Melanie: my kids are both sick right now. They got colds that turned bad. Elli's cold turned into bronchitis. Robby's cold turned into an ear infection. And on their worse days, they were miserable. Did I mention that these coincided with each other? Oh, and Elli's poops turn bad when her immune system is challenged. All this being said, I would have her ears checked for inflammation.

Dee Dee

On Nov 18, 2009, at 1:16 PM, QT - Melanie Watson <qtopic-23-aSxbbAkUULVMX@quicktopic.com > wrote:

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Jennifer -
I just ordered from Kirkman labs - we are waitingn to get it in the mail - they have one that is dairy/soy free and formulated for babies - best to call them just to confirm - but i've been searching forever myself and thought i'd try this

melanie - you probably are a pro at this compared to me - but just my 2 cents - the shot could have upset her gi balance - hence the grn poop - do you use probioitics? esp be/c if she does end up w a secondary inf and on antibiotics, she'll be one step ahead...

Hey Everyone~ I'm new to this site and am looking to hear about your experiences as they relate to my son, Luke. Luke is 2 months old and has had chronic diarrhea since about 2 weeks old. At 6 weeks old, he was diagnosed with a milk/ soy allergy and as he is breastfeeding, I have eliminated milk and soy from my diet. We have been on the diet for 2 weeks and have seen some improvement but not to the extent that we would have hoped. How long was it before you saw improvement?

The MD now wants to do an endoscopy and ultrasound. Do you think this is necessary? Luke's stools are still very watery, but they have decreased from about 10 per day to about 5 per day. He still has nasal congestion, is very gassy, and has periods of inconsolable crying. But we are now able to put him down in the swing when he is asleep and we could not do this before (he would always wake up and cry).

I'm wondering why the MD doesn't look more into the food allergies...Do you think we should have seen better results by now?
Thanks!

Nikki - No need to rush to and endo/ultrasound yet! Many of have experienced that it takes at least 6 weeks to heal. Have you taken out soy oil and soy lecithin yet? After you take out those, and check very, very carefully all supplements, vitamins, probiotics, ingredient labels for every scrap and iota of milk and soy, then you may want to try an elimination diet. It is not uncommon for our babies to be sensitive to more than just milk and soy. But first, do make sure that you have sniffed out every possible source of milk and soy.

Nikki, if you want to email me, I can send you some articles that you might find helpful. j2thaxton@att.net

Nikki: I wouldn't agree to endoscopy yet. I would first ask doc probing questions like, "what would you be looking for with these procedures?" Or, "is there something you're concerned about that you're not telling me?" I personally doubt the latter but the question might let him know you expect more from your relationship than perhaps 70% of patients out there expect from their doctors.

Dee Dee

I agree with the others - no need to do the other procedures yet. My son was older when he was diagnosed, but it took about 4 weeks to find all the hidden soy and dairy (and some doctors will tell you that soy lecithin and oil are OK... remove it anyway). It then took 4 weeks before he seemed to really be on the mend. It sounds like you're seeing progress...

Thanks everyone - makes my decision a little easier. Going to work on cutting out the soy oil & lecithin (bye bye last few foods I could eat) ;)

Nikki: I agree that there is very likely something still in your diet that is still bothering your son. I also understand the appreciation for even partial improvement. When you are at 100% miserable, dropping to only 50% miserable is huge! For us, my son was OK with the soy fats (lecithin and oil), but was very sensitive to gluten as well as milk/soy. An elimination diet was the way we figured out about the gluten.

By the way, message /m14998 is a "welcome" post from a while ago that has lots of helpful links in it about food lists, elimination diets, etc.

I am planning a second pregnancy & wondered if anyone has tried eliminating Milk and soy during pregnancy (first, last or all 3 trimesters)? I have not been able to find much information to back up the idea that this works, but would be willing to give it a try if anyone thinks it can make a difference.

NEMom: I know one mom who has had several very sensitive kids and didn't really get it figured out until I think her third. She swears that her eliminations during her pregnancy resulted in a tremendous difference. I think she took a whole food approach as well as eliminating the top 8. I thought about just doing milk/soy elim for my next one. Not sure if I could do top 8. Other moms seem to have had success too but have found after a few weeks old, the baby might still be bothered by something like eggs, wheat, etc.

Hi Nikki! I would bet that your baby is reacting to something else in your diet. You might try cutting out the top 8 allergens: milk, soy, eggs, nuts, peanuts, fish, shellfish and wheat for 4-6 weeks. I suspect you will see a changed baby and then might be able to add something back in. I was off the top 8 for 6 weeks with my baby and then able to add wheat back in. As others have mentioned, a total elimination diet might be the way to go too. Google, "Dr. Sears elimination diet" for details.
NeMom: Hey, I'm in Nebraska too! You'll have to call Milkworks and hook up with the MSPI moms group-they have an email listserve and also live groups every other Sunday-this is in Lincoln. To your question: I think you have a happier baby at the beginning if you cut things out at the end of pregnancy but I personally have not seen it decrease the intolerances. I feel they are still there but it just makes the beginning less rocky, baby less fussy. I am currently nursing my third MSPI baby off milk, soy, eggs, and nuts and am veg so am off fish, shellfish by default.

I just added a recipe for a dairy-free pumpkin milkshake to my blog. I have remained dairy-free after breastfeeding my son on the TED for 2+ years, and it had been 4 years since I had a milkshake....so needless to say this was a treat when I discovered this recipe this week! I thought some of you on restricted diets might enjoy this treat! www.cooking-allergen-free.blogspot.com. Enjoy the start of the holiday season.

Hi NEMom: In all my research, I read somewhere that it may be helpful to eliminate allergens (milk/soy) during the third trimester and take a good probiotic (like Florajen). I can't remember where I saw it, and not sure if there is any information to back it up.

HeidiLJ - I give you credit! I'm not sure I can cut out the top 8. Did you find a menu plan? I've cut out all milk / soy (and now soy oil and lecithin) and working on cutting out wheat. I'm a pretty healthier eater - I just worry about getting enough protein if I cut out nuts. I don't eat a lot of meat. I see you're a vegetarian. What is your protein source? beans? I've also read that some babies may have trouble with beans if they have a soy intolerance. So much info out there...it's hard to know what to do!

Nikki ~ I am on a total elimination diet with my 13 month old daughter -- we're on week... 11, I think. Twelve? I've lost count. Oddly enough, even though she has a severe intolerance to soy (and other things) -- we can't do lecithin or oil -- there are currently only TWO things I am 100% confident that she's digesting well that cause her no problems: lamb and garbanzo beans. (We are also currently eating buckwheat, cabbage, blueberries, and pinto beans, along with salt, olive oil, rosemary, cinnamon, and stevia.) Our allergist mentioned that kids with soy problems frequently have difficulty with other legumes, but I could tell early on that she did digest beans very well...

We recently bought Bluebonnet probiotics -- only about $10 for 50 capsules, soy-free, dairy-free, corn-free, rice-free... etc. It dissolves really well in water (which is the only other liquid, besides breastmilk that my daughter drinks).

~Karen
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Nikki ~ P.S. You may want to experiment with nuts, as well. We tried almonds, and it was a NO GO. But, I tried cashews recently, and while I'm not 100% confident I can add them to our "safe" list, cashews definitely didn't cause the problems that almonds did.
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