Breastfeeding on an Elimination Diet – What It’s Really Like

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In honor of world breastfeeding week, I’m sharing my story of breastfeeding my child when he was allergic to my breast milk.

When my oldest son was three weeks old, he couldn’t seem to get enough milk. He wanted nothing but to breastfeed until his tummy puffed up, then he would scream and scream and scream and want to breastfeed some more. Then came the projectile vomiting.

The on-call doctor at his pediatricians office thought I was a paranoid first-time mother who had never seen a baby spit up before. The truth was that I had taken care of many babies and I was very familiar with spit-up (and other messes that come with taking care of infants and toddlers). It was also true that I had never seen an infant’s spit-up fly five feet across the room, until now.

We Went to the Emergency Room

The emergency room doctor thought it was pyloric stenosis. I listened to my baby scream as his belly was scanned via ultrasound. The technician had to push down hard for the machine to see past the huge gas bubbles in his tummy. He got his first taste of a pacifier. In the end, all they could tell me was that he did not have pyloric stenosis. “Maybe he just ate too much,” they said; “Maybe you should burp him better.” We took him home.

When he was seven weeks old, the contents of his diaper changed. His poops were very stinky and full of huge blobs of mucus. Then came the blood. Having a tiny baby with a diaper full of mucus and blood was terrifying for me.

Finding One Cause: Cows’ Milk Protein Allergy

I can’t remember how long it was before we narrowed down the cause of his bloody diapers to food allergies. Once we figured it out, though, (with the help of an excellent pediatrician and more than one lactation consultant), I went on a strict elimination diet so I could continue to exclusively breastfeed. My baby’s health started to improve. Everyone on our care team believed that cows’ milk protein was the culprit, but as I started to reintroduce various non-dairy foods into my diet, my baby’s symptoms returned. I kept a detailed food journal and had my son’s diapers regularly tested for blood. Every time they came back positive, I felt defeated. At one point the on-call doctor handed me a prescription for a special hypoallergenic baby formula. He told me that I needed to stop breastfeeding and get on with my life.

I Decided to Continue Breastfeeding and Get on with my Life

We were fortunate to live in Morro Bay, California, at the time, where there is plenty of fresh produce and local olive oil. There is also an incredible support network for women who wish to breastfeed. After reintroducing (and re-eliminating) several foods and finding that my baby’s colitis would flare up again, I settled on a diet of whatever vegetables were cheap at the farmers market, roasted in lots of olive oil. In fact, one of the local olive oil producers used to set aside oil for me (at a special price) because he knew I needed it to ensure I’d get enough calories.

I also ate chicken thighs that I pan-cooked with just a little salt. For the times I couldn’t wait for something to be cooked and had to eat right away, I had a stash of Lay’s lightly salted potato chips. My friends lovingly referred to it as my “chicken + potato chips diet.” Among the things in my diet that my exclusively breastfed baby reacted adversely to:

* cows’ milk

* soy

* eggs

* peanuts/legumes

* tree nuts

Because I get most of my protein from non-meat sources, I had to work really hard to get adequate nutrition. (Thus the chicken thighs-they were the only meat I could stomach.)

Sticking with a Breastfeeding Elimination Diet

The only reason I was able to stick to my extreme breastfeeding elimination diet and nurse my son for 17 months is this: I had a large, strong, committed support network. One of my favorite lactation consultants, Andrea Herron, has a free breastfeeding support group every week. Going to group in addition to one-on-one consult­ations really helped me hang in there when I felt like giving up. I also had the support of my son’s pediatrician, the vendors at the farmers market (gotta love small town living!), and, most importantly, my husband.

If you’re struggling with infant food allergies and you have your heart set on breastfeeding as long as possible, I believe you can do it! Staying on a breastfeeding elimination diet is not for the faint of heart, but it can be done! I’m not a health professional of any kind, but if you’re feeling alone in your breastfeeding journey, drop me a line! I’ll be your cheerleader!

Seven Years Later: What’s Changed?

As of this writing, seven years have passed since my “breastfeeding an allergic baby” struggles began. Today, I have a six-week-old baby with… you guessed it…cows’ milk protein allergy. He’s also allergic to nuts, but not eggs so far (praise hands), and I havent even tried soy. So here we go again on the potato chips + chicken diet. My older son, meanwhile, has outgrown all of his food allergies and can even eat regular ice cream now!

This time around, the breastfeeding elimination diet doesn’t seem like such a burden. Maybe because I’ve been through this before. Maybe because I’m happy to have survived preeclampsia and undiagnosed gestational diabetes basically unscathed (that’s a story for another day). Maybe I’ve just been on so many weird diets that nothing fazes me anymore.

How about you? What challenges or successes have you had with feeding your babies?