It looks like I may need to go "dairy free" again. I was dairy free (among other things) for about a year after my daughter was born due to her reactions to dairy in my diet.
I am now 18 weeks pregnant. This pregnancy, though, has been particularly challenging for me since I have been sick from sinus challenges about four times now. Sick on top of the regular challenges of pregnancy is no fun! Not that sick is ever fun, of course.
My main issue? Phlegm! (You just wanted to know, right?) In fact, since early on in this pregnancy, I have joked to myself that it's my "phlegmesis" (maybe I should've kept that to myself :D). I don't think that morning sickness this time around would have been nearly as bad without that constant, over production of mucus. That combined with an overactive gag reflex made things nearly unbearable.
I know the medical community disagrees about whether dairy can make people produce too much mucus. And I don't necessarily think this is true for everyone. For me, though, I'm fairly convinced that it has an adverse effect on me. My two little ones both have dairy allergies, and I could very well have an allergy to it too. (Not sure, since I've never been tested).
So here I go again. Honestly, since I've done it once, it seems like a piece of cake now. I'm not a newbie in this land of dairy substitutes. I pretty much know what's good (coconut milk frozen dessert), and what I can skip (vegan cheese, anyone?). And I'm not going to really miss anything...except butter! (Sorry, but there just isn't an acceptable substitute!)
Have you ever given up any kind of food for health reasons during pregnancy or breastfeeding (or any other time)? What kind of results did you have?
