Dairy free too

Hi, I've just been reading a couple of threads on here about babies being off dairy so I'm looking for advice and support. Scarlett seems to be allergic to several things, the main one being dairy. She's been getting huge hives, or welts the doctor called them, after she has dairy, but at other times too. I'm cutting it out completely for her and pretty much for me, although I sneak the odd biscuit or tiny piece of cake. I'm not sure if the odd tiny bit for me is affecting her or if its something else. To start with I thought it was fruit's like pears, plums and tomatoes, so I've cut them out, she seems fine with bananas though. I cut out pretty much everything for 3 or 4 days then try one thing, dairy has a big reaction and one day when we were out I went to buy a sandwhich and realised that was going to be a big no no, so went for a tomato pasta which I checked had no milk, but it still gave her a big reaction 10 mins later. A few days ago I tried her on pears, she didn't get any spots but seemed to ave a bad tummy and the next morning had a very nasty green slimy pooy nappy, so it seemed to affect her that way.
My doctor has been rubbish, she said she would write to the allergy clinic, but didn't think they'd do anything and after every thing I told her only seemed to hear me say she'd reacted to garlic bread.
Are the hv's in Wales different to the hv's in England, I see kaygeebee was referred to see a nutritionist by them, I wonder if I could get a referral from them myself?
I'm quite happy to carry on bfing for as long as need be, although I was hoping to stop pumping for while I'm at work and just give milk once Scarlett was a year old, at the moment I leave 2 or 3 oz twice a week, so not a lot, but I'm sure I've read you cant give rice oat or soya milk as a main drink until at least 2 years, she seems to be fine with soya milk luckily.
The thing that annoys me most about the doctor is that I told her Scarlett is off all milk and fruit at the moment, so she's getting no calcium nor many vitamins apart from what she getting from me. She the doctor, said as long as Scarlett is 'thriving' and not loosing weight its not a problem, so if I didn't change my diet and hers, she'd be very poorly and loose weight and then we'd get a referal, once again a mum is penalised for being doing the right thing.
Anyway I've got a bit sidetracked and forgotten exactly what I wanted to ask, except how are you mums who've been there getting on now?
I'll probably be back tomorrow when I've remembered, but any tips or suggestions, or comments very welcome.
Thanks in advance, I'm off to bed.

Wow sounds like a lot to cope with, i bet you're checking the ingredients of EVERYTHING!!

sorry I've no good advice for you. Just wanted to say that I think you're doing brilliantly bf'ing and cutting down your own dairy intake. I LOVE all dairy products, I'd be rubbish at cutting it out of my diet.

Good luck

Caroline

We are one of the few mammalian species that continues to consume milk beyond infancy. We have been agriculturally farming bovine products long enough for us to evolve to a point where we can adequately digest lactose. Which is why there is such a high incidence of lactose intolerance among the human population. You can far more effectively metabolise calcium from dark leafy veg than milk. I would say keep Scarlett on breastmilk and try to increase her intake of veg, such as brocolli and spinach.

As for fruit, if she has a problem with fruit... cut that out of her diet too and look to increase veg in her diet or other fruit that she doesn't have an issue with.

I wouldn't use soya products if you can help it, I'd try rice based products more as there is some worry with soya products containing phytoestrogens which mimic's estrogen in women and young girls.

My eldest T became lactose intolerant when she was a small after contracting rotavirus and meningitis. We had to go lactose free. At the time I was told that my breastmilk was poisoning her by the doctors and with no internet (this was 2000) I switched over to SMA LF when she was 9 months old. I did find that even the tinest amount of milk would set her off though... you had to be so..so careful. Even a biscuit with a tiny amount of "milk product" would leave her with watery diarrhoea for days. Milk products get into EVERYTHING. It's quite shocking. I ended up just making all my own food and freezing it because it just worked out so much easier in the end. The consolation is that T grew out of it around the age of 5/6. She still has some problems if she consumes too much but in general I don't advocate too much milk usage in our diet at home as I've noticed that even I feel better if I don't consume that much milk in my diet. Only I can't abide Tea without milk.

I've found its not too bad going dairy free, mostly because I've just switched to dairy free substitutes, most of which are soya based, so not sure how I could avoid that too. Is there much selection of rice based things? I've seen and tried rice milk, its ok, just far more expensive than soya milk, but I've never seen anything else rice based in sainsbury's.
I went to see a hv today, and after all the rubbish I've thought and said about them, she was actually very helpful, and she's reffered me to see a nutritionist, which is really what I was after from the doctor. It''l take about 6 weeks, but at least we'll get there.
I'll take your advice and try to incorporate as much greens as I can, leafy's not so good when you've got no teeth, but broccoli, asparagus and brussel sprouts have been a hit so far. Scarlett had a corn on the cob today and she absolutely loved it, she hummed away to herself as she gnawed away, I wish I'd videoed it!

it's great when you meet a health care professional who really helps. i'm glad she's organised something for you.
your baby seems to like a good variety of veg too, not many love sprouts!! corn on the cob is a big hit in our house too. so cute when they make all the yum yum noises when eating.

Caroline xoxo

I have cut all forms of cow out of Olivias diet as it aggrevates her Ezcema.

Have a read about soy and how much of it is GM food and how it effects the body, I know a lot of children who have problems with dairy often go on to have problems with soy too.

Unfortunalty its become a huge part of our lifestyle, the good old bottle of milk at school and how widely advertised it is that milk is a good source of calcium... which isn't entirely true.

They have become a basic ingredient for most of our foods, so its hard!

The only way to avoid these added ingredients is to make things yourself as best you can x

I was lucky to have a local health food shop, not a chain but a family run one who stocked all sorts of things and would order in anything for me, they were also fantastic with advice too! They even found an alternative to egg when i wanted to bake! Ozzy was severely allergic to egg, it can still set his eczema off now though its not so severe. One thing i did learn that might or might not help - maybe more for Olivia. When they have a reaction to something it sometimes isnt an allergy as such but a 'sensitivity' - to explain- Ozzy was very allergic to some additives so if he drank some orange squash the next day he would come out in a severe rash, while he was having this reaction there were certain foods (that normally he could eat with no reaction) would cause him to have another reaction.
Hell that sounds like babble - do you get what i mean? It took us years of trial and error and i did learn some amazing things - some farmers feed their chickens food with colourings in to make the egg yolk lovely yellow, also the same for salmon to make it pink!
strangely enough Iceland was one of the best places to shop they have no GM and no additives in alot of their food. I did have to order the goats milk in our local tesco though.
sorry if ive gone on

Thank you Ang!

Well I have been talking to others and have found the reaction is through toxins trying to escape from the body, quite commonly children with Eczema also have bowl problems, this is something she does have! she always been loose!

I agree it is trial and error and yes your right about the eggs! this is why i have my own chickies! (although they are not laing because of moulting!)