New here! A hello and a question

[LittleKind]

Hi!

I just joined the board. I am a 25 year old momma in Denver and have a four month old son. I became vegan when I learned I have been allergic to dairy all along (explaining my life of acne, allergies, and tummy aches!) I bought vegan cookbooks to get myself started on dairy-free eating and realized how easy, healthy, and important it is to maintain a plant-based diet.

Now, baby is here and he is a little darling, of course, but gets very fussy and has bloody stool sometimes. We were told this is because of allergies and "gassy" foods and I was told not to eat soy, wheat, nuts, or beans. Many "gassy" veggies are out, too. my doctor basically said I need to choose if I am going to eat meat and breastfeed or stay vegan and put my son on formula.

So I made the best choice I could and have been eating super expensive free range oraganic (but still dead!) turkey. I really hate it. I hate the cost and I hate the raw meat cooking and I hate how my conscience feels and I hate the sluggy feeling of having meat in my body.

Please tell me how you would have handled this decision and the doctor's advice. If you have been in my shoes and know how I can maintain a good breastfeeding diet without the major plant proteins and without eating dead animals, I would really appreciate it. I know I don't really count as a veg mom right now, but that has always been my goal, and I want to raise a veg son.

I also recently learned that his bloody stool is likely caused by oversupply and not allergies, so I am correcting the oversupply. Any advice on what foods I can eat instead of the meat that will be gentle on my baby's little tummy?

Thanks for all the help and nice to "meet" you.

[pinksprklybarefoot]

I would probably get a second opinion on this one.  Maybe something else is actually the problem?

Also,you could try adding things back in slowly, one thing at a time, to try to pinpoint exactly what is causing the problem.  I'm not sure how your doctor could just point to all of those foods without putting you on an elimination diet - maybe it was just one or two things.

[LittleKind]

Sorry I should have been more clear. It is an elimination diet, so I am adding things little by little. I was just wondering if anyone else has been in this situation and has tips for foods that are less likely to be allergens but are also not turkey.  Then I can add those foods in sooner and hopefully get off flesh sooner.

[bodhitree]

Originally Posted by LittleKind 

Please tell me how you would have handled this decision and the doctor's advice. If you have been in my shoes and know how I can maintain a good breastfeeding diet without the major plant proteins and without eating dead animals, I would really appreciate it. I know I don't really count as a veg mom right now, but that has always been my goal, and I want to raise a veg son.

Well, I can only tell you what my experience has been, and your mileage may vary...but I don't think it's possible to have a healthy vegetarian diet when you start eliminating that much stuff. I've been working on figuring out my DD's food allergies for the last 3-4 months, and we are currently off of dairy, gluten, corn, almost all soy, oranges, and chocolate. So that list isn't as restrictive as what your doctor has you doing, but it's still pretty tough. After a few months, I started having intense meat cravings and realized I wasn't getting all of the nutrients that I need (DD is almost two and still nurses a ton, so that makes big demands on my body in addition to what I need just for myself). I have decided the best course of action for me and DD is to make a transition toward being ethical omnivores.

You may find that correcting your oversupply fixes the problem and you can go back to your preferred diet. However, bloody stool can certainly indicate allergies, and the fact that you are allergic to dairy makes it seem more likely that your DS also may have food allergies. If working on your supply doesn't take care of the problem, you could also try a more limited version of an elimination diet. What I started out with was eliminating the most likely suspects and seeing what happened. So first we eliminated dairy and gluten, and then I started noticing patterns with how DD reacted when we ate certain things and was able to eliminate more foods based on that. Following that route, I was able to stay a vegetarian until I figured out that I'm allergic to corn, and that was kind of the last straw.

If you have questions, the Allergies forum here is a helpful place to ask. There are lots of very knowledgeable mamas over there. Good luck!

[catnip]

Mung beans and lentils are the most easily digested legumes, once you get through the strict elimination, try those first. Quinoa, hempseed, sunflower seed, tahini, can all provide protein. You can get hemp protein powder, which is as compete as soy protein, though it is more expensive. Some doctor's can be anti-vegan and kind of obnoxious about it. I had a doctor rip me to pieces for being a pregnant vegetarian, which was total bull, as confirmed by my OB Gyn. So maybe talk to a nutritionist if you can get a referral, or get a second opinion.

[Lisoula]

I would guess it's more of an oversupply/foremilk imbalance than allergies.  Have you checked out block nursing?  Try that....