Unnecessary Necessaries!!

So last weekend we had our first experience of a girl's 4th birthday party and not just any girl but my beautiful niece Cherry. Now I thought that two year olds were fiesty but oh no, 4 year olds are full of beans and hilarious! There were 6 other children there plus Zach and baby Lola (my other beautiful niece). We went to the common with the threat of rain and played proper old school games - tag, ball in the goal, the egg and spoon relay and a spontaneous 'lift a massive log' game.

Now while the others listened intently to their instructions, took the games seriously and ran their legs off, Zach was a little confused.  He quickly caught onto the fact that sweets were being given out but didn't particularly join in the games until it came to the egg and spoon.  Zach does love a bit of a challenge, especially a physical one that requires concentration and the egg and spoon was right up his street.  Eek!

Zach as Thomas the Tank Engine, painted by Cherry

As I balanced the egg on his spoon and left him to join the other mums and dads waiting to do the relay, I did have a lump in my throat.  There he was, my son anaphylactic to egg, with a boiled egg, waiting with the other children.  It was almost too much for me to watch him, but I pushed away the tears and pulled through (!) to cheer him on, only slightly deterred as he came in 5 minutes after the others and we had a small interlude while I persuaded him to hand the spoon over to me,  narrowly avoiding a meltdown. I felt proud of him!

Lunch followed back at my sisters house, where we had delicious healthy food followed by allergy free cupcakes (huge thanks to Cup-Cakelicious for the amazing cake toppers).  The party game of 'Pass the Parcel" was made easy by presents of allergy free chocolates and sweets.  I was able to relax (almost) and watch my little boy sitting next to the birthday girl, singing happy birthday, taking it in turns to get a chocolate, having his face painted (thanks Cherry!) and working out all the other children and what they were doing.  He and I had space and I delighted in watching him being his own person. It confirmed to me that what I want more that anything is to provide Zach with the security and self confidence to become whoever he wants to be.

When my sister Emma was told how grateful I was to her and her husband Simon for all their thought about Cherry's party, she was surprised and again it reminded me that life with food allergies, as a very good friend of mine (Heidi) coined is full of 'unnecessary necessaries'.  Isn't that a good phrase?

The unnecessary necessaries of Sellotape to make a boiled egg safe, allergy free pass the parcel, pretty allergen free cakes and edible allergy friendly prizes allowed a little boy to be full of joy and a mum to burst with pride.

So thank you from Zach, my husband and I to Simon, Emma, Cherry and Lola.  Oh and watch this space, Zach has been practising ever since with a spoon and ball.  The challenge is on!

Until next time.

Lots of love
Charlotte x

Allergy UK's ACT Campaign

 

 

 

Morning all!

Allergy UK have launched a new campaign about Cow's milk protein allergy.  It's called ACT.  The press release is below.  We at Zach and Charlie think it's a great campaign.  There is also a website to look at and share your story.

http://www.cowsmilkallergy.co.uk 

Happy Friday!

Charlotte & Thanh x

Serious infant allergy going undiagnosed

Urgent call for widespread education of parents, GPs and Health Visitors on the symptoms and diagnosis of cows’ milk allergy

National charity Allergy UK is urging doctors and parents to educate themselves on the most common food allergy in infants; a condition which, if not correctly diagnosed and treated, can seriously affect health and development, and cause distress to both the child affected, and their carers.

This is following a comprehensive new report which shows a widespread lack of awareness and understanding of cows’ milk allergy (CMA), its symptoms* and effects, within the medical community and amongst the UK’s parents.

Of the parents surveyed, whose children have been diagnosed with CMA, nearly one in five visited their GP 10 times or more while, in the average case, parents had to make five trips to their doctor before diagnosis¹.This could be due to the fact that approximately 70% of GPs and health visitors feel they are not informed on identifying the delayed type* of CMA in children2.

Whilst it is the most common food allergy in infants and young children, with a prevalence of up to 7% of babies in the UK3, too often the connection between symptoms is not made, leading to delays in diagnosis and treatment.

The delay in diagnosis of CMA can create an emotional burden for parents, with 81% answering that they felt powerless while their child was ill¹. Over half (57%) of parents felt responsible for their child’s condition and 58% said they doubted themselves as a parent1.

Experts say the problem of diagnosis lies in the symptoms being both diverse and common - including skin disorders (atopic dermatitis) and respiratory complaints, which are often first attributed to other conditions by doctors.  Additionally, symptoms may be delayed – occurring hours or even days after milk is consumed.

                                                                                                                                                                                                              

 The research shows that while 75% of parents say they have heard of CMA, 50% could not identify any symptoms. Three quarters of parents said their child had experienced one or more of the symptoms of CMA, but an overwhelming 70% of these parents had never considered it could be connected to an allergy⁴.

GPs themselves, who were also questioned for the report, recognised that there needs to be more information and training made available to doctors, with 70% saying they would like more information on CMA². 77% of GPs and health visitors agreed that they would be better placed to give better support to parents if they had greater confidence and knowledge of the condition².

The main message of the report, co-authored by leading paediatric allergy specialist, trustee and chair of Allergy UK Health Advisory Board, Dr Adam Fox, and General Practitioner Dr David Mass, is that more awareness is needed among GPs, health visitors and parents to encourage earlier recognition and effective management.

“If you’re not looking for CMA, you won’t find it”, says Dr Adam Fox “that is why it is important for both healthcare professionals and parents to be informed about the symptoms of cows’ milk allergy and consider it earlier.” 

Jenni Falconer, television presenter, and mum, agreed to lend her support to the campaign as a direct result of her own lack of awareness. “Prior to this campaign, I had little knowledge of cows’ milk allergy and this is something I was keen to change, particularly as a new mum who wants to be informed of anything that could affect my baby girl. It is frustrating when we don't understand why our baby is upset, after all they can’t just tell us what's wrong! With this allergy, there can be a delay in diagnosis so I urge all parents to find out about the common symptoms of CMA and to speak to their doctor or health visitor if they are concerned. Our children's health is of paramount importance and often their well-being is the impact of us taking action: it is far better to be safe rather than sorry.”

Developed in partnership between Allergy UK and infant nutrition specialists Danone Baby Nutrition and Nutricia Advanced Medical Nutrition, ACT on CMA is an awareness campaign to help increase knowledge and understanding of cows’ milk allergy, leading to earlier recognition and effective management. The initiative also aims to provide parents with useful information and support through what can be a difficult journey to diagnosis.

ACT stands for:

·       Awareness of the symptoms

·       Connect the symptoms together

·       Take action – could it be CMA?

Parents who are concerned about their child should consult their GP or health visitor. They can also visit www.cowsmilkallergy.co.uk for more support and information, and to learn how to ACT on CMA.

Lovely Jubilee

The jubilee is nearly here and I can guess that most people have bought something red, white or blue in preparation.  There are street parties, beacons being lit, dressing up, all sorts of celebrations going on over the four day bank holiday weekend in the UK! Even if you are not a royalist, it’s a great excuse for a party and to meet your neighbours.  Thanh is doing exactly that with her family and we are off to the beautiful Lake District to see what’s happening up there.  So whatever you are doing, have fun and enjoy the celebrations.

Here’s a Jubilee Tart and Jubilee Cupcakes for you to try out and to make celebrations with your allergic child all the easier!

Have fun!!

Jubilee Tarts

Makes 8

Ingredients:

For the pastry:

• 225g (8oz) plain flour
• 115g (4oz) dairy free margarine
• 1tsp caster sugar
• 1-2tbsp cold water
• Flour for dusting

    For the filling:

• A selection of fresh raspberry, blueberries and blackberries
• Raspberry or blackcurrant jam

What to do:

• To make the pastry, add the flour and butter to a bowl and rub together using fingers until it looks like breadcrumbs.  Stir in the sugar
• Add the water a little at a time, combining it with your hands until you have a ball.
• Wrap in clingfilm and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 200°C (392°F, gas mark 6).
• Sprinkle the work surface and rolling pin with a little flour
• Roll the pastry out to about 1/4cm thick
• Cut out 24 small circles and line 24 mini tart trays.
• Prick the base of each tart once with a fork
• Bake for 5 minutes
• Remove from the oven and fill the cases with the berries
• Top each with 1tsp of jam and bake for another 8-10 minutes
• Leave the tarts to cool and then transfer to a wire rack. 

Jubilee Cupcakes

Makes 12 fairy cakes

Ingredients:

• 225g (9oz) self raising flour
• 1tbsp baking powder
• 0.5 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 226g (8oz) caster sugar
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 2tbsp flavourless, nut free oil
• 1tbsp white vinegar
• 240ml (8floz) rice milk

What to do:

• Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F, gas mark 4). Line 12 sections in muffin tray with small fairy cakes cases (silicone works the best but paper is fine)
• Sift the flour and baking powder in a bowl and add the sugar
• Add the remaining ingredients and mix until the mixture is a smooth batter
• Transfer the mixture to a jug and fill each case to just below the top
• Bake for about 25 minutes until risen.  When pressed gently with a finger tip, it should keep it's shape and not sink down
• Transfer to a wire rack to cool

For the buttercream:

• Whisk 70g (2.5oz) dairy free margarine at room temperature with 170g (6oz) icing sugar
• Add a few drops of vanilla essence
• 2 tbsp rice milk.  Add the milk slowly, a little at a time, until the mixture is smooth and stiff.  It needs to be able to hold it's shape for piping so add more icing sugar if not stiff enough.

Decoration:

• Decorate with slices strawberries and whole blueberries