I have had a few moms ask me how I discovered there was something wrong, and what the process looked like finding our results.
After the birth of my second-born, I had some complications while healing. Life was a little fuzzy, I was extremely exhausted, and dealt with some extra postpartum fun. Re-adjusting to life with a newborn, after having a 4 year break, as well as a uterine infection, I was not at the top of my mental game. However, mommy intuition kicked in.
My newborn wasn't having normal diapers- I remember with the first born, the proper color and smell of a breast-fed baby's diaper. We were definitely far from that. My stomach just dropped whenever I would change him, and I just knew something was off- something certainly didn't look "normal".
On top of the odd diapers, he regularly had little bumps all over his body. Sometimes they were red, sometimes they weren't.
This rash looks different than heat rash, or baby acne. He also had both of those.
I brought it up to my amazing pediatrician, and she said there wasn't a huge concern, which put me at ease for anything major. However, I still knew something was off. I decided to try the elimination of dairy in my diet.
I will say, I did not see any results for weeks- but I was determined to stick it out until I hit the 4 week range that was recommended for completely eliminating dairy. And it was like magic. Week 4 came and, Voila! Normal newborn diapers and his rash lessened.
He is able to consume goat's milk products. We used a goat's milk formula from Germany when I was no longer able to breastfeed him. Currently he loves goats milk yogurt and cheese. It gives him a little normalcy when everyone else can eat things that he cannot. I was told that the difference was in the protein of cow's milk vs goat's milk.
I was incredibly disappointed, since that was by far my favorite food group at the time. It's amazing what we are willing to do for our children. The first couples months giving up dairy were quite difficult, but over time, it did become easier.
My baby's rash still would appear from time to time, but we considered it sensitive skin. I was still concerned and would contact my pediatrician when it would show, but from my understanding, an allergy test was not an option at his young age.
Fast forward a year, he would still have the occasional rash. No new products. No new foods. I wasn't convinced it was just sensitive skin.
He finally reached the age where he could have an allergy test. We had two options, an allergy panel or a blood test. We opted for the blood test because of the level of accuracy. If you would like to do less invasive test, I have heard that muscle testing is very accurate. I have personally done a Zyto scan, which tests for what is working against your body nutritionally in that moment. It helped me discover specifically which cheese effected my breathing while pregnant, and helped my older son temporarily eliminate a couple foods when was having some stomach issues.
The results came in and it ended up being egg whites. My poor baby had been eating them almost every morning and loved them! Eliminating eggs is so difficult, especially when your child can ask for them by name! We have tried doing a few egg yokes here and there, but we would still have issues with a rash when those were introduced.
We are learning to navigate through these allergies. It's a new world looking for recipes that are vegan, and then adding meat as we can! Finding allergen-free meals and snacks aren't an easy task, especially when the little mister with the allergies is incredibly difficult! Flax eggs are not for the weak of heart.
I am so thankful that these are only mild allergies, a sensitivity really. I am so thankful that coming in contact with these foods will not be a life or death situation for my son. There are so many kids with severe allergies. My heart goes out to you mommas. I can't imagine the fear that must go through your mind as your children with allergies leave home every day. Our culture is finally catching us and providing so many alternatives.
And momma's, listen to your gut. If you know there is something off with your child, you could be their only advocate. Keep your doctor in the loop, no question is ever a stupid one. So many people are living with allergies and sensitivities, and they have symptoms and difficulties that could be so easily relieved in knowing and understanding what foods have different effects on their bodies. I couldn't imagine letting this upset continue in my son, even though it's not life threatening. I want him to be comfortable and feel his best!
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