Struggling to identify food intolerances

[KPaulina]

I was hoping to borrow your wisdom and experience on food intolerances as well!

I suspected something was amis from very early on but I also had some significant over production and over active let down issues. I never saw blood in her poop so I was told it was likey the over production issue and that it would eventually resolve. I still have a strong let down and feed from one breast per 4 hour period, often without her emptying it, but I feel like the over production has significantly decreased over the last month as I'm no longer a consistent waterfall of milk.

Her symptoms were: reflux, face rash that Pedis. always said was just baby acne, and yellow/green frothy sometimes mucous-y poop

So when we put her on zantac at her 2mo apt. (finally!) I also decided to go on a TED... just to see. Within a couple days her face rash had cleared and her poop was yellow! I'm a vegetarian so this was a bit challenging. I ate steel cut oats, potatoes, pears, zucchini and I even went and bought some turkey on day three as I felt like I was going to fall over (first meat in over a decade). By day 4 I had lost 4lbs and my supply dropped so significantly. She was not a happy one at the breast. So I added everything back with the exception of MSPI stuff. I did my best to find all sources of dairy but I still don't know if I was. I was having very dark chocolate and I'm wondering if that's the lingering culprit.

Her symptoms returned though and this time with some blood in her poop occasionally. So just a few days ago I decided to eliminate down to a list of least allergenic foods that I found on Dr. Sears' website: http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/feeding-infants-toddlers/food-allergies/most-and-least-allergenic-foods

I also have an apt. with a Pediatric allergist but not until January. I would really like to figure this out by way of elimination, and it seems like it should be simple enough. I don't feel I should need a Dr. to help me through a trial and error process; however, I struggle to know if I've eliminated the right foods and don't feel a TED is ideal for me giving how it went last time in four short days.

I'm wondering if it's gluten as well. Can that be an issue through my BM this early on?
Or maybe I just had more hidden dairy and/or the dark chocolate was the culprit?

My favorite things on this earth, in this order are: My husband and daughter tie, chocolate, wine, cheese, coffee, and pasta. I'm dying with the holidays coming up but I'll do anything that keeps up my milk supply and helps her out, of course. I just don't know what I should eliminate down to and then how to progress from there? Any advice or websites/books you've found particularly helpful I'd appreciate.

Oh, I know coffee isn't good for refluxers, but I'm wondering if it is the acid in the bean or the caffeine? So, could I do decaf if it is the caffeine?
How's about a small glass of wine? No? (I'm of the camp that one small glass is fine. But if it is known to be a disturbance food allergy wise, I'll ditch that too.)

Lastly, not sure if this belongs on this board or the allergy board. Feel free to move me if best. Thank you!

[deb]

Gluten can absolutely be an issue. And soy (as I"m sure you're noticing) can hide in EVERYTHING, as can gluten and dairy.

I'd probably even forego decaf coffee with a refluxer. My first one was a fountain refluxer and had I known then about the connection between food intolerances and reflux, I would have given up a LOT of stuff to make it stop.

You may have to keep some meat in the diet for a little while to help keep the milk production up, unless you're comfortable adding in eggs - but those are often allergenic for LO's too.

[ENMS]

Hi

I've moved it over to food allergies to get you more eyes on this.

I'm not very knowledgeable I had only removed dairy and soy for my DS but I wanted to say I think you're doing a great job . It is not easy to have to remove so many foods from your diet, especially adding back meat after not eating it for so long!

[KPaulina]

Elise - Thank you for moving my post and for your supportive words!

You may have to keep some meat in the diet for a little while to help keep the milk production up, unless you're comfortable adding in eggs - but those are often allergenic for LO's too.

I'm not looking forward to it but I think it's wiser to eat a low allergenic meat like turkey and get a baseline and then I'm thinking the first things I'll test will be high protein sources so I can get off the meat sooner rather than later *hopefully.*

I've wondered if beans are maybe a good thing to stick with? If so, I could make do with that!

And yes, I can't seem to figure out how to eat anything that didn't just fall off a tree or get plucked from the earth with these restrictions. Which, while I'm all for those foods... eating only that is really challenging. We went out with some friends and I got sauteed spinach thinking I was in the clear and she had blood in her poop 30ish hours later. I was so frustrated! I'm guessing maybe they sauteed in butter? And eating over at friends is just not even possible, I feel like the most difficult guest ever. And while I'm comfortable not eating there, or brining my own... I think it makes hosts uncomfortable maybe. It's just awkward.

This is all so new to me. I feel like it would help me if I could just create a list of foods that I can eat and buy a ton of that and then when I go looking for food I know what I can have and just choose from that. I think that would be easier than looking at every label of every food item in my home. I'm pretty much over doing that anyhow as I've just assumed by this point I shouldn't be having it for the time.

[deb]

Actually, most people will be fine if you bring your own food places IME. We have a friend whose DD is deathly allergic to peanuts and often brings her own food (also both her kids are incredibly picky eaters so it's easier on everyone that way too, including my friend). When she was much younger, the allergy list was much MUCH longer, so we all just got used to her bringing food for her DD.

And yeah, spinach sauteed in butter might well be the culprit. There's a steep learning curve when first doing ED's, but it does get ea :-*sier.

[KPaulina]

I'm sure you're right (especially since you have the experience with this and I don't . I'll give it a try instead of doing what I did last time and trying to pick cheese off of the bread I thought was okay for me to eat. Ha.

[ZacsMumme]

Hugs Hun.
Personally I think you would likely be ok to have coffee (in moderation) and dark choc - as long as the dark choc has no milk solids in it. But really best thing is to stop it if your concerned it could be those and see if you notice a difference.

If your milk free it's the sneakies that can get you ie whey protein in some bread
As deb says soy is a big one and some LOs are sensitive to gluten and some nuts or eggs.

With wine I just have a glass when doing last evening feed (takes 30 mins to come through milk ) and I suspect it will be just fine as you say sometimes removing everything can be just as harmful to them, if your not nourished the milk can taste bad, it's a you balance aye!

What are her poops like ATM? - do you think the block feeding is helping?

[KPaulina]

Right now I'm down to so few foods: dried apricots, raisins, pears, grapes, potatoes, broccoli, zucchini, asparagus, avacado, quinoa, brown rice, steel cut oats, basic beans, lettuce, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, kale, salt, pepper, decaf coffee, red wine.

That's all I'm taking in at the present. Anything in that list seem potentially allergenic or have gluten in it?
I've tried to get it down to unlikely culprits but keep up my nutrition as best I can. If I need to not do the bean I'll have to add turkey.

I really appreciate your input ladies!

[deb]

While you're nursing I'd probably lean more toward the turkey; beans can give us gas, and ditto little babies. That's JMHO, based on my experience with some foods while nursing. I found that cabbage and sometimes broccoli gave both me AND Josie awful gas and tummyaches; wasn't till I'd been off gluten for a while that I could digest crucifers again.

[ZacsMumme]

Do you have pumpkin and sweet potato there? These may be ok? They were very safe foods for my refluxer. That said I have never done a total ED (just dairy) so not sure if these ok or not.
Also have you thought about looking here...may help
Does my LO have food intolerances?
Dairy, soy and/or gluten free recipes & menu plans
Helpful websites
Ingredients to avoid for food allergies - Milk, Soy, Eggs, Peanuts, Gluten

[KPaulina]

Deb - You're right... the gas (for both of us  ) is, well, it's gas. So I think I need to decrease my bean/broccoli intake for sure! Do you know if all cruciferous vegetables are the same in that way, or is broccoli just know as being particularly offensive in that way? I ask because I looked up the list of cruciferous vegetables and that's primarily what I eat.  What other vegetables are there other than squashes (which I consider more of a starch than a vegetable, but whatever)?!

And does gluten interfere with the ability to process some foods? Have you remained gluten free after BFing or are you still GF as a result of still BFing?

ZacsMumme - I certainly do have those! I'll have to figure out what to do with pumpkin other than pie. But I'm sure I would like it, I love every squash I've ever tired. I eat a lot of acorn and butternut squash, I should have included those two on the list. I think all squashes should be safe. At least, I would like to think so. And thank you for highlighting those links. I've read almost everything on the Colic/Reflux board but haven't made my way through much on this board. There is SO much information on this site! It's pretty wonderful!

[ENMS]

What about green beans? They're technically not beans, but more like a green veggie?

[ZacsMumme]

I'll have to figure out what to do with pumpkin other than pie. But I'm sure I would like it, I love every squash I've ever tired. I eat a lot of acorn and butternut squash, I should have included those two on the list. I think all squashes should be safe. At least, I would like to think so.

OMG I LOVE pumpkin, and in NZ we dont even have it as pie EVER!Ill PM you some recipies. I love it roasted and then in a salad with beetroots, goat cheese (if youcan have - prob not ) rocket, and anything else you fancy x

[deb]

Crucifers used to giveme gas when i still ate gluten. My theory is that the gluten was damaging my gut lining and making it harder to digest the crucifers. But beans make me gassy all the time except for green beans, which are indeed more green veg than legume. Now I'm off the gluten still because i feel better off it.

[Buntybear]

Hi there, sorry I have been a bit AWOL recently.

How are things now that you are just down to those few foods.

It can be SO HARD doing an ED - you are a fabulous mummy to be giving this a go xx especially being a vegetarian - I have not come across a mummy who hasn't replaced some of the goodness lost on an ED with meat - esp chicken stocks

Are you taking multi vitamins esp calcium and iron?

In terms of coffee and wine - when I was BFing I had decaf coffee and no alcohol - but then I would have done that without Olly's issues. TBH I would cut both out - sorry!

What you need to do is find something that you CAN eat that you consider a treat. I made dozens of rocky road type bars with plain choc (no dairy), GL/EF/DF biscuits and DF butter - yummy! Oh and flapjacks with DF butter. 

BFing can be draining when you eat a full and varied diet. Looking after a baby can be exhausting when you are fully fed with calories and nutrients and you can comfort eat! Find yourself those foods you can pick at when your blood sugar levels drop or you are hungry - buy them in bulk and keep them handy!

HUGS xx

[KPaulina]

Ill PM you some recipies.

That'd be great! And considering goat cheese is my very favorite... I'll have to keep that in mind for the future! Sounds incredible. And are we talking the small sugar pumpkins here? I think I never used them because I was overwhelmed by the size of the squash. But I loooooove butternut squash so I'm betting I would also really enjoy pumpkin!

BuntyBear - Thanks for the reply. I really don't know. Her face rash is better, but still not clear. But that may just need more time. Her poop has been all over the place and we just had some blood today for the first time in a while. But honestly, even though I've tried to be exceptionally careful with what I've eaten, I may have missed something or messed up somewhere with our traveling for the holidays. Her reflux seems to be better though, so that's good! And I did cut out the coffee, and just determined I should cut out the wine as well. I'm of the mind that less than a glass on occasion is no big deal late PG and while BFing. And I stupidly (I'm even embarrassed to admit this) thought that because grapes were likely an okay food, allergy wise, that wine would be fine as well. But my sister (who just went through this with an ED last year) explained that it's more the acid in wine that would be of concern given the reflux. I felt so dense. Duh.

And you're right. I need to find my safe treat! My DH and I are foodies I'd say, and I'm a comfort eater so this has been a bit hard. While it's good for me not to look to food treats on hard days, it's still hard to break that habit at this time. And to do so cold turkey at that! So you felt that non dairy chocolate was safe? Do you mean carob or do you just mean like really dark chocolate? I've been having little pieces of very dark (no dairy on the label as far as I can tell) chocolate as my one possibly cheating treat. And once I am back on wheat (hopefully!) I will return to ask you about these biscuits you mention. But for now, I'm wheat free as well.

Thanks for the thoughts and suggestions! I'm hoping to just do my best while out of town for the week and then we're eagerly awaiting our appointment with the pediatric allergist on the 8th of January to hopefully begin to really figure this out!

[Buntybear]

Those Rocky roads  were made with gluten free biscuits! Have a really good look in your local store for options. In the UK, There are now loads of foods for allergy sufferers.