When did you first notice an allergic reaction in your EBF baby? - Page 2

[MuesliMama]

I tried eliminating dairy, soy, chocolate, eggs, nuts, citrus and tomatoes for the past 3 weeks, but I realized I've missed a couple of ingredients hidden in breads and soups. So important to read each and every list of ingredients.

My almost 4 month old dd has eczema all over (except her face and diaper area) and some silent reflux and general fussiness, so it makes sense to me to try an elimation diet again. So hard when my dh heats up a wonderful pizza some friends brought over... :

Do you think it's better to eliminate one food at a time or go for it all at once, eliminating all the major allergens and reintroducing them one at a time?

[ShellyK]

I think with this coming baby, if we notice symptoms, I will try eliminating at least the top 8 foods (dairy, soy, eggs, wheat, nuts, peanuts, fish, citrus?) and the others that I know are problems all at once, then try reintroducing one at a time. The thing is, with my daughter, we noticed some improvement by eliminating just dairy, but since she couldn't talk we couldn't tell for sure. It would seem like a dramatic improvement for a few days, then she would get cranky again even though I hadn't re-added the test food. You almost have to eliminate them all, get to the point where you have a happy/healthy baby, and then very gradually try reintroducing.

That's just my experience. I know it's incredibly hard, but if you're going to go through the pain of the restricted diet, I would do it all at once. Maybe think about adding wheat to your list too!

[hottmama]

I figured out a few days ago that my 6.5 week old is allergic to dairy- he has had bad "acne" since he was a few days old, and started vomiting at every feeding. We had a horrible night after a dairy-filled day (yogurt at breakfast, pizza for dinner, cookies with a glass of milk for dessert) 9 days ago, and I cut out dairy to see if it helped. Two days later, his face was clear and the vomiting was much less forceful and in smaller amounts- I don't know if he's still having allergy issues from the dairy (I've slipped up a couple times, most recently two days ago movie theater popcorn), if he has another allergy, or if it's just normal for him.
My oldest is allergic to dairy as well, but it's much milder and I didn't realize it until a few months ago (but he was vegan until 2 and I rarely gave him dairy, so there wasn't much opportunity). I wonder now if it had to do with his low weight gain as an infant.

[RedAnt]

Originally Posted by MuesliMama

Do you think it's better to eliminate one food at a time or go for it all at once, eliminating all the major allergens and reintroducing them one at a time?

I tried unsuccessfully to eliminate one food at a time over a period of months. I'm finding that my DD has multiple allergies (probably), so the one at a time method just doesn't work. After the holidays, I finally committed to eliminating all of the major allergens. It's taking me a while, because I do slip up. I have to agree with PP though, that it's best to do it all at once. Dairy and wheat have definitely been the hardest to give up.

[MuesliMama]

Thanks for all the words of wisdom! I'm still going with this elimination diet thing, so I appreciate hearing other people are going or have gone through this. Ugh.

Hey, I found a wonderful substitute to mayonaise or cream cheese on sandwiches: avocado! Just mashed up with a bit of salt. Mmmmmmmmm. Making my meals so much more bearable.

[Mommiska]

Hi - I just thought I would update on our situation.

I've been off dairy, chocolate, eggs, tomatoes and citrus for about 3.5 weeks now. I've just added apples and peppers to the list of foods I think might be causing a reaction and eliminated those as well.

DD3 is much better all over her body - her chest and legs, which were very dry and scaly, are now almost back to normal - mostly feel smooth with just the odd rougher patch. Great!

BUT - her face has continued to be just awful - weeping sores opening up every 2-3 days.

I couldn't figure it out for the longest time, but I think I may have it now - bed mites. For the past couple of nights, I've put down a mattress protector on our bed and she's slept on that (so no contact with our bed or the sheets) - and her face is getting much better.

So...we need to do the whole vaccuming the bed/changing pillows/getting mattress and pillow protectors/etc routine. But if that solves the problem for dd3, it is a small price to pay.

I'll let you all know how she goes over the next week or so. I am SOOOOO hoping that this works, because I'm really hoping I can add a few of my 'no go' foods back into my diet once we get her skin clear!

[ShellyK]

Good for you, Mama! It's a rough road, but very worth it.