We took Mac and Paisley to the GI doctor today. It was a follow up for Paisley, and a first time visit for Mac. Since they were almost 2 weeks old, I have been on a dairy and soy free diet due to protein intolerances in their GI systems. An intolerance is different from an allergy in that they should grow out of this. According to our GI doc, 30% of infants have this intolerance, and 90% outgrow it by age 1. So I refer to this intolerance as the new colic... The intolerance makes them fussy, often difficult to feed, and irritable. Basically what we've known as "colic" could easily be this intolerance. (The intolerance is tested through baby stool, which contains blood. This blood is usually not visible as a red matter but as mucus consistency.)
Even a few years ago doctors would put a baby on soy when cow milk was causing "colic". Now it's been discovered that the soy protein is broken down similar to a cow's milk protein, and the body often is unable to differentiate between the two (also in other animal milks such as goat, sheep, etc). So without cow milk and soy, what do we drink with our beloved cereal????? Ahhh, the world of random milks... coconut, almond, and rice.
We took Paisley to the GI 3 weeks ago for the intolerance (because we couldn't get a blood free stool sample) and for her low weight gain. She was gaining, but not as much as the pediatrician would like. After he educated me, we came to the conclusion that I needed to cut out other proteins that are also too complex for an immature gut to absorb. These proteins are found in eggs and tree nuts. Yep, you read it right... I had/have to eliminate dairy, soy, eggs, and tree nuts... Pre-pregnancy jeans, here I come! (if only it were that easy). Plus we were going to add Neocate to a bottle before bed to increase calories.
Here's a pictoral break down of the proteins and amino acid chains...
Today I brought stool samples from each week since we initially saw the GI doc. Mac still has a small trace of blood, but Paisley is blood free!!! Woo hoo!! What a relief?! It was very discouraging to not have blood-free stools, but now it's paying off.
We started cereal today, and we will be giving them cereal twice a day. The doctor wants us to stick to rice cereal to avoid any complications with their systems. We go for lab work next month, and hopefully we will be introducing Mac and Paisley to fruits and veggies here shortly! So guess what I'm doing after this?? Shopping for high chairs!
In the mean time, look at these pics... You think we may be teething? :o)
And I must show you our first pairs of shoes... :o)
I hope you're still awake after reading about our appointment, haha!
-ashley
You drink the cocconut, rice and almond milk or they drink it? And what were the symptoms since you couldn't see the blood? Thanks for sharing!! Barbie
ReplyDeleteBarbie,
DeleteI am no longer able to drink coconut or almond milk because they are both tree nuts. So I drink rice milk.
As for the symptoms, when they were almost 2 weeks old, I noticed they were fussy at night. I had the advantage of knowing other moms whose babies had the intolerance so I had good support in knowing what to notice. The biggest symptom is the mucus in the stool... When pressed together on a diaper, the stool would have a string. Does that make sense?
Let me know if you have any other questions!!
Thanks for reading!