To expect the NHS to pay for me to breast feed

[pamplem0usse]

OK so not quite:
10 week old DS has a cows milk allergy. He's EBF so the only solution currently is for me to cut out all dairy from my diet. I'm already a pescatarian.
Dairy free alternatives seem to be really expensive.... AIBU to think I should be able to be prescribed some of these given (a) the amount of money I'm saving them on hypoallergenic formula and (b) since I'm likely to save them significant amounts of cash by helping prevent further allergies develop....

[nickelbabeuntiladvent]

all of you who are living with avoiding dairy, could you please give the OP some ideas on what to eat/not eat that will help?

the only suggestion i've seen is swedish glace (which is yummy) and everyone else has just said "i had to give up blah blah" without helping her see what she can replace the nutrients with.

[CouthyMowEatingBraiiiiinz]

It IS readily available in a shop - a pharmacy. Every pharmacy stocks hypoallergenic milk behind the counter. It's just effing expensive.

I can sort of understand the sentiment, it grates on me that I spend £60 a month out of a very limited income on feeding my DS3, when cows milk would be about £10 a month for him, but if I didn't, he'd be dead.

I would far rather there was an allergist for me to call each time he reacts to something new - and bf for 12 months didn't help that, and I was free from by the time he was 8wo, he was so allergic - than they forked out on prescribing every tin of Nutramigen, all dairy replacements (not bloody many when you can't have soy either btw), but didn't have an allergist...

[OHforDUCKScake]

Goats milk is very likely to be a bad idea to tbh.

Couthy I so wish there were more CMPA closer by, we could organise our own play group.
As it is, I live next door to Brighton. Being a city I always figured there must be a lot of mums with babies who are CMPA. But how do you track them down and set up a play group?! Im busting to do it, but no idea how.

[HipHopOpotomus]

I see your point/s pampel however I think you are looking at this the wrong way.

Going dairy free doesn't mean you have to replace milk/cheese/yoghurt with other grain/soya milks/cheese/yoghurt. Which I guess is where you are arguing where the expense lies. It's like there is a difference in the MINDS of vegetarians who eat manufactured meat substitute foods, and vegetarians who simply have a meat free diet (and don't feel the need to look for meat substitutes).

There are lots of cultures who don't eat much if any dairy products and neither are they drinking soya/rice/oat milks on a regular basis. Look to Chinese and other SE Asian cultures for influence. I don't think I've ever had a dairy food in Thailand (maybe an ice cream?). Mexican food, Indian food (leaving aside paneer & yoghurt of course there is still lots left esp vegetarian foods).

I think YABU to expect any compensation for doing the best you can to feed your baby in a healthy way. It's what parents do.

[expatinscotland]

YABU. I'm lactose intolerant and also don't see how it's more expensive. Everyone else can drink milk and eat cheese. I even have to make my portion of lasagne or pasta bake with no cheese.

Well, it's my responsibility to try to do my best not to get sick, the NHS isn't there to pay for it.

'It's just not fair.' No shit! I can't even begin to express how unfair life is, not that it makes a blind bit of difference.

[nickelbabeuntiladvent]

DUCK advertise on facebook, on MN local, at your local churches and nurseries.

you could start by meeting in a cafe, and then move to community centre when you get bigger.
in fact, church halls are usually very cheap to hire out if you started as a "church group" rather than just a group hiring the hall :)

[CouthyMowEatingBraiiiiinz]

Suggestions - do most meals dairy free. Lots and lots of leafy green veg. More protein. Tomato based sauces for pasta. Avoid shop bought pesto!!!

No cheese sauces/milk sauces.

Do dinners you can adjust. Vitalite is a decent alternative for sandwiches.

BLOCK Stork can be used in baking and always produces excellent results - also good for mashing potatoes with. Must be the BLOCK Stork in the gold wrapper.

Tesco and Jus-Rol ready made pastry (obviously not the all butter ones, the basic ones) are dairy free. Except Tesco SWEET shortcrust. Their normal shortcrust is fine.

We have a lot of pies and pasties. Watch for dairy in gravy granules and stock cubes.

Casserole mixes in packets are all out - but Homepride sausage casserole JAR is dairy free.

Tagines are good, as you have ras-el-hanout to flavour the veg.

Oatly milk is ok on cereal, but I find Karo coconut milk has an odd 'grainy' texture.

Oatly cream, when whipped with an electric beater, makes a good substitute for dairy based cream.

You can make a lovely curry with a tin of tomatoes, vegetables, tikka curry powder and a drizzle of Oatly cream.

Is that enough suggestions?

[OHforDUCKScake]

We'd never be able to meet in a cafe, or anywhere wlse that had food. Ive considered trying in my house to start, but its very small. After two mums and 3 babies together its too much, but 3 isnt enough for a room hire. That said, Im loving your ideas, perhaps I could get an email group going first to see...

[MurderOfGoths]

Do some damn research on coeliacs, it's isn't technically an allergy, it is an auto immune disease. Eating gluten causes the body to attack itself, specifically the lining of the small intestine. Not having a gluten free diet actually means you don't absorb any nutrients. You try watching someone basically starving despite eating and then begrudge them their prescription food.

Another point is, look up how much they actually get. My dad only gets bread. He pays £7.65 for not a hell of a lot of bread. How much do you pay for bread?

It is far far easier to avoid milk than it is to avoid gluten, and the substitute milk products do not have the same high price point of gluten free products.

[nickelbabeuntiladvent]

couthy, i'm sure she'll be grateful for those :)

[nickelbabeuntiladvent]

Duck d'oh, of course not

[CouthyMowEatingBraiiiiinz]

Murder. It is NOT easier to avoid milk than gluten. That's bullshit.

I have had to have a GF house for 5 years, since DS1 was dxd coeliac. That's a piece of PISS compared to dairy free.

I'm not arguing that coeliac is life-threatening, it'd be a big hard to when you have had to see your then 5yo DS with rectal bleeding, and growing 5 inches in the first year of being GF.

However, it is far far FAR easier to go GF than it is CMP free.

[Teafairy]

My DD2(7 months) is lactose intolerant and BF so we are both currently dairy free. I spoke to my HV about it and he referred me to see a dietician, which was helpful. I have DD1(2.5) and DH at home too, and to be honest after the first week or two of just getting my head round what had 'hidden' dairy in it, it really isn't too bad. Have a look online at supermarket websites, they usually have a list of all their products that are dairy free. We are eating slightly differently but not too much, sometimes they have one version of a meal and I have a slightly different version (because yes, some of the dairy alternatives are a bit more expensive). The dietician said that as long as you have 3 portions of calcium rich food a day then that is ok-so for example the soya milk that is fortified, or soya yoghurt and a multivitamin. My Mum got me a vegan cookbook for my birthday because she struggled to find a just a dairy free one (she is yet to fully grasp the miracle of the internet) and that has some nice recipes in, and you can always add meat/eggs/fish etc into a dish. I use soya yoghurt and soya marg and occasionally the milk, that seems enough alternatives to be able to have our normal diet. I did try some dairy free cheese-it was grim . If you are struggling, ask your gp or hv for help, it is there. And it's not all bad, i have found some new recipes which will stay in use, if/when DD grows out of the intolerance, chocolate and courgette cake, is a yummy highlight!!

[nickelbabeuntiladvent]

i wodnmer if you have any good independent children's shops around that might be willing to let you use some of their space?
I know I have a couple of rooms upstairs that I let some groups use (those that charge fees like classes pay for the room, but others can normally get it free), so there might be some like-minded businesses in Bristol that would help.
i do it for word-of-mouth and the occasional sale :)

[OHforDUCKScake]

Nickle another problem is the toys. They would have to be kept somewhere and washed regularly. Where would one keep a shit load of play group toys?

It seems like such a good idea. I just dont know if I can pull it off...

[CouthyMowEatingBraiiiiinz]

I now run a mostly Gluten, CMP, Tree nut, peanut/legume, soy free house. It can be done with a bit of imagination and lateral thinking!

[OHforDUCKScake]

Yes, thats a very good idea. I think I need to really think this through, perhaps ask someone whos already set up a group.

Thank you.

[CouthyMowEatingBraiiiiinz]

Try cocoa and beetroot cake - that's bloody delish!

[blueshoes]

OP will save the NHS more money by not having children

[nickelbabeuntiladvent]

oh, when I was at uni, I used to get some vegan cheese from Kwik-save! it was brill! it was like red leicester, and it was fine on sandwiches, but it turned to bubbly plastic when you tried it on toast

[careergirl]

I have high cholesterol and have to be careful about my food choices. I also take so called cholesterol busting products like Benecol etc which aren't exactly cheap. I have to pay for these myself I wouldn't expect the NHS to pay to be honest.

[nickelbabeuntiladvent]

you'd need to buy ones (or get donations) that could be dishwashed or washing machined, i suppose.
(you'll know more about this than me!)

it's a good idea, but it would need a lot of organising at the beginning. once you've got a regular band, you can work out where to store the toys and whose turn it is to take them home to wash.

[CouthyMowEatingBraiiiiinz]

Meatballs made with pork mince and chopped sage are lovely in a tomato and herb sauce. Bind them with an egg, or if on an egg free diet, either normal breadcrumbs or GF breadcrumbs.

Warburton's GF bread is also dairy and soy free, but DOES cost an arm and a leg - £2.48 a half loaf, with half sized slices too. We get through £17 of this bread alone in a week, because DS1 is nearly 11yo, and has to have 4 slices just to make the equivalent of one sandwich.

I'm saving for a bread maker!

[Teafairy]

CouthyMowEatingBraiiiiinz

Sounds good, can I have the recipe? Any excuse to eat cake is always welcome and a new recipe certainly counts!!

[CouthyMowEatingBraiiiiinz]

Actually, for the OP - that's another added benefit for YOU. By going dairy free, you will actually benefit from lower cholesterol levels!