I'm a Nursing Mom, My 6 Month Old Has Serious Food Allergies. Help?

hello J.

Go and see an allergist and meet with their nutrionist and tehy will give you concrete things to help. good lukc and it will be ok (my son has egg and nut allergy and lives perfectly normal with a few cooking changes that are healthier for the whole family. he is 2!

also vanicream works great for the eczema, but my son didnt have it bad! by the dermatolitst suggested it. or 1% hydrocorizone!

Hi there I'll talk about the eczema as I'm going through this right now with my 7 month old(diagnosed at 6 months). I have a very good friend who's son has severe eczema and she recommended Shea butter (not the raw stuff and no scented stuff). I have to say it has worked like a charm. We still get outbreaks but they aren't that bad. The dr gave us a topical to put on but I only put that on the spots as it can make the skin thicker. I stopped using soap on him and now use CeraVe wash (Cetaphil I hear works well also). I rub him down at least two times a day and I do his diaper area whenever I change him. I put some CeraVe cream on him then the Shea butter over it. My friend also suggested switching to 100% cotton clothing and keeping him covered so that the moisture stays in. I've also switched all of my detergent to the free ones and do an extra rinse. There is a support group online so maybe you can get some more ideas there. http://www.dailystrength.org/c/Eczema/forum/6546891-paren...
Good luck
A. K.

That is a hard situation. My DS is only mildly allergic to corn, cow/goat milk products, and tomatoes. Soy used to bother him also, but I still haven't reintroduced it. I know it is really difficult, but please keep breastfeeding him. My boy wouldn't take the nutramigen, plus I just wasn't sure that would be better. There is a yahoo group called "foodlab" that was a great help to me. I went there when I first started eliminating foods to help my son. Just a warning though, when you post there, don't bemoan the loss of any favorite foods because most of the people on the list have been there, done that. In other words, go looking for solutions, not sympathy. Sounds harsh, but it is actually really a great list with lots of practical support.

I think that once you eliminate corn and have been off the other foods for at least 4-6 weeks, your son will gain weight better. He will probably want to nurse more once your milk doesn't bother him so much. Poor little guy... reminds me of when I would eat a tamale then wonder why he would cry at the breast and projectile-spit up. It is hard to have that many restrictions, but try to look at this as an opportunity to explore foods that you never thought of while helping your son.

This is an aside, but last week I went on a business trip for the first time (DS is 21 months). He is still nursing, so I took my pump to keep my supply going. Knowing that I was going to pump and dump, I ate some corn chips, had a cheeseburger, and some ice cream. I have to say, the anticipation was much greater than the actual experience. I was pretty dissappointed that none of those things were as good as I remembered.

Good luck!

J. - I am a Mom with a nearly fatal allergy to anything from a cow. I have 4 children, each of whom have different food allergies, including cow milk, soy and wheat products. Formulas do have corn syrup. Corn is a another major food allergen. You may do some investigating and see if there is any formula withough corn derivatives. My recommendation, if you can handle it, is to breast feed and only eat things that you make. His lack of weight gain is likely due to a food intolerance. You should find a great allergist. An allergist who likes to work with food allergies will be able to provide you with a list of foods that you CAN eat. Including some pre-made stuff that you can find on-line or at a healthfood store, that is certified to be free of the top allergens. My favorite resources are "Living Without" magazine and www.glutenfree.com.
I was diagnosed with milk allergy when I was 19 years old. I was very sick. The first time I walked into the store with my list of things I could buy, I started crying because I felt like there wasn't anything I could eat. I have since adjusted and found lots of alternatives. Quick tips: be careful and cautious not to ingest anything that even says "may contain traces of..." or "natural flavoring". Use rice milk as an alternative to cow, soy or goat.
I could go on and on...if you have questions, please feel free to send me a message.
I know it seems like a big mountain to climb right now, but it will get easier. You will learn to work around it with ease. The truth is a diet free of all those things is a healthy one, full of meats, fruits and vegetables. Best wishes!

Hi J.,

Poor little guy...I'm so sorry to hear this. I know how miserable it must be for both of you.

There are plenty of wonderful foods out there you can eat while breastfeeding him. Really up your fruit and veggie (mostly veggie) intake. You should also be eating a variety of "whole" grains (but not wheat).

I also strongly recommend you switch your cleaners and laundry products over to non-toxic ones. Traditional cleaners and laundry products suppress the immune system and keep it from functioning properly.

Best wishes to you and baby! :)

Warm Regards,
G. Van Luven, H.C.
Healthy Habits Wellness Center, LLC
www.HealthyHabitsWellnessCenter.com
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Have you thought about going to a naturopathic doctor? My daughter has been trying every known treatment to severe allergies and all the doctors did was treat the symptoms. After one month with a naturopathic doctor, she no longer has any symptoms. Her doctor looked at the cause and found problems with digestive system. I don't know what they can do for a 6 month old, but a phone call might give you some answers.

I would also recommend a Naturopathic Physician. They are the best, in my opinion, regarding food allergies. They really do take the time to find and treat the cause.

If he is allergic to corn, re-read the formula label. If memory serves me correctly, the first four ingredients of that brand are corn products.

When My SIL had to give her baby some formula, she went to the Weston Price Foundation and got a formula recipe to make it fresh so she knew exactly what she was feeding her baby. It's a thought. All of that said, please keep breastfeeding him! It's going to be vital to him to have it as a food source, especially since most other protein sources are a no-go for him.

It sounds to me like you may have to eat fresh fruits and veggies, fresh meat, and rice. Anything pre-packaged is likely to contain wheat. Modified food starch is very often made from wheat and mfs is in everything pre-packaged it seems. (I'm assuming that if he can't have wheat, he wouldn't be able to have other gluten containing grains like oats or barley) You can do wonders cooking with rice and rice flour. Rice flour doesn't hold together on it's own, but you can get xanthan gum from Sprouts and other places and you can make bread products from it. I don't know about all of them, but the Fry's near me has a bulk section in their health food department and they sell rice flour there. Try connecting with celiac support groups. They will have good ideas about foods you can eat.

Also, be sure that he and you are both getting enough omega-3 fatty acids. One of my kids get eczema when she isn't getting enough O-3's. My little ones take Cor-omega since it tastes good, but if he can't have that brand, you can give him the lemon flavored oil capsules. Most small children with take them easily.

You might want to continue to research childrens allergies and find a practitioner very experienced with this problem. (If you have not found one already)
I am not so sure the average doctor or ped has enough experience for this level of sensitivity. Having a young child is hard enough, but one who's health is so threatened by chronic problems is much more stressful.
Health food stores may have more non-allergic stuff you can eat (for your milk and baby food) Have not heard of too many allergies to rice or potatoes (sweet or white). Buck wheat is not actually wheat. I would avoid corn if he has this many issues already. A lot of corn is GM anyway. (Anything with corn syrup should be shunned too)
You could pose some questions to Dr Sears, Dr Greene...they have web sites. I forgot the author (Linda Palmer?)...but there is another book I have read..something like "What Your Doctor May not Tell You About Your baby" that talks mostly about diet and breastfeeding.

J.,

We had to use Simalac Alimentum, the pre-made liquid kind for our daughter. It was the only hypoallergenic formula without corn. The power version of it contained corn. I have no idea why one would have corn and the other one not. Anyways, it is super expensive but if you are only using it to supplement then it shouldn't be to bad. Sign up for similac's coupons on there web page, that was a lot of help. Our daughter did very well on it. Good luck

if he is allergic to corn he should NOT be on Nutramigen. You may need to try goats milk. Good luck!

My son is allergic to cows milk. We havent found any other so far, but I do have a refarrel to get him allergy tested. For whatever my two cents is worth, for you I'd say go on the glutten free diet. That will at least take care of the wheat. I'd also check labels to see what else is in there. Your probably going to have to do all your cooking from scratch and as fresh as possable, so you know what go into your food. As for formula for your son, I'd switch the the smiliac hypoallergenic one. I can't remember the name of it at the moment. I used it for about 4 or 5 months supplementing my son when I needed too. It smell awful, but he took it. When he gets to the point of drinking more than formula or breast. They do have a rice milk. It's called Rice dreams. My sisters kids are on it. Good luck hun.

My goodness, I can only imagine how rough this must be on you both! Things get better once the adjusting period ends :) My daughter is only allergic to milk and getting used that sort of diet was difficult. It felt like all I could have was chicken, veggies and rice. Unfortunately, there aren't many food suggestions I have for you. Maybe try a farmer's market like Sunflower; they usually stock substitutes for many different food sensitivities, like rice milk, almond milk and gluten free options. They can vary in taste (But after 6 months of no dairy in your diet, you'll try anything, I know I did : P)
As far supplementing we tried the Nutramigen for my daughter, she doesn’t like it very much and will only be willing to consider drinking if she’s hungry and I’m out of sight. For a while we tried mixing it with breast milk, she took that a little bit better, but getting my milk supply high enough to have extra to pump was a bit of a pain.
I hope you and your little one feel better soon, maybe joining a breast feeding support group would help, I’m sure there are other mammas out there with this bump in the road. Best wishes