Hello everyone! My husband Ian and I have been together for almost ten years this upcoming October and have been married for over three years this past March. We have a beautiful little girl Kaelyn who will be one in August! We have a beautiful little house in Florida, along with our two dogs Jasmine a Golden Retriever and Daisy a Yorkshire Terrier. We pretty much lived a regular life doing and eating everything that pleased us! We really didn't have to worry much about anything, until our little girl was born.
As a working mom I knew that having a child wasn't going to be easy, but I didn't expect Kaelyn to end up with food allergies. Kaelyn nursed from the first moment I saw her, it was a struggle at first but her and I made it work. We were determined to make it work! I knew that it wouldn't be easy, especially having to go back to work three months later. Well, around a month later, maybe even earlier Kaelyn began getting hives all over her body, but we didn't know what to think. We took her to the doctor to make sure it wasn't serious. She told us that it wasn't any concern, just "Stork Bites" and that they were common in babies. After that we went back to our normal lives not thinking anything else. The rash and hives would not go away, but again we thought that they eventually would. After seeing her doctor a few times I knew that Kaelyn had something more than "Stork Bites". The hives were still there and her cradle cap wasn't getting any better either. No matter what I did! So, I called my sister and the number to her pediatrician. This was on a day that Kaelyn's hives were really bad!! To my surprise they got us in within two hours of my call. I couldn't believe they didn't make us wait!
So, we went to our appointment with our new doctor, as soon as he saw her skin he asked if she had any allergies. I of course replied NO! He then told me that her rash was called eczema and it usually happens when a baby is eating something that is giving her the reaction, so this is when we found out that our little girl might have food allergies. I was still nursing Kaelyn, so the doctor put me on a no dairy and no egg diet. "Stay clear of all dairy and egg products and keep an eye on her skin" he said. That's exactly what I did. As soon as I took these ingredients away from my diet we could tell a small difference on her skin, but nothing confirmed it like the afternoon that my husband had to give Kaelyn half a bottle of formula because I didn't pump enough the day before.
I got home from work as a usually did and took a quick shower (I was a school teacher) to get all germs off me before touching Kaelyn. As soon as I picked her up I noticed hives and a rash all over her body. I mean this thing covered her from head to toe! We immediately called the doctor and told him what happened, he then confirmed that Kaelyn might be allergic to milk. He then scheduled an appointment for a blood test. We were very lucky that my husband didn't give Kaelyn a big amount, but it was enough to cover her in hives. Very scary!!
A few weeks later Kaelyn got a blood test for allergies. This was the worst experience I had!! They took five tubes of blood!! It was horrible!! After a week of waiting the doctor called us and confirmed that Kaelyn was allergic to milk, eggs, and peanuts. My husband and I were devastated! I got the phone call at work and I just completely broke down in tears! I never imagined!
After the testing we were referred to an Allergist. At our appointment Kaelyn was tested for nine different things. She came out allergic to milk, eggs, and peanuts which we already knew and the other one was broccoli. Broccoli? Yes, broccoli. Well, this confirmed it for sure (I was still hopeful). From then on our lives completely changed. I can't say for the worse. We have a beautiful little girl and she is our life no matter what! We just have to live our lives a little different that's all!
As a working mom I knew that having a child wasn't going to be easy, but I didn't expect Kaelyn to end up with food allergies. Kaelyn nursed from the first moment I saw her, it was a struggle at first but her and I made it work. We were determined to make it work! I knew that it wouldn't be easy, especially having to go back to work three months later. Well, around a month later, maybe even earlier Kaelyn began getting hives all over her body, but we didn't know what to think. We took her to the doctor to make sure it wasn't serious. She told us that it wasn't any concern, just "Stork Bites" and that they were common in babies. After that we went back to our normal lives not thinking anything else. The rash and hives would not go away, but again we thought that they eventually would. After seeing her doctor a few times I knew that Kaelyn had something more than "Stork Bites". The hives were still there and her cradle cap wasn't getting any better either. No matter what I did! So, I called my sister and the number to her pediatrician. This was on a day that Kaelyn's hives were really bad!! To my surprise they got us in within two hours of my call. I couldn't believe they didn't make us wait!
So, we went to our appointment with our new doctor, as soon as he saw her skin he asked if she had any allergies. I of course replied NO! He then told me that her rash was called eczema and it usually happens when a baby is eating something that is giving her the reaction, so this is when we found out that our little girl might have food allergies. I was still nursing Kaelyn, so the doctor put me on a no dairy and no egg diet. "Stay clear of all dairy and egg products and keep an eye on her skin" he said. That's exactly what I did. As soon as I took these ingredients away from my diet we could tell a small difference on her skin, but nothing confirmed it like the afternoon that my husband had to give Kaelyn half a bottle of formula because I didn't pump enough the day before.
I got home from work as a usually did and took a quick shower (I was a school teacher) to get all germs off me before touching Kaelyn. As soon as I picked her up I noticed hives and a rash all over her body. I mean this thing covered her from head to toe! We immediately called the doctor and told him what happened, he then confirmed that Kaelyn might be allergic to milk. He then scheduled an appointment for a blood test. We were very lucky that my husband didn't give Kaelyn a big amount, but it was enough to cover her in hives. Very scary!!
A few weeks later Kaelyn got a blood test for allergies. This was the worst experience I had!! They took five tubes of blood!! It was horrible!! After a week of waiting the doctor called us and confirmed that Kaelyn was allergic to milk, eggs, and peanuts. My husband and I were devastated! I got the phone call at work and I just completely broke down in tears! I never imagined!
After the testing we were referred to an Allergist. At our appointment Kaelyn was tested for nine different things. She came out allergic to milk, eggs, and peanuts which we already knew and the other one was broccoli. Broccoli? Yes, broccoli. Well, this confirmed it for sure (I was still hopeful). From then on our lives completely changed. I can't say for the worse. We have a beautiful little girl and she is our life no matter what! We just have to live our lives a little different that's all!
That sounds so much like what we went through. Except my mom gave my son about 2 swallows of formula (also at 4 months) and he began projectile vomiting, was covered head to toe in hives, and had his first trip to the ER.
ReplyDeleteI see that you're local to me AND you're going to be at the Tampa walk, too? Awesome! I'm looking forward to meeting you!