Please help a frustrated mama - update post 5

[Bubblette]

I know we're not having huge issues that threaten DS's weight gain or even his general cheerfulness, but I could really use some help from btdt mamas. I know this is very long sorry! I'm trying to give you all the info you need.

DS is 17 weeks old. For about the first 5 weeks he never spit up, has always been a happy baby and we only had one period of inconsolable crying on night 2 of life. In the second week of his life I needed an abscessed tooth pulled and was taking antibiotics. Around 5 weeks DS started puking it started gradually and by week ten it was large amounts after every meal. Most times 20-30 minutes after eating, all curdled and nasty. Sometimes he would vomit hours later! He also has the dreaded red ring around his anus. Our GP said not to worry as long as he's gaining weight, some babies just puke But it didn't seem right to me. Our Chiro suggested cutting out dairy but I was really hesitant (bad mama) and we had relatives from overseas so food was complicated. We tried probiotics for me and DS but by 10 weeks no improvement and our guests were gone. So I completely cut out dairy, including hidden dairy.

He got so much better pretty darn quickly! We'd have 48 hours with absolutely no puke, but then random days with lots. We did an unplanned challenge a week in which resulted in a screaming really unhappy really puky baby Since he's never ever screamed like that and it was within the day I ate the dairy we're pretty sure dairy is absolutely out. After 2 weeks of the diary elimination we were still seeing pukey days for no reason we could decern and DH and I decided to cut out the top 9 allergens (Diary, eggs, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, corn, gluten) then try to reintroduce.

I waited 2 weeks and we got a baby that occasionally had milk dribbles but didn't puke, and the red ring got better but didn't go away. To be honest, after 2 weeks we only had 3-4 days of absolutely no puke.

Eggs was a failure, day 1 and 2 were ok but day 3 and 4 showed back to vomit after almost every feed. We took it out and waited for it to clear and have now tried corn- it's day 2 and we have had a good sized nasty vomit after his morning feed but I also had berries yesterday for the first time in i don't know when.... I didn't even think about it when I had them!

I'm frustrated and confused. The more I read the worse it seems to get. Since we didn't control for all the variables it could have been the berries... maybe he is just a pukey baby??? does it really matter if I continue to eat a few things that irritate him mildly?

I'm twisting myself in knots because I worry that if I don't eliminate everything that he reacts to then i could just foster a worse allergy down the line. I worry that it's my gut that's broken, because I'm obviously letting proteins through - so how serious is a leaky gut? But then again maybe I'm being paranoid about it and there won't be any issues, he'll outgrow it all.

I have some major chemical/medical allergies so did my mom, my sister and mother had seasonal allergies and mild allergies to cats. DH was colicky as a baby but as adults do allergies on DH side, no food allergies to speak of. I know I feel better on a TF/no grain type diet but have not been able to implement it for the long term thus far. I keep thinking that this maybe my wake up call, even though we eat pretty healthy in comparison to the SAD. But DS symptoms seem so mild compared to so many other babies!

To complicate matters I'm in school full time and pump so trying to make sure the milk I pump that day goes into the baby that day can be tough, but as I see it necessary to have clear results.

As I see it we have three main choices:

1) continue to try and reintroduce what we're taken out and see where we are. Assume anything not caught won't be a big deal long term - which means I have to assume my gut is fine too....

2) Believe my leaky gut is to blame and I should fix it! Go on GAPS or SCD to try and fix my gut and keep off that we know DS reacts to.

3) Do a TED to set my mind at ease - I'll know we're controlling for all variables and I know it'll be HARD but I could get through it, since dairy and gluten have been out a while results should be on the fast side.

I feel like the 2nd two are extreme - but at the same time I worry about long term health for everyone in the family...

Any advice? thoughts?

If you got through all that thanks!

[elanorh]

It's difficult to be on an Elimination Diet - you've done a good job of paying attention to what your baby is telling you. I think initially we second-guess ourselves because of all the people who say, "Oh, babies spit up!" and "You're over-reacting," or "Oh, that's an impossible way to live," etc. Focus on what's making things better for baby, and go from there.

Personally I'd get a longer baseline than two weeks before starting to add foods in. I'm pretty cautious about that sort of thing, though. I'd go a month of TED (which is essentially what you did, cutting out the Top 8 + corn) - you can revert to that diet or go to the full-on TED, whichever makes you feel most comfortable and most in control. The ladies here can help you come up with some good ideas for quick TED-friendly meals since you're balancing a lot right now - just ask!

Check your probiotics and your prenatal vitamins to make sure they are truly TED friendly. Many vitamins and probiotics contain dairy, soy, corn (and other allergens, but especially those). Also check your toiletries (body wash, shampoo, lotions) and the baby wash/lotion you are using on your ds. Do you have a good list of the hidden terms for the foods you're avoiding?

[rhesp1212]

It sounds like you found some of the culprits for sure. Since you haven't really gotten to a true baseline, I would continue what you're doing. Be extremely strict, check all of your supplements, etc. for hidden sources of dairy, soy, etc. to make sure that you're not getting accidental exposure. You said that some days are good and other days baby is pukey. Are you keeping a food journal?? If not, start right now. You might be able to find a trend in that on those particular days you have eaten something baby is sensative to. I would look at those days and try eliminating one or two of the items you ate that day. Having done a TED for over 6 months without being able to add anything else back in, I personally would try that before going on a TED. Then, if you still aren't getting anywhere, try a TED.

Also, keep in mind that things like diary can stay in your system for a very long time. So, if you're seeing improvements, I would keep at it.

[mamafish9]

Ditto what PP said - you've made awesome progress, and you're likely still missing at least one culprit. Food journaling can be really helpful, so you can look at what you ate when the puking days hit.

If your little one is sensitive to corn, definitely take a look at your supps (and a hard look at everything else you eat) - corn is in EVERYTHING.

I'd keep reintroducing foods (it seems like you are close enough to baseline that you can tell if you are getting a reaction), one a week or so. And keep a detailed food journal so you can keep working on identifying other culprits. You're making lots of progress, just a little bit further to go!

Once you find true baseline - all foods out that you know cause symptoms, then you can figure out the longer term plan (gut healing, etc). But you can do it slowly, without worrying about your little one .

[Bubblette]

Just updating.

Corn is definitely out, I ended up with a rash covered, cranky, miserable, puking baby. So, I basically pulled everything pre-made as well as obvious corn. I'm in AU so they have numbers for a lot of the additives that make it even harder for me to try and figure out what's safe, so we're just avoiding it.

We got back to baseline after the corn in 2-3 days - no biggie. But then we had a horrible reaction to SOMETHING, again a miserable, vomiting rashy baby. My food journal indicated the only new thing was rice and beans, rice has consistently been fine so I guess legumes are out. The problem is I've gone back to my original pretty strict top 8 + corn and now all legumes and he hasn't gotten back to baseline in over 10 days. DS vomits after almost every feed. We're getting weird rashes. I am so so frustrated.

I feel like I'm chasing my tail. I'm thinking of doing GAPS once we figure out what he's sensitive too. I've even got a batch of homemade sauerkraut going. I'm also reconsidering a TED if we don't seem improvement in the next few days - because obviously I'm missing something big at this point. I just can't do this. I can't keep making him sick.