Michi8
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Yeah, that makes sense on some level. But if that's the case - that it can be natural - then why, when you do a search on it, does it always talk about it appearing during pregnancy and going away after?
I read that it can also be related to adrenal insufficiency... don't know what to think.
Thanks for the post.
Because "they" always talk about averages. There will always be people that experience things differently. Some people simply have darker pigmentation, and the way that their skin appears will change over time. "Age spots" are one example.
If you are concerned, go to your doctor to get it checked out. Have blood work done to rule out hormone issues, vitamin/mineral deficiencies, etc.
Michelle
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It may just be the way your skin colouring is, and likely nothing to be concerned about. The wikipedia page suggests that increasing folic acid intake may decrease it: Open Original Shared Link
When I'm pregnant, my linea negra extends from the bottom of my ribs to below my belly button...my skin has a tendency to darken where I have scars or injuries as well...and takes a long time to fade away.
Michelle
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My son is almost 7 months old, and this is what I'm doing: first off - NO cereals at all - they're not a necessary part of the diet. I started solids the day before he turned 6 months (which was a Sunday). His first foods were banana and avocado. I'm going by that list that somebody else posted (the Hall publications one). And I'm also waiting a full 7 days rather than the "usual" 4. I'm starting new foods in the mornings to watch for any reactions - I don't want to deal with a food reaction at 2 am if I can help it. Also, until a baby is about 6 months old their gut is still immature and "open" - which raises their risk of food allergies even more, as well as intestinal irritation. I'm just making my own foods so far too - it's really easy and I know for sure what's in it (the fruit/veggie and maybe a little water to thin it out if needed).
Making your own baby food is great...and easy. I used to cook food (using organic where I could), process them with my Moulinex food grinder and then freeze it in ice cube trays. It's the perfect serving size and quick to reheat. For the very first foods, I'd use breastmilk to thin them out.
For an older baby I had a book with some really good baby food recipes: The Baby Cookbook by Karin Knight, RN and Jeannie Lumley. There were a quite a few tasty combinations with bite sizes foods. One favourite for my eldest was green beans with carrot and apple.
Michelle
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I have your symptoms exactly. (itchy like dry skin but no rash etc. comes and goes) Mine also started a couple of months ago. (must be the water in Virginia). We are in the process of experementing with different laundry products. I actually bought some Tide a while back when we could not get Arm and Hammer. Right now we are going to try All free and clear and see what happens. Will post results.
Tom
I think the water could very well be a culprit too. Sometimes I suspect it's the water here that troubles my skin more than soaps or detergents...especially when I have no issue with my soap (for sensitive skin) for long stretches of time, then, all of a sudden, my skin will be burning and itching.
Seems to be a cyclical thing. I wonder if it's a combination of winter dryness and levels of chloramine and/or trace minerals & chemicals in the water...the levels do change throughout the year. Chloramine (chlorine & ammonia) also doesn't dissipate from the water with aeration like chlorine does, and I know I'm very sensitive to chlorine on my skin. I won't drink the tap water anymore either because of the chloramine.
Michelle
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Oops! Double post.
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I should clarify. This is my third child, but my second since diagnosed. He is five months old. I have in the past started with rice cereal, then oats, then wheat and multi-grain. With my first after begin diagnosed, I didn't really worry, and tell the truth, I'm not so worried with this one. My doc said to start with rice then do oats, but aren't the oats contaminated? What is a good brand, Earth's best?
Thanks for the advice!!
Mari
Check out this info on feeding allergic infants (Jojena Food Allergy Scale):
Open Original Shared Link
Open Original Shared Link
There is a list of foods and their allergencity and what order to carefully introduce foods. You will notice that oats are not recommended until after 9 months and no wheat until 1-2 years of age. Of course, you can change the sequence to suit the needs of a celiac diet/avoiding triggering a celiac response. I recommend staying away from grains for a while and start with cooked fruits (including cooked banana) and veggies first. I also recommend not start solids until 6 months or beyond.
Michelle
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The Hep B vaccine is one of the 4 they gave my sons at birth. I remember trying to argue, asking why he needed it at all since I didn't see any risk for him. With my second son, I don't even remember being asked to sign any papers, and I think they vaccinated him without my consent! (Although it is possible that I was just too out of it after his birth to know what was going on.) With my third, I finally knew enough to discuss it with the pediatrician well in advance of the birth, and found out that it was coming from the hospital, not the pediatrician. THe pediatrician said, "We don't do that any more, but you have to make sure the hospital nurse doesn't just walk in and do it."
Which I did, thank Heavens.
If the hospital had done that to my kids, I would have lost it. I had trouble enough with the fact my second baby was separated from me and unnecessarily kept in the NICU for 10 hours (they tried to keep him for 24-48!). I sent my husband to be with him and to advocate for him during that time (while I recovered from surgery.)
Michelle
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Heck, I'd say there's much less actual breast exposure when a woman nurses a baby than you'd see in any blue jeans or perfume ad!
Not to mention breastfeeding moms don't typically wear revealing clothes...you see more with what a lot of teens wear in public nowadays!
Michelle
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Vaccine protocols and types of vaccine are different between US and Canada!
Maybe its cause both my kids were born more than 10 yrs ago but they never even discussed a vaccine at birth...holy cow, we dont even do that to animals.
Found this on a Canada gov't site:
they go on to say how the amount of mercury in the Hep B shot is minimal...umm, why is there at all?
I am curious because we dont use thimerosol as preservative in animal vaccine (cattle, horses) so obviously there are lots of options to preserve vaccine...maybe they dont want it in the food chain but they are fine with giving it direct ?
The report you quoted is from 1999, so it's very old info already. More recent info is here: Open Original Shared Link Vaccines and schedules have changed tremedously since that time (and schedules vary from province to province), and there is a thimerosol-free version of the hep B vaccine now.
At the time my second son was born (in Vancouver), they were innoculating routinely at 2 months for Hep B, because of large numbers of immigrants in that part of the province plus high day care usage rates. I'm really, really sorry my son got that vaccine (long story as to how/why he got it)...especially given his level of risk was soooo low with me being at home full time, and not putting him in day care at all. I'm pretty sure they were still using the thimerosol version at that time too.
Michelle
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As a woman my only problem with breastfeeding in public would be that I wouldn't want my husband or son to see exposed breasts so covering up of some sort is prefered. Yes, I am puritanical in some ways, I'll admit it. I think women going back to work so quickly after giving birth is conflicting with traditional workplaces and some sort of compromise should be done.
I remember the first time as an adult 15 years ago I was unaware that a woman in my exercise class was breastfeeding in the corner of the room, it didn't occur to me that she was doing this, and I was actually staring at her with a puzzled look on my face.
She must have misconstrued my look to be one of aghast but no, I just couldn't figure out what the heck she had hidden under her shirt!
I didn't realize she was breast feeding at that very moment, I thought she was getting weird sitting on floor in corner holding something under her shirt. When I realized what was going on I started to laugh, especially laugh in relief that she wasn't getting strange. In that case since we were all women in the room it would not have mattered to me if she breastfed more openly.
Just as with your experience in exercise class, you probably wouldn't know that a woman was breastfeeding. I rarely covered up with a blanket, but there was no way you would have seen anything but a baby laying across my lap. It's pretty hard to exposure yourself, unless you're trying to.
Personally, I'd like my kids to see breastfeeding happening in public. It normalizes it, and will increase the odds that they will ensure their own children are breastfed when the time comes.
Michelle
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Yes its the antibodies that are tested and it can take up to a year after exposure to show up in the testing but you can still transfer it in the meantime. For blood donation yes I can see it because its critical to life. Breastmilk is not, You can use alimentum powder which should be fine for most since it contains no corn, soy, or milk in it. Im all for breastfeeding but not when Im taking a chance with someone else's possible diseases that could be transferred to my healthy baby. I know other moms who do it though, my aunt did for years but I wouldnt do it personally.
You've got to make a decision for yourself. Formula (ABM or atificial baby milk) feeding is not without it's own risks: Open Original Shared Link Not to mention powdered ABM can be contaminated with bacteria and pathogens during manufacture: Open Original Shared Link
Personally, I don't feel that ABM is a "fine" choice, because it is inferior in many ways to human milk. And when it comes to the health of a seriously ill infant, human milk cannot be replaced...that's where milk banks provide an essential service.
Michelle
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Good point!
How did you manage to keep her unvaccinated before symptoms showed up? My older two received their first vaccines in the hospital 4 hours after birth--we were told that that had been the standard for years.
A parent has the right to say no. The choice to go against common public beliefs and propaganda and not vaccinate can be tough. I vaccinated my first son (starting at 2 months) completely on schedule. Then started vaccinating my second son, but chose to stop. Given his quirks and personality, I became concerned that vaccination could be a culprit and didn't want to subject him to any more shots. My third child has not been vaccinated at all, and will not be until she is old enough to make an informed decision for herself. I won't be vaccinating the boys again either.
I've found that the toughest thing with it is to stand my ground when letting the school know they aren't vaccinated. I will not accept pressure from anyone to change my mind. I was very thankful & surprised that the public health nurse was receptive to our choice to not vaccinate and was gracious about putting us on the "do not call" list. We are fortunate, too, that we don't need to have an official reason (religious or otherwise) for declining to vaccinate.
Michelle
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After contemplating this thread, and observing my child, talking with others who have observed him - and dealing with a MAJOR episode that lasted over 4 hours - I took matters into my own hands. I collected all of my son's medical records, all testing results, all previous evaluations, and I started making phone calls.
Yesterday my son was finally diagnosed with Asperger's.
On one hand, I feel extreme relief. We have a psychologist who can and will help us to help him.
On the other hand... I feel like my heart was ripped out.
I'm sorry, jayhawkmom, but I am glad to hear that you have a diagnosis that you can work with/through, it must have been difficult not knowing what was going on with your son.
I don't know if you are aware, but there was recent news that scientists have pinpointed a genetic link to autism and asperger's. There are many articles about it...this is the news story that was run by CBC: Open Original Shared Link
I hope that this means greater strides will be made in treatment and therapy for autism spectrum disorders. Perhaps the next discovery will be what triggers the gene(s) to become active.
Hugs,
Michelle
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You're definitely right about the workplace. What's sad is my office is 90% women and we have absolutely no where to go to pump. My boss hung black construction paper up in the windows of a conference room so she could pump while she froze to death in the room we call the freezer. And she had to take the paper down everytime, b/c HR wouldn't allow it to stay up. How sad is that?
It certainly doesn't help that so many women in the US have no choice but to return to work soon after birth either...making pumping at work a necessity if breastfeeding is to be successful.
In Canada, we have the choice to take a total of 1 year of materity and parental leave, with employment insurance benefits (I think the benefit is around 40-50% of salary/wages), and the parental leave can be divided between mother and father in the way that best suits them. Some employers also offer a top up of benefits for those on leave (my workplace offered a top up to 90% of my wage, provided I returned to work for so many weeks after my leave was up.)
To have this leave can be instrumental in giving mother & baby time to bond well and develop a good breastfeeding relationship. If that mother is financially able to take the full leave, then that gives a year for breastfeeding without having to pump at work.
Michelle
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Tide makes people itch. I hate Tide.
I do not have celiac or DH, but everytime I try Tide, I want to scratch my skin off. Therefore, I never use it on purpose. I tried a sample that came in the mail once on some sheets, and made my husband get out of bed (at 2 a.m.) so I could change the sheets!
Tide is bad.
FWIW, in Canada all detergents manufactured by Colgate-Palmolive are gluten-free.
Tide isn't bad for everyone, it really depends on what you're sensitive to. For me, Sunlight is much, much worse...I end up feeling like I have chemical burns on my skin from washing my clothes in it...the itching just won't end! I also cannot tolerate their dishwashing liquids...instant eczema and splitting finger tips.
Michelle
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As mentioned earlier, you cannot lose weight or fat in specific areas, it's an all-over thing. You can target muscle toning though. I think the best basic exercise a person can do is walk...and make it a big part of your lifestyle by walking everywhere. Then add to that some weight training, cardio and stretching.
I think swimming is great excercise for a total body workout, and if you do it regularly you will develop good tone...including your hips, butt and thighs...flutter kick, and whip kick give your legs a good workout. You can try doing eggbeater too (it's a "kick" for treading water, and for synchronized swimming)...I find doing lengths of eggbeater excercises just the right muscles for working out the thighs and butt.
Pilates is fabulous for working your core muscles and working on flexibility. Yoga is good too. I'm taking "hot" yoga (aka Bikram Yoga) classes now that are great for flexibility and for removing toxins from your system. The yoga is done in a 105 degree, 60% humidity room. Makes joints and muscles very supple, and gives you a good cardio workout too.
Michelle
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I have been gluten free for three years now and for the last 2 months have been itching like it is dry skin. It comes and goes. I have been using tide for years now... I did use some bounce sheets what is it thats making me itch.I have been slowly eliminating my skin products but no real solid result...
Try switching to a different detergent for awhile. I used to use Tide for many years, then seemed to develop a sensitivity to it. I switched to Purex HE (for front load washers)...bonus is that it is much cheaper than Tide. I also stopped using Bounce...even the unscented version caused problems for my skin. A vinegar rinse in the wash helps to remove detergent residue, eliminate odours and reduces static cling nicely.
Michelle
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I wanted to ask about the milk bank thing. How would u get hooked up with one of them? I'm planning to do all I can to breastfeed, if I have extra, I'd be glad to help.
Check with The Human Milk Banking Association of North America: Open Original Shared Link From there you can find out details, including locations. In Canada, there is a Milk Bank at the BC Women's Hospital in Vancouver.
I do think formula serves a purpose.. My best friend had a kid almost 2 years ago. Due to some hormonal thing (dx'd by a doc, but I don't know specifics), she didn't even go into labor on her own. Her milk never came in. She breast fed for over a week, he baby was losing weight really badly. Nothing came with the pump. When she went to formula, she never became engorged. I felt bad for her, she wanted to breastfeed so badly, and her doc made her feel inadequate for it!But when I mentioned to my sis that I'm planning on BF, she freaked out! Like there was some reason I was wrong for wanting that! "Why don't u just bottle feed, everyone does it", "you'll never get any sleep, u'll be in pain" etc. Whatever. I guess I'll just have to get help/support elsewhere...
You guys rock! I think I'll be asking TONS of BF questions when the time comes!
First, I'd argue that the immunilogical benefits of breastfeeding make it well worth the effort. Breastmilk, especially colostrum, is essential for a infant's immature gut...it helps baby's system to develop the correct balance of beneficial bacteria necessary for proper GI functioning and health.
I'd also argue you'd get more sleep with breastfeeding. You don't even have to get out of bed. I nursed all my babies in bed with me, and it really helped keep me from losing too much sleep...and helped keep my sanity.
Contact La Leche League for good support. It's a good idea to contact them during pregnancy to prepare well before the birth.Michelle
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Michelle, not picking on ya honest but I know with my csection it was not allowed by choice. I had a huge baby at 37 weeks, low water, on pitocin for 4 days, water broke and her heart decelled (spelling) and 14 pages of reasons why I needed to have her then and they still had to appeal after she was born. I cant imagine it being different for others if insurance pays for it since it costs so much more to have a ceasarean. My perinatalogist and my ob/gyn knew that she was too big for my pelvis and figured we would have problems. I only dilated to 1 cm when my water broke even after 4 days of pitocin. She was still at -3 station even with my water gone, her head was too big to fit.
I'm not talking about necessary c-sections. And I won't argue the necessity of anyone's cesarean section, because I wasn't there, and I don't know the full story. I've had two (unwanted) c-sections that, looking back at my healthy pregnancies, details of my labour & birth records, and perfectly healthy babies, ended up being very much unnecessary. I went on to have a third very healthy baby (almost 10lbs) with a natural, drug-free labour and birth.
I am talking about those women who choose to have a primary c-section for non-medical reasons. It happens way more often than you think, and contributes to the sky-rocketing c-section rate. Unfortunately, those choices are often made in the absense of true informed consent (where the women has not been given full information on the risks of major abdominal surgery and potential health problems for baby...which includes delayed lactation and a potential struggle to establish breastfeeding), so the doctors are very much a party to this. Even the insurance companies can encourage the surgery, because sometimes it is viewed as the "safer" choice in terms of potential malpractice suits.
Finally, there is an alarming trend of unnecessary c-sections happening North America wide...whether it's a doctor who doesn't want to wait for a long labour, or a labour and birth that have been medically mismanaged causing the need for a c-section, or a dr that simply believes that surgical birth is always the safer choice.
Michelle
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My only concern would be with this is aids, Aids can take up to a year to show up as antibodies which is the only way it is tested.
The same tests that are done for blood donation are done for milk donation, thus only donors who test negative (fore many tests including HIV) are accepted. In addition, women typically have HIV tests done during pregnancy, so there would likely be records from those tests as well.
Michelle
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The poll question confused me...I didn't know whether I could answer for both myself and my kids (who were breastfed much longer than I was), so I only answered for myself.
I was breastfed for 4 months and fed solids early, starting with cereal. I have many, many allergies, eczema/psoriasis, asthma and GI issues.
My children were all breastfed an average of 2 years, with my middle son going the longest at 2.5 years. They all were exclusively breastfed until 6 months, at which point we introduced plain, organic, unfortified rice cereal. Eldest has GI issues, middle son is a fussy eater and thin as a rail, my youngest (daughter) has eczema, allergies and the beginnings of asthma.
Michelle
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The problem is most women think breast feeding is gross. They associate it with "hippies". It is natural, people don't freak out when a cat nurses her kittens, etc. In the US people have been brainwashed into believeing it isn't good for the baby. Only in recent years, has the perspective started to change. Just my 2 cents.
-Laurie
That is really sad. If someone thinks that breastfeeding is "gross" then what about birth? How in the world could a woman get through birthing a baby only to get grossed out about breastfeeding? Or is this why primary cesarean section by choice is allowed in North America? To keep birth clean? Hmmm...gotta keep everything as clean as possible...next we'll be finding a way of avoiding sex too. Gross!!!
Michelle
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I won't be able to breast feed either due to medical issues. Hmmmm...what's an alternative to formula?
Donated, pasteurized mother's milk from a human milk bank.
I highly recommend that those women who have an ample supply are able to pump to donate milk. It can be a lifesaver for premies or health-compromised newborns, especially if their mothers are unable to produce enough milk, and they can't tolerate formula. If you can't donate milk, then donate money to help keep the few milk banks that are available up and running.
When my son was born, he lost quite a bit of weight before my milk finally came in (due to cesarean section). I was very concerned about exposing him to allergens through formula, so we were able to use some milk from the local milk bank to supplement before we were released from hospital. A the 5 day mark, my milk was in (thankfully!) and was in ample supply.
Michelle
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Hi all,
I'm still trying to figure out what's going on beyond gluten. I've eliminated gluten, wheat, dairy, corn, soy, (and all other starches), chocolate, and refined sugar.
I'm still eating eggs and nuts.
This may just be a matter of time since I'm only three months into it.
But a friend of mine just went to an allergist and found out she's allergic to: wheat, soy, barley, almonds, and apples.
And I thought: well, I could be FOREVER eliminating and re-introducing things if I've got an allergy as specific as almonds and apples.
So I wanted to hear what experiences you all have had with food allergy testing.
I don't fully understand the connection between these various intolerances -- what is auto-immune, what is allergic response, what is just "intolerance."
Also, a side question: I'd love to hear from folks who have sore joints and/or other inflammation that seems to go along with this gut stuff. Have you all learned anything about this rheumatoid part of it? My hips and knuckles became sore at the same time all the gut symptoms started -- AND I also developed chronic cyst-like inflammations in my nostrils (gross!).
Any wisdom you all could offer would be wonderful!
Thanks!
Food allergy testing can be hit or miss. Unfortuantely, just because a test is negative doesn't mean it's accurate. Your best bet is an elimination diet. Elimination diet is an effective way to determine intolerances as well.
In terms of apple allergies, it is most often due to cross reaction with a pollen. I am very allergic to birch tree pollen, and apples happen to be a cross reactive allergen along with almonds, hazelnuts, peaches, pears, plums, cherries (essentially most tree fruit) and I just found out that wheat is on that cross-reactive list as well. This type of allergy is labelled as Oral Allergy Syndrome (OAS) although I find I react to these allergies through touch as well, so it's a bit of a misnomer.
I know I'm allergic to these things, because I have an oral response (itchy lips, throat, ears.) Luckily, with OAS, cooking the problem foods changes the allergenicity thus no allergic response. Of course, YMMV.Michelle
Contact La Leche League for good support. It's a good idea to contact them during pregnancy to prepare well before the birth.
Beware!
in Dermatitis Herpetiformis
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MedicAlert has a lot of styles to choose from: bracelets, watches, necklaces and sports bands.
I have not gotten a diagnosis of celiac or DH...don't know if I actually ever will. I did react to something after my second cesarean section though. Got blisters around the incision, underneath the adhesive tape. I originally thought it was a reaction to the adhesive (I don't typically react with blisters though), but wonder if it was actually from the Betadine. That stuff takes a while to wear off your skin...not surprising it would cause a significant reaction to someone who is sensitive.
Michelle