Hi everyone. My name is Emily...and I'm a milk-aholic.
My reign as the dairy queen has come to an end. I am officially off all dairy, both obvious and hidden.
On Friday I called Asher's pediatrician to have a more in depth conversation about his milk protein allergy and how we could deal with it. I expressed my fervent desire to keep breastfeeding, if at all possible, and asked if we had some time for me to change my diet and see if that helped. My fear was that this allergy could be causing serious internal damage to him {since I saw blood in his poo} and didn't want to exacerbate that by prolonging his exposure.
His pedi assured me that he would be ok for a little while longer so I could try cutting all dairy out of my diet to see if that would do the trick. It can take up to 2 weeks to get all the milk protein out of my system, then another 2 weeks before it's completely out of Asher's system, so it might be up to a month before we see major changes.
Until my 2 weeks are up I'm going to be giving Asher half and half {breastmilk and Alimentum formula} so he is getting less of the offensive milk proteins, but still some breastmilk. In the meantime I'm still pumping every few hours to mantain my supply for the day when he can go back to fully breastfeeding. There's nothing like pumping and mixing up formula bottles!
Because of Asher's newly discovered sensitive system I decided to hold off on giving him any solids until he is 6 months old {unless he starts showing some really clear signs that he needs/wants more food}. Even when he is ready for solids, I think we'll start with something that's easier to digest, like avocado, rather than a grain which is often tougher for kids with these protein intolerances to handle.
I am just starting to discover how much I loved dairy. It's really no wonder Asher had a problem! Once I started reading food labels it looks like dairy is in nearly everything that I eat often. Granola bars, breakfast cereal, English muffins...and of course, the obvious stuff like ice cream, yogurt, butter, and cheese. I really don't mind making sacrifices for my little guy -- it will just take some planning and good observation skills on my part! If anyone has ideas or suggestions for yummy dairy-free items I would love to hear them!
Thanks to everyone who left a comment and gave me advice! I feel much more confident now that if this new diet doesn't help Asher, he will not only be fine, but can thrive on the hypoallergenic formula. I'm so grateful to have options! This community really is the biggest reason why I love blogging!!
Giving up dairy is SO hard. Luckily Ava doesn't react to the 'hidden' sources of dairy (namely, whey), so I was able to add those back in. Still, pizza and ice cream - I miss you!
ReplyDeleteAlso, I saw results within two days, despite the doc saying it could take two weeks or more, so you may be able to return to exclusive breastfeeding sooner!
As far as ideas for substitutes, I'm still searching myself. I don't particularly enjoy milk alternatives (soy milk, rice milk, almond milk, etc), with the exception of in my lattes.
I've been eating a bunch of fruits and veggies for snacks, and Whole Foods has some great dairy-free snacks. I've heard soy cheese and I've cream are both "good", but I haven't mustered up the courage to try them!
Good Luck!! I'm so glad you called your doctor back. I know this is going to be hard but think of how healthy you'll be eating too!! And if for some reason it doesn't work, you at least tried! but I do hope it works. And I applaud you for going above and beyond to continue breastfeeding!
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