How Do I Title This? Lots Of Questions About My Sweet Babies!

[What'sForDinner?]

Hi everyone! This is my first post here, though I've been diagnosed with celiac since October of 2007, when I was 31. My questions are in regard to my children. I had two boys before I was diagnosed, neither of whom show any direct reaction to gluten. My firstborn was always really healthy and smart, but between 6 months and 18 months, he only gained one pound. He was exclusively breasted till 6 months, and weaned at 15 months. His pediatrician (also a celiac, coincidentally) wasn't too worried. Anyway, other than that, he's never showed an symptoms of celiac. I'm hoping he missed the bullet.

Boy #2 is now 3.5 years old. He was EBF till her was 6 months, and weaned at 12 months. Something has always niggled in the back of my mind, that he might have celiac. His poops are almost always really soft or diarrhea-ish, and sometimes they are foul-smelling beyond belief. He is growing fine, but his skin is dry and rough (both boys have keratosis, inherited from me). His hair is on the rough side, as well. He had a speech delay for quite a while, but that has resolved. And just last week he started complaining of "itchies" and "owies" at his left armpit. I don't know much at all about dermatitis herpetiformis (I don't have it, luckily), but isn't it prevalent in the armpits and behind the knees? Anyway, his behavior since January has been enough to make me list him on ebay! He was always a happy, sunshiney boy and I wondered when the terrible twos were going to arrive. I've considered cutting out artificial food coloring because I heard that causes wild behavior. Does gluten cause it, too? We did a celiac blood test when he was 2 1/2, but it was negative (NOT a surprise).

Baby #3 was conceived after my diagnosis, and I was strictly gluten-free for most of my pregnancy. I cheated on occasion with Quaker instant oatmeal, and when I figured out that I could cheat lightly and not feel any reaction for a while, I kept it up. I weighed less when I went into the hospital in labor, than when I got pregnant. But she is tiny. She has dropped in the weight percentiles and now has an appointment with her pediatrician (a different one--not the celiac pede) to discuss her (lack of) growth. She is 8 months now and is 15.6 pounds, putting her in the 5th-10th percentile. I've given her a bit of gluten here and there, but now I realize that she may have gotten some through breastmilk when I've cheated (now I'm really regretting that! I didn't know gluten passes through breastmilk). She hasn't shown any physical discomfort in reaction to gluten, but I wonder if her growth is related to that.

Now my main question is in regards to my 3 year old. How would I proceed with him? Attempt another blood test? Press for a biopsy (I'd really prefer not to go that route, but will if need be)? Just go gluten-free and see what happens? He likes my gluten-free stuff, and at this age I don't think it would be too hard to make the switch.

Thanks so much for reading and responding, if you can!!

[caek-is-a-lie]

I only have one son and am going through some of the same issues as you are with your 3 yr old. I know that anyone with an immediate relative diagnosed with Celiac should be tested on a regular basis for it, so your kids should probably have a blood test done every few years. My son has not had a blood test done yet but I will mention it at his next appt. He's always been underweight, although extremely tall, and he's had some verbal delays, even though he taught himself how to count to 20 forwards and backwards and how to read by the time he was 2. So I'm not sure what to make of the verbal delays except he was just focused on other things. He also gets hyperactive when he eats gluten and that makes me suspicious.

I have heard from other parents that if you want accommodations made for your kids in elementary school, you're gonna have to have a diagnosis from a doctor to show them. So for that reason I'd recommend testing and not just going gluten-free. It's up to you whether you want to do a gluten challenge in your kids to see if they get better and then make them worse again for testing (if that happens in their case.) I personally would get too sick to ever want to do a gluten challenge on myself.

I, too, feel guilty about eating gluten when I was pregnant and breastfeeding. I ate more then than I had in years. But I didn't know I was gluten intolerant so I guess I can't be too hard on myself. I'll get it right with the next kid. I just hope my son doesn't get too upset with me when he's older, if I did any damage.

[4wildberries]

If it was me---I would test ALL my kids with Enterolab's stool test, including the DNA panel! This will give you a 100% yes or no answer. IF this is not good enough for schools to not poison kids, take the results to your doctor. All of your kids sound like they have symptoms. I hope I don't sound harsh---but I know how hard it is to make a decision without the evidence right in front of your face.