Answer: Hi There,
Thanks for your question to Glenda, I hope that I can assist in some way. I know exactly how difficult it can be to find an appointment into one of the major city hospital Allergy Clinics, and as you have found from your doctors so far, often unless there are major reactions such as anaphylaxis, it can be frustrating to know that you can`t easily access these specialists. You may be able to ask for a referral to a specialised dietitian (one who specialises in food sensitivities), who can assist you with the right medical direction.

It`s not unusual for some babies to be allergic to strawberries, my little one would come up in hives if I ate a strawberry before breastfeeding him, and then if one touched his skin it would swell or rash up. It may be worthwhile just eliminating any contact with strawberries for the time being (including mixing them on the same plate as other fruits, as the juices run), and when older try again, depending on what type of reaction your daughter has already. There could be other fruits and vegetables that could also be causing the reflux, and also ingredients within some of the foods that you have introduced.

However, until you have seen an allergy specialist for a wide range of skinprick tests, it can be difficult to know exactly which foods to eliminate, and having guidance from a dietitian who understands your child`s needs is a good start.

It`s good that you have kept breastfeeding up all through this, I continued on well after the year as my son could not tolerate any specialised formula`s or soy milk. If you are continuing to breastfed for the time being, if you are not already doing this, you should also try to exclude all dairy products (including casein and whey)from your diet and should take a daily calcium supplement for your own health. This stops any dairy being introduced via your breast milk, causing reflux or reactions.

Also, while you are trying to reduce your child`s medication, it might be useful to keep a diary of reactions, behavioural changes, listing any food intake, with times of feeds etc, so you can clearly show any patterns for future specialists. I found this really useful during the time I could not get in to see a specialist, so I had information ready at hand when I could get a further opinion. This can also work well if you find that weaning off the medication isn’t successful as there will be evidence for the doctor to see as well. Some babies are able to come off their medication successfully, while others will need to continue on with it for some time.

If you are still breastfeeding, then more restricted diets (e.g. no wheat, eggs, nuts) should only be undertaken with supervision from a dietitian and only if there is strong suspicion that the baby has multiple food protein intolerances, which you said you already consider. If you just take out all dairy from your diet, then if there is no major changes after two weeks, resume your regular diet so you can compare.

Unfortunately, studies have found that up to 50% of babies who are allergic to cow`s milk protein are also allergic to soy milk protein, so don`t be discouraged if your child falls into this category. Mine would tolerate it on the day, but the reaction would happen the next day for a few days afterwards (and I have heard of some babies being even more sensitive to soy than to cow’s milk). I eventually supplemented breast milk feeds with calcium enriched rice milk at night to settle him at night and still use rice milk instead of any dairy or follow on formulas etc. It took time to find out that this worked, so just good for you to know that here are other options out there (and yes, lights at the end of the tunnel). And nowadays, there are huge varieties of foods that can be given in place of wheat/dairy/egg if necessary, that with a bit of extra time reading of labels, you may find the older your child is the more variety can be introduced.

Good luck with the next stage of your journey, it sounds like you`ve been doing a great job so far in difficult circumstances. If you need additional advice, please let us know.

Kind regards,
Brenda (c/~o RISA)