Allergies - an update!

Oh it seems like yesterday that I was sneaking peak after peak of that positive pregnancy test.  Does anyone else keep ahold of that positive for a while?  I hid mine in the pantry and when I wanted to smile like a crazy woman, I'd tip toe in and check it just one more time!  That first trimester was a doozy to be sure.  There were were several times when I was sure we had lost her.  I learned to give my worry to God and embrace gratitude as spiritual warfare.

And then she was here.  We were so ecstatic to hold her the day she arrived.  While we were smitten beyond belief, we didn't understand why she cried ALL.THE.TIME. 

My sister has experience with food allergies and recommended that I remove dairy from my diet.  I hesitated.  I loved my icecream.  Isn't life with a newborn challenging enough without having to reinvent how to eat?  Thankfully, God sent two friends to challenge me with the same thing and point out that my poor daughter was in pain.  Suddenly, icecream didn't seem to matter.  Fierce mother-love overrode my selfish clinging to appetite.

After a few days of going off dairy, Greta didn't squirm and cry nearly as much.  Since the crying still persisted more than the norm, I did a full elimination diet.  It was intense, but I identified that she was reacting to dairy, eggs, peanuts, gluten, spices (bye bye Mexican food) and chocolate.  It was rough, but I was committed to doing what was best for her.  And I was eating as I'd always dreamed of eating - copious amounts of vegetables for breakfast, lunch and dinner! {I just love how God always provides a gift glimmering through any challenge.}

We caught a glimpse of how severe it was when I mistakenly ate the wrong 'mashed potatoes' the day after Christmas that caused her to have bloody stools. 

But even with all of these food restrictions, she still struggled and we finally took her in to see a chiropractor when she was four months old.  Turns out the bones on her skull were overlapping and pinching the nerve going down to her gut.  After the first adjustment, I was able to add stuff back to my diet.  {I'm now a former skeptic-turned believer in the benefits of chiropractic care.}

But all was not right just yet and we continued to sort out what was causing it.

I came to a breaking point in August when she had green diarrhea for nearly three weeks after eating a few bites of sweet potato.   She had cradle cap so severe that her hair wasn't growing up top.  No matter what I did, the inflammation continued.

{Isn't this just so sad.  I took this picture in mid-September.}

In September, as she approached her first birthday, still not able to handle much in the way of solid food, we started to pray hard.  Not that I hadn't been praying before, but I think I assumed she would just grow out of it.  As her birthday was coming up, the seriousness of the situation started to hit.  As I interceded for our daughter, God built my faith.  We prayed and prayed and then one day noticed that the inflammation on her head was gone.  Since then her hair has started to grow and two weeks ago, I received wonderful news that she can tolerate ME having butter, eggs (in baked goods only), peanuts and oatmeal.  Woot.  I'm now only having to avoid milk, cheese and scrambled eggs and she is adding new veggies to her plate each week {but currently still on a grain-free diet}.  Her sensitivities are subsiding!

She is happy and we have a tight bond forged through this last year of this trial.  Isn't God good?

 
I have a new found respect and understanding for parents who have children suffering from food allergies and I'm now proud that I can cook around just about any allergy! Do any of you or your children suffer from food sensitivities/allergies?  How did you adjust?