Dairy (or the lack thereof)

While I've never been much of a milk drinker (it's just yucky), I have always been a big fan of cheese. I cover everything in a fine layer of cheese - salads, roasted vegetables, pasta... truly, the day I found out about cheesecake had to've been one of the happiest days of my life (cheese? for dessert?! i may cry!)

This is why the last few months have been such a struggle for me. You see, the BabyBeast is one of those wonderful little nurslings who cannot tolerate dairy proteins. And I'm one of the lucky 50% of women who pass the proteins through her breastmilk and into her infant.

We discovered the problem when he was about 4.5 months old, and I noticed blood in his diapers and BBLP (more alarming in the BBLP, because there it was, bright as day against the white plastic). His pediatrician put together a stuffy nose, a red ring around his anus, and the bloody/mucosy stools and told me to stay away from eggs and dairy for the next couple months.

I was able to add eggs back in with no ill effect, but since then anytime I accidentally (or purposefully, to test if his reaction has faded) eat dairy, we have to endure three to five days of misery. That isn't an exaggeration. I mean 'misery.'

The BabyBeast is inconsolable. Everything breaks his tiny Beastly heart, from banging his head while crawling to dropping a toy. And he doesn't just cry, he sobs and wails and turns interesting colors.

Well, I accidentally consumed cheese that had been cunningly disguised within my taco (by being sprinkled liberally on top of it). Needless to say, the last couple days have been... colorful. And I don't just mean the baby's face.

Luckily, we've not had a return of the bloody poo, but the stuffy nose, mucosy stools, and general misery have settled in and I suddenly find myself the center of one very angry, fussy baby's universe. If you've ever tried to change a diaper while nursing, you will understand how I am feeling right about now. Especially if, the moment your nipple escape his lips, the baby attempted to turn itself inside-out with fury and misery.

So, I'm back to eye-balling my food suspiciously, and hoping that nothing will sneak in (by walking boldy in front of me and throwing itself onto my food). The pediatrician assures me most babies get over dairy sensitivities by the time they're 12-15 months. I'd find that more reassuring if it wasn't another five months before he'll be 15 months.

I wonder how he'd react if I had goat's cheese? And why is it I only think of that when we're in the throes of dairy-reaction-Hell?