I need some sympathy!

I don't usually engage in self pity, but I think both me and Hannah deserve a little sympathy right now. This is mostly Hannah's problem, but at this point in her life anything that affects her, in some way or other affects me. Everything started last Friday when Hannah broke out in hives after drinking a bottle of formula. This was quit a scary experience as her bottom lip became very large, and I suspected her tongue was becoming swollen also. I saw the Doctor today, and well as you've probly guessed Hannah is allergic to cow's milk. Before today I didn't realize exactly what an allergy to cow's milk means (It is not the same as being lactose intolerant). It means she is allergic to practically everything. Milk, or some milk derivative is used in virtually everything we eat. Of course this doesn't really concern Hannah at this point as she is only eating breast milk and rice cereal. But I also learned today that Hannah is developing a sensitivity to the cow's milk proteins in my milk. Which means I have to stop eating milk products too, or Hannah will start having allergic reactions to my breast milk (I know this to be true as just the other day I noticed a few hives on her face after I fed her).

Okay, so you might be thinking to yourself that the obvious solution to all this is to put her on soy formula. I get to eat what I want and she remains allergy free, well at least until she starts eating a more varied diet. The Doctor also suggested this possibility to me, although he did warn me that 15% of babies with cow's milk allergies are also allergic to soy milk, so introduce it very slowly.

I took his advice, this evening we tried one teaspoon of a formula made from soy. And yes Hannah is also allergic to soy proteins. So I guess I am back on the no milk diet. The one ray of hope in this story is that 80% of babies outgrow cow's milk allergies by the time they are 2, and 95% by the time they are 3. Until then though she has to avoid all milk products. Unfortunately with the type of allergy she has, it isn't even that she can't eat anything with milk, she can't touch it either. And one of the things about allergies is that with each exposure the reaction gets worse. The Doctor mentioned the possibility that after 7 or 8 exposures she may start having breathing difficulties associated with a reaction.

I guess on the bright side, we probly discovered the source of her eczema. By eliminating dairy from my diet, her eczema should theoretically clear up. (Let's hope anyways). Her six month check up is in early June, and I believe I will ask for a referral to a nutrionalist to figure out what kinds of things she can eat.