Way back in August of 2006 when we determined that Elise had a dairy and soy allergy, my doctor helpfully pointed out that 95% of babies with an intolerance to the milk protein outgrow it by age one. At the time, it seemed like a lifetime for both of us to banish milk and soy from our diets. But time has flown by and we have made it through the year, with only one or two accidental milk intake incidents, all of which resulted in Ellie getting a head to toe rash, and suffering from major gastro-intestinal issues. Needless to say, I was not feeling very confident that Ellie would be one of those 95%.
Since her first birthday, I have been slowly cutting back the amount of times she nurses (down to once in the morning and once at night - no more pumping! anyone who has ever pumped for any length of time knows that this is monumental!) and completely eliminated bottles (only sippy cups now). But she has low iron and doesn't like meat so I have been fairly worried about Ellie's diet, especially when it comes to iron, fat and protein, and thus have been reluctant to wean her completely. She is drinking rice milk during the day from her sippy cup, but while it is fortified with vitamins and calcium, it does not have the fat her little brain needs for healthy development. On top of that, at 18 pounds, she is only in the 18th percentile for weight. My doctor has said that we shouldn't be concerned about this, but cutting out our little vegan's main source of fat and nutrients (breast milk) seems like it wouldn't do her weight any favors.
Now I realize that there are children that have a consistent diet of McDonalds and soda and never even have a sip of milk and they are probably fine. But I obviously want Ellie to be as healthy as possible and I want what is best for her in every way. All that being said, last week we decided that now is as good a time as any to do a "dairy challenge" to see what her reaction would be now that she is 12 months old. Last Thursday on a whim, I bought a container of regular yogurt and fed it to her. Just like that! She liked the yogurt and for the rest of the day and through the night there was no issue at all!
But just when we thought she was completely in the clear, she began to develop a rash and got some fairly bad eczema on one of her arms the next morning. Still, this was a very mild reaction comparatively and she didn't really have any gastro-intestinal problems which were the worst part of the reaction before. So we decided to go all out and buy some whole milk! Unfortunately the next day she developed a nasty chest cold so we've decided to hold off until she is congestion free. We are a little worried that the "cold" might be part of the allergic reaction, but there is really no way to tell unless we try it again.
Still, we remain hopeful that the end is in sight! If she can drink whole milk with mild or no issues, then I will wean her completely and my pizza-free days will officially be over. Cross your fingers.
Way back in August of 2006 when we determined that Elise had a dairy and soy allergy, my doctor helpfully pointed out that 95% of babies with an intolerance to the milk protein outgrow it by age one. At the time, it seemed like a lifetime for both of us to banish milk and soy from our diets. But time has flown by and we have made it through the year, with only one or two accidental milk intake incidents, all of which resulted in Ellie getting a head to toe rash, and suffering from major gastro-intestinal issues. Needless to say, I was not feeling very confident that Ellie would be one of those 95%.
Since her first birthday, I have been slowly cutting back the amount of times she nurses (down to once in the morning and once at night - no more pumping! anyone who has ever pumped for any length of time knows that this is monumental!) and completely eliminated bottles (only sippy cups now). But she has low iron and doesn't like meat so I have been fairly worried about Ellie's diet, especially when it comes to iron, fat and protein, and thus have been reluctant to wean her completely. She is drinking rice milk during the day from her sippy cup, but while it is fortified with vitamins and calcium, it does not have the fat her little brain needs for healthy development. On top of that, at 18 pounds, she is only in the 18th percentile for weight. My doctor has said that we shouldn't be concerned about this, but cutting out our little vegan's main source of fat and nutrients (breast milk) seems like it wouldn't do her weight any favors.
Now I realize that there are children that have a consistent diet of McDonalds and soda and never even have a sip of milk and they are probably fine. But I obviously want Ellie to be as healthy as possible and I want what is best for her in every way. All that being said, last week we decided that now is as good a time as any to do a "dairy challenge" to see what her reaction would be now that she is 12 months old. Last Thursday on a whim, I bought a container of regular yogurt and fed it to her. Just like that! She liked the yogurt and for the rest of the day and through the night there was no issue at all!
But just when we thought she was completely in the clear, she began to develop a rash and got some fairly bad eczema on one of her arms the next morning. Still, this was a very mild reaction comparatively and she didn't really have any gastro-intestinal problems which were the worst part of the reaction before. So we decided to go all out and buy some whole milk! Unfortunately the next day she developed a nasty chest cold so we've decided to hold off until she is congestion free. We are a little worried that the "cold" might be part of the allergic reaction, but there is really no way to tell unless we try it again.
Still, we remain hopeful that the end is in sight! If she can drink whole milk with mild or no issues, then I will wean her completely and my pizza-free days will officially be over. Cross your fingers.
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