Milk Protein Allergy in Infants

Emylia was a fussy baby - fussy just might be the most grossly understated thing that I say in this post.  She  only ceased crying when she was eating or asleep.  After asking the doctor about her "fussiness" at her two week check and two month check, I became adamant that there was something more going on.  Babies just DO NOT cry like she was for no reason.  The doctor's suggestion to me, "Try cutting down on your dairy intake.  It'll take about two to three weeks to see full improvement."  I was desperate for a few moments of silence each day so I cut the dairy from my diet.  She turned into a totally different baby within a couple weeks.  The doctor continued to tell me that she would probably grow out of it at three months old, then four months old, then six months old.  My husband grabbed the milk-based formula last night for her evening bottle and she chugged six ounces.  This morning she woke up and was soaked with vomit.  My poor baby.  I guess she hasn't grown out of this milk protein intolerance by six months either so I knew it was time to do some research on my own.  The following is a glimpse of my findings.



A milk protein intolerance is a condition in which an infant's digestive tract cannot fully process caesin or whey protein.  The symptoms range from mild to severe.  More mild symptoms are bloating, diarrhea, and/or vomitting.  The severe symptoms can be hives, difficulty breathing, and/or bloody stools. 

A milk protein intolerance and milk allergy are COMPLETELY different from lactose intolerance.  Lactose intolerance is a non-allergic food sensitivity.

The only treatment - DAIRY ELIMINATION (which is the same as if they had a milk allergy).  For a breastfed baby, the mother must eliminate dairy from her diet.  For a formula fed baby, a non-dairy formula must be used.  Noting that the second most common allergen in an infant is soy. 



A couple of substitutes for a nursing mother include oat or almond milk.  With the elimination of dairy, a mother should check with their physician to ensure they are getting adequate calcium and the adequate calorie intake. 

THE GOOD NEWS - Milk allergy is the most common allergy in babies, affecting 2%-3% of babies in developed countries.  85% to 90% of these babies will outgrow the allergy by age 3!!!!

Substitute Teacher Story of a 10-Year-Old

Kaitlyn arrived home from school last Friday afternoon just as she usually does.  However, Friday she was A LOT more wound up than usual.  One would think it was because it was a Friday and the weekend was finally here.  Let's just say that this was hardly the case.

She began hurriedly telling me about how "horrible" her day had been.  I swear that throughout this five minute story she only took a couple of breaths and by the end of her story, I was also speechless. 

Her day was horrible because they had a substitute teacher.  A little girl in their class had decided that they were going to all participate in being as loud and naughty as possible for the substitute teacher.  At one point during the day a teacher from across the hall stopped her own class to enter Kaitlyn's class.  She reprimanded them for their behavior, as they were disrupting her class by being SO LOUD.  Finally, the details of her day ended with, "By the end of the day, there were 8 (I think it was 8) of us standing in the room with our ears covered because it was so loud in our classroom." 

I told her that I was proud of her for making a good choice.  I also tried to teach her a little bit of empathy, "How do you think that the substitute teacher feels/felt?  What do you think that it is like to work with a different group of students everyday?  And, what if everyday, all the students acted like your class today?"  She "got" it, the message I was sending was ringing loud and clear.  We also discussed that the sub would probably leave a note for their regular teacher and the behavior would likely be addressed on Monday.

So, let's fast forward to Monday (yesterday).  Kaitlyn came home from school.  I asked her about her day.  She gave me the normal Monday answer, "It was good.  We had gym and library."  Then I probed a little bit more, "So, what did your teacher say about the behavior on Friday?  Did you guys receive a punishment?"  PREPARE TO BE ASTONISHED.  "No.  She (the teacher) just told us that it wasn't very nice of us to behave that way."

OMG, ARE YOU SERIOUS?  They didn't even have to write an apology or stay in from recess for five minutes, NOTHING????  No wonder our kids are turning out the way they are.  They think that they can get by with anything.  And who is to blame ... in this instance and in many others, it looks like we, the adults, the role models, the teachers, the parents are to blame. 

Similac Recall

It seems like every place I go people start talking to me about the Similac recall.  I guess that they strike up the conversation because I have a baby with me.  Since I keep hearing about everyone's opinions and thoughts EVERYWHERE I go, I thought I would blog about their thoughts and my own. 

I went to Target yesterday to return our recalled can of Similac Sensitive Soy.  Yes, my friends, I am one who was affected by the recall.  Our can of formula was about one-third of the way gone when they recalled it.  Emylia had never shown any signs or symptoms of the formula making her sick.  But ... she is only fed ONE bottle per day so that she will sleep longer at night.  The rest of the day she is a breastfed baby.

At Target my journey of people talking about the recall began.  The nice young girl at the customer service counter ... I asked her if they had been dealing with a lot of the recall returns and she responded that yes they had taken many cans back and that parents were very understandably upset.  I followed up her answer by asking if they were upset with Target.  Her response was the first one that made me want to blog about this situation.  She said, "Yes.  Very."  WHAT??? SERIOUSLY??? HOW WAS TARGET SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT THE MANUFACTURER OF SIMILAC HAD CONTAMINATED THE FORMULA???  Target pulls the formula off of a truck, stocks it in their store and customers buy it.  PEOPLE USE YOUR HEADS!!!!  I know that it is incredibly upsetting when you give your children something that is potentially harmful to them, but Target or any other store that you purchased the formula from is only the third party tool used to link Similac and the customer.  If you want to take out your frustrations on someone, FIND THE NUMBER FOR THE COMPANY, CALL THEM, AND PREPARE FOR MORE FRUSTRATION WHEN YOU HAVE TO WAIT IN A LINE POTENTIALLY HOURS LONG TO ACTUALLY TALK WITH A REPRESENTATIVE. 

Today while grocery shopping with Emylia and Kaitlyn, a daycare teacher began talking to me about the recall.  She was insistent that there were a set of twins out of the daycare with croup that was likely due to the recalled Similac.  Once again, REALLY???  Doctor's and experts have said publicly that the only thing that the use of this formula could cause is a stomach bug - a FAR cry from croup (which is breathing difficulty with a barking cough). 

Now, for my personal opinion.  I absolutely love and adore my kids.  I would do ANYTHING that is within my power to protect them from everything bad that I can in their life!  LET'S BE REALISTIC FOLKS - our kids will eat A LOT of things that are bad for them in their life that may make them sick.  Dirt, paper, worms, bugs, grass, wood chips, dog treats, dog food, the list goes on and on.  Just return your Similac to the store you bought it from or to Similac, choose a new brand of formula or buy one in a can instead of the plastic container, fill your baby's belly and MOVE ON!  Emylia is now eating "Up and Up Soy" formula for her nighttime bottle.  I'm completely over it - she is fine, happy and thriving, a minor bump in the road of life.

OK Followers.  I recently received an email about this post.  I must say, my opinion about the beetle recall has not changed.  BUT... the email I received said that there was a gentleman on the news who found a "rodent fetus" in a can of Similac Sensitive Powder Formula.  THAT IS COMPLETELY NASTY AND UNFORGIVABLE.  I WOULD BE CAUSING THE BIGGEST STIR POSSIBLE OVER THIS.  I AM NOT ALL FOR LAWSUITS, BUT IN THIS CASE, I WOULD ABSOLUTELY FILE A LAWSUIT.  NO ONE KNOWS WHAT KIND OF DISEASES THAT "RODENTS" ARE CARRYING AROUND. 

One more controversial opinion (prefaced by saying, Kaitlyn was a 100% formula fed baby).  I have never been so glad that my babies' (Dillon and Emylia) were/are breastfed.  That is the only way to know exactly what is going into your baby's body.  99% of their feedings I know that they have not consumed parts of a rodent or beetle.  It's the absolute right choice for me. 

How to Avoid Work At Home Scams

We have all heard a story (or two or ten) about someone who has been scammed by a "home-based business".  They joined a company that you only had to invest this much money and you were going to create a VERY LARGE return on your investment.  You give them your credit card number only to find out that they have stolen your identity, there will be no starter kit, or the company's system is not easily duplicated therefore, you will not be making any money.  Based on these stories, I decided to investigate how to avoid work-at-home scams. 

According to the National Consumers League's Internet Fraud Watch, these are some tips to follow to avoid being scammed.

#1 Know who you are dealing with.  
#2 Don't believe that you can make BIG profit EASILY. 
#3 Be cautious of emails offering work-at-home opportunities.  
#4 Get ALL of the details before you pay. 
#5 Find out if there is really a market for your work.
#6 Get references for other people who are doing the work.
#7 Be aware of legal requirements (ex. do you need a license?).
#8 Know the refund policy.
#9 Beware of the old "envelope stuffing" scheme
#10 Be wary of offers that send you and "advance" on your "pay".
#11 Do your own research about work-at-home opportunities. 

Top 10 Work at Home Scams According to Scambusters.com

1. Envelope Stuffing
2. Chain Letters/Emails - Make money fast.
3. MLMs that focus on recruiting ONLY rather than on the product or service being sold.
4. "Turn Your Computer into a Money Making Machine"
5. Typing at Home 
6. "Just Call this 1-900 Number for More Information"
7. "A List of Companies Looking for Homeworkers"
8. Email Processing
9. Medical Billing
10. Craft Assembly

There are legitimate companies out there that provide a real opportunity to make an income.  Not every home-based company or MLM is a scam.  Just be sure to do your research on the company to ensure that they are focused on selling their product/service, and be inspired by the product or service that they are offering.  I wish you happiness and success in finding a home-based-business and/or work from home!

Guess Who's Mobile?!?

I don't think that my life will ever be the same.  Emylia has been getting up on her hands and knees for close to a month now (seriously at FIVE months old), but in the last couple of days, she has given up on actually crawling and started "army crawling".  How can it be that she is already almost six months old?!?  AND, she is mobile?!?  I think that it has been her intention to keep up with her brother for a long time, but she just couldn't figure out how she was going to do it.  Now I can only imagine all of the trouble that the two of them are going to get in.  What one doesn't think of, I am 100% positive that the other will.  It is going to be exciting (and extremely trying sometimes) to watch these two become the best of pals.  It's these thoughts that get me through the tough days of parenting - the days when I can be heard saying, "I need to go back to working outside the home."  But the reality is that I could not imagine missing out on any of their special moments because of a J-O-B.  I am incredibly blessed to have found Ameriplan, to have a husband and family that support me, and to have three beautiful, healthy children.

Getting Back to Ameriplan Today

I have been out of my office since Thursday.  I am incredibly thankful that I am my own boss and have the ability to set my own schedule because I was able to take a couple days to help my brother, John, paint his house (congratulations to him on being a first time homeowner)!  Today, however, I am back in the office and ready to get to work.

I am excited about the promotion that Ameriplan is offering until October 31st.  All health-related plans that Ameriplan offers are HALF OFF for your first three months.  Also the registration fee will be waived.  You can start saving today with our Dental Plus, Total Health and our Platinum Plus!!  If you or your loved ones are living without health benefits, please feel free to visit http://www.apdiscount.info/!! 

Not only does this promotion affect our memberships, it also allows you to start your own home-based business for $44.95 instead of $69.95.  I would love the opportunity to share Ameriplan with you.  I am looking to grow my team by three to five people each month so, please don't miss out on the opportunity to join my team in September during this promotion.  Joining now will also give you the opportunity to enroll others during the HALF OFF Special.  Click Here to request more information!!!

10 Years Old - Where Did the Time Go?

I can hardly believe that it was 10 years ago today that I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl - a true blessing in my life!  I may have been young and unable to appreciate God's gift fully at the time, but now that I am older, I know the gift that I have been given and I am eternally greatful.  As I look back through the last 10 years I am amazed at all of the things that Kaitlyn and I have been through.  She is an AMAZING girl and I am incredibly proud of her!!  I am looking forward to spending the next 8 years with her in our house, cherishing each moment (even the not so great moments that I know will come) and then setting her free to spread her wings and fly out into the world to become whatever she would like to be.  I trully feel that the sky is the limit for her - she can be and do whatever she chooses.

Happy Birthday Kaitlyn!!

Introduction

Hello Everyone.  I would like to personally welcome you to my new blog and also to take a moment to introduce myself.  My name is Carrie Heims, Wife, Mom, Regional Sales Director for Ameriplan, Maid, Cook, Taxi-Cab Driver and other titles apply as they come up in everyday life.  Let me expand on a couple of the titles mentioned before.  I have been married to a wonderful man for just over 4 years and we have three children, ages 10 years, 2 years and 5 1/2 months.  They keep my life incredibly busy, but in a great way that I wouldn't trade for anything else.  In January of 2010, I started my own home-based business with Ameriplan.  With strong will and determination coupled with some hard work, I achieved Regional Sales Director status in my first 90 days!  I am rewarded each and every day because I am able to share a discount medical and dental program with Americans who genuinely need health care. 

I feel that sharing my CRAZY LIFE with you will help each of us appreciate life's greatest blessings - our health, our family and our work!  Thank You For Visiting - Feel Free to Come Back Often!