When my daughter Annika was born, she was a healthy, bubbly baby who would smile in her sleep (and smile when she pooped). It wasn’t until 6 weeks old that we started to notice her getting fussy and a rash developing in the folds of her neck.
Being a new mom, I freaked out. So we took her to two paediatricians before she was diagnosed with an allergy to the protein in cow’s milk.
I was obviously upset but I did some reading and found that most babies grow out of this allergy by the time they are one year old, you just need to learn how to minimise it in the meantime. So I launched into full-on allergy-alert mode (cue mom superhero music). First thing I did; breastfeed and go dairy-free.
Since any trace of cow’s milk that I consumed would trigger her allergy, it was essential to change my diet. At this point, I still had some baby weight lovingly sticking to me so I decided what the heck; just eliminate all highly allergenic foods like soy protein, eggs, seafood and peanuts.
I keep a food diary and spent a little extra time reading food labels looking out for hidden milk ingredients like casein and whey. I found that when a label said “may contain traces” it meant that foods were produced using the same machinery alongside other foods produced with milk. On most occasions I found that those foods were safe to eat without Annika having an allergic reaction.
I have to admit, at some point the unsafe foods list grew quite long but the upside to this strict new diet: I lost 7 kgs, Yay! Once I had predetermined “safe” foods, meal planning got easier. If I really got stuck, Milkfreemom and Skinnyms were really helpful with food recipes.
But of course being Malaysian, I had my mamak food cravings and to my delight most local foods are safe to eat because they are more rice-based. So you can still enjoy a plate of vegetarian nasi lemak (minus the egg), rice noodles or tosai complete with accompanying chutneys.
Although I eliminated fish, I did sneak it in occasionally since it started to get boring living on chicken all week. For me, baby shark was the best – nutritious, allergy free and great for boosting my milk supply. You can buy them at most wet markets; I got mine from PJ Old Town.
When eating out, I quizzed the waiter. I ask them if I could make special requests like swopping seafood for chicken or having salad dressing served on the side. I had a repertoire of meals I knew were “safe” and opted for those instead of trying new things. I found it helpful to explain my baby’s allergy to waiters and ask to speak to their manager if they were not sure about items on the menu. You’ll be surprised how accommodating some restaurants are when they know you have an allergy. It’s also worth mentioning though that some foods like breads and pastas come premade or “store bought” even in restaurants, either find a place that you know makes their own stuff or just avoid it for now.
When grocery shopping I relied more on supermarkets like Cold Storage and Jaya Grocer, simply because they carried food from brands like Waitrose that clearly labelled dairy and peanut allergies. But these days most supermarkets have an organic food aisle.
If you have a sweet tooth like me go to OPIKA in 1 Utama or BMS Organics in Empire Shopping Gallery to get a big bag of gluten free chocolate chip cookies from Gutten. You can’t tell the difference. You can also make your own ice cream – just blend frozen bananas and leave them in the freezer til they harden.
And now, 8 months and 2 weeks later, Annika’s allergies are almost all gone. I can honestly say, having a baby with a cow’s milk allergy is a challenge to say the least. But with a little determination and a lot of food label reading, it can be managed.
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Andrea Samuel is a full time working mom with 10+ years of experience in media. Mom to 8-month-old Annika Elyssa, she finds that these days the toughest negotiations takes place during mealtimes when she tries to get her daughter to finish every last piece of food.
