Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Allergies and intolerances

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Original poster

I could murder a cheese toastie!!! Support thread for those of us on restricted diets for sake of BF DC.

51 replies

trixymalixy · 31/01/2010 22:53

I keep seeing other support threads on MN and know that there are others in the same boat as me who are breastfeeding allergic children and have had to restrict their diet in some way.I thought we should have our own thread to have a moan and commiserate and share tips.

I'm currently cutting out egg and dairy for the sake of my DD.

The things I'm missing most are:
cheese toasties
baileys
proper butter on toast
milk in my tea

On the plus side I made some amazing rocky road with Tesco value digestives, pure spread, marshmallows and half soya, half dark chocolate adapted from a Nigella recipe that I could totally recommend.

Please come and moan with me!!

OP posts:
hobnob57 · 03/02/2010 21:03

Grrr. Just found out that my GP's 'quick' referral to the gastro clinic has put us on a 12 WEEK waiting list .

That properly scuppered my mood today, especially as DD is reacting to something I ate. Crumbed ham (gluten) or soy in free from cookies (forgot to check). She just won't stay asleep. Poor mite. Poor nipples!

Lipstickdipstick · 04/02/2010 11:47

Be careful on what preservatives are used (Bacon, ham a nightmare) lactic acid is used in all sorts of things as a preservative. Loads of sweets have lactic acid in them - wine gums, pastilles, cough lozenges etc and if totally intolerant will affect DD. believe me I've been there. (One small packet of wine gums and I was floored) Also E numbers worst one is E270 others are E325,326,327,966,585,472b. don't know much about Gluten free

cakeforbrains · 04/02/2010 15:13

Lipstick - are all those E numbers codes for dairy??? I had no idea - the only e number I've been looking out for is E322 - soya lecithin. Oh god. Yet more label checking.

naturopath · 04/02/2010 19:08

Lipstick - do you know what those E-numbers are, and what foods they are likely to be in?

cakeforbrains - thanks, I'll look out for E322 to avoid.

cakeforbrains · 04/02/2010 20:15

naturopath - I found this site via google - lists all the E numbers and what they are here

sparklycheerymummy · 04/02/2010 20:33

can anyone help me because i have been tryong to restrict my intake of dairy as ds seemed to be getting wind but now think i was overacting but he is refluxing more but not whole feeds or anything. I think it is just him being a pig..... he was 10lb 11ozs at birth so is hungry and i am proud of his fab weight gain..... 14lb 3ozs at 7 weeks.

BASICALLY HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOUR DC HAS AN ALLERGY ..... HOW BAD DOES IT HAVE TO BE???? I do think i am overacting a bit!!!!!!!!

I am neurotic and always have to have a reson for dcs being whingy or a bit sicky!!!!

ps..... alpro soya milk always curdles and sinks to bottom of mug..... what am i doing wrong!!!

cakeforbrains · 04/02/2010 20:47

Hi Sparkly, my DS was diagnosed as cows' milk intolerent a couple of weeks ago, so I am still learning about all this, but here goes ... DS has always been very sicky, and I noticed he was more sicky if I'd had lots of milk the day before, but after he started on solids he started getting curdled green nappies streaked with blood and mucus. He also had really bad excema. He did manage to put weight on reasonably well though. I think an allergy would give a more instant reaction such as a skin rash or anaphalactic shock, but others on here know more about that.
I've given up on soya milk ... I've learnt to like black coffee lol

cakeforbrains · 04/02/2010 20:49

Meant to add as well - DS only got diagnosed at ten months, after several months of repeatedly seeing the GP then waiting for a referral. Trust your instincts and keep pushing if you think your DS has a problem, as GPs seem pretty cynical about dairy intolerence in BF babies.

Lipstickdipstick · 04/02/2010 20:50

They are all lactic acid or dairy related. I'm afraid label reading becomes the norm for a while till you find all the food you can eat. Every time you try something new it's worth checking if you/DD/DS have a severe allergy, in the end you just do it without realising. i really sympathise with you starting out on this horrible thing but actually I feel fantastic without dairy.

cakeforbrains · 04/02/2010 20:52

Lipstick - I am missing dairy far less than I thought I would, but it is hard getting my head around checking labels all the time. I think I need all the possible words and E numbers tattoed onto my hand or something.

Lipstickdipstick · 04/02/2010 20:58

It's the cheese which is the worst and the dairy free stuff is pretty yuck but Ok with pickle etc. my consultant told me to reintroduce Dairy very slowly once DS 3 months old which i did but actully too terrified to eat neat dairy so only eat cooked dairy. Reaction so severe. It's like learning to shop, cook and eat all over again and then just becomes the norm. I walked around with a list for a while felt a complete prat and boy did it take ages in the supermarket

sparklycheerymummy · 04/02/2010 20:58

thanks cake.... ds sometimes has green ishs nappies occ with mucus in but usually around a screaming or windy episode .... i gether wind can send nappies green but then so screaming and wind could be allergy related??!! its very confusing!!! going to do some experimenting at weekend..... have lots of milk on saturday when d is here to help and see what happens

cakeforbrains · 04/02/2010 21:09

Lipstick - did your pregnancy cause the allergy? I've never heard of that before, it must be awful for you. Will it eventually get better? Will it reoccur if you are pregnant again?

bracingair · 04/02/2010 21:10

i'm also very curious as to how allergies are diagnosed because ds has reflux and a friend (GP) told me some docs dont 'believe' in reflux it is allergies.

so if i avoided dairy, would ds still need his renatidine?

Lipstickdipstick · 04/02/2010 21:15

Cake - My consultant hadn't heard of it before all very odd but as happened 6 weeks in and DS not allergic could just be me. No more babies, had 3 and 45 years old so don't know if it will completely go or affect another pregnancy

Original poster
trixymalixy · 04/02/2010 22:34

Lipstick, my SIL became less allergic during her 2nd pregnancy, she could eat dairy when she couldn't before, but things got worse during her 3rd pregnancy. Don't know what the theory behind it is.

Lactic acid isn't always from a dairy source AFAIK.

hobnob, that's a nightmare, but I'm sure the 12 weeks will go more quickly than you think. I'm sure DD is reacting to something else I'm eating too, but not sure what.

whelk they didn't advise me to avoid certain allergens, but DD definitely is more unsettled when I eat dairy and egg so I am avoiding them.

sparkly with my DS he would only feed for 10 minutes and then scream and pull off and not go back on. He was also quite sick, but not as much as full feeds. He was on reflux meds but they did nothing for him not surprisingly!!

btw where you're going wrong is using soya milk when Oatly is sooo much nicer. If you do want to persist with soya I think it's the heat the curdles it, so i think you put it in first.

OP posts:
Original poster
trixymalixy · 04/02/2010 22:49

re Lactic acid, see the section Rarely Dairy Ingredients

here

OP posts:
Lipstickdipstick · 05/02/2010 15:02

Trixy I know but on the packaging you have no idea where the lactic acid comes from.

naturelover · 05/02/2010 15:30

Oh goodness, I was only avoiding obvious dairy, I hadn't even considered additives and hidden dairy!

DS was miserable overnight with apparent sore tummy, was better this morning after foul green mucusy nappy, so now I'm analyzing what it is I may have eaten yesterday. I did eat an egg (I don't eat them that often) and also some dairy free lemon cookies. Perhaps he doesn't tolerate citrus?

On the plus side, his eczema is markedly better today, I think maybe socks over his hands has finally broken the itch-scratch-itch cycle. I'm hugely relieved about that.

Original poster
trixymalixy · 05/02/2010 23:01

We don't bother avoiding lactic acid as DS and I have a restricted enough diet as it is and it is pretty rare for it to be from a dairy source. So far he hasn't reacted to anything with lactic acid in apart from once when he reacted after having some olives.

I suspect as he had had them before with no reaction it was because DH is dreadful for eating something and then sticking his fork back in the jar so there was probably mayo on his fork. Yes I know, vile isn't it, I have told him so many times about not doing it, and I had to stop him twice in a row with a fork he had used for eating coleslaw trying to put it in the olive jar .

We had lovely soup from M&S for lunch today, spiced roasted butternut soup. It's so hard to find ready made soup without dairy in so I thought i'd share it with you all .

Naturelover, it was more likely to be the egg. It's very common to be allergic to both egg and dairy.

OP posts:
Notanexcitingname · 08/02/2010 19:42

THanks for the hot chocolate tip trixy. I'd never thought of that, and ds2 never makes it through a carton of Oatly by himself within 5 days. I shall try that tonight

still missing pizza, though

Original poster
trixymalixy · 09/02/2010 21:07

Took DD to be tested on Monday and she tested positive for egg allergy and negative for milk allergy. So not as bad as I thought.

I've not tried her on any dairy yet as I am too scared to try until my DH comes home (he is working away atm). I don't know if I'm completely convinced as I had some dairy yesterday and her face has gone red every time I have fed her. The only way to tell for definite is to try her on some dairy i guess!!!

OP posts:
ComeTwatTheKumquat · 10/02/2010 14:18

oh thats good news trixy. good luck with the dairy xx

Notanexcitingname · 10/02/2010 21:16

trixy, the dietician I saw with ds2 said she'd still consider him allergic to dairy even if his skin prick test came back negative, based on the improvement we've seen with the exclusion diet. She said the only concrete test is exclusion, so if I were you, i'd be in no hurry to try out the dairy

mamakoukla · 10/02/2010 21:44

I spent a year on a restricted diet (no eggs or dairy, tomato, nuts or peanuts and for a short period beans, legumes, gluten) BUT I did see a tremendous difference in my DD. She had uncontollable eczema which was 90 % fixed once I restricted my diet.

It's not easy but the payoff is worth it.

P.S. try making pizza using an olive oil-based herb and garlic mix plus topping. Okay not the same, but it can be tasty.

My GP and the paediatrician thought I was absolutely bonkers but they reconsidered after seeing the results. DD is allergic. It was hard and lonely; this is a great thread... please do keep it going.