whats up with intolerances?

[sosurreal09]

my DD is currently intolerant to : dairy, soy, eggs, beef, nuts, wheat, gluten, corn, and fish/shellfish

the Dr said these will probably all just disappear at age 1? whats up with that? anybody have any research on these things?

also my formula feeding friends say that she has allergies b/c she was exposed to these things in my BM and that if she was FF she would not have any problems....i think they are full of it. am i right?

[elanorh]

If you haven't been posting on the Allergies forum (in the Health and Healing section), definitely head over and introduce yourself, because you will find a lot of BTDT moms there, dealing with allergies/elimination diets! C'mon over, introduce yourself, read some of the stickies and threads and lurk a bit and you will find all sorts of information and support.

What the research shows is that breastfed babies have fewer allergies than formula-fed babies. It's entirely possible I suppose that formula-fed baby could not manifest allergies until their diet diversified (unlikely since many babies' primary allergies are cows milk or soy) - but that wouldn't mean that the allergy wasn't going to manifest.

If your little one had been formula-fed, I can tell you that you might have really struggled to find a formula to feed her -- after all, formula is made of cow's milk, soy, and/or corn syrup solids. My dd1, who had to be supplemented with formula for awhile (long story involving reflux, retained placenta, poor latch, and allergies) -- could not tolerate the 'hypoallergenic' formulas, although she could tolerate Neocate (an elemental formula which is very expensive). I had friends whose babies couldn't tolerate Neocate, either -- their babies were in a constant state of low-grade reaction etc. Six years ago, Neocate cost us $15/day when dd1 was on it exclusively (around 3 months of age). Families go bankrupt paying for these expensive formulas. You are very lucky you were breastfeeding, and that you have fought to continue breastfeeding despite these challenges. I was really glad when we were able to return to 100% breastmilk.

In terms of outgrowing allergies at a year of age - many babes do outgrow within that second year of life (purely anecdotally it seems like sometime between 15 and 18 months among many of the moms in my support group, for dairy/soy) -- something like 85% of infant allergies are outgrown by 3 years of age. So, some can and do persist. Dd1 outgrew all her allergies before 2 years of age, other than egg (which persists to this day) - she was allergic to dairy/soy/egg/wheat/legumes as an infant and we avoided fish/shellfish/peanuts/treenuts 'til she was three as a result. Dd2 outgrew her allergies (dairy and soy) before she was three.

If no one has mentioned adding a dairy/soy free probiotic to your diet and your dd's diet, definitely consider it. In my opinion, it's been the difference between my dds' allergy severity/number/duration. Something to read up about when you get to the allergies board. There is some research which shows that some mothers of food-allergic infants have more intact-ish proteins from the foods they eat in their milk - the probiotics help with digesting those proteins into smaller bits that are less identifiable (and, again, formula IS those proteins - cow's milk, soy, and corn involved, so it wouldn't matter whether you were breastfeeding or formula-feeding if an allergen were involved, babe would react).

Kudos to you for sticking it out - breastfeeding on an elimination diet is difficult, and it takes a lot of work and commitment especially when your support system is telling you formula is better (I had a lot of that 'helpful' advice with dd1 too ).

[tanyam926]

I am by no means an expert but what I have learned after the past few yrs of dealing w/my childrens' and my own food intolerances is that there is a lot of evidence that imbalances in the gut play a major role.

I think that as a result of many factors in our society (overuse of antibiotics and other drugs, eating no "live foods" such as raw milks, fermented foods, etc which all have beneficial probiotics, and the abundance of fake foods and food additives) have contributed to a population w/major gut/digestion problems. They start in the womb, continue after birth, and on and on.

I definately think that probiotics are essential. My children have outgrown various sensitivities as they have gotten older, but not all of them, and mine have all developed as I have gotten older and I am now completely ill if I eat ANY cow dairy (the jury is still out on goat milk as I am experimenting right now), corn, or wheat/gluten.

What your friends said about formula feeding equalling less allergies is completely false. The research says the opposite. If a child is going to be allergic/intolerant/sensitive to certain things then the best diet for them is breastmilk from mom who has eliminated the allergens from her diet. If you were going the formula route (and I know what it's like bc my middle son was the same as your lo) then your baby would be on a very expensive formula and it would be a nightmare. I have no doubt in my mind that my ds2 would have been on an elemental formula as a baby. Thankfully, I knew what to do when he developed symptoms shortly after birth.

Hang in there, it's really difficult and sometimes frustrating when you have such a restricted diet (and especially when there is a slip up and your lo gets sick/has a rash/whatever the symptom is), but it gets much easier the longer you go. My ds2 outgrew most of his intolerances by about 14 months and while it was torture sometimes to deal w/it all, it was well worth the effort to continue BF him.

(Sorry for the novel! )

[sosurreal09]

TY guys that helped alot!! ive been on this diet nearly 6 months and everyone thinks im nuts but BFing is very important to me and i plan to BF for a few years anyway! which i am also nuts for lol DD is 8 m/o now so jopefully she will outgrow some soon...ive never "tested" anything yet b/c her reaction is excrutiating pain followed by a TON or bloody diarrhea. nothing is worth seeing her go through so much pain the poor thing will scream so loud all day and night it is truly heartbreaking im teary eyed just thinking of it. oh and i will have to check out that allergy board TY

[Shanny2032]

My daughter was sensitive to dairy, soy and eggs. She tested neg for allergies to those foods and others (pin pricks on the back - can't remember which allergy test that is igg or ige) anyway, around 8 months I lost my mind and when trying to find something to eat at a mexican restaurant I said "heck with it" and ordered cheese enchiladas. My sister said I did not look up from the plate! Anyway, I cried that whole night just waiting for her to be in pain and have her painful, mucusy, bloody bowel movements all night long like she used to. It never happened. It took me a few more weeks to get the courage to add things slowly back into my diet and I still introduced table foods at a snails pace. She is 18 months and just a few weeks ago had her first full baby yogurt. She drinks rice milk if she has any milk besides bm and I still limit her and my dairy and soy, mostly trying to avoid processed foods anyway. She was tested again for allergies last week and I am waiting to meet with the doctor for those results. She has the "allergy shiners" and constant runny nose. I don't think it is food related - all environmental - but nothing would surprise me at this point.

I took her to a gastroentrologist at 5 months who told me to stop bfing and put her on formula because "all the benefits she was going to get from bfing she had already gotten", most of my friends and family had this look like "why are you torturing yourself?" but knew better than to say anything. But, I can tell you that at 18 months now, all of those months of eating so blandly and the sacrifice it took was worth it beyond any words I can put here. You are doing an amazing thing that is difficult under the best of circumstances - don't let anyone tell you different! Good luck, I hope you see some improvement soon.