Hellobee Boards

@LovelyPlum: I'm sorry - hopefully the Zantac will help! It may take a week or so to kick in. I wish we knew the real reason LO needs Alimentum and now specifically the ready to feed version.

LO's age? She's currently 2 yrs old (25 months).

Sensitivities?
Milk protein, eggs, gluten. She's currently still allergic to eggs, but her reaction isn't as bad, so we're hoping she eventually grows out of it. She was also allergic to wheat (probably all gluten, but a the time wheat is all they tested for) and had a milk protein intolerance. She's no longer allergic to gluten and we're slowly getting her to eat milk products (butter).

How do they react?
When she was an infant, she always had a greenish tinge to her poop. Then at 6 months old, we were prompted to change her formula. All infant formulas available here (we're abroad) are labeled up to 6 months, with a new formula starting at 6 months. At first she had a minor skin irritation, had trouble sleeping, gassy, then she broke out in hives. Her whole face started puffing up and we had to take her to emergency.

When/how did you find out?
At around 6 months, through the slow process of elimination. It was horrible - we just started solids, so it took a lot longer than I wish it had. When we finally eliminated all solids, it was obvious it was milk -- even though her prick test for milk was negative. We tried various sensitive formulas before trying Nutramigen. That didn't work. So, I called the medical hotline, pretty much in tears, at the end of my rope, asking for advice. They wrote me up a Rx for Neocate. We were able to pick some up the very next day.

Neocate worked immediately.

Are you BFing?
No

Words of wisdom to share?
It will pass. When I was in the thick of it, it was hard to see pass the difficulties. I consider myself lucky that DD was already a little older when her allergies and milk protein intolerance showed up. But being allergic to egg, gluten and milk is tough. It made it impossible to just buy her anything. I had to make it all myself.

To anyone else that's going through similar allergies and starting solids, here's what I found easiest to prepare:
- rice and rice noodles (chopped)
- gluten free flour savory pancakes
It's something I experimented with that was an easy finger food. Make your favorite stew. Chop the meat and ingredients. Add gluten free flour until it's a paste. Fry into pancakes. Cut into bite-sized pieces.
- rice flour banana pancakes Tip: if you don't use oil (on a non-stick pan) they will be fluffy. If you use oil, they will be flat and translucent.
- baked sweet potato chips I found that using a vegetable peeler worked best
- Mum Mums had traces of milk, although some packages didn't include it (but some did).
- popcorn was the one snack we can all eat together (not including fresh fruits and veggies)

The positive:
DD loves veggies! It was pretty much all she could eat back then. I attribute her love for broccoli (and cucumber, tomatoes, mushrooms, peas, corn, etc...) to her allergies early on. She's growing out of her allergies, but hopefully her love for vegetables stay

Is it ok if I join? We are still in the process of figuring out what is going on with DS but I'm pretty sure it's MSPI

LO's age? Will be 3 months on Friday

Sensitivities? How do they react? Pretty sure he is sensitive to dairy and probably soy. May also have an issue with wheat. We're still in the process of figuring it out. So far he has been not wanting to nurse, sleeping poorly, slow weight gain, and green mucus, bloody poops. The symptoms have been developing over time as he used to eat, sleep, and gain great.

When/how did you find out? At first I thought he was getting a foremilk/hindmilk imbalance because he did not want to nurse for very long and his poops were pretty green. Once I saw mucus and blood in them we went to the doctor who agreed that we should try cutting out dairy and soy, especially since his older brother had issues with them too. I am suspicious that there might also be a sensitivity to wheat because poop has been returning to normal except immediately after I've eaten pasta and bread. It did seem too immediate though so I'm not sure. I think I need to give it a little more time.

Are you BFing? Yes
If so,
-what is the hardest thing for you to give up? It's still pretty new but so far I am missing yummy sweet treats the most. And the idea of going out to eat even though we rarely do anyway.
-good meal/snack ideas to share? Still need to figure out snack ideas because I'm always hungry. Almond milk has become a staple and I buy a soy-free vegan protein powder to make smoothies so that's one thing. For meals, I make PB&J sandwiches (I make the bread in a bread machine) or some sort of sautéed veggies with beans and a grain. We haven't made it yet, but homemade cheese-free pizza is also yummy. And of course lots and lots of salads.

Words of wisdom to share? As annoying and limited as the diet seems, it will become the new normal!

Hi everyone.....we just got back from the peds office. After several office visits, medication changes for her reflux (if she even has reflux, who knows), and questioning whats up with my little miss, her doctor told me to start eliminating dairy and soy from my diet I had already semi-suspected this might be the problem, so I started eliminating all obvious dairy sources, but she still isn't having a ton of improvement (some, but not as much as I or they would like), so......
LO's age? 14 weeks old

Sensitivities? How do they react? I guess dairy and soy? Its a new adventure. We have an appointment with a GI specialist next week to confirm.

When/how did you find out? Today! Around 3 weeks ago, we noticed some flecks on blood in her stool. Additionally, she does have reflux symptoms (arching back, sometimes doesn't like to eat, super congested after eating). Took her to the ped, gave a prescription for Zantac. No improvement after 1 week, so meds were switched to Nexium. Seeing some improvement in her congestion. However, took her in today because we saw some more blood specks in her stool over the weekend and her poop has been having more and more mucous.

Are you BFing? If so,
-what is the hardest thing for you to give up?
-good meal/snack ideas to share?
Yes, breastfeeding. I always said that if she ever got diagnosed with this, I would like not like to breastfeed anymore. I know this sounds super selfish and while I enjoy our breastfeeding experience thus far, I am bummed about having to eliminate all these foods. So, I am looking for good snacks and meals for me to eat since I am kind of at a loss! I don't eat red meat, sometimes I eat some chicken and fish, but I eat a ton of tofu and other vegetarian meat replacement options which are apparently full of soy. Boo.
Words of wisdom to share? Nothing yet! But I am enjoying reading all of your words of wisdom and different snacks/foods for me to enjoy.

@fussygal: Thanks! I think around 9 months I was able to reintroduce yogurt but milk and cheese took a little longer. And he had an adverse reaction the first time we gave him wcm so heddidn't really start on that til after 15 months.
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@ellewoods84: sorry to hear about the diagnosis. I also do not eat meat and it was really challenging at first but you do get used to it. A couple months in last time I remember that I actually felt healthier on the diet. I can give you some recipes and tips that I picked up along the way if you're interested.

@LovelyPlum: it's weird, but after a couple of months you won't even miss cheese.

I used to say I could live on bread and cheese alone, and of course...the MSPI diet meant that it was really hard for me to find commercial breads (because I also avoided soy oil until just recently when LO turned 1) and no cheese. No, at first I really didn't know what to eat.

But now I don't even miss it, 9.5 months later. I totally have to bring my own food everywhere, even other people's parties! Because otherwise, I get too hungry and obsessed about what's in every dish. I just bring my own stuff and happily chow down.

Also, there's a ton of junk food out there that's MSPI friends when you feel you are missing out on something.

@fussygal: thanks for the welcome! I am also sorry you are dealing with this. I am definitely going to stick it out with breastfeeding. Even if I wanted to quit breastfeeding, my daughter will not take a bottle of breast milk, so I know she definitely wouldn't take a bottle of formula! I am glad you saw such big change in your LO though! That is awesome. At least it is worth it! Did you have to eliminate dairy and soy? And when did you start to notice a difference?
@skipra: thanks! and yes, I would love some of the recipes and tips you found along the way. It just seems very overwhelming. Like...for dinner I had a salad, but everything else in my house had soy or milk in it. So, I am still kind of hungry until I can get to the store! So any recipes would be appreciated!
@LovelyPlum: Thank you and I am sorry you are dealing with this also! And I know that it will all be worth it if my daughter starts feeling better. And when she starts feeling better, I know my whole family will start feeling better. I am anxious to see the GI doctor next week so he can give us a better idea of what we are dealing with. Her reflux still seems to be a major issue, but maybe it is not reflux at all! Who knows. But, thanks for your support! We can all hopefully get through this and it will be easier together.
@Anagram: Sooo...what is the MSPI friendly junk food you speak of? I am a total snacker and love food thats bad for you (in moderation!), so....fill me in!

@fussygal: Thanks! I did get the go ahead and she recommended yogurt and if that's OK, cheese, then just go for the ice cream. She said she thinks about 50%of babies are ok with dairy after 6 months, then like 80% at a year and 99% at 5 years.

So I went to the grocery store and got yogurt! I'm going to try it on Saturday because I introduced coconut oil to my DD's puree and need to wait in between. I'm so looking forward to it! I'm also kind of curious as to his it will affect me as well. My friend unfortunately still needs to be semi dairy free because hey body reacts negatively to it.

@Anagram: i didn't know about all that stuff at trader joes! Thank you for all of those recs! Immaculate brand cinnamon rolls are ok too. Where do you find the enjoy life cookies? My grocery only has the chocolate chips but they are always sold out.

@ellewoods84: I still have to go through some of my old recipes that I used to make a lot so I'll add more as I find them. One thing that was a huge discovery for me was to avoid beans at dinner! I had to eat more of them but if I ate them at dinner, I was up all night with a gassy baby. To incorporate them with breakfast we made breakfast burritos with tons of veggies (sweet potatoes are my favorite in them) and black beans.
I also made smoothies with protein powder. I've only tried the unflavored and it tastes like dirt if you don't mix in enough yummy fruits. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CLD74WQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
And it sounds disgusting, but I was desperate the other morning so I made oatmeal with peanut butter and banana and it actually wasn't too bad.
Quinoa and black bean veggie burgers are yummy, Just check the ingredients on the bread crumbs because a lot of them contain milk. I like these for lunch over a salad. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/quinoa-black-bean-burgers/detail.aspx
For dinner I ate a lot of pasta. I'm sure you've seen it, but the yellow box of Barilla has extra protein because it's made with bean and pea flours.
If you are into baking, you can usually substitute almond milk (or whatever kind you prefer) for regular and coconut oil for butter. I even managed to make a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving that was dairy free! This is the pie crust recipe. http://bakingbites.com/2012/11/coconut-oil-pie-crust/
I haven't tried these recipes yet but they look yummy
http://ourfourforks.com/vegan-snickerdoodles/
http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-peanut-butter-amp-chocolate-energy-bars-recipes-from-the-kitchn-204806
I think I used to get dairy/soy free bread at Trader Joe's but it can be hard to find in regular grocery stores unless it's super expensive. We don't get to TJ's often though so I've made it in the bread machine. I made this one most recently and really liked it. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/honey-of-an-oatmeal-bread/detail.aspx
Also brewer's yeast is supposedly good for breastfeeding and it has protein so you can add that to baked goods too! I'm sure lactation cookies can easily be adapted to dairy free, if they are not already.
ETA: I've also had success adding cooked red lentils to baked goods and pancakes. No recipes, you just have to experiment. I think it worked best if the recipe calls for oats - I partially substituted them.

@imbali: she is only 7.5 months old, but lots and lots of chicken, fish and fruit and veggies! we haven't really introduced any processed foods yet, but she eats chicken or fish and veggies with some fruit with every meal.

@SugarplumsMom: i totally want to try those pancakes!

@skipra: sounds like almost exactly how my LO's symptoms presented themselves. did your older LO grow out of it?

@ellewoods84: i know what you mean about the BFing, but i actually took the opposite stance - i'm BFing longer than i had intended BECAUSE of the MSPI! i just want to be able to avoid the hypoallergenic formulas. i can't eat gluten, so my diet is pretty limited, but it's not as hard as i expected it would be.

@fussygal: we're not sure if she can handle soy either but i'm also too scared to try it! i'm dying for edamame whenever we eat sushi but don't want to chance it (especially since i don't just eat a few, haha)

@Pirouette: I actually don't know. I was dreaming about what kind of yogurt to get (because I want to make it count if she still has a problem with dairy. Might as well enjoy it for the 2 days I get to eat it! Haha). My friend recommended this brand Noosa. It's Aussie style yogurt. Whatever that means. I just hope it's yummy! Haha.

@Anagram: I've tried the coconut and almond yogurts and the texture is just too gummy/weird for me. I'm not a fan.

@skipra: hey, thanks so much for all those recipes! Can't wait to give some of them a try.
@Pirouette: yeah, I am going to continue to BF. I kind of gave myself a goal of 3 months at first and we made it. So I extended it to 6 months. But looks like I will be pushing that since I don't think formula will work in our case (bottle refusal). But I am glad it's working out for you, even if it's hard!

@fussygal: this is one that the dairy free sites recommended: http://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/7475/crazy-cake

Not sure what to use for frosting though. Target has a premade frosting that's next to the gluten free cakes. I got a box of King Arthur gluten free chocolate cake that didn't have d/s in it. And used the vanilla frosting I found. It turned out pretty good!

Also if you have a Costco or whole foods, they carry Hail Merry desserts which are super yum! I'm obsessed with their lemon tarts.

So I haven't joined yet because I don't know what we're dealing with. And it is super frustrating. But I am eating dairy free. Anyway.

I made a vegan birthday cake a few days ago that came out really well.

I used this for the cake (doubled and made in two 8-inch layers instead; took more like 45 mins to cook):
http://ohsheglows.com/2011/03/08/vegan-chocolate-cupcakes-with-vanilla-almond-frosting-and-raspberry-glaze/

And this for the icing (should have doubled it):
http://ohsheglows.com/2013/05/20/2-ingredient-chocolate-fudge-frosting/

You can also make whipped cream out of a can of coconut milk and it's really good. I use Goya coconut milk because it doesn't have stabilizers in it and it's the cheapest brand I've found.
http://ohsheglows.com/2012/08/30/coconut-whipped-cream-a-step-by-step-photo-tutorial/

(Also highly recommend Oh She Glows in general. I've been relying on her recipes pretty heavily because I'm finding vegan stuff to be easier to adapt and suit my eating habits)

So I had yogurt yesterday at lunchtime and just now and so far, I don't think I've seen any difference. The only thing that happened was last night she woke up crying after her first sleep cycle and couldn't settle herself. She used to do this almost every night until we let her CIO a week or 2 ago and she hasn't since. So I'm not sure if it was the yogurt or just coincidence that she woke up. I guess we'll see today what happens, but I'm hopeful!

@LovelyPlum: have you had the dark chocolate peanut butter cups? i'm obsessed! (dairy free, but may contain soy, not sure).

@abbydabbydoodlebug: yay, i so hope it works out for you!! how old is she now? My lo is almost 8 months and has been waking during the night and needing a little help settling herself at times, but i think it's teething for her because as long as she has something to chomp on she's good.

@ellewoods84: we discovered my LO's dairy issues during the 4 month regression, so kinda tough to say but before i eliminated dairy, she would wake up uncomfortable trying to poop a lot. other than that, once i eliminated dairy, it hasn't impacted her sleep. Teething, development and starting solids have though!