while I cut out dairy, but dr said we can go back to breastfeeding today. (I was pumping.) She gained a lb in that week, so she certainly was getting enough to eat. (She's up to 8 lbs and her original due date is in 2 days. I'm kind of glad she came early!)

I have over 100 oz of frozen milk in the freezer and now I have to start all over. :( So I'll continue to pump after feedings to (slowly) build up the supply. I'll be donating what I can't use to the state (IA) milk bank, so at least it won't go to waste and other preemies can get the benefit of it. :)

[hillaryb]

things have been going well with the dairy/soy elimination diet. It's a lot of polite questions before work meetings when food will be served (the office isn't real good about asking for dietary issues/preferences), but I'm not going hungry.

DD is doing well...caught up to her growth charts at 3.5 months (she was 6.5 weeks preemie) and blood test results were good. Both ped and GI ped are pleased.

Any suggestions for the next few months? I'll ask the drs but any advice for when to start solids? When to try soy? I'd like to wait as long as possible... When to test for other food/environmental allergies? Thanks in advance!

[Nooknookmom]

Beth & was just gonna suggest a nipple shield - SAVED my breastfeeding!!!!!! Oh please try one, you'll see the difference!! Also my DD is MSPI, avoiding dairy helped the poops & puking, but she has actual reflux & is on Prevacid. I hope you find something that works soon!

[M&Mmom]

My DD (3 yrs) has dairy, peanut and egg allergies with dairy being the worst. Whenever dairy touches her skin she breaks out in hives. I discovered it when she was ~1 month old because she was sooooo fussy after eating. I decided to eliminate dairy from my diet to see if it would help. The docs said that wouldn't work and to come back after I had tried it for a week and it didn't work. Well, 24 hours after eliminating dairy she was fine. Totally different child.

Anyway, I wasn't sure if it was an allergy or just an intolerance so I tried her on yogurt at 9 months and she broke out in hives all around her mouth where the yogurt had touched. So that was it for dairy. I was very careful with all food introduction: wait 7 days between new foods and only offer foods with little likelihood of being allergens (potatoes, meats, apples, pears, bananas, etc). She now eats a ton of soy (which is actually a high likelihood of being an allergen but thank god she isn't allergic) and has a pretty limited menu she can eat. Mostly I make her food since a lot of bought foods have dairy hidden in them - even Gerber. You have to be careful and read labels. Some Graham Crackers have whey in them and some don't - go figure. Once you know the things that are safe you tend to stick with them. We always bring DD food with us when we go out to eat. The other day I asked the manager about their grilled chicken breast strips and they swore there was no dairy, peanut or egg anywhere but of course DD broke out after eating them.

Anyway, my advice is to wait to introduce solids as long as possible. Definitely wait until DD is 6 months or older. Start with rice cereal. Add new foods no more often then one every 7 days. Go to FAAN website for list of allergens and what to avoid. If your doc thinks you are being too cautious - get a new doc. Get a pediatric allergist. They probably won't test yet but it may be good to get a relationship going. My DS is 9 months and on hypoallergenic formula and was tested for top 5 already due to wanting a flu shot and history of egg allergy is DD. He has tested negative so far but I don't trust it. Allergist told me to switch to milk-based formula (because it is cheaper - WTF) but I'm waiting. What's a few more months? Hope that helps. It's not as hard as it may seem but can be somewhat stressful. I've got great brand suggestions for when your DD is older and wants treats!