~~MSPI Moms Weekly Check-In~~ 7/1

[Deleted User] · July 2014

~*~*MSPI Moms Weekly Check-In*~*~

Welcome! This is a check-in for moms who are/were on a dairy free and/or soy free diet due to their LO's intolerance. The check-ins will be posted every Monday morning on the Breastfeeding board and XP'd to the Food Allergy board. If you'd like to join the group, just post an intro here and dive in! To check out the archive of our previous check-ins, please see the MSPI Moms Blog (www.mspimoms.blogspot.com).

1. How are you doing? How is your LO doing?

2. Any other burning questions you'd like answered or experiences to share?

3. @RingOfFire11 has graciously accepted my offer to take over the check ins! I will send you a PM soon.

giggler25 · July 2014

Hi there! I'm new here.... FTM to Emily who will be 6 weeks old on 7/3. I found a couple flecks of what looked like blood in 2 of her poop diapers as well as a really mucousy green diaper last week, so her pedi recommended I avoid milk and soy. Man, this is hard!!! I'm actually not a huge dairy eat to begin with... I hate milk but love pasta with sauce and cheese and occasionally have cheese on a sandwich. I've been eating a lot of yogurt lately for protein intake and as a healthy snack. But ice cream is my real weakness....

Anyway, less than 1 week into my new diet and I'm struggling. I'm finding it hard to eat enough food to keep myself from starving. I know many of you have been dealing with this for a while though so you're my inspiration!! Last night I had one of the ready-made pasta meals from Fresh Direct, which I didn't think had cheese in it. Well, after I heated it up I realized it did in fact have some cheese in it. With nothing else available to eat I dumped the dish in a colander and washed the cheese (along with the sauce and herbs) off and just ate the plain noodles. Not my best meal, that's for sure.

I think the reason I'm having a hard time mentally with this is because it's impossible for me to know whether this diet is necessary.... whether it was in fact the cause of my DD's troublesome diapers. I realize it's hard at this age to know what is bothering her, so I'm willing to give the MSPI diet a shot, but it's frustrating not knowing whether it's for naught...

camedowncrushing · July 2014

giggler25 the first couple of weeks are the hardest. With DD1 I had a list of all the things I could eat that I knew were safe, and stuck to those exclusively. Bacon and eggs for breakfast, cereal with almond milk--lunch, sandwiches on french bread with smeared avocado instead of cheese, pasta with sauce or garlic and olive oil, guac and chips, dinners of meat and veggies, lots of salads...snacks were potato chips and oreos.

Hang in there! It can take a month for your body to get rid of the dairy so you may not see improvement right away.

camedowncrushing · July 2014

We are doing well! We started introducing solids, and so far so good!

Tomorrow we see the GI. DD2 is going to have the allergy panel done, and if it is negative I am going to try to add dairy back in I think. I added wheat back in at 4 months, and it didn't go well....so I think my best bet is to try dairy. I am keeping my fingers crossed!

Salemkitty13 · July 2014

1. DS went to the allergist Monday. He is allergic to dairy, soy, oats, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts and eggs. The Dr. recommended I extend breastfeeding. This is a more restrictive diet than I had been eating. I am feeling down. 2. If any one has any good recipe sites to share. I would appreciate it. TIA

giggler25 · July 2014

@camedowncrushing - thank you so much for the encouragement and the food ideas!! Now I have an excuse to eat oreos.

Good luck with the allergy panel!

giggler25 · July 2014

Salemkitty13 said:
1. DS went to the allergist Monday. He is allergic to dairy, soy, oats, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts and eggs. The Dr. recommended I extend breastfeeding. This is a more restrictive diet than I had been eating. I am feeling down. 2. If any one has any good recipe sites to share. I would appreciate it. TIA

@Salemkitty13 - I'm sorry you're feeling down - I imagine I'd feel the same way. I don't have any helpful info to share but am sending hugs your way!!

Salemkitty13 · July 2014

@giggler25‌ thank you. You are sweet.

We have been MSPI for about 5 months. I am an ice cream addict. Ice cream made with coconut milk is good and it's safe for dairy allergies. Popsicles help also

if you are missing cheese on your sandwich put on guacamole or avocado slices. I eat pasta made with olive oil and sea salt instead of sauce just add veggies. (Except I can't eat pasta now, this was from before)

the nursing hunger comes and goes but it's a beast! Bananas and granola bars and oatmeal if you can eat them. I ate a lot of oatmeal at first.

Coconut milk is good to put in things coffee, oatmeal, cereal. Good luck to you! (It took us a month to see improvement in the beginning)

[Deleted User] · July 2014

@giggler25‌ Welcome! It is a super hard diet at first, especially in those early nursing days when you're hungry all the time! It does get easier. Check out our past check-ins for lots of food ideas at mspimoms.blogspot.com. MSPI Mama has a blog and Pinterest boards with lots of good recipes. Re: whether it's helping LO or not, time will tell. Other possible causes of the poop symptoms are oversupply (fairly common) or a virus (less common; did your pedi run any stool labs to rule this out?). Hang in there and let us know if you have more questions!
@camedowncrushing‌ GL at the GI! I hope you get some good advice and a game plan.
@Salemkitty13‌ Oof, that is a lot of restrictions! The Food Allergy board on TB can be a lot of help, and there's lots if food allergy boards on Pinterest. I will send you a PM with a link to my board; I was avoiding everything you listed except oats and tree nuts. For pasta I used Tinkyada brown rice pasta and Ancient Harvest quinoa pasta. Baking recipes with wheat flour I just subbed barley flour. Hopefully your LO will outgrow some of these? GL!

amichelle723 · July 2014

1. How are you doing? How is your LO doing?

We are doing great! I have successfully added both soybean oil and soy lecithin back into my diet with no problems (yay! I can eat oreos again!). Either she outgrew her sensitivities to them or it was a quantity issue, because I'm still pretty convinced she didn't get better until I cut them out.

2. Any other burning questions you'd like answered or experiences to share?

Nothing today. PPs have given great food suggestions, I second avocado/guac as a replacement for cheese on sandwiches, burgers, tacos. I think it saved me in the early weeks!

giggler25 · July 2014

@rocknrollfriend and @Salemkitty13‌ - thank you for all the suggestions! I do think I sometimes have a bit of an OALD though not sure it is an oversupply per se. I don't really get engorged on a regular basis.... Though when the LC came last week she measured Emily drank 3oz in 15 min, I wouldn't consider that oversupply? The pedi didn't test her when the blood happened; she just said it usually is due to MSP sensitivity. She just told me to come in with a poop diaper later this or next week to test for microscopic blood traces after I'd been off dairy/soy for 1-2 weeks. What kind of testing could be done for a virus?

[Deleted User] · July 2014

giggler25 said:
@rocknrollfriend and @Salemkitty13‌ - thank you for all the suggestions! I do think I sometimes have a bit of an OALD though not sure it is an oversupply per se. I don't really get engorged on a regular basis.... Though when the LC came last week she measured Emily drank 3oz in 15 min, I wouldn't consider that oversupply? The pedi didn't test her when the blood happened; she just said it usually is due to MSP sensitivity. She just told me to come in with a poop diaper later this or next week to test for microscopic blood traces after I'd been off dairy/soy for 1-2 weeks. What kind of testing could be done for a virus?

That doesn't really sound like OS to me. Lab test for virus would be the same, a stool sample. You could get it all from the same diaper.

amichelle723 · July 2014

Actually I do have a question. We had DD's 9 month appointment today and her hemoglobin is a little low so the pedi would like us to start iron. She recommended the Poly-Vi-Sol with iron, the same brand of the vitamin D drops we originally used. I hated the vitamin D drops and all the extra ingredients, and DD hated the taste and large volume. We are both much happier with the Carlson's drops. Is there something comparable for iron? Any suggestions for iron drops without all the additives?

StinaLeigh · July 2014

Hi, I'm new here! I have a DS who was MSPI and ended up on Neocate at 5 mos after my supply couldn't regulate and he kept reacting to something (I suspect he had more than milk/soy intolerances). He's 3.5 now and has outgrown, but now we have a new baby with MSPI.

DD is 6 weeks old and I went on the diet for the last 3 weeks of my pregnancy just in case. She was doing great until I ate out at 3 weeks and must have had some cross contamination. My suspicions were confirmed with mucus diapers for several days and the tummy pains I know too well.

1. How are you doing? How is your LO doing?

I actually think we're doing really well. I think I've got my diet under control and while I miss the freedom of eating whatever I want and eating out (I'm too afraid right now!), I can handle it.

2. Any other burning questions you'd like answered or experiences to share?

I'm wondering if anyone knows if a virus can cause mucus diapers? Things have been going really well for us BUT DD got a nasty virus that actually put us in the hospital for 4 days about 1.5 weeks ago. She had bad diarrhea while we were there, but it had been cleared up 2-3 days. Then yesterday and today the mucus diapers are back. Ugh! My hunch is that it's NOT the virus but instead peanuts. I had a lot of peanut butter the day before and it's the first time I've had it since she was born. Does anyone know if it IS peanuts, how long until I should see the mucus gone? Or is it possible the virus could cause this even though it's been 11 days and we didn't have mucus diapers with the virus earlier.

Side note - those who mentioned the coconut milk ice cream, the So Delicious mini ice cream sandwiches are super tasty!!

RingOfFire11 · July 2014

1. How are you doing? How is your LO doing? This past week didn't go as well. I think we have an issue with acidic fruit/citrus. There was blood in her diapers and I am not sure what it was due to exactly. The only irregular things I ate were pineapple and a chicken dish we made with lemon. So, I'm adding both of those to the list for now.

2. Any other burning questions you'd like answered or experiences to share? Hmm, I don't think I have anything this week. I may soon. We are starting solids in the near future (eek!). I remember having so much fun with DD1 but I'm a ball of anxiety with DD2 because of all the foods we can't have. We will start with avocado so hopefully it'll pose no problems. I'm sure my poop detective work will be thrown for a loop.

3. @RingOfFire11 has graciously accepted my offer to take over the check ins! I will send you a PM soon. I'm late to the party this week but will try to be more timely (at least just to get the post up and may give my response later). @rocknrollfriend , you've been such a huge help with our journey! All your advice has been invaluable. Thanks so much!!!

mattanda2011 · July 2014

1. I am new here, or well I am back. I have a DD who is 18 months and was MSPI until 1 year and now we have welcomed DS who seems to be having issues. I haven't seen anything in his diaper (we had blood with DD, but not until 2 months cause I didn't know what to be looking for) but he is extremely gassy, and grunts a ton to try to get gas out of either end. After a few particularly difficult nights DH and I decided it was best to go ahead and cut it dairy again. I haven't cut soy out this time, but we don't eat much thay has soy around our house anyways.

2. Questions - any brand suggestions on granola bars or easy to eat snacks that I don't have to prepare? I'm already a little overwhelmed with learning to do 2u2 on my own and could use easy foods.
Also has anyone been able to see an improvement with just cutting out obvious dairy and not the hidden or baked dairy? Part of me is hoping he would be ok with those things so I don't have to restrict so much and because I haven't seen any symptoms in his diaper, but at the same time I would rather avoid it all and keep him feeling good. Thoughts?!

RingOfFire11 · July 2014

giggler25 - Welcome!! It does get easier - promise!! I totally get the mental aspect of it too. I went cold turkey with a lot of foods to begin with and doubted if it was truly necessary a billion times. When my LO's diapers and overall mood improved (took about 5w), I knew I was doing something right and it was so worth it! We still have bumps in the road though (like this past week). GL!

camedowncrushing - GL!! Keep us posted. My LO is no where old enough to getting this done but I'm interested in the process, in case we have to do this later. I hope you get good news or plan of action.

Salemkitty13 - I have no real advice but just wanted you to know you're not alone. I can't have all of the things on your list except oats (unfortunately, more too), so I can at least commiserate. I eat a lot of whole foods but many of the websites, include eggs and nuts so I can't use those recipes. I tend to get a lot of my ideas from paleo websites (although they use eggs and nuts too). Rice pasta has been my friend, lol.

StinaLeigh - It's my understand a virus can absolutely cause mucous in the diaper. I'm not sure how long it would last though. I can't eat peanuts and when I cut out nuts, it seemed to clear a lot faster (a few days) opposed to how long dairy/soy takes. GL!

amichelle723 · July 2014

@RingOfFire11 Interesting that you mention acidic foods, DD developed a rash that I think may be due to having tomatoes for the first time. I eat tons of tomatoes and it doesn't seem to bother her, but giving them directly to her may correlate with her rash. The pedi said it's fairly common for babies to have problems with acidic foods like tomatoes and citrus fruits, and to hold off on them for a few weeks and retry when her rash is gone.

@StinaLeigh It could be a virus or nuts, I think my DD has a problem with tree nuts (peanuts are ok for us). I'm in the same boat of "is it a virus, teething, or the cashews that I just re-introduced?" I plan to back off on the nuts and wait a few weeks, then retry them. It's frustrating to have to keep cutting things out and waiting, but hopefully you get it figured out quickly! With almonds, the mucus went away in 4 days, so definitely quicker than dairy/soy for us.

@mattanda2011 I love Larabars! If you are ok with nuts, they're great. Most just have 2-3 ingredients; dates + nuts, so they're pretty safe. Cashew cookie is my favorite, although my DD may have a problem with cashews so I'm sticking to the peanut-based bars for now.

mamagreene · July 2014

Hello ladies! We are 26 days without blood in our diapers! Yippee!

. I've been on the total elimination diet for 32 days, and I was on a top 6 plus corn and beef allergen diet for 4 weeks before that... So about 8 weeks of nothing to eat! Actually it has gotten so much better! I have found all sorts of creative ways to use the things I can eat :-) right now I am only eating turkey, rice, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, squash that includes zucchini, pears, grapes, bananas, and I just added gluten-free oats yesterday! I'm praying that my little one doesn't have a reaction from them! I'm only using salt-and-pepper I seasonings right now plus some fresh basil from my garden. Someone asked about recipes… I know these won't be the best since I can only eat these limited ingredients but it actually is pretty good! I love to take a turkey burger fry and some safflower oil and then add some already cooked white rice to it chop up the turkey burger and stirfry together at some salt and it's delicious! For my desserts I take my gluten-free oats or before I could have them I use rice puffs at a smashup banana, rice milk, some safflower oil pinch of salt and some raisins and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes they are so good, well at least to me since I can't eat anything else! Also, something I found to be really good I freeze my extremely ripe bananas peeled in Ziploc bags, I add them to a blender with rice milk in it makes a delicious smoothie. I've also found that the kettle brand potato chips only contain three ingredients potatoes, oil, Sea salt. They are totally allergen free and completely delicious :-) the diet is kind of hard but, so worth it when your babies feeling better :-). I'm dreaming of the day I can add lettuce and, thinking my next thing add-in might be cooked carrots… Not that I love them so much but they're very low allergen! Someone else had mentioned pineapple, I just might also add that I can't eat pineapple, it gives me sores in my mouth and will give me tummy pains for a week or two after I have it! So the pineapple could be the cause. Good luck to everyone, and thank you so much for sharing your stories it helps to hear other mamas that are going to similar things :-)

BKD1386 · July 2014

Hello ladies! Well... we were doing well, no blood in his diapers for around 3 weeks until yesterday morning. We've had blood in every diaper since. I'd taken out milk and soy after the first blood sighting at around 2.5 weeks and things cleared up a lot faster than I thought they would. Tues night I had some eggs and organic wheat bread (dairy/soy free) and we've had bad diapers since. Not sure if it was the eggs or the wheat, or something else that I'm not thinking of. My main question is should I try a total elimination diet or just cut out eggs and wheat and see if things get better? I've been eating wheat all along, and eggs occasionally... would an allergy just randomly show up like this? He still acts fine and is gaining weight at a normal pace. Any advice?? Thanks!!

RingOfFire11 · July 2014

mattanda2011 - Welcome back! I didn't think I ate any soy things either until I realized how much has hidden soy (my spices, vitamins, etc). If you don't see results in the next few weeks, that may be worth looking into. I second the recommendation for Lara Bars - they are delish. I wish I could eat nuts because I'd be eating all the Lara Bars.

mamagreene - Go you! You sound so positive on your very limited diet and that's very refreshing. I'm avoiding a lot of food right now but it seems like nothing in comparison to what you're eating. GL!!

BKD1386 - Sorry to hear things took a turn. Seems like everytime I get to a good place, that happens too. Personally, I would eliminate eggs and/or wheat before I'd go total elimination. It's been very trial and error for me but I had really good results after I took out eggs and subtle results when I removed wheat. I tried one at a time to help pinpoint. Since he sounds happy and is thriving, it may be easier on you. GL!

[Deleted User] · July 2014

@BKD1386‌ Are you 100% sure you didn't accidentally have dairy or soy? Maybe even the day before? Sometimes it can take a day or two for symptoms to appear. But, yes it could be eggs or wheat. My DS had subtler symptoms until I cut out wheat: just slightly mucousy/smelly diapers, and only occasional traces of blood. I'd cut one or both of those out rather than try a TED. GL!

[Deleted User] · July 2014

amichelle723 said:

Actually I do have a question. We had DD's 9 month appointment today and her hemoglobin is a little low so the pedi would like us to start iron. She recommended the Poly-Vi-Sol with iron, the same brand of the vitamin D drops we originally used. I hated the vitamin D drops and all the extra ingredients, and DD hated the taste and large volume. We are both much happier with the Carlson's drops. Is there something comparable for iron? Any suggestions for iron drops without all the additives?

@amichelle723 I gave my DS the MyKidz brand iron supplement. I had to buy it online because my pharmacy didn't carry it. https://www.mykidziron.com/ You might ask your pedi to write a prescription though and see if you can get it from your pharmacy.

[Deleted User] · July 2014

StinaLeigh said:

Hi, I'm new here! I have a DS who was MSPI and ended up on Neocate at 5 mos after my supply couldn't regulate and he kept reacting to something (I suspect he had more than milk/soy intolerances). He's 3.5 now and has outgrown, but now we have a new baby with MSPI.

DD is 6 weeks old and I went on the diet for the last 3 weeks of my pregnancy just in case. She was doing great until I ate out at 3 weeks and must have had some cross contamination. My suspicions were confirmed with mucus diapers for several days and the tummy pains I know too well.
1. How are you doing? How is your LO doing?
I actually think we're doing really well. I think I've got my diet under control and while I miss the freedom of eating whatever I want and eating out (I'm too afraid right now!), I can handle it.
2. Any other burning questions you'd like answered or experiences to share?
I'm wondering if anyone knows if a virus can cause mucus diapers? Things have been going really well for us BUT DD got a nasty virus that actually put us in the hospital for 4 days about 1.5 weeks ago. She had bad diarrhea while we were there, but it had been cleared up 2-3 days. Then yesterday and today the mucus diapers are back. Ugh! My hunch is that it's NOT the virus but instead peanuts. I had a lot of peanut butter the day before and it's the first time I've had it since she was born. Does anyone know if it IS peanuts, how long until I should see the mucus gone? Or is it possible the virus could cause this even though it's been 11 days and we didn't have mucus diapers with the virus earlier.

Side note - those who mentioned the coconut milk ice cream, the So Delicious mini ice cream sandwiches are super tasty!!

@StinaLeigh Welcome! Yes, viruses can cause mucous in the stool. It does seem a little unlikely since her other virus symptoms seem to have passed. How long symptoms last seems to vary a lot among babies, different ages, foods, amount, etc etc. Maybe try laying off peanuts until it clears, then try eating them again and look for a similar reaction. GL!

[Deleted User] · July 2014

@RingOfFire11 DS got a rash whenever I gave him acidic foods until he was like, 2 yrs old. He didn't seem to mind when I ate it, but I have heard of mamas cutting it from their diets for the benefit of their LOs. Re: introducing solids, I know how you feel! I found it to be an exciting and stressful time.

One thing you might consider is start with beige or white colored foods, so it's easier to spot intolerance symptoms in the diaper! Green food in = green poop out, haha.

) To ease my nerves, I also worked my way through low allergen foods to start, and only gave 1 new food each week, so I'd have time to look for symptoms and pinpoint the culprit. Overall it did end up being a lot of fun. GL!
@mattanda2011 Welcome back! Yes, some babies do improve with only obvious dairy elimination. If he is just gassy and fussy, cutting obvious dairy might work. If he's having other symptoms, like green/mucousy/bloody stool, I'd say it's better to cut all dairy now then try adding back in trace amounts. Kit's Organic Bars are similar to Larabars. Dried fruit and a handful of nuts is a great snack. I ate lots of cereal with rice milk, peanut butter on dairy-free toast, dairy-free crackers with mashed avocado, hummus with veggies, tons of bananas and other fruit. HTH and GL!

RingOfFire11 · July 2014

rocknrollfriend said:
@RingOfFire11 DS got a rash whenever I gave him acidic foods until he was like, 2 yrs old. He didn't seem to mind when I ate it, but I have heard of mamas cutting it from their diets for the benefit of their LOs. Re: introducing solids, I know how you feel! I found it to be an exciting and stressful time. One thing you might consider is start with beige or white colored foods, so it's easier to spot intolerance symptoms in the diaper! Green food in = green poop out, haha. ) To ease my nerves, I also worked my way through low allergen foods to start, and only gave 1 new food each week, so I'd have time to look for symptoms and pinpoint the culprit. Overall it did end up being a lot of fun. GL!
@mattanda2011 Welcome back! Yes, some babies do improve with only obvious dairy elimination. If he is just gassy and fussy, cutting obvious dairy might work. If he's having other symptoms, like green/mucousy/bloody stool, I'd say it's better to cut all dairy now then try adding back in trace amounts. Kit's Organic Bars are similar to Larabars. Dried fruit and a handful of nuts is a great snack. I ate lots of cereal with rice milk, peanut butter on dairy-free toast, dairy-free crackers with mashed avocado, hummus with veggies, tons of bananas and other fruit. HTH and GL!

Great advice as always!! Thanks!!! I like the beige foods idea a lot.

camedowncrushing · July 2014

RingOfFire11 DD2 is only 6 months. I had a RAST done on DD1 at 6 months as well.

StinaLeigh · July 2014

Thank you for sharing, @RingOfFire11 @amichelle723 and @rocknrollfriend

We actually had a dr. appointment today so I had them test for blood. All negative so I'm really glad about that! (I was secretly fearing that maybe wheat or something was just catching up with us at 6 weeks). Luckily, she's not too unhappy like she is with soy/milk so I think I'll just stay away from peanuts for awhile and re-try later to rule out virus or not. Ahh- the constant game of "what is causing the mucus poo/reflux/gas pain".

I'm glad to have found this check in!

giggler25 · July 2014

StinaLeigh said:
Ahh- the constant game of "what is causing the mucus poo/reflux/gas pain"

I am new but really HATE this game.
Glad there was no blood!

[Deleted User] · July 2014

@Finnaroo‌ Welcome! Many moms have reported a sort of "relapse" during the elimination period (3-5 weeks): LO seems to get better at first then symptoms reappear. I think it's just the flux of proteins moving out of both your symptoms. There are many of us here that have had to eliminate more than just dairy and soy, though, so it could be that she's gassy from something else. You're right at the 3-week mark so I'd give the dairy elimination a couple more weeks. HTH!

camedowncrushing · July 2014

RingOfFire11 DD2 is only 6 months. I had a RAST done on DD1 at 6 months as well.

BKD1386 · July 2014

RingOfFire11 said:
BKD1386 - Sorry to hear things took a turn. Seems like everytime I get to a good place, that happens too. Personally, I would eliminate eggs and/or wheat before I'd go total elimination. It's been very trial and error for me but I had really good results after I took out eggs and subtle results when I removed wheat. I tried one at a time to help pinpoint. Since he sounds happy and is thriving, it may be easier on you. GL!

rocknrollfriend said:

@BKD1386‌ Are you 100% sure you didn't accidentally have dairy or soy? Maybe even the day before? Sometimes it can take a day or two for symptoms to appear. But, yes it could be eggs or wheat. My DS had subtler symptoms until I cut out wheat: just slightly mucousy/smelly diapers, and only occasional traces of blood. I'd cut one or both of those out rather than try a TED. GL!

Thanks ladies!! I know I haven't had any dairy, and I'm pretty sure with the soy. I'm going to cut out eggs and wheat for now and hold off on the TED, hopefully that will help!

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