Breastfeeding isn’t a guarantee that there won’t be any problems. I’ve been breastfeeding for over a year now, but unfortunately my baby showed symptoms of food allergies, such as diarrhea, starting at 2 weeks old. I suffered from postpartum depression for several months, I think in large part due to the stress caused by trying to manage our food allergies. I’m glad I’ve been able to breastfeed this long, but I’m sometimes frustrated with the claims people make about breastfeeding.
It has been a challenge, to say the least, learning to breastfeed a baby with multiple food allergies! My 9 month old daughter is officially allergic to egg white, egg yolk and dairy, and she definitely reacts when I eat corn, peanut, tree nuts, strawberry, and fish. It nearly brings tears to my eyes to think I could have eliminated the offending foods from my diet sooner if only I had recognized that she was showing signs of having a food allergy.
Her Symptoms:
“Fussy Buns” is a nickname borrowed from a friend to describe our constant battle against diaper rash; her grandparents always remark that she really is a very happy baby for having all these food allergies!
Fussy Buns was only 2 weeks old when she first developed a diaper rash that wouldn’t go away. It lasted over 6 months until I could finally identify and eliminate the problematic foods! I tried every suggestion out there to get it to heal and felt like the stupidest parent in the world because nothing worked:
When she was 3 months old, the pediatrician finally sent us to the allergist. I was already on a gluten, dairy, and soy free diet, and the prospect of having to eliminate even more foods was overwhelming to an exhausted and anxious new mother. Although skin pricking showed no allergies to milk, wheat, soy, egg or peanuts, I suspected egg was the culprit.
Against the allergist’s advice, I cut egg out of my diet. Within days, we stopped seeing blood in her stool, but we could never quite get the diaper rash to clear up. So, I began to record her symptoms and keep a food journal to see if I could pinpoint another allergen. My naturopath suggested I also eliminate corn, and along the way I have discovered the other foods that cause her to have a reaction.
Corn has been the most challenging item for me to eliminate from our life! I say item because it is not only hidden in food as a sneaky ingredient, but it is also in many baby products that we were using: baby powder, Triple Paste, Colic Calm, shampoos, lotions, and all baby wipes and diapers have corn in them, except for Seventh Generation and Water Wipes.
What works for us now when she has diaper rash:
Not knowing what was causing all my baby’s symptoms definitely contributed to my postpartum depression/anxiety. I was so worried about whether or not what I was eating was going to cause more problems for her. I knew something was wrong, but I didn’t know how to fix it. I didn’t want to stop breastfeeding, and I didn’t want to rely on a medication to treat her eczema. I wanted to find the root to all these problems. That’s not to say that there haven’t been times I’ve considered switching to formula (only Alimentum Ready to Feed is corn free), and I certainly am not judging the decisions other mothers have made. This has been a difficult journey, and I have only done what I thought was best for my baby based on all the research I’ve done and the many visits to the pediatrician, allergist and GI specialist.
I am happy to report that Fussy Buns is now frequently able to wear cloth diapers with great success. I am so grateful and relieved to finally have an understanding of which foods I should avoid! Not only is it improving the health of my baby, but I am also benefiting from it. When I accidentally get “corned,” from pure vanilla extract for example, not only will Fussy Buns develop a diaper rash that persists for a week, but I will also react. By being on an even stricter elimination diet for her, I have discovered more foods that I react to. Hopefully Fussy Buns will outgrow these allergies soon and not develop any new ones. I know we’re not out of the woods yet!
Read “Dairy and Food Sensitivities in Breastfed Babies” on Kelly Mom and check out the Resources page for links to breastfeeding support and information on food allergies.
If you are suffering from postpartum depression, please know that you are not alone and help is available! Check out http://www.postpartum.net/.
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Fussy Buns 