[CDH]

Hi,
I have a 3 yr old w/ severe food allergies to a lot of foods. I also have an 11 month old who has been exclusively BF and now eating some solids as well. I want to wean him at a yr, but don't know what to wean him to. He has eczema which seems to flare when I have a trace amount of dairy. So, I have been on a very strick diet his whole life, no peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, dairy. He is also only in the 1% for weight and the ped doesn't want him to go to rice milk b/c it's full of nothing.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to what to wean him to? I really don't want to use that hypoallergenic formula w/ all that crap in it. I used it w/ my first child and it's so expensive and full of crap in terms of nutrition.

Please help if you can.

Thanks so very much,
Carrie

 

[4Blessings]

Any specific reason why you want to wean at 1?

My DD is being allergy tested this week and is still nursing at 15 mo. Older sib has multiple food allergies so I don't want to wean this one too early. I want to figure out what is bothering her first and continue to bf for as long as possible. I've delaying intro'ing many foods and taking things very slowly. I'm also trying to avoid expensive formulas.

 

[tsfairy]

If at all possible I'd keep giving him breastmilk well beyond a year. With his list of allergies, there really isn't much besides breastmilk that will give him anywhere near the nutrition and healthy fat that he needs through his second year.

If weaning is a necessity, then your best bet is probably a specialized formula.

 

[Mothera(TM)?Swan]

As a mother of children with severe allergies, I recommend that you do not wean just yet. Breastfeeding, even on a strict diet, is so much easier than feeding a strict diet to a toddler. Put it off as long as possible!

It's not a big deal for us anymore, because we make dietary changes as a family, so our kitchen is allergy-free. Anyway, since you may have reasons that we do not know of, (huh, how could strangers over the internet not know exactly what's best for you?!

) I say that you could give goat milk a try. But keep in mind, it has a very strong flavor, and your babe may not like it. It is a very healthy milk though.

Good luck!

 

[changingseasons]

I agree with the previous posts- breastmilk is the most calorie and nutrient dense thing that you can give him, and if he's already down to the 1% for weight you really don't want to be cutting out any sources of nutrition for him.

 

[AquariusHome]

. There really isn't anything that compares to mama's milk in terms of nutrition, and with a low weight babe that is all the more important as you said.

The alternative milks that are more nutritious are nut-based, so that wouldn't work for you. So really I think your only 2 choices are a specialized formula or continuing to BF.

 

[FireWithin]

The traditional foods forum has discussed making a homemade formula, which might work. But, there are multiple ingredients in it, which my son has a problem with a few of.

You can look into it as a sole formula, or as a supplement for your milk.

 

[CDH]

Thanks for the feedback. I think I need to consider continuing to BF. I wonder if my breastmilk is low in fat b/c my diet is so limited being that I'm not eating nuts, dairy, wheat, etc. I'm trying so hard to use a ton of olive oil, avocado in things or just drizzle it on my food.

I feel pressure from work and family to wean at a yr and I'm so ready to be on a normal diet. I've been on this diet since I was pregnant. I haven't had a slice of pizza for almost 2 yrs, can you believe that? I'm finally used to it though.

I wonder how much research there is on the composition of breastmilk after a yr as compared to your milk in the first yr.

So many things to think about!!!!:

Smiles,
Carrie

 

[Theloose]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CDH Thanks for the feedback. I think I need to consider continuing to BF. I wonder if my breastmilk is low in fat b/c my diet is so limited being that I'm not eating nuts, dairy, wheat, etc. I'm trying so hard to use a ton of olive oil, avocado in things or just drizzle it on my food.

I agree that your milk will be the most nutritious and least allergenic for your little one. When you think about the nutrition it has after a year, think about the nutrition of whatever you're replacing it with. I don't have any specific links for you, but my intuition says human milk is way better than rice (or soy or almond or hemp or...) milk any day.

Low supply could actually be related to the food sensitivities - if you aren't making enough methyl groups, you wouldn't be detoxing well, including some foods and dopamine. If foods aren't detoxed well, you'd be more likely to react to them. And if dopamine gets too high, it can inhibit prolactin - which could result in low milk supply. Folate (especially food folate vs folic acid) and B12 can help with that. B12 can be hard to absorb if your digestion isn't really really good. A sublingual methyl- or hydroxy- supplement might be good insurance.

And just for comparison, I think most of the moms here have also been on very limited diets for a very long time. I know it's been almost 2 years since I cut out gluten dairy and soy for dd. Soon to be followed by corn and almonds eggs and nightshades and stone fruit and salicylates and amines and... We have some of those back now, but

I know it's hard, but you're in good company here!

 

[Mothera(TM)?Swan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CDH I'm so ready to be on a normal diet. I've been on this diet since I was pregnant. I haven't had a slice of pizza for almost 2 yrs, can you believe that? I'm finally used to it though.

Ok, *sigh*.

This reasoning makes me totally

: &

.

My MIL just used it on me last week.
"Time to wean that baby, so mom can eat again!".

Srsly, are you

kidding me???

My child has to eat like this for the rest of their life, and I cannot be expected to put up with it for a few years?

OMG, srsly.

Furthermore, you can eat pizza. You just need to get creative, and yes it will taste different, but it still tastes good. Besides, you have to learn how to make yummy food anyway, because your child will want to eat it someday. You haven't had pizza in two years? Think about your kid, who will never eat pizza as you know it.

 

[tanyalynn]

If you feel hungry or not satisfied by your meals, then yeah, something needs to change, but maybe there are foods you aren't consuming that you could, or new snack ideas for current foods. The folks here are amazing, and if you need high-fat snacks (I've gone through periods when I needed ridiculous amounts of fat to feel good, that seems to be a fairly common experience when mom is stressed), the Traditional Foods forum could help. Search the old threads for thread titles with fat in them, you'll find tons with high-fat snack ideas. Sure, lots will be dairy-based, but there are a surprising number of gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free people over there. Coconut oil is wonderful, if you haven't discovered it yet.

I think milk beyond a year typically increases in fat content, I don't remember why. kellymom.com has discussion on that.

Pizza? You can do it, and it's tasty (presuming your list of bad foods is pretty much what we've discussed, and you can have a few GF flours and such), I use the crust and sauce recipe here...
http://www.livingwithout.com/special-pizza.html

And instead of cheese, caramelize a huge pile of onions til they're deep brown, and put on whatever other toppings you like. Very yummy.

 

[kortner]

This is a really different angle here, but I am learning about mercury toxicity and have been thinking about how that may or may not be affecting my nursling 14 month old (because of my amalgam fillings). He is still primarily breastfed due to food intolerances.

I read a post from JaneS, gut-heaing guru, about weaning her son prior to her amalgam removal. She said his digestion got much worse after weaning and she encouraged other mamas to keep breastfeeding as long as possible.

You can see kellymom.com for benefits of nursing beyond 1 year. There are a ton, especially for a little one with allergies - they can use all the immune-boosting support they can get!

 

[mbbinsc]

I took it one day at a time, and ended up nursing my DD (IgE allergic to dairy, egg, peanut, shellfish and tree nuts) for 3.5 years until my supply ended. I never expected to nurse that long, but she was doing so well in spite of all her allergies. And it did help as she was eating more food for me to be eating the same things.

 

[changingseasons]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mother♥Swan Furthermore, you can eat pizza. You just need to get creative, and yes it will taste different, but it still tastes good. Besides, you have to learn how to make yummy food anyway, because your child will want to eat it someday.

I totally agree with this. I get that line ALL THE TIME- why don't you just wean her so you can eat whatever you want? Yeah, like I'm going to sit there and eat some cheesy pizza in front of her and then tell her she can't have any. That would go over well.

It's much easier for the entire family to be eating the same foods.

 

[AquariusHome]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CDH I wonder if my breastmilk is low in fat b/c my diet is so limited being that I'm not eating nuts, dairy, wheat, etc. I'm trying so hard to use a ton of olive oil, avocado in things or just drizzle it on my food. I wonder how much research there is on the composition of breastmilk after a yr as compared to your milk in the first yr.

The research that's been done on composition of breastmilk has shown that women who live in extreme poverty and have a very sub-par diet still are able to produce high quality breastmilk. Its not very likely that you're LO is so small b/c of your breastmilk composition, though I can certainly empathize with your questioning that. I, too, have an extremely small baby and have looked into this extensively.

More likely your LO is small b/c of his allergies. Can you tell us more about him and his behavior? Has he been allergy tested? Have you noticed reactions to things beyond dairy? What are his poops like? Is he refluxy? How is his disposition? How does he sleep? Do you feel pretty confident that you have removed all of his triggers?

Also, re: breastmilk in the toddler years - Tanya is right - it actually increases in fat content.

Hugs, Mama. I know it's hard. But really, you have found the right place for support. Nearly everyone here is in a similar boat.

 

[Mothera(TM)?Swan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by changingseasons I totally agree with this. I get that line ALL THE TIME- why don't you just wean her so you can eat whatever you want? Yeah, like I'm going to sit there and eat some cheesy pizza in front of her and then tell her she can't have any. That would go over well. It's much easier for the entire family to be eating the same foods.

But it can bet complex. First we were vegetarian. Then dh became allergic to soy. Ds#1 is allergic to dairy. Now our fourth appears to be allergic to gluten (wheat for certain, but I haven't felt up to trying/re-introducing things like barley and oats...),and we prefer to just opt out of eggs, etc. so just when I get a handle on cooking, I have to start over.

But the upside is I think we're all much healthier overall for it.

 

[changingseasons]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mother♥Swan so just when I get a handle on cooking, I have to start over. But the upside is I think we're all much healthier overall for it.

Yes- to both of those things!! Learning how to cook new and different things was a challenge (ok, still is more days than not), but our family's health has definitely benefited from the changes we've had to make.

 

[lil_miss_understood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by changingseasons Yes- to both of those things!! Learning how to cook new and different things was a challenge (ok, still is more days than not), but our family's health has definitely benefited from the changes we've had to make.

Yep.

 

[FireWithin]

I have to agree that we are healthier, all of us, because of this difficult road. This is the kind of health and knowledge that we are going to carry around with us for the rest of our lives.
I believe the knowledge I have gained here, because of our allergy suffering, is ultimately going to save our lives - maybe it will help prevent a heart attack, diabetes, cancer, suicide.
It is a tough road, but my family is hugely healthier for it.