This is not something to take lightly. Many think
whoop-di-do everyone has allergies. The fact is that (as stated my our pediatrician) people too often blame runny noses and such on allergies when it could be a nuber of other things. But..if you are raising a kid with allergies/asthma (yes they can go hand in hand) you truly understand how challenging it can be at times. If you remember awhile back I had to take M to see an allergist because he was having HORRIBLE hive breakouts. Some signs that his allergist pointed out that could be indicators from birth that your child will have allergies were:
- Chronic ear infections (check M had to get tubes put in when he was 8.5mths old)
- Eczema (Check, double check)
- Constant congestion (I'm seeing a trend)
- Intolerant to Cow's Milk (Check...but he did outgrow this)
There were some more that I don't remember, but these were some of the bigger ones. So how does having a child with allergies become challenging? Well in our case...M is allergic to EVERYTHING! From dust to mold to grass! We can't have pets that pose alot of pet dander or we have to spray a special spray on them. He has to have special pads on hs bed to trap dust mites. We have to have air purifiers/humidifiers. I have to constantly check the pollen and mold counts,and if they are too high, am supposed to keep him inside. I have to use a
expensive special kind of laundry detergent...Yes Dreft was OK for him as a baby, we had to use a special kind as well since he would touch our clothing and bed linens. So... we just switched all together to ALL Free & Clear. We had to trial and error on bath wash/shampoo before we found one that wouldn't irratate his skin (that was a miserable process). NO lotions except the approved Eucerin unscented. Daily medication...started with Zyrtec, then went to Claritin, and now he might have to take Singulair. M's biggest allergy is mold. He is SEVERELY allergic to it, and it grows in very humid environments...like good ol' Kentucky! Also when I wash the boys' clothes they have to be immediately removed from the washer; they can not sit in there at all, or they have to be re-washed!
Now with J, he has food allergies, so I have to constantly check food labels for ingredients that he can't have. J is not old enough to see an allergist (they won't see anyone under 24mth unless an emergency, but even then they have to be 20mths). I was hoping J would outgrow his milk protein allergy, but not so good so far. Looking back, while breastfeeding J, I had to cut out dairy from my diet because he was having breakouts. At that time, we chalked it up to baby
acne (yes, there is such things), but now we realize that it was a milk protein sensitivity.
We have gotten pretty
used to our new lifestyle, and while it can be challenging, we wouldn't change one thing about our children :) But now I must go get ready for J's 1year pictures...yeah I've been putting then off, but better late than never!
