Wednesday, January 14, 2009

1-year update


I haven't mentioned my baby boy in quite a while. He's doing great. Still has problems with dairy, but soy doesn't seem to bother him much anymore. I've added in small amounts of soy to my diet, but nothing major -- I didn't want to push it.

JD's reaction to dairy has greatly improved, though, and I have faith he will outgrow this crazy thing soon! He turns 1 year old on Friday (yikes!) and I plan to start weaning him to rice milk, with a shot of coconut milk for added fat.

So you may be wondering what will happen to this blog? Have no fear, I plan to continue posting recipes, even after I'm no longer on the diet! It's a lot of fun for me. So continue to keep checking!

17 comments:

Deanna said...

Oh! Look at him!!! SOOOO adorable!!

Our little guy turned one back on December 5th. He was diagnosed with a firm milk allergy via blood and skin tests. Because of the lip swelling and hives milk exposure causes, we now carry an epi-pen for him. What did your little guy eat at the restaurant that worked for him? (fast food alternatives are always nice)

I haven't commented much but I do check in often. Your blog is so handy!!

Anonymous said...

Can anyone help me out with finding MSPI friendly chocolate chips? I checked all the brands at my local grocery store as well as carob chips at my local Hy-Vee, and everything has dairy and/or soy. Soy lecithin and soy oil are ok for me.

Andrea said...

Deanna: Nice to hear from you! So sorry about your son's allergy. That stinks! But at least you know what you're dealing with and are prepared. About fast food, I highly recommend going to the websites of the restaurants you like and seeing if they have a list of their ingredients. Burger King does! By the way, their french fries are dairy free and are cooked in designated oil, so you don't have to worry about cross contamination.

Anonymous: I've used Ghiradelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, which are pretty easy to find. And if you see vegan chocolate chips, then you know they're dairy-free -- I like the ones from Whole Foods. Also, I've never used them myself, but Enjoy Life makes a good allergen-free chocolate chip. If you can't find them in the store, then you can order them online.

skaczmarek said...

I was just wondering the other day if you son had outgrown it yet. I was worried you would stop posting!!

My daughter was 18 mos before she outgrew it. If you read the old archives in the early days of my blog you will see she was at the extreme end of the spectrum. She had a central line for 2 months. Then could only tolerate 1/2 to 3/4strength Neocate. Her insides were so bad I couldn't do the restricted diet.

We finally got the courage to have another so I'm so thrilled to find your blog. I've been visiting off and on for last several months. You have so many ideas on food substitutions I wouldn't think of. Under the G.I. Dr's guidance I'm starting the restricted diet in month 6-so three more months of whatever I want. I'm not sure I'll be able to nurse, but we'll see. I'll be blessed if we don't need an NG tube. .

I can't wait to start making your recipes!! Thank you for making the restricted diet seem more bearable. More than meat and potatoes.

One more tip....when we went to rice milk Hy-Vee would order in bulk for me and give me a 20% discount.

Anonymous said...

I was just going to ask you about this, because I'm realizing it's highly unlikely Vince will be drinking soy or cow's milk by his first birthday (and no thanks on extended breastfeeding). I was wondering how to get adequate fat and protein with rice milk, but adding in coconut milk and almond milk is probably a good idea...

Unknown said...

I used rice milk for my first two MSPI kiddos but plan to try to go to hemp milk after weaning with this baby. (currently pregnant.) Hemp milk has 4 grams of protein per serving and is a good source of fat, including Omega-3 fatty acids. Just thought I'd share that with you in case you didn't know. It's also low on the allergen spectrum.

Anonymous said...

Hi Andrea, Your little boy is just adorable!! I've been visiting your blog frequently since my little boy was diagnosed with MSPI in October. Your recipes have saved us! Everything has been wonderful. Thank you so much for doing this. I was wondering what the ratio of rice milk to coconut milk is that you use (how many ounces?). Did your pediatrician make any other substitution recommendations? Ours hasn't been extremely helpful coming up with good alternatives to dairy/soy. Thanks again!!
Jessica

wrknprogres said...

Can I just say THANK YOU!! I stumbled across your blog today as I'm trying to wrap my mind around starting the MSPI diet on Feb 1st. Our second baby is due in March and the dr. suggested starting the diet now to prepare (our son had MSPI but we didn't figure this out until he was 9 weeks old and were too worn out and overwhelmed to think about changing my diet so he was on formula). I appreciate so much all the recipes you have, many of which I can feed the whole family (I was NOT looking forward to having to cook two recipes for every meal)! I haven't been able to find a lot of info out there on this so am very thankful to have found your blog. :)

Anonymous said...

I love the website! I haven't posted a comment, but I check in often. My daughter is also 12 months old and we are trying to wean to rice milk. If you have any advice I would much appreciate it. Also, I take part in a nursing support group and with your ok I would like to give them your blog address. Keep up the great work!

Andrea said...

Skaczmarek: Wow! I finally got around to checking out your blog. Your family has been through quite the ordeal with your daughter's MSPI. I hope and pray your next baby is much, much easier! You are one tough mama!!!

Andrea said...

Elaine, Jessica and Anonymous: You all asked about rice milk. JD's weaning is going slowly. He's not a big fan of sippy cups (or straws) so until I can get him to take the cup easily, I'm kind of stuck with nursing him in order to avoid dehydration. Plus, he's been sick, so that hasn't helped! Oh well, we'll get there eventually.

After talking it over with his pediatrician, we decided not to worry about adding in the coconut milk for him. She said that the extra fat really isn't that necessary, as long as the baby is eating well and gaining weight -- which JD is doing. (In fact, I guess the old recommendations to give a baby whole milk at 1 year of age isn't the rule of thumb anymore. That 2% is just fine.) But for those of you that do want to the added fat, go ahead and add in an ounce or two of coconut milk. Or try hemp milk, which is what Vegemommy recommends!

Anonymous said...

Hi Andrea,
I am currently weaning my 3rd MSPI baby- nursed each for 10-11 months. I just found your blog and it's wonderful! Thanks for putting out current recipes, tips, and support. I will definitely share this around.
Oh, and I just made myself a treat- chocolate-dipped macaroons from the Baker's "Angel Flake" sweetened coconut package. I think I read somewhere that you aren't a coconut fan. But for those of us who have a sweet tooth, the cookies taste just like a Mounds candy bar!

Andrea said...

Nell: Welcome to the blog! So glad you found it! Yes, I'm not a coconut fan, but I found the macaroons recipe (and the chocolate cake recipe you recommended in a different comment) and plan to post it here. Thanks for sharing!

Kimberly said...

Just discovered this website, and thought I'd share. It's for gluten-free, but most of the recipes I looked at are also dairy- and soy-free. The few I looked at looked really yummy and easy to find ingredients for.
http://www.livingwithout.com/

Andrea said...

Thanks for the link, Kimberly. It's on my list to check out!

Lanouvelle Josephine said...

A year!!! You mean I might have to eat like this for a year? I don't know... I walk around salivating everytime somebody mentions ice cream or cheese. And I tried something small at month 3 1/2 and he had a crying fit, so no more trying again for at least another month! Well, at least I'm not alone. :)

Andrea said...

Lanouvelle Josephine: Yup, it's definitely no fun to be on this diet when everyone else is eating the good stuff like ice cream. I was on the MSPI diet and nursed my son for 16-plus months. It wasn't easy, but it's doable! I highly recommend being very prepared when you're around other people. Bring yummy foods that you can eat, so that you won't feel deprived. Regardless of how long you do this, just be proud of getting as far as you do! Our babies are worth it!