I sat in the pediatrician’s office crying and feeling helpless just waiting for answers to why my baby was crying 18 out of the 24 hours of the day. Why did she have a diaper rash that left her skin with open sores? I did everything right. I was feeding her on demand, I was eating like a cow, I was pumping and trying to make sure she was fed enough from breastfeeding. I was at the end of the rope trying to wait for answers. Just give me something…
I knew something wasn’t right. Laikyn, who was 2 weeks old at the time, had been through a lot in her little life already. I was borderline-depressed as a postpartum mom who was helpless and didn’t know what was wrong. I was surrounded by people who had happy babies that only fussed when they were hungry, tired or needed a diaper. Why did my baby cry alllll of the time? I remember just praying and asking God to heal her; help her tummy, heal whatever is wrong….please fix my baby and give me the strength to know what is wrong!
We waited for answers that day, and thank JESUS that we got them. Laikyn’s diaper tested positive for occult blood which is not visible to the naked eye. I had no clue what that meant. Short version: Laikyn had tummy issues and I needed to cut out dairy and soy completely from my diet to keep nursing her. I felt a sense of relief but then also a sense of panic. No more ice cream? No more Oreos? My life was over…
Once I started the diet, it got a little easier each day. Laikyn was a little bit better, but still having some bad diapers and was fussy more often than not. We went back again, when she was 4 weeks, to test her diaper again. It was still positive. We were given two options: we could stop breastfeeding and move to an expensive prescription formula or I could keep trying the elimination diet to see what was bothering her tummy. We decided to try the diet first and then if it didn’t work we would try the formula. We chose this because it felt right for us as I had just resigned from my teaching job to stay home with her and our insurance was not going to cover the formula. We didn’t have an extra $2000 laying around, so no pressure on me, right? I did some research and found out that gluten, corn, eggs or nuts may be the problem. I decided to try to cut gluten out of my system first, and gave it about a week.
Guess what? It was magical and she was a totally different baby! Gluten was our problem! So then I was dairy, soy and gluten free. We then realized that Laikyn had the tongue and lip tie (at 9 weeks) so once we got that revised, we were good to go! It wasn’t easy at times and it sure wasn’t the popular decision with family and friends, but it was worth it. It was worth it for me to cut a few things out of my diet for me to be able to nurse my baby and her tummy not hurt. It was worth it to know that I had enough will power to say no to the Oreo and do it for her. I did all of it for her.
Fast forward 2 years to when I was pregnant with Lennyn. I decided to cut all of the allergens out of my diet when I was 36 weeks. The chances of the second baby having allergen issues were higher than not, so I just decided that I would start off on the right foot this time. Turns out, Lennyn had the same intolerances that Laikyn had! Both of them ended up outgrowing their intolerances (LC at 7 months and LK at 5 months) once their gut was healed. I missed out on some of my favorite foods during those months, especially at Thanksgiving and Christmas, but I wouldn’t trade those months for anything. It was incredibly worth it. Now, if I had to do it for myself…I’m not sure if I could do it, but I was very strict on myself because I knew even taking one bite of something with hidden dairy would cause them to have a reaction. I didn’t want to be the reason they were hurting!
I learned so many things from my experiences with nursing babies with intolerances, so I wanted to share a few of them with you. If you are going through this, please know that you are not alone and lots of people actually have food intolerances! Here are 5 tips for dealing with intolerances and how we got through the 5-7 months without dairy, soy and gluten!
- Support – Find other moms or people that have dealt with food intolerances. Find a Facebook Support Group. Find a friend who has been through it or might be going through it at the same time. So many of my mom friends have had to do this, and I was so glad to have their support!
- Snacks – I was SO hungry while nursing and loved to snack. I had a hard time finding healthy snacks that didn’t have dairy, soy or gluten that I actually wanted to eat. I was so thankful when I found Lärabars at Sams to keep in my diaper bag and night stand for when I got hungry. They come in so many different flavors, and they’re all so good. Apple Pie is probably my favorite, but I like most of them! The Lärabar Bites Chocolate Macaroon are SO good too. They’re the perfect bite size for the girls! The Lärabar Fruit and Nut Bars, Variety Pack (18 ct.) can be found at Sams and includes Cashew Cookie, Apple Pie, and Peanut Butter Cookie. Actually, the girls love to eat these when we’re out and about or will occasionally have one for breakfast! Lärabars are free of most allergens, but read the ingredients on the box to make sure! I could eat so many different flavors! Allergen-Free Lacation Cookies, Lacation Smoothies and No Bake Lactation Bars were my favorite too. Read my 3 month favorites HERE which includes Lärabar as one of my must-haves.
- Research – First, talk to your pediatrician or doctor to find out if your baby might have an intolerance. If you do have to cut out any allergen, do some research to find out what ingredients you can and can’t have.
- Watch Out for Hidden Ingredients – Casein, Whey, Milk Protein. Those are some hidden ingredients for dairy. It’s not just cheese, bread and ice cream…it’s in literally everything you probably already eat. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it’s the truth.
- Be Prepared – Make a list of the things you can eat. Only shop for those things. Read labels at the grocery store and make sure you can have it before purchasing. When out to eat, you can’t be sure that it’s 100% safe, but I had pretty good luck with asking for allergen menus or asking them to leave certain ingredients out for me. It was usually within 3/4 hours before I could tell if she was having a reaction, and I immediately would know what it was that caused it. One time I had a pumpkin spice latte from a local coffee shop with almond milk because I was told it was safe….NOPE. Not safe. PSL had dairy in the ingredient list and it was overlooked. Just check yourself to be sure and always know which ingredients to look for to avoid.
What are some questions you have about nursing/dealing with intolerances? I would love to help you out or answer what worked for us! As always, check with your healthcare professional about diagnosing and treating intolerances.
Would you be interested in a list of things I ate? A meal plan? What would you be interested in me sharing about going through this whole process? Please email me or comment below to let me know! This is something that I am passionate about and would love to help you!
