goodbye cheese

Baby girl has had a rough go lately and was diagnosed with GER (gastroesophogeal reflux). She had "silent reflux" (gagging but not spitting up) when she was brand new but lately there is more and more milk coming up, combined with a bunch of other troubling symptoms: constant congestion, drooling, choking/sputtering, hiccuping, stridor/wheezing, coughing/sneezing, and frequent explosive abnormal diapers (I'll spare you the details). Several nights she's screamed inconsolably when I began feeding her before bed. She often thrashes around and arches her back while eating, sometimes refusing to finish a meal. So not just a little spitting up.


Many of her symptoms point to a cow's milk protein allergy. So her pediatrician and I agreed that it would be worth cutting all dairy out of my diet (I want to continue breastfeeding if at all possible) to see if she improves. So starting today I say goodbye to milk, cheese, butter, yogurt, cream... and every delicious and wonderful thing made with dairy. You'd be surprised how many foods that excludes. Yeah, this will be a hassle and will make cooking/dining out much more annoying, but I'm trying to focus on what I can still eat... eggs, avocado, dark dark chocolate, sushi. So I'll survive. We'll start with a 3-week trial and if it helps, I'll probably be dairy-free as long as I'm breastfeeding (most babies outgrow milk allergies by 1-2 years old thankfully). I'm already going into pizza withdrawals but it's definitely worth the inconvenience if it makes a difference and we have a happier, healthier baby. (Makes me feel just a little guilty about eating way too much of this last week- talk about a diary bomb!)


Overall she's still a sweet, happy, little girl. Some days are better than others. It has definitely made breastfeeding a more frustrating experience (sometimes I feel like I'm hurting her), especially since I finally felt like I finally got the hang of things.


Here's a short clip of Clara after her first immunizations this week (before the tylenol wore off and she started screaming)... including the best giggle we've caught on camera so far (she LOVES that lamb- it never fails to make her smile):

If anyone has experience with a baby going through this or has eaten diary-free and can offer advice, I'd love to hear from you... a favorite brand of dairy-free butter or cheese substitute? Fill me in!