When our son was born, we were overwhelmed because ALL he did was cry and spit up. His sheets were pilled from him squirming around at night because he was itchy and he had eczema that was seeping on his forehead. In birthing class, we’d been told that our baby’s skin wouldn’t be the smooth, soft skin always pictured in ads for baby lotions and soaps…
Well, no one ever suggested to us that his problems might be food allergies, so we kept going and praying that we could find a solution.
We tried gas drops and Zantac with no relief for him. And tried several formulas, too. Finally, I was reading a Jenny McCarthy book and read the issues her son had with food allergies and I though, duh, that’s it!
So at 10 mos., Evan was tested and showed allergies to eggs, milk, wheat, and peanuts. The list has expanded since then to also include tree nuts, sunflower seeds, lemons, oranges, barley, soy, and coconut.
It’s been an adjustment, but luckily I’ve always liked to cook; I just had to learn how to do it in a new way. It was very overwhelming and lonely at first, but now it’s just part of the routine. He’s 3 now and we go back for testing in a few weeks to see if his levels have changed at all in the last six months, but some of them (including egg) are literally unchartable because they are so high. Despite all of his allergies, he is healthy and happy and LOVES to eat. And I love to feed him. (I’m also allergic to peanuts and shellfish, but it seems like nothing compared to my son!)
Oh, and as far as keeping my spending in check, I buy what I can in bulk on amazon. Especially Enjoy Life chocolate chips! 🙂
Thanks for sharing Evan’s story…and for your shining example and outlook on his allergies!
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Thank you for sharing your story. I recently gave birth to my fourth child, so I am used to gassy,colicky and fussy babies. Nothing prepared me for this childs discomfort. The first month was constant crying,puking and horrible diapers. I was reading online about these symptoms and came to the conclusion that she was sensitive to milk protein as I had been eating a ton of dairy. Since cutting out milk protein we have been able to almost eliminate the gas drops and the zantac is now down to once a day. I am glad that moms share their stories or I never would have made this baby happy.