> Barb wrote:
>
> "How rare are these allergies we are talking about?  Dairy I
> see fairly
> frequently, but peanuts, shell fish, and citrus, is there any
> protein in
> citrus?"
>

this depends on your clients genetics. I find celiac to be much more common
than I would have thought in people with blue/green eyes and blonde hair.
peanuts, shellfish - small sample but in a local group of 8 homeschooling
families, there are 3 families with nut allergies, 2 with celiac, 1 with
dairy, 1 with shellfish. One of these children has all but the nut
allergies, so that explains the incredibly high incidence.  IMHO any food
that a culture overdoes is likely to end up causing allergy or intolerance.
there is a theory that your body needs certain nutrients to break down /
digest certain proteins. if you overdo a food, you use up the nutrients
needed to digest that food and cause a problem. that's why eliminating the
food for 6 months; followed by a gentle introduction of it; and a more
balanced diet; can solve the problem.

> "I have read many articles about colick and the normal neurological
> changes/behavior patterns in newborns the first four months
> of life.   Are we
> just desperately trying to help desperate mothers with normal
> colicky/fussy
> babies? "
>
> "Should we be mothering the mother instead of having them try
> all of these
> strict diets?  At what point do we say enough is enough? "
>

when you have a child with colic, everything in your body and mind screams
to solve the problem. the stress on the mother, in particular, is amazing
and IMHO intentional / purposeful. who else will hunt doggedly to stop this
child's pain? enough is enough when the mother says it is.

>
> " At what point can we say this must be an allergy and we
> must try a special
> diet.   I have had mother's eliminate dairy and even soy.
> But to go to only
> rice, squash and turkey???????????"
>

again, IMHO you must look to the mom. If there is a family history of one
allergy, then go for that one. If the baby is uncomfortable but thriving,
then start small. If you've got a baby who's vomitting up every feed,
pooping blood, screaming for hours in agony every day, and the doctor has
suggested formula, then try the drastic approach.

>
> " How bad are these babies really?  Are they physically
> compromised or is it
> more of a difficult situation for the parents to put up with the
> crying???????? "
>

when my youngest had colic, she pooped blood. that seems pretty bad to me. I
didn't put up with her crying. I cried with her. I knew she was in pain and
hoped that if I just thought hard enough, maybe I could find the solution.

some people becomed hardened to their child's pain; others become raw
because of it. I believe our job is to help the raw ones and maybe soften up
the hardened ones. these babies are made to thrive on their mom's milk so
let's fix it!

>
> "Our goal is to make nursing something that can fit easily
> into a person's
> life so she can breastfeed for one or two years.  How can she
> do that if she
> lives on millet?"
>

four points:
1) the restricted diet is temporary. it is a rare child who has multiple
food allergies. more commonly, only one food needs to be avoided for the
duration of breastfeeding.
2) the mom will need to learn to cook for her child anyways. she will need
to learn a new diet anyways! why not experiment on herself?
3) rarely, the mom has allergies herself and is asymptomatic. celiac is like
that sometimes until your intestines are totally hosed and then it can be
fatal. maybe the child is doing the mom a favor!
4) as the child gets older, it's so much nicer for them to not be alone in
their dietary restrictions. "You and Mommy can't eat that but we can eat X."

I have lived without dairy, soy, gluten, shellfish and peanuts for over 2
years and without dairy, shellfish and peanuts for 5 years. I feel much
better and my children are healthy. It's doable and I'm not walking around
feeling sorry for myself either. I have benefitted tremendously from my
child's allergies. discovering the allegies is the end of the agony - not
the beginning!

Rachael Barlow

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