Sharing Your Story

BABY PURITY BELIEVES THERE IS SUCH A NEED FOR PARENTS TO HELP ONE ANOTHER. WE CAN LEARN A GREAT DEAL FROM ONE ANOTHER’S FAMILY EXPERIENCES. PLEASE SHARE WITH US (ALWAYS CONSULT WITH A PROFESSIONAL BEFORE MOVING FORWARD WITH ANY MEDICAL REMEDY).

HERE IS MELISSA’S STORY:
Hi there! I came upon your website tonight by chance. I am pleased to see your site and what it is all about - it is much needed. Great job!

I wanted to briefly share mine and my daughters' story. Darcy was my first child and I, like you, wanted the best. I was leary of everything. We had a natural home birth, used natural baby products and cloth diapers. So, a couple months went by. My milk supply was bountiful, everything seemed great until I started noticing flecks of blood and chunks of mucous in my daughters stool.

I took her to the pediatrician who said the blood was coming from anal fissures, which meant she was having a hard time having a bowel movement. The doctor said she was having digestive problems and that she was probably allergic to my milk. She gave me pre-digested formula to take home and try. If Darcy did better (no blood/mucous) then she was allergic to my milk and she would have to stay on the formula. Well, I left that office confused and devastated. There was no way I was going to give my baby that artificial stuff, but I was terrified that it was my milk that was hurting her. I wondered how in the world she could be allergic to MY milk?! I asked the doc if it could just be something I was eating and she said no. I took her to another doctor who said the same thing, but I was convinced otherwise so, I got online. I got on the phone. I read books. I talked to whoever could give me any insight.

Long story short, it was the cow's milk protein coming through my milk that my sweet baby's body was not ready to digest yet. Through all of my research I learned about an elimination diet in which you cut out certain foods in order to see which food is affecting your baby negatively. I eliminated all cow's milk products and anything with casein or whey. Within 2 weeks the blood flecks were gone and the mucous decreased. I kept it out of my diet for several months before introducing it again and then she was fine with it. She just needed a little more time to develop of the inside.

Thankfully, I never gave Darcy any formula. My instincts told me not to. During this whole ordeal she continued to gain (a lot) of weight and the flecks of blood were there, but they were minimal. I did not feel she was in great danger during the several days it took me to figure out what was going on.

I think listening to your instincts as a parent is key. We are taught to listen to the professionals word as law - even if it goes against what you are feeling in your gut. There is nothing wrong in thinking for yourself or getting a second opinion or researching something yourself before following through with what needs to be done. I understand there are emergency situations and decisions need to be made promptly - the doctor is trained for that. I'm not talking about those times. I'm talking about things we tend to do mechanically because the doctor says so or because that is the way its always been done. Things like circumcision, administering antibiotics at the drop of a hat, and administering cold and allergy meds like its candy.

I am thankful that I did not follow my doctor’s advice on this one and figured it out on my own. If I had listened to her advice I would have missed out on 16 prosperous months of feeding, nurturing and bonding with my baby. And she would have missed out on the wonderful nourishment and security only breastfeeding can give.

This was a hard situation to go through, especially as a first time parent, but I am thankful for it. Less than 2 years later my sister in law had her first baby and guess what - blood flecks and mucous - I knew just what to do! She eliminated the cow's milk and like magic her son got all better. (She tried eliminating several other foods before figuring out that it was the cow's milk)
Anyway - that's my story with Darcy as in a nutshell as I can get it. I hoped you enjoyed it and please keep up the good work!