Category: feeding

Day 15: Pardon The Fumes!

I wish I could tell you that the fumes are from car exhaust or burnt food or even bodily gasses at this point. But they’re from the steam that was coming out of my ears after Jamayia’s Dr’s appt today. You see, the appt was for 1:15 pm. I arrived there on time, early even, if you will (like 1:10 pm). And then I sat in the waiting room, and sat and sat and sat and…well, you get the picture. At one point, another waiting mommy asked me how long I’ve been there–and that was at 2:30 pm. I finally got into the exam room at 2:54 pm….then proceeded to wait some more and more and more….. The Dr finally arrived at 3:45 pm. Yes, I’m not lying. She apologized for running behind and was even moreso apologetic because she noticed that I’d been bumped.

Me. They bumped me. Do those reception ladies know who they’re messing with? Which, incidentally, they don’t seem too friendly. I rarely get a good vibe from them. You’d think that ladies who happen to see children in their line of work would at least put up a friendly front. But back to the bumping. I was not impressed. So, it really wasn’t my imagination to see that people who’d arrived after me were going in to see the Dr before I did. And I was fully on time! I’d be slightly more lenient had I been extrememly tardy. My Dr is part of a group, and each Dr has a different coloured folder system for their patients. So, whenever I saw a green folder, I knew for sure that my Dr was about to see that patient. Thankfully, my Feb appt is for 10 am–the first one of the day. And you can be sure that I’ll be requesting early appts from now on!

The appt itself–not too good. Jamayia only gained like 4 ozs since Oct. She now weighs 17 lbs, 8 ozs. Her weight-gain curve has slowed to a crawl. Slow gainth (like my word?) can happen at times, but in Jamayia’s case, her gaining is practically tapering off. Plus, she’s got the food allergy, to milk, which is everywhere. So, we’re being referred to a pediatric dietician too. Right now, the aim of the game is to load this kid up with calories. She needs to eat. I’ll be buttering everything, in order to hide the fat in her food. At least at her age, she doesn’t have to worry about fat content.

Does anyone know where to find dairy-free bread and/or bread recipe that’s kid appropriate? I’ve found some dairy-free bread that’s just too adultly healthy for a toddler. The 12 & 18 grain options are just too much for her to chew, literally. Why don’t they make a white bread that is dairy-free or something? Because of the high sensitivity of her milk allergy, I have to refrain from products that “may have come in contact with milk”.

Please Don’t Feed My Baby

Ha ha! Sounds like a cage warning at the zoo. But I’m deathly serious here. I can’t believe I didn’t blog about this sooner. My darling girl has a food allergy. To what?

Milk. Yes, you read that right–M-I-L-K.

Did you realize that milk is practically, like, everywhere?!!! AHHHHH! I discovered this back in March, when after her first spoonfuls of solid food, she immediately broke out into a rash on the entire lower half of her face. I watched her like a hawk for the rest of the afternoon to make sure she didn’t have any respiratory issues. She didn’t–praise God!

In June, we went to see an allergy specialist, for testing. Dr. C (and he’s definitely cuter than those t.v. docs) tested her for cow’s milk allergy and also peanuts, at my request. The few times I’d eaten a minute amount of peanut butter, she’d spit up later. So, that was something else I’d been avoiding. Well, no allergy to peanut butter. However, to be on the safe side, Dr. C recommended that she avoid all tree nuts & seafoods for the first 3 yrs of her life. Still, no peanut butter for this momma! The reaction to milk, on the other hand, was quite big. Then he proceeded to provide me with pamphlets. Because of the severity of the reaction, and the fact that allergic reactions can be very unpredictable, I was also given a prescription for an epi-pen. The way some kids are deathly allergic to peanuts is how she’s allergic to milk.

Here’s a recap of what the pamphlet had to say.

Avoid ALL milk products and foods containing milk products. Read all food labels carefully. When in doubt, don’t eat it. The list of foods & ingredients to avoid:

  • Cheese, milk solids, yogurt, sour cream, cream, buttermilk, butter, artificial butter flavour, skim milk powder

  • Goat’s milk (many kids allergic to cow’s milk are also allergic to goat’s milk)

  • Ice cream, sherbet

  • Curds

  • Whey (Gisè)

  • Casein

  • Caseinates

  • Lactalbumin, lactoglobulin

  • Lactose, lactulose (may be contained in some medicines)

  • Most margarines (check labels)

  • Nougat


Not necessary to avoid:

  • Lactate, lactic acid, lactylate

  • Foods labelled “Parve” or “Pareve” are milk-free

The pamphlet did also give some milk substitues for baking and a few recipes.

Well, wish me luck. The no milk thing isn’t too bad–I myself am lactose intolerant. I also don’t really care much for milk products. So, it’s not a huge sacrifice on my part to abstain from these ingredients while breastfeeding. The harder part will come as she increases on her solid food consumption and I have to stay creative.

Please, Lord, don’t let her also be a picky eater on top of the allergy!

Hmm, Why Didn’t I Try This Sooner?

It’s no hidden fact–Jamayia’s been slow on the whole eating solids bit. She’s great when it comes to her cereals before bed time. She wolfs that bowlful down easy! But during the day, the fruit & veggies is a whole other story.

At nighttime, her dad usually bathes her and dresses her for bed, while I make her food. Then I vanish while he feeds her. That’s why she eats so well. Then I reappear for some breastmilk top up.

During the day, however, Daddy dearest is at work, leaving Mommy to tackle the feedings alone. So, this week, we’ve been trying the organic sweet corn casserole yumminess. The other day, she was open for a whole 4 spoonfuls! Better than the usual 1 spoon she permits. Then today, she quit after 2 spoonfuls. So I nursed her, then decided to try again. She said no to the spoon. But…

**ding** (lightbulb going off). I had a brainwave. I put some of the food on my finger, and she was happy to lick it off for me. I did it again…and again….and a few more times. She was actually eager for the solid food! I’ve never seen this before with her. Ever!

So, she’s not completely anti-food. Yippee!