Dairy Free

When I was pregnant with Jesse, milk and cheese would bother me. In a way compared to heart burn but not quite exactly heart burn. I didn’t think much of it and just assumed it was a side effect of pregnancy, I mean almost all pregnant women talk about having heartburn when they’re having a baby. However after Jesse was born, it didn’t go away. On top of that Jesse was a very fussy baby and had a few other symptoms that would later be diagnosed by our pediatrician as a cow’s milk sensitivity or colic. So I cut out dairy or I thought I cut out dairy...Jesse was much better but not perfect...and the more severe symptoms went away. And about a month after I finished nursing Jesse my own sensitivity to dairy went away as well....go figure?!!? Amazing what our bodies tell us if we just listen to them. Jesse has since outgrown his own sensitivity (normally only lasts til they are 12-18 months old) and now has his own love of cheese and milk :)

However...very early into this pregnancy I started feeling those old “heartburn” symptoms whenever I had milk, cheese, and now even eggs. So I talked to my friend Myrna who went through it with her daughter just recently and she advised me of a VERY helpful website that she found through her own research that listed some GREAT tips about knowing what ingredients to look for in foods to know if I was actually having milk or not. Boy was I shocked to learn how little dairy I actually had cut out with Jesse....poor little guy :(

The website, The Fussy Baby Site and more specifically this article (  http://www.thefussybabysite.com/coping/non-dairy-diet-and-breastfeeding  )  has been awesome! I’ve been gradually switching to soy and vegan products and overall feel much better. Which hopefully means Baby Hann is feeling much better too. I know there are still days that I totally give in to temptation and have that rose sauce on my pasta or have a bit of cream in my coffee but overall I’m doing well....which in my world is amazing considering how much I love milk and cheese...oh how I miss cheese :(

But giving it all up is worth it if I know Baby Hann isn’t going to have a bad tummy and cry the way Jesse did as an infant.  I’ve also tried adding a few more foods with calcium and food that have been calcium-fortified along with my prenatal vitamins to be sure I’m getting all the nutrients that I need right now. It’s been a challenge but I’m working through it with the support of Kristen. I did want to share this on my blog because sooooo many babies are colic and in MOST cases it’s cow’s milk that’s the problem but never diagnosed. As I Mom I felt I should share this knowledge cause I know how hard those early months can be and if anything of this can help you and your baby it’s worth sharing.