Adrian’s mother conceived him after a previous pregnancy was lost at 35 weeks’ gestation. She was subsequently diagnosed with Thrombophilia, related to the MTHFR gene mutation and was placed on Lovenox to prevent clots. During the pregnancy, she ate whatever she wanted, as was her Italian family’s tradition of “feed your cravings.” This led to a 63-pound weight gain by the time she was induced at 38 weeks as a precaution due to her previous miscarriage. Her glucose tolerance test was normal. After 31 hours of labor, Adrian was born via emergency C-Section, because his arm was stuck and he could not progress further in the birth canal. His birth weight was 8 pounds, 3 ounces. From the start, he had difficulty latching and sucking. Adrian was primarily fed pumped breast milk because of his feeding issues, and evening soy formula because of dairy intolerance. He gradually started to become fussier and began spitting up. At 2 months, he had a choking episode and turned blue. Adrian was diagnosed with “silent” GERD and was placed on an antacid, which relieved many of his symptoms. His mother also removed dairy and wheat from her diet, and by 3 months, she was able to stop the antacid. He started home cooked solids, mostly vegetables and meats, at 4 months, and by a year old, he went back on dairy and wheat products without any apparent digestive distress. Over the next 2 years, he started having:

• Recurrent bouts of croup and respiratory illnesses

• Dark circles under his eyes and skin rashes

• Large, bulky stools

• Poor growth for both weight and height

• Hyperactivity and broken sleep patterns

Adrian’s behavior worsened until he eventually bit his 7-month-old sister’s finger. At this point, his mother was at her wit’s end–something had to change.