Dairy, dairy quite contrary...

Well the time has come. We have come to the conclusion that Molly is allergic to dairy and eggs. This has been a VERY long journey - so glad it's over - and now we can go on with our lives... DAIRY FREE.

This all started when Molly was about 3 months old. I remember noticing that behind her ears were really dry, and red. We were living in Utah at the time so I just figured she had dry skin. I just made sure that we washed really well behind her ears, and lotion-ed them up well. She also had a pretty bad problem pooping. She would usually always cry or scream when she had to poop. Again, just thought it was nothing.... she's a baby, she would grow out of it, right?

We moved to Oregon when she was 4 months old. Her pooping situation grew to EVERY. TIME. she needed to poop. She SCREAMED. She turned red - it was AWFUL! Someone had to hold her while she finished her business, and it sometimes would take 15 minutes!

I remember this one day so vividly- she was about 11 months old - I was in the kitchen fixing lunch and Molly was playing on the floor next to me. I looked over and she had a death grip on the fire place and her face was starting to turn red. I ran over to her and held her so tight to me. I was trying to console her. She screamed and cried and she held her body stick straight for over 20 minutes *this is where it gets pretty graphic* .... I ran downstairs with her to the changing table, pulled off her diaper, pushed her knees up to her chest, and THEN she was able to relieve herself. It was AWFUL going through just that 20 + minutes. I thought "THIS IS NOT NORMAL!!!!" I called my sister-in-law, Jenny (who I always call for all my medical needs!) and told her what was going on. She advised me to call the pediatrician. I called and made the appointment.

Enter Doctor who I am no longer fond of.

He told me that she was just constipated and it was no big deal. He told me to start giving her Mirolax. Every day. I thought, "ok, whatever, this will pass, she won't need to be on this for long..." I then brought up her rash behind her ears that she still had since she was a baby. He said she has eczema. And told me to put hydrocortisone on the rash three times a day til pretty much - always.

Okay whatever.

I wasn't happy with that meeting... But I didn't really have any other answers...

I did the cream -didn't work. I used the mirolax - did work. However, she couldn't NOT take it. Which I didn't like.

MONTHS later, I started noticing she had really red arm pits. Kinda rashy. At that time I couldn't remember how long I had even noticed them. So I just really made sure we cleansed her really well, and used lotion after every batch.

At every well visit check up, I brought up all these issues. And every time the doc told me the SAME thing... eczema and constipation. "Keep using the hydrocortisone cream EVERY day."

FINALLY- When Molly was almost 2 - I started noticing that her diapers would smell really bad. Not poopy - PEE. You know when you can tell a baby pooped, by how bad the smell was? Well I could tell every time Molly would pee, just by the smell. WEIRD. At first, all I could think of is maybe we weren't washing well enough down there. or maybe we weren't changing her diapers as frequently. AND she had a really bad diaper rash that would NOT go away. This went on for at LEAST 3 months. Probably longer.... So then I was thinking maybe she was allergic to the diaper wipes, or the lotion. SOOOO- I made all natural baby wipes And all natural lotion! Yes... I went THAT far! (sidenote- I absolutely LOVE the wipes, and will no longer be buying wipes. Actually, I love the lotion too. Never buying store stuff again) Well those things didn't help clear up anything, so obviously that wasn't it.

I took her back to the pediatrician. He ran tests for bladder infection and urinary tract infection. Both tests came back negative. So what was his suggestion for how to help my sweet little girl?!

NOTHING. He said absolutely nothing. I brought up EVERY LITTLE THING that she has a problem with: the rash behind her ears, the rash under her armpits, the constipation, the smelly urine, AND the diaper rash!! Come ON!!!!!!!!!! He just told me to keep using the rash cream and the Miralax. I brought up my thoughts on a possible food allergy and he said there was "no way she has a food allergy" because if she did "she would have hives or her tongue would swell....". But if I wanted a recommendation for an allergist, he would give me one. I pretty much said,

"GOOD DAY, SIR"

Next stop: my Auntie Carolyn. She graduated as a naturopathic doctor last year. She definitely knows everything! :) I talked to her last month and she recommended taking Molly off of dairy, wheat and eggs for three weeks. THREE WEEKS. yikes. So we did. I won't get into that... just know that it was VERY hard! But we did it! (YAAY) After the three weeks we were to introduce her to dairy for one day. After three days from that - ALL OF HER SYMPTOMS CAME BACK. I was shocked - and very relieved. Relieved that we had an answer to her issues! Then we added gluten. After three days - nothing happened. (Woo hoo!!) Then we added eggs. After three days- sure enough rashes under her armpits surfaced, and her diaper rash came back.

So there you have it. That is our last month's journey to Molly's health!

No more dairy and eggs for this girl! (which is a blessing!)

So in conclusion: I am very proud of us for sticking with this strict 'test' with Molly. I'm so thankful for everyone who supported us. It truly helped us stay motivated! I am SOOOO proud of Molly for being so receptive to all of this. She ate some pretty weird stuff this past month - and she was a champ! :)

I love her so freaking much. And I'm so thankful we found the reason for all of this so she will feel better.

P.S. I will no longer be going to her pediatrician. I am shocked of the lack of support and advisement we received. :(