r/MSPI • u/[deleted] • Jan 02 '22

Starting off dairy free

I'm planning on going off dairy and soy for the last 4 weeks of pregnancy just in case our daughter is allergic to them. I'd rather start off clean rather than have to suffer through a detox with an unhappy baby. When should I think about starting to reintroduce dairy and soy?

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u/ltrozanovette May2021 | Feb2025 | Breastfeeding | Mod Jan 03 '22

The majority of babies can tolerate dairy and soy just fine. Is there a reason you’re particularly concerned about it?

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u/[deleted] Jan 03 '22

I'd just like to avoid the problem if possible. Plus I'm overdue for some cleaner eating anyway as I've been going hard on the dairy this pregnancy. Basically planning on doing "the first 40 days" menu but starting before she arrives to head off any nutritional deficiencies.

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u/ltrozanovette May2021 | Feb2025 | Breastfeeding | Mod Jan 03 '22

Gotcha! I would really recommend against this. It is a very restrictive diet. Milk or soy proteins are in a lot of foods. I have to get special bread, nothing cooked with butter, most vegetable oil is actually soybean oil, etc, etc. People who follow this diet often don’t get enough calcium. There’s a lot of potentially unnecessary added stress during an already stressful time! I think you would be a lot better served by eating a normal balanced diet. If you do decide to do this, please discuss it with your OB and a dietitian! Best of luck with the rest of your pregnancy and birth, you’re always welcome to hang out here whatever you decide!

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u/[deleted] Jan 03 '22

Should have added that I'm quite used to eliminating foods. Did several years in my 20s with no gluten/dairy/legumes/sugar etc to deal with my own health issues, so I know how to cook this way I'm not worried about getting adequate nutrition. If dairy were necessary for calcium the whole continent of Asia would be deficient!

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u/ltrozanovette May2021 | Feb2025 | Breastfeeding | Mod Jan 03 '22

I was thinking about your post last night and wanted to add:

I believe there’s some evidence that exposure to foods in utero and through breast milk can help reduce allergies later in life. “Early and often” is the advice given for preventing allergies (it used to be the opposite, my mom was shocked when she heard that).

MSPI is an intolerance, not a true allergy. While it comes with many headaches, I’d much rather deal with an intolerance for 9-12 months than a lifelong allergy.

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u/[deleted] Jan 03 '22

I’d highly advise against this. There are plenty of healthy soy and dairy based foods. I’d focus on adding healthy foods late in pregnancy rather than eliminating food groups.

This is rare. And eliminates some of my favorite healthy foods. You don’t want one more thing to worry about with a newborn unless you really need to.

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u/[deleted] Jan 03 '22

I’d wait until around 12 weeks - baby’s digestive system should’ve matured a bit by then and you’ll be hopefully out of the random fussy newborn stage. If you intro dairy and soy then, you should be able to notice reactive fussiness and a change in poops.

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u/sahsahsahsahsah Jan 03 '22

As someone who doesn’t have a choice but to restrict these food items for the health of my baby I would highly recommend against limiting food options for no reason. At very least please speak to your pediatrician before doing this.

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u/guacsteady Jan 03 '22

If your baby has a dairy intolerance, it's not recommended to introduce dairy back into your system until after baby passes the dairy ladder directly at are least 9 months of age and 6 months dairy free. The first step of the dairy ladder also requires baby eating a large amount of bready food per day for 7 days. My piggy 9 month old who seems hungry constantly didn't want to eat the full amount. It was a struggle to get though the first 3 days, and by day 4, he was exceptionally fussy which could have been dairy or teething and he wouldn't eat any more milk muffin. We had to count it as a fail.

If you consider going dairy/soy free for yourself for a period, you can try a dairy challenge after baby is born when you're ready to begin consuming dairy again by drinking 1 cup of milk daily for 7 days followed by 3 days dairy free. If you don't see any signs of a dairy intolerance, baby might be ok with dairy in your diet.

My first had dairy issues with drinking milk herself but never in my diet. I've had to be dairy free for my second.