Now that I’m looking back on things, it really shouldn’t surprise me that my daughter has a gluten sensitivity. From the very beginning, she has had certain digestive issues with little things here and there. She was six months old when I stopped breastfeeding her and within a week of her drinking the Enfamil formula we began using, she had developed little patches of eczema behind her knees and on her elbows. I read and read and read, and finally decided to try switching her to Gerber Good Start Gentle (HMO) Non-GMO Powder Infant Formula
We started Dylan on cows milk shortly after she turned one. For the next year we struggled on and off with constipation, which I chalked up to dehydration and “typical toddler issues.” My pediatrician said it was normal and most moms I knew mentioned they had gone through the same thing with at least one child at some point. But, in the back of my mind, I remember thinking, “why is she continually getting constipated?” I mean, we really pushed water and NEVER kept juice in our house. I don’t think I bought a single box of juice pouches/boxes until she was over two years old – it may have even been for her second birthday party, now that I’m thinking about it. And she was NOT a picky eater. This child ate everything – green beans, peas, beets, parsnips, avocado, Caesar salad, pear, carrots, sweet potato, tomatoes, etc. So I really doubted she wasn’t getting her fair share of fiber in the form of fresh fruits and veggies. Yet, constipation was a constant struggle. My mom (brilliant nurse that she is) sent me an article on cow’s milk causing constipation in toddlers. So I thought “Ok, let’s give it a try.” So, we switched her to Silk Almond Milk, and literally, her constipation issues resolved almost immediately. Shortly after she turned two though, she had an ear infection that just would NOT go away. And after four back-to-back rounds of antibiotics, she developed a clostridium difficile (c. diff.) infection, for which she was hospitalized for an entire week. I really thought I was going to sue the pants off this pediatrician… but, that’s for another post.
The infection completely wiped out her intestinal villi and caused a major imbalance in her gut microbiome. But, all pathology aside, the disease was also incredibly painful for her. So, she associated bowel movements with incredible amounts of pain and began to avoid going all together. Of course, as luck would have it, this all occurred smack in the middle of our beginning efforts to potty-train her. In an effort to rebuild the good bacteria in her gut, we began giving her Culturelle Kids Chewables Probiotic
The one thing that never quite went away though, was her little pot belly. At first, I just thought it was the typically little toddler belly. Then, I began associating it with whether or not she needed to go to the bathroom (because, remember, she would hold it not wanting to go). I could see small changes after she would use the restroom, but it never quite went away. So, again I turned to the internet, just like any self-respecting paranoid mom. But, what I found really blew me away. I started finding all these articles about “wheat belly” and gluten sensitivities. The more I read about gluten and the problems so many people seem to have digesting the proteins found in wheat, my mama brain started firing away.
Hello!! All of her digestive issues have been related to the PROTEIN digestion in certain foods. With the formula, we had switched to Gerber Good Start Gentle
Obviously, the results speak for themselves. We have enthusiastically jumped onboard the gluten-free train and will be tooting our own horns about it along our journey. Thanks for following along!