One year after diagnosis

So, we got Sasha's latest RAST blood test results a few months ago - mid July in fact. I was pretty nervous as soon as they had her blood despite feeling quite confident in the weeks leading up to it, but then all of a sudden I began to doubt it would be good news. However her results were fantastic.

I don't have the actual numbers in front of me but I do know that in just under 12 months, her dairy allergy went from 100+ down to 12, her egg allergy went from around 10 to just under 2 and the peanut was around 4.5 down to 0.2 or something, low enough to be a zero score on paper.

So that was pretty incredible really and I sat stunned for several minutes afterwards! We booked Sash in for a baked egg challenge at the specialist's office for around 3 weeks after those blood test results and she passed - yay! In fact, about two weeks ago, I trialled her on scrambled/fried eggs based on a gut feeling and she appears to be tolerating those just fine also. We're still avoiding tree nuts for now (almonds, walnuts etc) as well as seafood for her. Last time I gave her a piece of salmon sushi she came out in hives on her face for the first time ever, so she won't be having fish for a little while but I still have it from time to time and she doesn't appear to react to it via breast milk.

This is what I wrote on my personal facebook page not so long ago to sum up where we were at:
"Just taking a second to blow our trumpets here so bear with me... Just under a year ago, almost to the week, I was sitting in a specialists office with an eczema covered, failure to thrive baby being told she had severe multiple food allergies and it would take 5-10 years to outgrow them. After persevering with breastfeeding while also embarking on a fairly restrictive healing diet, today I'm pretty stoked to say both Sasha and I had a fried egg for breakfast, that her milk scores have reduced by almost 90% and her peanut allergy is currently at zero although it's still yet to be challenged... she loves food and eating and is active and lively and has a very healthy size puku (tummy for non-New Zealanders). So even if we still have a few backward steps because our allergy journey isn't over yet, we've made fantastic progress in under a year and I just wanted to share that with everyone because I'm pretty damn proud of us, including my husband who does some pretty long hours so that I can buy the food we need, and has been as supportive of this as anyone could ever expect. " 

The support was really cool to read, so thank you to anyone who commented with their encouragement!

Am currently contemplating going grain-free as much as possible, so pretty much doing paleo but without fish or treenuts (will review this in a few months) so currently running down all the grains in our rice. I think I'll keep rice noodles for her because they're just so slurp-tastically fun for her to eat. Plus I'll probably still have sushi and a bagel from time to time - just less of the stuff on a day to day basis.

Next on the list is study online to become a food coach/mentor to help other families transition to a completely new way of eating, especially for those dealing with allergies or intolerances - quite excited really.

I've also started a Facebook group called "Healing Food Allergies... Naturally" if anyone is interested in joining! Just a place to chat and share stories or ask questions where natural options and healing via nutrition are safe topics and everyone feels supported :)

One Tired Mama

Eeek, has it really been 2.5 months since my last post! Never underestimate the need for sleep as a complete lack of it for the last few months has really affected me.  DD's sleeping nosedived in early November and I finally concede it's no longer a phase. We went from a little girl who had 3 good naps a day, most of which she went down pretty easily for... to an anxious, overtired baby that needs to be fed to sleep and prefers rather strongly to sleep in our arms. It takes me/us 2 hours to get her to sleep many nights even when you see she is incredibly tired, only for her to wake 45 minutes later. Day sleeps are generally reliant on being in the car or pram but I think that at least is getting a bit better - she still clearly needs two naps a day but can't seem to resettle after the first sleep cycle so isn't getting enough during the day. We don't use sleep training (with daily encouragement from the Natural Parent magazine group on Facebook which we also have a subscription to) so are just going with it, but not getting much zzzz's either which means I have been pretty exhausted and since getting her to sleep takes so much time, it hasn't left much for food preparation and meal planning. It has been lovely to see her personality emerge recently though - I think she's rather feisty too, just like her mum!

We still do organic chicken broth (thanks to my mum who makes some for us every fortnight) which I use to make her food and I eat sauerkraut most days but haven't been doing the necessary level of cooking, probiotics and supplements that the diet requires. Baby seems to react to eating sauerkraut in terms of having a red face and hands but she does seem to really like the taste of it (who would have thought!), so I really need to ramp things up and start making my own.

There has been some good stuff though - her RAST blood tests taken 4 months after diagnosis showed no new allergies (as per the RAST anyway, the skin prick did show sensitisation to soy, wheat and fish) and all the results halved or better so that is encouraging! I've met some fantastic mums recently through the Allergy NZ Facebook page who have babies with allergies too and we're getting to know each other but it's both a relief and refreshing to meet others in similar situations. Plus there is another mum doing GAPS. Yay! We speak the same language!

So what's next... well this is a list of things I'd like to do over the next few weeks:
1. Read the Gut and Psychology Syndrome book - so far all my info has come from the internet or Sherry so I need to actually read what Dr Natasha Campbell-McBride wrote and then develop an plan for the next 5 months to take us too the next RAST blood test
2. Buy Fermented Cod Liver Oil and start taking along with daily probiotics and the other supplements sitting on my kitchen bench
3. Experiment with water kefir and maybe Kombucha
4. Read the No Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley!!
5. Try NAET therapy - our first session is booked for next month
6. Give baby new foods to try - I've been really scared to do this but her diet is very restricted right now and we could definitely widen it a little so that she gets the nutrition her growing body needs.
7. Get into a good weekly routine that involves spending fun times with baby, developing as a mum, walking by the beach, seeing both old and new friends, spending time with family, preparing and eating the right foods, healing, sleep, reading, relaxation, occasionally giving our fur-girls a good pat (Reeks will take any attention she can get right now even if it is baby pulling handfuls of her fur out) and reconnecting with my husband.
8. Post more regularly on this blog
9. Investigate studying to be a holistic nutrition coach specialising in childhood allergies - I think there is a real gap for this...

Wish us luck xx