Diagnosis Murder

One of the programmes on the telly that 'Baby' really loves is called 'Get Well Soon'.

The premise is that a variety of colourful puppet characters visit a very kind and attractive young doctor (Dr Ranj), who listens carefully to his 'patients', and always diagnoses their complaints correctly, whilst informing them about what's happening to their bodies, so that they're not scared.

It has an upbeat and catchy theme tune, with a line that, although I'm sure it was composed with the best of intentions, always makes me wince. It goes something like this:

'... the doctor always knows what is good for you...'

I can't help thinking, 'If only this was always true. If only it always was that simple.'

I'm writing this post, because although I have covered this before, I had a conversation recently that completely shocked me and brought to my attention that here is still so much ignorance about this condition - within the MEDICAL PROFESSION... never mind anyone else!!! 

Don't get me wrong - I'm not knocking the medical profession. I feel not so much anger, as despair - as my diagnosis of the issue is that the problem mostly appears to be down to lack of knowledge. 

'What on earth is going on?' I think to myself, 'that this can still be allowed to happen? And that other mothers are still being passed off as hysterical first-time mothers, to whom motherhood has just come as a bit of a shock, and who are overreacting to the realities of life with a new baby??'

This is the way in which I am convinced they viewed me, when I tried to discuss my concerns about Baby, when, as merely a two week old, she began exhibiting the following symptoms:

• pretty much constant mustard yellow, watery, explosive diarrhea which leaked everywhere (usually shortly after a feed)

• writhing due to what looked like stomach pain before, during and after a bowel movement

• full-volume heart-breaking wailing before, during and after a bowel movement

• a very red, sore, 'burnt'-looking bottom that nothing seemed to ease

• very little sleep - short bursts only, day and night (so very little sleep for me too)

• constantly hungry day and night (because food was passing through so quickly)

• struggling to maintain weight (if I hadn't switched to feeding on demand, I think she would have struggled to gain weight, even more than she did)

Ten midwives, two GPs (doctors) and one health visitor, failed to make the connection, between these symptoms and cow's milk protein intolerance - now referred to, more correctly, as Non-Ige mediated Cow's Milk Protein Allergy. 

Instead, these were the things I was told:

• the red bum was due to nappy rash - I should clean it up straight away (I was, what on earth did they think I was trying to do?), use Metanium nappy cream (which actually made her sorer) and give Baby 'air time' without a nappy to get the air to her skin (pretty tricky with constant explosive diarrhoea)

• my latch (the way a Baby fastens onto the breast - I was breastfeeding) was wrong

• she had thrush and I should use an anti-fungal cream on her bottom (that cream really hurt her raw botty)

• because she was born early (three weeks) her intestines weren't fully developed and needed to heal

'Baby' in the early days

I cannot tell you how low I felt at this time - I just do not have the words to describe it. 

It was truly horrible though - looking at our suffering newborn and feeling completely helpless. I mean where do you go, if the GP can't help you??

I  do remember wondering how on earth I was going to carry on and get through it. 

So when I hear of others going through the same thing, it brings back the pain and sense of helplessness and makes me sad, frustrated and angry. 

We need to change this situation! There are others out there who need to know about this. I can't bear to think that there are others who are still having to suffer - because they can't get a correct diagnosis... it's murder...  

Don't believe me? Think I'm overreacting? Well, looking back, I am pretty sure I was suffering from post-natal depression, as a result of all this. Let me tell you that it was only my faith, along with my love for my husband and Baby that kept me from contemplating the route to suicide.

One more thing - if you have a similar story to share, inbox or tweet me. I'd like to include some of your stories, as the symptoms that I've listed might be different to yours. 

Let's get the knowledge out there!

Challenging Baby - the adventure continues??

Whoever, first compared life to a roller-coaster was quite right, weren't they? Give that person a gold star, I say! After all my nervous excitement, the other day, it seems like we're back to Numero Uno, Square One!

Not daring to trust that Baby had truly passed Stage One - the biscuit-containing-milk-as-an-ingredient challenge, I decided to try Baby out with the biscuit that's always been her stumbling block before. Why? I don't know. I just had an inkling that until she conquered this one, she wouldn't be ready. Perhaps one of the tastiest biscuits EVER invented, it's the good old Malted Milk, or 'Cow Biscuit,' as it's otherwise known.

Instead of opting for the traditional shape, though, I bought a packet containing several small bags, as, this way, if the challenge failed, I hadn't wasted a whole pack of biscuits and could keep the rest of the sealed bags for next time.

You can get them in little bags, these days!

I discovered, on opening the first pack, that there six of these inside:

They look fun, huh?

Six seemed a bit excessive for a first go, so we gave Baby three - which we judged to be about the same as one normal Malted Milk biscuit. In hindsight, maybe one would have been better, for a first go! I would have loved to have eaten the other three, but, being gluten free now, I couldn't, so The Hub had the rest. She, (quite predictably) loved them and was most upset with Daddy for eating the other half of her pack!

Once she'd eaten them, all we could do was sit and wait, to see what happened next. Baby seemed fine, so we tried again the next day. That night she didn't sleep that well. But Baby's often disturbed in her sleep and had a cold, which was more likely to make her restless, so I pushed that to one side. She passed wind, quite a bit this morning (and quite loudly, too), but I put that to one side. After breakfast she complained of tummy ache, but she was overdue a poo, so I put that to one side too.

When she did her poo, though, (avert your eyes if this is too much information for you) it was quite soft, not hard (as it would be if she was constipated) and it was more yellowy than normal. It was the familiar mustardy yellow colour caused by milk. It stank to high heaven too. As I cleared it away, I could see that her skin was beginning to look irritated. That's when I knew that the game was up!!

When Baby has a nappy like this, it's important to clean off all traces of poo really thoroughly, preferably with cotton wool and water. Any poo left on the skin will continue to irritate, as it contains acid. In fact the best thing to do, is really to dunk Baby in the bath. Usually, this leaves the skin nice and clear. Once the skin is clean, it needs a barrier to protect it - in the event of any further episodes. Vaseline is undoubtedly the best. A thick layer of that really does the trick.

I'm so glad I didn't go straight to Stage Two. She obviously wasn't ready, yet. It would have probably have left her very discomforted. It leaves me wondering though - whether we need a list of biscuits, ranking them in order of those least likely to affect one to those most likely. That way we could work our way up the scale, until Baby's ready for the next stage. If you know of one, do let me know, won't you??

So, we're back to the drawing board again - at least for now, anyway. Although, not quite! She's never got this far with a Malted Milk before, so she's improving - albeit maddeningly slowly!!

Related Posts:

Challenging Baby!

Challenging Baby!

Well, there's no doubt that 'Baby' has become more challenging recently. Three full-length toddler tantrums thrown today. However, this post's not so much about challenging behaviour as about Baby's response to cow's milk protein.

Diagnosed as cow's milk protein intolerant (we've since found out that this is an out-dated term - she is allergic to cow's milk) at the grand age of one month, we were assured by the pediatrician we saw at the time, that most children grow out of it by the age of two. That milestone passed, the dietitian shrugged and revised the age to four. 

Well, we've not reached that stage yet, but, now that we've moved, I've requested a referral to a specialist, to which surprisingly, the Doctor very swiftly agreed. No sooner had I made the request, than she was scribbling madly on her pad and informing me that the letter would be in the post. 

All prepared for the third degree, and what-not, I was quite taken aback. I mean I was expecting to have to push a little bit to persuade someone or another, but before I knew it, we were back outside the door. And now, we have the letter! 

Well, sort of. The letter informs us that we have a telephone appointment to assess our needs. 'Hmm! Right! Well,' I thought, 'what on earth will that entail??'

So, in order to prepare myself, I've decided to carry out a kind of audit - height, weight and a milk challenge!

Challenges are something that the Dietitian has asked us to do some time prior to each appointment. We can carry them out at home, because Baby's allergy is Non-Ige and so her condition is not life threatening. Therefore if the milk doesn't agree with her, it will make her temporarily uncomfortable, until it has passed out of her system. In the early days, this meant pretty much immediate excruciating tummy pain, much writhing and wailing, followed by watery, explosive diarrhea and a very sore bum (the soreness comes from acid, produced by the stomach) - all within the hour. It's not something we do lightly - no one wants to see their child in pain. It's only on the advice of our medical professionals.*

It's been quite a while since I've properly challenged Baby. This is because we've had some form of accidental challenge (such a another child 'kindly' giving her a biscuit), around about the time a real challenge was due. This has resulted in bad nappies, wakeful nights, tummy aches, very sore botty etc. The symptoms do seem to have got lessened a bit, over time, in that they take longer to appear, and have been a bit less severe, but, as you need to wait four months for the stomach to properly heal, before trying again, progress has been frustratingly slow!

Usually, a challenge might involve Baby eating a 'normal' biscuit. In the past, I've always gone for Malted Milk - mainly because I assume that they must be quite milky, and I've wanted a definite yes or no! The idea is, that if she's okay with it, we try again - at the same time the next day. And then again, for four days in a row. After that, we would go to the next stage...

So far, we've never gone beyond the first biscuit. Tummy pains, combined with a wakeful night and a 'dodgy' nappy next day have shown that things have improved , but (so far) have not resolved.

However, now we're trying again - starting with Jaffa Cake.  

Spot the difference!

There's various reasons for this choice of biscuit:

1. Grandma slipped her one, the other month, thinking they were okay. Actually, my Mum had seen me give Baby one of my gluten free Kelkin jaffa cakes, (which also happen to be dairy free) but she hadn't realised that they were different. Funnily enough, Baby seemed okay with it, I think. So I've been looking for an opportunity to repeat the experience, as a proper challenge.

2. If Baby loves the jaffa cake, but it disagrees with her, we have our own equivalent - so it's not like giving her something and then taking it away from her again. This is quite important at the moment, as, with growing awareness of the World around her, she's feeling the fact that she's different to others, more and more.

3. It's one of Daddy's favourite nibbles, so if she can't have the rest, then the packet won't go completely to waste!!

4. This time, I'm seeing the challenge as an opportunity to add one more thing to the list of things she can eat, rather than see if she's 'better'.

I have to admit I'm feeling kind of anxious about this. The thing is, it seems to be working!!  She's had four whole days of jaffa cakes!! There have been a few tummy pains, in places, but 'Baby' often has tummy pain of some kind. She often says her tummy hurts when she's hungry, or constipated (she doesn't like eating fruit and veg - it's an ongoing battle). I don't think these particular 'pains' have been of the intolerant kind. She's also had some sore patches, but she can get these from having too much fruit juices. I've been slapping on the Vaseline, though, just to make sure.

As exciting as all this is, though, success at this stage means going on to the next stage. That worries me because after all this excitement, it could mean that at some stage we'll come to a stop. I don't want to put Baby through the pain that this could cause. If it doesn't work, there's nothing I can do about it, I just have to wait for the symptoms to pass. BUT if it does, and she's 'better'... Of course I want her to be well (so I won't have to worry about her eating something by mistake) but now I'm beginning to wonder: what if I, having been dairy free for so long, have lost my ability to digest lactose?? I guess we'll just have to wait and see!

* Food challenges should only be carried out under medical advice/supervision. Your doctor/dietitian is the best person to advise you about your particular situation.

More 'Cheese Please!' More dairy free alternatives to cheese

A few months ago, when I joined Twitter, my initial plan was to get the news out about the Dairy Free Baby and Me Blog - there's no point in writing a blog unless there are people reading it! I was keen to get out there, to pass on what I'd learned, so that others who struggled with Cow's Milk Protein Intolerance (or similar issues) would have some kind of starting point - which is what I would have liked, when I began this 'journey'. What I didn't expect, however, was that I'd find companions, friends even, to share the 'journey.' 

One such, is 'Sugarpuffish' - a beauty blogger who has grown up with eczema and various food allergies. Having grown up with these, she has a wealth of experience behind her. She is, moreover, able to do something that I cannot - which is tolerate soya. So, following my own post about dairy free cheese, she has very kindly agreed to write contribute this post about dairy free 'cheese' made with soya.

Thank you, Sugarpuffish, over to you!

I was diagnosed with allergies during my childhood. In those days there were no Free From aisles at the supermarket, soya milk was prescribed by my GP and I simply went without cheese.  I have watched the Free From market developed and the most exciting part for me has been the invention of dairy free cheeses. Unlike Dairy Free Baby and Me, I can tolerate soya so I am going to tell you about my favourite dairy free "cheeses". Before I get started people will moan at me that dairy free cheese is not very nice and tastes nothing like the real thing. I do not disagree there are some grim alternatives but for me the real thing is a distant memory and I think that what makes them easier for me to digest. Plus manufacturers are always improving techniques. I always say forget about what you are trying to replace and you can then embrace the alternatives.

My favourite hard/block cheese replacement is Sheese and I buy it at an independent health food store. There are eleven styles to choose from – Blue, Cheshire, Cheddar with Chives, Edam, Gouda, Medium Cheddar, Mild Cheddar, Red Cheddar, Mozzarella, Smoked Cheddar and Strong Cheddar. I personally like the Medium Cheddar style. I enjoy the stronger flavours as the milder varieties taste a little bland. I use hard cheeses for pizzas, sauces and topping off dishes like spaghetti bolognaise or nachos. Sheese also have spreadable varieties which I enjoy.

Tofutti is the brand I have known the longest and its from the USA.  The choice of products available in the US is larger than here and makes me rather jealous.  Tofutti is available to buy at Holland & Barrett or Goodness Direct and they usually stock spreadable cheese, slices and grated mozzarella style. Let’s start with the spreadable varieties. This is the one I most enjoy on crackers and I love the Garlic & Herb.  My Holland & Barrett also stocks Original and Herbs & Chives but I see Goodness Direct also offer French Onion, Country Vegetable, Chopped Olive and Sour.  I think it’s the flavouring that makes this dairy free cheese more enjoyable than others on the market. I have been told the Original version is excellent for Vegan cheesecake recipes.

Tofutti slices are similar to dairy counterparts. It tastes and looks fake so for that reason I think its best suited to sandwiches and burger buns. I am not going to lie it does have a distinct flavour and I have learnt to love it over the years. It is a convenient alternative to grating or chopping. It will melt but it does smell unpleasant and will affect the flavour so I do not recommend using it in this way. 

Other brands to look out for are Cheezly and Vegusto.  I buy Cheezly when I cannot get hold of Sheese. I think that Sheese is slightly superior in taste and texture but they are fairly similar. One problem I do have with Cheezly is it goes mouldy quickly. As for Vegusto, I tried this at the Allergy & Free From Show and found the texture grainy and not to my liking. Others do rave about their cheeses and it has won awards.  It retails online or at independent stores so not the easiest for me to get hold of. This is a plant based cheese alternative which is gluten, dairy and soy free.

I hope you have enjoyed reading. Thank you to Dairy Free Baby and Me for the opportunity to guest post on her blog.

Click here to check out my blog

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Out and About, Chocolate & Reasons to be Cheerful

On Monday, it was Monday Mum's. Baby and I love going - it's good for both of us - partly because it gives us something to look forward to on a Monday (especially when the weather has been so wet recently). Also it's held in a (warm) church hall, so Baby gets plenty of space to play in (something of which we don't have much at home) with other little ones whilst I get the chance to drink coffee, share some Bible, pray and socialise. I'm so thankful for the friendships I've built up there and the mutual support that we are able to offer each other. It's a real highlight of my week.


Although Baby has a problem with cow's milk, it doesn't stop us going out and mixing socially, but it does mean we need to go prepared. We're fortunate in that we don't also need to take an epipen or antihistamine with us too. I take a small selection of suitable snacks - depending on where we are going and the length of time we are going to be out. I may stick a (fun looking) label on her, to warn people about her milk problem, but if it is just a small group which we attend regularly and I am there too, I probably won't bother. If it's a new situation, with people we don't know and there's food involved, then I definitely will.

At Monday Mums the other mums know us quite well by now, so if I forget to label Baby before I go, it's not too much of a disaster. If they see Baby reaching for the chocolate or cakes left out (all too temptingly, I'm afraid) the other mums all know to step in - if I'm not paying enough attention. There are bananas left out too, but I'm afraid Baby only usually goes for them, if she's exhausted all the other options in my bag.

It was a bit hard though, the other day. I suddenly realised Baby was standing still, very near to me and giving me a 'look'. Her eyes were big and bright - full of meaning. 'Hmm!' I thought to myself, 'what's she trying to say?' Then I saw... and my heart sank. One of the other little girls there was sat on her mother's lap, right next to us. Delicately, the little girl was nibbling on a Wispa - savouring every little bit.

Baby's Buttons (and mine, if she's not careful)!

'Bother!' I thought, 'Baby's seen the chocolate - milk chocolate. And what's more that little girl is taking her time over it - extending the torture!' Baby has no idea what a Wispa tastes like, but she knows what chocolate looks like, and just like me, LOVES chocolate (dairy free of course). "Sorry Darling," I said regretfully, gently stroking Baby's face, "I'm afraid you can't have that chocolate - it's got milk in and it would make your tummy hurt." 

Baby is always so good about it. Whenever I say, "It's got milk in it, it would make your tummy hurt," she just accepts it. She doesn't beg or plead, or strop, like she would if she wanted the telly on at home. That's what kind of makes it worse, in a way. 


I'm not of course advocating that other people shouldn't eat chocolate near Baby. She's got to get used to the fact that we don't live in a dairy free world and that other people are going to be eating things that she (for now at least) can't have. 


Sometimes, I try to pre-empt such situations, by carrying a secret stash in my bag (it has to be secret or otherwise she'd empty it pretty quickly) such as Free From chocolate coins, buttons or lollies. Unfortunately, I was not prepared on  this occasion.

Of course I didn't leave it there, I couldn't! Not when she was being so good (or even if she wasn't). "You can have some of your chocolate when we get home - after you've had your lunch," I said.


It's times like these, when I am extremely thankful for Free From chocolate. The other times I'm thankful for chocolate, of course, are when I've got PMT! Chocolate was something I thought I'd kissed goodbye to, when I discovered I had to go dairy free. I was so, so glad that someone had found a way to make it without milk!


I am thankful not just for Free From chocolate, now I come to think of it, but the many  other different Free From products that are available these days. I do not know what we would do without them! 

I am taking part in the 'Reasons to be Cheerful' Blog Hop. For more reasons to be cheerful, follow the links below, and if you blog, why not join in too!

In the beginning...

The problems

It began all in the midst of that big muddle when you have your first baby and you're trying to adjust and get to grips with it all - everything is new and a bit worrying. Crying, sleepless nights and lots of poo was to be expected wasn't it? Certainly the midwives thought so, and just advised me to keep changing the nappies and give her plenty of 'air time' to keep the 'nappy rash' at bay. I was struggling with feeding her and we'd just been through the whole drama of being readmitted to hospital with a very jaundiced baby. Constantly feeding her, to overcome the jaundice, became painful and eventually we concluded that her tongue-tie could perhaps be the cause. The local doctor agreed to refer us to a private pediatrician, which is where it all got interesting!

The diagnosis

The paediatrician discounted the tongue-tie, but obviously wanting to make the most of the session, asked us if anything else was worrying me. When I mentioned the way she screwed herself up in pain before a nappy, expelled small amounts in explosive spurts and had a very sore botty, he became excited. He examined her, upon which she performed just as I had described. The paediatrician quickly reached his conclusion and dropped the bombshell that my little baby, only a month old, had an intolerance to cow's milk protein*. Cow's milk protein was apparently passing through my milk into my baby's intestines. Her intestines, unable to digest the protein properly, became uncomfortable and caused her to pass acidic poo. It was this poo which was burning the skin on her botty. The solution was simple - to go dairy free.  

The solution

I was skeptical and reluctant to believe the diagnosis - I love milk and had been ill. I certainly didn't want to drop it, just like that! However the evidence that followed, as I excluded milk from my diet, spoke for itself - within about three days the cramps in her tummy had subsided. What's more I was getting more sleep and what seemed most miraculous to me, her botty which had been raw (and which no amount of clean nappies and air time would solve) was now clear! She was a different baby! 


*I have recently discovered that the pediatrician was using a term that is currently not recognised - she would now be described as having an non-Ige allergy to cow's milk. See here to see the difference between  an Ige and a non-Ige cow's milk allergy.

What am I doing here?

My raison d'etre is simple: I'm not a vegan and I don't believe (as some people do) that milk is bad for you. In fact I love milk - in all it's many forms (so much so, that my family used to refer to me as a 'pussy cat') it's just that, for now anyway, my baby and I can't have it. 

Baby and Me!

When she was diagnosed with a cow's milk protein intolerance*, without being too melodramatic, it was a huge shock to my system - it felt like my whole world view had changed and there was a steep learning curve to follow. There was a lot of information that I felt we needed, and it was out there, but most of it we had to find for ourselves. 

Since then, I have come across others, embarking on the same journey, who are wondering quite how to go about going 'dairy free'. The idea of this blog is to try and make things easier by sharing ideas and combining all sorts of information. 

I am not by any means an expert, nor am I endorsed by any manufacturers, so if I mention a product, it's simply for the purposes of making life easier! If I can make anyone else's life simpler, easier, happier, and ease them through the same process, then it will make the whole thing seem more worthwhile. 

I am simply buzzing with ideas for this blog - it'll be fairly personal at times, as I share some of the things we've been through, but I also want to include: reviews, recipes, and useful information. If you can't see something you need or want, then please be patient with me... hopefully I'll get there. Alternatively, drop me a line and I'll see what I can do to point you in the right direction. 

Meanwhile, if anyone else has any thing else to add, I'd be more than happy to hear from them. Let's do this together, after all (as a well-known UK clothing retailer says) 'Life is out there!'

*I have since discovered that cow's milk protein intolerance is actually more correctly described as a Non-Ige mediated allergy to cow's milk protein - we have had a lot of learning to do!!