3 week old with allergy diaper rash and increasing fussiness

[Jenine]

Well, this is babe #2 and I was hoping she wouldn't have any allergies, but it looks like I have to admit that she does. She has the following symptoms:

-fussiness and crying, beginning as she finishes nursing on the first side. She seems to be in a lot of pain.
-increasing acne on her face.
-allergy ring and generally red bum.
-she is also beginning spit up A LOT, very gassy


Her symptoms are less extreme than her brothers were, but as the days go by they seem to be increasing in intensity. He was intolerant to dairy and eggs which is where I'll start with my elimination diet. It's so sad to see my sweet little babe so uncomfortable.

So I'm wondering...

How long will it take for my breast milk to be rid of the stuff I eliminate?
We're all on edge here because of the crying and I think the added stress is making DS's adjustment harder.

Is there anything thing I can give her to ease her discomfort until then?

[kjbrown92]

4 days to 2 weeks (though it should lessen if you've picked the right foods). The top ones are dairy, gluten, soy, and corn. Remember, they might not be the same foods as the older sibling. And we used Gripe Water to ease the gassiness/fussiness.

[Jenine]

Originally Posted by kjbrown92

The top ones are dairy, gluten, soy, and corn. Remember, they might not be the same foods as the older sibling.

That is so overwhelming to consider! Since I'm eliminating dairy and eggs I've been relying more on other foods, grains especially. Its so tough doing this with a new nursling, I'm hungry all the time and most foods seem dangerous. I hate it when she is hungry because I know that something I'm eating is causing her so much discomfort.

[kjbrown92]

I have 3 kids. First one was fine. Second one was intolerant to milk through my milk, then soy on direct ingestion. When DD2 wasn't sleeping at night when she was about a year old (as in waking up crying 10-12 times a night), the first thing I did was take out milk and soy, because it was what I knew how to do. She was intolerant to those, but she was intolerant to a lot more than that unfortunately.

Take out one at a time then, progressively. Take out dairy and egg like you thought. For a week, if no improvement, take out soy too (even though gluten is technically second, with infants, a lot of them are milk and soy intolerant). Wait a week, if no improvement, take out gluten too. Then corn. Keep a food journal the whole time. Do a search for joneja allergy chart. It's a chart about the allergenicity of foods (in terms of IgE allergies, not intolerances), but it'll give you an idea of what is less allergenic than other things.

I have lots of recipes on my blog. Also in the resources sticky at the top, there is a recipes thread. There are lots of ideas there too.

[barnone]

Originally Posted by Jenine

That is so overwhelming to consider! Since I'm eliminating dairy and eggs I've been relying more on other foods, grains especially. Its so tough doing this with a new nursling, I'm hungry all the time and most foods seem dangerous. I hate it when she is hungry because I know that something I'm eating is causing her so much discomfort.

Be careful with overdoing it w/ other foods. I took out wheat/dairy, and ended up munching on popcorn every night. Now my DD is sensitive to corn. You might want to try a rotation diet w/ the other grains. That could help prevent an overload of one particular grain. Good luck!

[fwlady]

Since every child is different, is it possible that she has just gas and a diaper allergy? You could try cloth diapers for a little time and see if that helps. You didn't mention if you already use cloth. I have had a couple babies that just needed some Mylicon drops and then others that absolutely had to wear cloth diapers. I hope it is something simple for you this time. Kymberli