Her appointment didn't go well

[Jem26]

:rolleyes:

Saw the dietician, had a good chat about her milk & foods, need to get her onto 3 meals a day asap she said because Jem is underweight, she was 13lbs a month ago and is now only 13lb 3ozhttp://www.baby-greenhouse.co.uk/smilies/sad.gif I am so upset I could cry about it.

She was changed onto a different formula 3 weeks ago for milk intolerance and its obviously not doing anything for her,s he is still sick, she likes it but throws alot up. I asked dietician about it being reflux or just being a sicky baby and she said no Jem has an intolerance so I must avoid all dairy until at least 1 year. I have to find other foods to try and fatten her up.

I can't give her wheat/gluten, soya, eggs, etc.... what nightmarehttp://www.baby-greenhouse.co.uk/smilies/sad.gif

Thanks for your weight guesses noone was close, the worst weight gain weve had and she has dropped now to the 2nd centilehttp://www.baby-greenhouse.co.uk/smilies/sad.gif

Ju x

[Copper]

Wheat and gluten free foods are expensive. I am sure that you should get some things on prescription for her.

I have only started making cakes and biscuits for my daughter (PA) since she became intolerant to wheat, gluten, dairy and egg this year in her 20s!!!! I am not much help with babies. Poor Jem and poor you.

[Lou C]

Hi Ju, I know it must be so hard and frustrating for you, try to be positive and concentrate on all the good food you can give her. It's a case of good old proper food as I call it. Vegetables, potatos, fish, chicken etc. not the fattiest things granted but it's about her being nourished as much as the weight. I'm surprised that if they are concerned about her weight they havent given her a calorie powder to add to her feeds. I know you have 2 older children so you have lots of experience of weaning, but Annabel carmels baby and toddler meal planner is good and has some nice recipes in it, many of which don't contain the things you need to avoid. It's just the having to make things from scratch!! Sainsburies do stock the Babylicious range of frozen baby food which has no nasties added and is clearly labelled in terms of ingredients and allergies. I hope that helps, take care, Lou xx

[linny]

So sorry to hear it didn't go well.

Megan (now 9 and as strong as an ox!!) had TERRIBLE colic. It lasted for ages and ages. She threw up loads of the milk they tried. She went into hospital at 2 months with colic. At 2 she was underweight and a very poor eater and also suffered epileptic fits. We used to have to crush tablets into her food as she threw up the medicine. She then disliked the food as it tasted nasty. I nearly had a breakdown trying to get her to eat. She refused milk for 2 years after she had colic. You do get through it and when I talk about her now nobody can believe it's the same child.

I think that the dietician should give you advice, support and suggestions of what to feed Jem with, after all surely that's her job, that's why you went to see her. One of my health visitors told me that Megan was better with less liquids and more solid.

Good luck and keep us posted on how things are going.

[rebecca c]

You have been through a difficult time. I dont have much advice for babies as it seems a while a go now and whilst I kept mine low dairy I didnt have to stop all dairy. I had the advantage of breast feeding too, although I fully understand not everybody does.

Just one small idea which is to start a recipe idea book. Sometimes I do these just to jog my memory of all the things you can do and I think the suggestion of concentrating on keeping her well nourished for the time being while you research and gather information is a good one.

You are doing a great job - keep up the good work, dont feel bad about the set backs for too long. It takes me a full 6 weeks off dairy before I see ANY improvement but then the differences make all the difference to my quality of life. So give it a bit longer and you may still see a difference.

[Jem26]

Thank you all,

The dietician was very helpful, gave me lots of ideas on weaning but said i have to get weaning going very quickly.

Jemima isn't losing weight so surely I shouldn't worry about her?

I told her Jemima is just a very sicky girl, could it be anything else? she seemd to be pretty certain it is an intolerance and not reflux or anything like that:confused:

Thanks for your support.

Julie xx

[Jem26]

Thank you Rebecca, I shall concentrate on weaning her now and hope that goes well.

Linny is your daughter milk intolerant or was it colic?

Thanks again everyone.
Julie x

[Lou C]

Hi JU forgot to ask earlier are you having to avoid the other things i.e wheat, soya etc. for a specific reason other than the general guidelines of none before 6 months?

[Jem26]

She doesn't want me to give her anything else incase it causes another intolerance so I have to wait at least another 2 months.

[Copper]

My lactose intolerance was not diagnosed when I was a baby in 1954 (born with this problem). My mother had a very hard time and when she took me to Boots to be weighed everybody cheered if I had managed to put on half an ounce in a week! I did get over it eventually but was a sickly child. When I was in my late 40s I got lactose intolerance again but it is now here to stay. This is when I realised what had been wrong with me as a child.

The point of this rambling really is that as a result of my problems my growth was 3 years behind and this included teeth. Jem will catch up so don't feel bad. At least you have some idea what is wrong with her and hopefully she will not spend her childhood feeling sick every night like I did :(

It will be good for her to eat food and find that she feels ok. I am not interested in eating really, this is because of my childhood experience.

[Ruth]

Ju,

I'm sorry today didn't go as well as you hoped....I know how distressing it is. But...you should be pleased...Cate had only managed to put on 1 1/2oz this month!!!

Has the dietician given you ideas about what to feed Gem...I can't think what a baby as young as her would need...you probably can't give her the wheat/gluten replacements as they're stacked full of nasty stuff you wouldn't want a baby to have. I remember being told the same thing about piling calories on but at the same time being told to cut out everything with fat in it!!!

I guess you just mix Pepti in with everything!

[Pam]

Hi Ju

I'm sorry, but that dietician needs a slap! Babies get most of their calories and nutrition from formula milk and shouldn't be weaned before 6 months anyway so what she is telling you is total rubbish. She will get far more goodness from an all milk diet than filling up with fruit and veg and you don't want to be giving her high fat stuff, she can't have nuts or meat yet anyway.

Do you have a helpful health visitor? They might be a bit more use. If not, go back to the doctor and tell him/her that the advice given was unreasonable. Whilst ever you are getting a suitable formula for her you can continue to use it and right up to age 5 if necessary.

Jem is bound to be a bit behind because it has taken you a few weeks of her being really sicky and not eating properly to find out what suits her. She will start putting weight on now but may be destined to be a slim girl anyway rather than a roly poly baby (all my three have been slim).

These dieticians make me so cross! Mine told me to fortify my daughter's food with extra fat and sugar to help her put weight on. This advice has absolutely no regard for her future health and eating habits. I never went back after that - stupid woman.

Sorry for the rant, I shall get down off my soapbox now. Don't feel guilty and don't be forced into bad practice. Jem will start picking up now that you know what you are dealing with, just give it a little time.

Edited to add: Introducing lots of new foods to her "3 meals a day" regime may well cause intolerances and reactions to new foods, you need to take it slowly. Don't be bullied into doing something that doesn't feel right.

[Jem26]

Thx Pam,

The dietician was quite helpful re weaning I thought. She said to add potatoe or rice to every meal if poss and add her milk into everything so she gets milk in every meal and to keep up her bottles.

My son had a milk intolerance but it only lasted till 7 mths then he was fine, Jemima seems worse than he was.

Thanks for your reply.

Ju xxxx

[linny]

Hi Ju,

Megan was diagnosed with colic. She was tried on soya milk, 2nd milk etc. but I suppose she finally grew out of it. She was a lot better once she was weaned. As far as I know she doesn't have any intolerences at all (fingers crossed) it's just me!

[Jem26]

Ohh right, well colic is bad enough.
Ju x

[Pam]

A lot of people restrict potatoes and tomatoes in the early stages of weaning as they are both from the nightshade family and can quite easily become new intolerances. I think the Annabelle Carmel weaning books warn against these foods.

[Jem26]

Ohhh thanks Pam. She did tell me potatoes & rice we ok to add to her meals aswell as her formula. Oh this is confusing.

Ruth how did your daughters appointment go and how old is she now?

Ju xx

[yvie]

Please dont worry about her weight. My daughter is still very tiny at 8, but eats all the 'proper' food mentioned before. She was 4lb at birth and now only weighs 3 stone 8! But she plays hockey, goes to ballet and brownies and has loads of energy.
Its only these days we worry coz our children cant eat so much junk food, and if you feed her good old meat and veg, she will flourish just as we oldies have lol

I stopped all milk at 8 months, after trying all the usual alternate baby milks until I found rice milk, and liquidised veg and potatoes and meat juices and bought some jars for emergencies. She drank juices and water. And then she started putting on a bit of weight, but has stayed small.

Good luck. You have found this site early enough to get help and advise.

[Jem26]

Thanks yvie:-)

Very reassuring.

[tigerlily]

Eden was 8 months when she first began to have problems with dairy. At the same time she also had problems with tomatoes (but was O.K. with potatoes) and eggs, both of which caused her to vomit.
I personally, would stay clear of tomatoes until 12 months at least.

I HAD TO start weaning her at 4 months (with the dietician's advice) because she refused to take ANY formula! She has never had a baby bottle after 4 months. But every child is different. If we have anoher baby, I will definitely start the child on a hypoallergenic formula staright away! And no gluten either until 12 months!

Vanessa.

[Jem26]

Thanks Tigerlilu,

I shall keep her off tomatoes then, I have an allergy to some fruits tomatoes give me a scratchy itchy throat and lips but it comes & goes so strange.

Ju x

[yvie]

Yes agree with that. Haylie just isnt interested in food, and I always thought thats because there has been so much that has made her sick. So now have to try to get her to at least TRY new tastes, and she promised the consultant last week that she will.

If you can stop the vomiting now, before she remembers too much, you may not have such a problem in the future.

Copper I was born in 54 too, and had a sickly childhood lol maybe it was the year eh?

[Copper]

54 was a bad year then :lol2:

I did get over the lactose problem by the time my parents moved and changed doctors. The old GP was not interested but the new one was very concerned. I used to put on half an ounce a week on a good week. All the people cheered in Boots the chemist when I was weighed and had put on some weight. I was about 2 months old then. The damage had already been done by then as my growth was way behind. I got very ill again when I was about 8 and looking back now I know why. Do you remember the little bottles of milk we had at school? I had one in the morning and then the dinner ladies picked out small needy looking kids to drink the bottles left over (kids away from school), I often got told to drink another bottle after dinner. From then I was always awake until late at night feeling really sick. We did get sent to the London hospital and they found nothing wrong with me apart from my growth was 3 years behind!

My mother was a great one for making puddings with lots of healthy milk too :lol2:

[yvie]

LOL how familiar does that sound!

I have never considered myself as dairy intolerant, but I was a sickly child with asthma and my mum used to make milk puddings too and yes I remember the milk at school yuk it was always warm bleeeuugghh.

When I hit 21 I started to get migraines, and I just couldn't face milk, or cheese or yoghurts without feeling grim, so now I just have it in tea if Im out and thats ok, but I have soya and rice milk indoors.

It wasn't until I had my 2nd daughter and she was allergic to colours, and now milk and yeast that I became more aware, and Haylies milk problem wasn't such a shock.

Someone suggested recently that it isn't the milk that we are intolerant to, but the way in which it is processed. It is processed so much that it isn't really milk by the time we get it! Lovely thought eh?

[matt]

to be fair they don't do tha tmuch to milk to process it.

just pasturise then homogonize (sp) the latter just mixes the fat so that they can freeze it for delivery purposes.

it's much more likely that all the preservatives and rubbish in all the other food we eat has affected our ability to eat stuff. food allergires and sensitivity has been increasing over the years...can't just be a coincidence that it's occurred during the period that we have had more additives and rubbish sprayed over crops.
the fact that it's milk that people react to is just a coincidence. could be a aspect of the protein that makes it a little harder to digest so it's become an indicator of a deeper more important problem that is slowly raising it's head.:eek:

on that doom and gloom note.... eat fresh and unprocessed food or grow your own.:cool:

[cnc]

I was led to believe that so many people have intolerances to milk because our bodies are not designed to be able to process it. The majority of the world is lactose intolerant, because the enzyme is less effective (or something after about age five). Until fairly recently milk was not a traditional part of the diet and basically people are putting something into their body that it's not designed to cope with.

Yvie- what is an allergy to colours, do you mean like food colourants. I know its a bit of a daft question, it just confused me!!

[yvie]

Hiya

Yes food colouring, sorry. Especially yellow and orange. She varied between being mega hyperactive, to having rash, wheezing, swollen mouth.

She is 25 now, so when all this became apparent, no-one could or would help. It was all fairly new then.

Even oranges, which were waxed then, affected her badly. We have french relatives, and we were sent colour free sweets and unwaxed oranges for treats for her. In uk when I called some department or other (cant remember who) the 'lady' told me I was being ridiculous....how can oranges be artificially coloured? I told her oranges are naturally green when they are ripe and not orange and she laughed at me, said I was off my rocker basically. It was a horrible time, so I just did it all by myself, watched her diet, and then as years went on and more info was available, it was easier to deal with.

Its easier for people to ridicule I guess than to learn.

[Jem26]

When I was a teenager I use to get the most terrible stomach pains, I use to be kept off school. I would get them a few times a month, dr just said it was wind and gave me gaviscon, hehe. When I think back, I must of been intolerant to something because it use to flare up alot.

[matt]

what nothing to do with the homework you'd forgotten to do then???:lol2:

[Jem26]

Haha no!

Ju x