I almost killed my baby!!!!!

amother

Sun, Jan 26 2014, 2:32 pm

Ok, I am not going to provide a drama piece right now. I only want to bring this to everyone's attention so they can avoid my mistakes.

After my baby was born this past summer, I was thrilled. The birth went well, B'H, and I could not have been happier (although my toddler begs to differ). I started to notice something was off on the 3rd day after birth. My baby developed a SEVERE diaper rash (It was soo bad, that I made my mother change the diaper because there was puss and blood everywhere, and I would just stand there and sob) so I took her to the doctor. The Dr. said that being that I am nursing, I need to go on an elimination diet immediately, because that baby was probably allergic to something I was eating.

I started to treat the rash (wow, that's really another story in itself) But was not too concerned about my diet (hey, postpartum, all you can think about are chocolate bars and cheese sandwiches) So I did not take an active stance on keeping to an allergen free diet. I was wishy washy and avoided certain foods only every once in a while.
Then, I noticed that the baby was having trouble breathing and was passing bloody stool. Sometimes, her breathing would stop altogether! So back to the Dr. we went, who said that baby is still new, and just needs to get the hang of it. He assumed I was on the diet (which I was NOT), and so did not think to ask me or make that connection that it was an anaphylactic reaction.

I dont know how I was soo naive, but I did not make the connection. We saw GI's and Dr.s galore. The only answer I got was ALLERGIES. My baby's stool was really bad, and so was her breathing. Only after going off cold turkey of every allergen imaginable, did I realize that I almost killed my baby by refusing to go on an allergen free diet!!!! BH, after 6 mo. on a strict and customized allergen free diet, baby is healthy and growing. BH!!

Mothers, please be pro-active in your children's health, even if it is not convenient!!!

amother

Sun, Jan 26 2014, 3:22 pm

Liebs wrote:

Wow, thanks for sharing...it is so important for us mothers to be aware.
Also just wanted to say that you should pat yourself on your back now and appreciate that you are sticking to this diet, it is a chessed for your child. I would just give up and give formula. SO really you should also focus on the posiitve and appreciate yourself Smile

OP here. We did try formula. She is allergic to every formula, even specialized ones (every single formula contains a base of either dairy OR soy and corn- which she is severely allergic to). I dont really have a choice Very Happy

Thank you for the warm comment, though. It WAS very difficult for me.

octopus

Sun, Jan 26 2014, 3:45 pm

I am sending you lots of hugs. Hug

I also thought my dd's allergies weren't so serious. guess what- they are. that's because the first rx isn't as bad. the more they are exposed= the worse/more potentially fatal.Not to scare you or anything, but since your baby has already had anaphylactic reactions you need to try to minimize those as much as possible for the future. you want to have the least possible anaphylactic reactions as possible because each episode may potentially make the next episode even more fatal. at least that's what it's like with my dd's nut allergies. not sure if that's just with nuts and penicillin.

Isramom8

Sun, Jan 26 2014, 4:13 pm

Your baby might be okay with goat's milk. My highly allergic baby was able to go on whole goat's milk at about 8 months. Till then I nursed and was on a very restricted diet.

Today that baby is a robust young adult who has 95% outgrown all allergies. I hope that gives you hope.

I don't know how you feel about alternative practitioners. The one I saw tested my baby's allergies. Whatever she said to do worked, unlike the clueless western medical experts. It's not that I believe in one over the other, but that's what happened.

amother

Sun, Jan 26 2014, 4:19 pm

deena19k wrote:

Hugs. I'm off of nuts, eggs, soy, dairy, fish, and white flour for my dd. Its really hard. But after we ended up in the er when she went into anaphylactic shock, I'm much more motivated to be super careful about it.

OP here. Thank you everyone for taking the time to respond. Thank you for the hugs too. We need to start a support group, lol! People dont believe me when I say that I eat asparagus and chicken all day everyday.
My baby is allergic to ALL fruits, and veggies (aside kale and asparagus), wheat, spelt, gluten, dairy, corn, soy, eggs, nuts, fish, legumes and beans, sesame, chocolate, sugar, potato, rice etc. The list is endless. sigh. I keep telling myself "just one more year!" I am also SO VERY thankful that my baby is alive and DOING WELL! BH BH BH!!

amother

Sun, Jan 26 2014, 4:27 pm

Isramom8 wrote:

OP here. That's how I found out what my baby was allergic to. I went to an alternative practitioner/ healer. The info he gave me was so accurate, its scary! The regular Dr.s couldn't tell me anything....

deena19k

Sun, Jan 26 2014, 4:31 pm

amother wrote:

Oh my gosh. Ok, I can't complain anymore. Just hugs! And I would love a support group of anyone else is interested!

amother

Sun, Jan 26 2014, 4:49 pm

amother wrote:

Thank you for the warm comment, though. It WAS very difficult for me.

Oh boy amother, hugs to you. This sounds like a seriously difficult situation that you are handling quite well or as best you can. Kol hakavod.

As a fellow mother of a prolifically allergic child, I totally get where you are coming from. As long as nursing is working for you and the child, that is amazing but if it is making you beyond crazy or just not working for other reasons, it might be a thought that some of these formulas can indeed be options despite their ingredient list. It might be worth it to discuss this with Dr's and allergists. Also, maybe get the opinion of more than one allergist. (Through our child's lifespan thus far we have seen a few and gotten a few opinions and are now sticking with one for the consistency of treatment and diagnostics).

Have you actually really tried and consulted about all of the hypo-allergenic formulas. The reason I ask is because my child also has allergies to dairy and soy (and milk, wheat, fish, nuts, seeds, chicken, fruits, vegetables etc) and we found a hypoallergenic formula that seems to work. (We use Elecare and have now moved on to elecare jr to keep supplementing the child's diet) I'm not sure of the exact science behind it but I think-although it actually lists corn and soy in the ingredients, because it is amino acid based, the proteins are already broken down and thus do not cause an allergic reaction.

In any case, I hope everything works out well and that your child outgrows all or most of the allergies. It can definitely be an overwhelming situation and however you work it out that's best for you, that's great Smile

amother

Sun, Jan 26 2014, 5:17 pm

amother wrote:

Wow!

newmommy22

Sun, Jan 26 2014, 6:43 pm

I have a child with allergies like your child although our list is slightly different. My son is able to tolerate Neocate since the proteins are so broken down. There are very few kids who can't tolerate it when prepared correctly. It may be worthwhile for you to see an allergist or gastro for your child. You should also see a nutritionist for yourself to ensure your getting enough calories and sufficient vitamins/ minerals.

amother

Sun, Jan 26 2014, 9:46 pm

amother wrote:

OP here. Thank you for your suggestion! We did try Elecare, and baby could not tolerate it (its corn based with soy oil). She was vomiting for 2 days in a row and passing bloody stool. We also tried Neocate and Alimentum (spelled wrong, I am sure). Her allergy to corn and soy is just as severe as her allergy to wheat and dairy.

We started moving on to solid foods (I give her home made foods that she has not had problems with when passed through my milk) and because she is so sensitive, she is reacting to them (even though when it passes through my milk she is fine Confused

). Its going to take time and patience, that's all.

I had to quit my job because of this. Sad