So I know I joked that it would be great if Ava was allergic to forumla because of our love for mangos and bananas. We were also convinced it was the mango or banana that caused her last flare up.
Now that she's demanding food, I've realized this week I am probably not feeding her enough. I've been feeding her mostly veggies and fruits (which the purpose is their "first tastes" -- get them comfortable with solids, textures, tastes, spoons, highchairs, and to identify any allergies). She now has her mouth open before I can refill the spoon, so it is time to be giving her more carbs & starches with a little of the veggie/fruit. So to make baby rice, oatmeal, or porridge, you have to mix it with milk (which I use to do with milk I expressed).
Well, today I mixed baby rice with organic, pasteurized, whole milk (from a cow). 3 bites in she started getting red around the mouth. I got a little nervous, but thought it was me just being anxious. But then she started crying but wouldn't open her mouth for food. The rash & swelling came quicker and worse, this time with whitish bumps, her lips swelling, and she seemed distressed. I rang 999 again who came, administered the antihistamine and then took us to the ER (or here they call it A&E for accident & emergency). This is Ava once we got to the ER. By this time the swelling had subsided.
We have her on 3 doses of steroids (2 tablets that dissolve in water, administered once for 2 more days) and the anti-histamine as needed. They said the rash might continue to show on different parts of the body as it works thru the system, but the primary concern is the swelling in the throat, which was not a concern anymore. They said that she is probably allergic to a protein in the milk and that we will 1) get referred to the Allergy Clinic for further analysis and 2) will need to get prescription formula in the event I ever run out of breastmilk.
These two pictures were taken while we were waiting.
And this back at home. I've put her back in the sleep dresses where there is extra material that flaps over her hands so she wont rub her face (although you can see her little finger has snuck out)
We were out of the hospital quickly (2 hrs) even though the pediatric ER was packed. It was sad to be surrounded by such really sick children. I was blessed my little one was rolling, smiling, and trying to put the doctor's notes in her mouth.
So if Ava does have a milk allergy, they said she will likely grow out of it by age 2 or 3. It is also weird because she's been getting dairy proteins via breast milk and I consume all dairy. At first I was thinking how funny God is to save money for us thru Prescription Formula (prescription stuff for babies are free in the UK), but then I was thinking about poor Ava. No icecream, chocolate, cheese, yogurt. I came home and threw out half the canned food I bought, which contained diary.
But again, I sat in that ER and smiled at how the Lord prepared us and was with us during all this:
*I am glad Peter was with me the first morning when Ava vomited & got the rash, because I feel like I would not have called the ambulance for fear of over-reacting.
*Because of Ava's rash the day before and because I had prayed about the cow's milk before feeding her, I felt I was able to quickly identify and act on the rash this time.
*for some reason I randomly ate dinner before I fed Ava dinner
*Ava randomly had a 3 hr nap and slept until 2:45 which meant she wasn't cranky at all in the evening.
*I had purchased some breakfast in a jar to take on the flight to the US; had we not known about processed milk, this could have happened to us on the flight.
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