Hi, my son was diagnosed with a severe dairy allergy. The doctor has advised me to eliminate all dairy from my diet since I’m nursing. I know nothing about food allergies. Where do I start?
Hi! I’m so happy your doctor was able to catch this, and make sure that your milk is exactly what your son needs. The good news for you is that we’re living in a time where dairy free items are widely available. I’ve linked to my best dairy free articles here for you. It’s going to explain everything, as well as give you all the steps needed to go dairy free. I’m also going to link to a couple more resources you may find helpful. If you’re a fan of podcasts, I was a guest on Mommy Labor Nurse and we talked a lot about newborns and dairy allergies.
As you eliminate milk from your diet, be sure to keep a detailed food journal. Look for any and all signs that your baby might be having a reaction. I talk more about this in the Newly Diagnosed Baby Course. If you see signs, that usually means that you’re consuming foods made on shared equipment with milk and your son isn’t able to tolerate those trace amounts.
Shared equipment means that equipment was used to make something that contains milk, it was cleaned, then was used to make something that’s milk free. Some labels have the info, and some don’t. Be sure to enroll in the free Newly Diagnosed eCourse where I go into great detail on this kind of information.
After eliminating all trace amounts of milk, if your son still has reactions, make sure you’re using milk free bath and body products (yes, milk is there too). If that doesn’t correct things, work with your child’s allergist to make sure there aren’t other allergies.
Please know that this moment is probably the hardest everything will be. There’s so much to learn and you want to be the best mom you can be and nourish your son. You will. You’re going to learn, you’re going to adapt, you’re going to see improvements, and you’re going to see how capable you are. I promise, you can tackle this diagnosis and thrive.
I’d also invite you to come back to the website as your son gets older, as there are lots of free-from toddler, kid, and adult resources here on the website.
Newly Diagnosed & Dairy Free Resources
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