Two weeks ago or so the back of his neck went from blotchy raised red bumps to a large angry red area that looked like a chemical burn. I picked him up from daycare and brought him to the pediatrician so he could see the rash while it was at it’s worst.

The pedi’s theory was that it was more likely caused by a surface irritant than a food because it was in such a localized area.  Jasper had been wearing a wool sweater that had some mohair in it so we figured he could be allergic to the mohair (he wears other wool without problems) and the back of his neck HAS been better since we took that sweater out of his wardrobe.

But the rash on his face is still there, some days worse than others making it pretty difficult to pinpoint what if any food triggers it.

So two days ago Jasper demanded to eat a “mato”  (tomato) which I sliced up for him, looked away and looked back about 5 seconds later and saw this:

and this:

(please excuse the poor quality of the iphone photos!)

:(

At first I thought he had a tomato “allergy” but since reading up on it realized that this sort of reaction is common in toddlers with sensitive skin when it comes into contact with acidic foods like tomato.  This reaction is a bit extreme because I don’t think he smeared it all over his face or anything, but still the tomato didn’t cause any internal problems so it’s obviously not an allergy – more like an inconvenient reaction.

It also makes me realize that his beloved guacamole which is made with vinegar is probably an irritant as well, and lastly his own drool which is acidic trapped and rubbed under his paci is probably what keeps the raised red patches on the sides of his mouth constantly irritated.

So the good news is that I don’t think he is ‘allergic’ to any foods and so don’t need to cut anything out, which is such a relief!

As far as treatment, for particularly bad reactions I apply the 2.5% cortisone the pedi prescribed.  Also, on the recommendation of one of my nutritionist friends I ordered a  bee balm salve with propolis that when applied liberally last night seemed to almost completely clear up even the stubborn patches around his mouth!

Of course I don’t know why his skin is so sensitive or reactive to begin with, but I think that’s fairly common in babies so I’m just assuming it’s one of those things he’ll grow out of eventually.

Now, onto cuter and more fun things..

I apologize if you already saw this posted on facebook, but it’s so cute I have to share it again:

A few nights ago we were playing with Jasper’s before bed and all of the sudden out of nowhere he said “Yoga!” and did this:

It took us totally by surprise, I guess the yoga they do with the toddlers at daycare actually made an impression!

Hope you all had a nice weekend..

He’s actually downright obsessed with guacamole.. there have been several times when I’ve gone to get him in the morning or picked him up from daycare and his first words to me were “guacamole!”

It’s like the hunger switch finally flipped on in his little body and I’d guess he’s gained a good two pounds over the last few weeks.  It’s wonderful and a little strange to watch him go from food averse to ravenous  – I’m not used to having to plan tons of snacks and meals for him! It’s really a huge relief.

But the most shocking development of all, was that yesterday at daycare he actually drank milk for the first time! I had all but given up on him with the milk.. but they mixed half water half milk in a cup for him and he actually drank the whole thing and then asked for more.  They were as stunned as I was and even took a picture as proof.

Now the bad news: he’s developed ezcema :(

It started with some redness on his cheeks, and then progressed to an agressive and constant scratching of the back of his neck. Inspection of the back of his neck showed patchy redness, which has since developed into raised red bumps covering the whole back of his neck and traveling down between his shoulders. He also scratches his whole head, though I’ve looked at his scalp and don’t see the bumps, but I know it’s still bothering him – I see him scratching at night on the video monitor.

I’ve been wracking my brains trying to determine what food could be causing this, or even if it’s food at all (could it be detergent?) but the timing of it, coinciding with him eating so much more makes me think that possibly he has a sensitivity to something he’s eating and now that his food intake has gone up, so has his exposure to the allergen.  The one that makes the most sense is wheat because there was a while where he was eating tons of muffins and crackers with his guacamole, but I’m just not sure.  There is soy in the crackers that he eats, so I’m wondering if that could be it. But again, I just don’t know.. and I’m reluctant to put him on some sort of gluten free diet when he’s JUST finally eating so well!

He has his 18 month well visit on Friday, so hopefully the pediatrician will have some ideas, but I’m not too optimistic.. allergies are just so mysterious. In the meantime, I haven’t even been sure what to put on the rash. On his face I use Weleda Calendula face Lotion which seems to actually be helping. It didn’t help on the back of his neck though.  I recently tried Weleda diaper care too but the rash is still there.

If anyone has any eczema experiences or treatments to share please do!

I don’t know if the NAET treatments are finally working or Jasper has just grown out of some of his “issues” but he has been such a good boy lately that you must allow me to brag!

This past Sunday we drove into NYC (about 45 minutes) to have brunch with some friends and he didn’t cry in his car seat the ENTIRE way there OR back! Even at brunch he was really well behaved. Well, other than that he tried to grab my coffee cup off the table..but really, it is such a huge difference from where he was even just a month ago. Even the receptionist at the Pediatrician’s office has noticed the difference. She said he was like a different baby!

Unfortunately he’s traded his hatred for the car seat for a hatred of putting his arms though clothes. It’s the weirdest thing – he just HATES it all the sudden. He used to have no problem getting dressed. I just attribute it to his age and that his likes and dislikes seem to change with the direction of the wind.

Speaking of NAET things have gotten intersting.. we are currently treating for dairy after I had some half and half in my coffee a couple of weeks ago and he got a bad eczema flare up… two days later I had beef and it got even worse! We had a follow up appointment with his Pedi GI and got another occult fecal blood test done and sure enough Jasper tested positive (a very very trace amount though.)

I was upset about the severity of the eczema because before NAET I had consumed both dairy and Beef and the reaction seemed to only be intestinal.  But Kristina (his NAET practitioner) told me that it’s age related so newborns show the symtoms in their digestion, then around 5-6 months it starts migrating to the skin. In older kids it tends to be mood and behavioral.

Interesting.

The NAET treatments have actually been fascinating all around lately as it turns out many of his sensitivities around dairy are on an emotional level. For example what remained of his sensitivity to milk mix (which includes breastmilk) was panic, fear and abandonment stemming from his birth.

It all makes sense considering that a few minutes after he latched on to me for the first time they whisked him off to the special care nursery where he had to spend the next two days pretty much alone except when I came to nurse him. So he was repeatedly going from nursing to being alone (hello abanonment and fear!). I figure the panic stems from the choking episodes he’s had on the breast due to my overactive let down and his swallowing disortder (dysphagia).

For those of you like me didn’t realize that “allergies” can be to anything but food or pollen, check out this thread Stephanie emailed me from Ask Moxie. One of the commenters says:

“for some kids it isn’t THE thing, it is how much of it to create irritation – Miss M has a sensitive histamine response, diagnosed by the allergists at a Children’s Hospital, so I’m not making it up… anyway, she reacted with mucous and such to either first instances or excess consumption of ANYTHING. It was like she was allergic to the idea of ‘new’ and the idea of ‘plenty’”

So interesting!

I can tell you that I had cream in my coffee Sunday and J had a great night and his skin didn’t seem to be worse the next day (the eczema from the first round of dairy never totally cleared up.)

So that’s our little update. Hopefully the improvements continue and I’ll be a dairy eatin’ fool this time next week. I’ll keep you posted!

One of the only ways I’m keeping myself sane eating no dairy is by using coconut milk and coconut oil instead of milk and butter – if you haven’t tried Turtle Mountain’s Purely Decadent Coconut Ice Cream you are truly missing something, it absolutely lives up to it’s!  Coconut has numerous health benefits including being heart healthy, easy to digest, has anti yeast/microbial/bacterial properties etc. etc.

I also happen to really love the taste of coconut, so I’ve taken to cooking all of my food in coconut oil (according to NAET Jasper is sensitive to olive oil!) and using coconut milk to cook with and even use it instead of cream in my coffee.

Coconut oil when refrigerated is actually solid, so it can even be used like butter (fabulous on a sweet potato for instance) and I do so in the recipe below. (If you don’t have a problem using real butter you can substitute it for the coconut oil in the pie crust).

Ok, so here’s the recipe – it’s basically the same as the Libby’s pumpkin pie recipe just using coconut milk instead of condensed milk and with one notable addition: Cardamom. The cardamom gives the pie an incredibly rich spiced flavor, totally unexpected but also completely harmonious with the other flavors. You need to try it, trust me on this one!

Without further ado, the recipe:

Nut Pie Crust:

• 1.5 cups of ground pecans
• 1/4 cup of some type of gluten free flour (if you want it GF, otherwise use wheat!) I used rice flour.
• 3 Tablespoons or so of coconut oil – does not have to be exact, it just give the mix some moisture and keeps the nut crust from burning.

Grind all ingredients together in a Cuisinart until finely ground. Press mixture with clean fingers into the bottom and sides of pie plate.

Pie Filling:

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• The freshly ground black seeds of two cardamom pods broken open. If you have ground cardamom instead, just use a small pinch – cardamom is strong!
• 2 large eggs
• 1 can (15 oz.) Pure Pumpkin (I use organic canned pumpkin from the health food store)
• 1 can 15 oz can of whole coconut milk (DO NOT use lite, it will be watery and icky!) minus a few tablespoons or so if you want to use it like “whipped cream” as a topping
• 1 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shell

Directions:

MIX sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger, cardamom and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in coconut milk (it helps to have a kitchen aid or electric mixer because the coconut milk can get lumpy.)

Pour into pie shell.

BAKE in preheated 425° F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° F; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean.  Serve immediately or refrigerate. Top with coconut milk like whipped cream or Turtle Mountain’s Purely Decadent Coconut Ice Cream or just enjoy as is! Makes a delicious breakfast too..

I hope this helps anyone else who is breastfeeding an MSPI (Milk/Soy Protein Intolerant) baby feel a little less deprived. Now that the holidays are over and we just have a long dreary 3 months of winter ahead of us, who couldn’t use a little pumpkin-pie-pick-me up??

Let me know how you like it if you try it!

Adults are normally “treated” by holding a vial of the offending substance while the practitioner either does accupuncture or accupressure and then avoiding the substance for 25 hours. Since we are treating an exclusively breastfed baby, I must avoid the substance for 24 hours BEFORE the treatment so that Jasper is not getting it through my breastmilk.

This avoidance is easier said than done, particularly because the first treatments are to things like calcium and vitamins.. which are in so many foods!

The first treatment we did was to egg, which is always the first treatment because the egg protein is similar to many proteins found in the human body and protein is an essential building block.  Egg is also symbolic of new beginnings and birth, so many babies that had a traumatic birth experience, either phsycially or emotionally are sensitive to egg.

In Jasper’s case, his birth and first few days were definitely traumatic physically.  The day he was born is also an emotionally charged day as he was born on the day of my father’s birth, but also on the day of Jeff’s mother’s death.. his sensitivity to egg as a result of his birth existed on more than one level and we spent quite some time clearing him on both levels.

Egg itself wasn’t hard to avoid (I hadn’t been eating it anyway because I’d heard it causes fussiness in infants) but you must also avoid anything “egg” related, including chicken or feathers. This meant that we had to remove our down comforter and pillows and I had to wear a wool coat instead of a down coat so that Jasper wouldn’t be within 5 feet of feathers for the 25 hours.

But the egg avoidance was easy compared to the next treatment for calcium.  Calcium is in pretty much everything. The instructions say not to eat chicken or fish, so I ended up eating Beef evey though Jasper tested weak for it. I had to have some protein to function (and produce milk!)

After your treatment you test the substance again at your next appointment to make sure you’ve “cleared” it. If not, you have to repeat the process.

I have to say I have seen a definite improvement in jasper just since doing these treatments. He still wakes up in pain like clockwork at 1:30 and 4 am ish with bad gas pains, but he is sleeping MUCH more fitfully inbetween those times.  He has also been so much less fussy during the day.

In fact, Friday was perhaps Jasper’s best day ever! He was a complete joy. Nothing seemed to bother him and he was a smiley happy little ball of joy. So much so that we even dared to go out to dinner with him.. and he was on his best behavior even when he woke up half way through our meal (which normally means we have to ask for our check and a to-go box!)

We haven’t eaten out since before I started TED, so it’s been over a month. I had a desperate craving for sushi. The problem is that Jasper tested weak for soy. Sushi without soy sauce.. ick!

Then I rememered what our NAET practitioner said about trying to eat the foods Jasper tested weak for at least once a week and decided to go for it and have the soy sauce…

Bad decision.

Jasper was a complete whiny fussy mess ALL day Saturday. The contrast between Saturday and Friday was just so unbelievable. You wouldn’t even believe it was the same child!  I will definitely NOT be eat soy again until Jasper is cleared for it.

The other thing I wanted to mention is that I think I’ve identified the one food that causes Jasper to break out with an ezcema rash: Lemon.  I shouldn’t be too surprised by this one because my paternal grandmother breaks out into hives when she has citrus. But I was a little shocked because Lemon is one of the three foods that the medical intuitive told us would be Jasper’s ‘lifelong remedies!’  Hah.

The day after thanksgiving (oh the irony!!) after 2.5 weeks I gave up on TED, the Dr. Sears recommended Total Elimination Diet.

One reason was that I just wasn’t seeing the kind of improvement that justified the threat to my milk supply and the lack of calcium and overall good nutrition.  The second reason was that I consulted a medical intuitive.

Yes, desperate times call for desperate measures!!

Now I don’t know where you fall on the skeptic vs. believer scale about psychics etc, but as you will see from this and my soon to be published posts about NAET I am an agnostic. If it works, I believe it.

This particular woman came highly recommended by our cranial sacral therapist who I trust very much so I was SOOO excited before our phone call.. finally there was someone who could just tell me what foods were bothering Jasper and even tell me which reflux meds he should be on..

HA! Biggest waste of $125 ever. And I don’t say that because I’m a skeptic (I once studied to be an astrologer, so I’m definitely open minded) but rather because she turned out to be so wrong it’s almost comical.

According to the psychic lady (whom I will refer to by her initials JW) Jasper’s entire problem is a candida overgrowth caused by the antibiotics he was given at birth.

Ok, it doesn’t take a medical genius to know that was a possibility which is why i’d been giving him probiotics (with no improvement) since he was about 3 weeks old. BUT, it sort of made sense to me because there was one weekend I deviated from TED because I was afraid my milk supply was dying.. the things I ate had none of the 8 major food allergens but they were sweet.  And he did seem to get a bit worse after that, so I thought maybe she could be on to something.

When I asked her about his reflux meds she said that he would react better to zantac and zegerid better than prevacid.

She also said that lifelong Jasper’s three “remedies” would be yogurt (full fat so that there is little milk sugar to feed the candida yeasties), parsley and lemon which supposedly keeps the yeasties at bay.

She  then there was no particular food that Jasper couldn’t tolerate. In fact, she said that I should be eating a huge variety of foods, particularly goat cheese. (This would later raise some red flags).

Yes, I was free to eat dairy again at last!!

The following day I went of TED with gusto.  I also started drinking mother’s milk tea to get my supply up to where it had been. But something was bothering me..

If all of Jasper’s problems were yeast/candida related, why did they not improve with probiotics? Why haven’t we ever had thrush? And why would she say it’s ok to eat cheese which is a big no no on candida erradication diets etc.?

Then, two nights after being of TED, Jasper had his worst night EVER.

Writhing, screaming in pain all night long.  He woke up and pooped and I saw a burn like red rash on his butt in a circle which I knew was an “allergy ring.” Hi also developed this eczema patch on his right cheek:

These were the first outward physical signs of what I had been suspecting all along. Jasper DOES have a food allergy! But to what.. ?

Was it the mother’s milk tea I had been drinking a bunch of to get my supply back up (fenugreek has been known to cause gassiness in babies)? Was it that we had started him on prevacid about a week ago?  I still didn’t want to believe it could be anything I’d eliminated on TED because why would his symptoms not be gone on TED then?

Still desperate I called up my pediatrician’s wife who is a NAET practitioner and decided to bring Jasper in for testing.  Our journey into NAET is the subject of my next post, but for now, I want to post the answer to a question I received from Jessica who asked

“What did your typical daily diet look like on TED?”

Even though TED didn’t work for us, I’m happy to help others get through it. It’s not as bad as it sounds really, my indecisive nature actually enjoyed not having to decide what to make for dinner each night or what grocery items to shop for! The other benefit is the weight loss.. which can be profound.

So to answer your question Jessica, my typical diet was:

Breakfast: Rice & Shine cereal with Rice Milk and cane sugar or Erewhon Crispy Brown Rice (the Gluten Free one) cereal with Rice Milk.

Lunch: Leftover’s from Dinner

Dinner: My favorite dinner was Sheltons ground turkey (found in the freezer section of my health food store) sauteed in olive oil. When the turkey is brown I would put in one chopped zucchini and one chopped yellow squash in the same pan so it gets the turkey grease.

In a separate pot I boiled some white potatoes and mashed them in that same pot. I would add some olive oil, salt and some plain flavored rice milk. On top of the mashed potatoes put your turkey and them moisten the turkey with the rice milk as well. Top off with zucchini and squash.

It’s surprisingly yummy, like a crustless pot pie!

The other staples were turkey hot dogs, burgers and lots of potato chips and rice rice rice and the occasional yam and/or bakes squash.

I hope that helps anyone about to embark on TED. There is a recipe thread here that also has some ideas and particularly this post here that got me started.

Good luck, I hope it works better for you than it did for us!