Milk allergy

[3littleboys]

HI girls

I'm after any info or experiences you have had with your bub being allergic to milk. My little bub was in hospital today after worsening reflux and weight loss. The doctors are testing his poop for something to see if he's allergic or has a intolerance to milk. He does suffer excema and some other signs of milk allergy/intolerance.

Any info would be great. We are starting lachie on a soy formula tomorrow and seeing the drs at the hospital in a week to see how we are going.

Thanks Zoe

[MelS]

Hi Zoe, Marley had a dairy allergy which was diagnosed at 7mths. She had really bad ezcema, then a severe allergic reaction (which required an ambulance ride to emergency) to the wrong formula. A paed did the skin pr!ck test and found the allergy. She was not able to have any dairy until she was 12mths old. Her formula was OK (Nan HA Gold), as it has the milk enzyme hydrolized, which helps break it down in their tummy. At 12 mths she was tested again and was no longer allergic and has all dairy now with no problems. I was told by the paed to be careful when trying soy as some babies can be allergic to that also. Maybe check with the dr before trying it. Marley never had any reflux or anything like that. Dairy allergy and lactose intolerance are very different, so I hope the dr finds the cause of your little boys problems. Good luck, its so awful when they are not well.

[MantaRay]

Jack was possibly allergic to dairy until he was about 12 months. He was actually ok with cheese and my breast milk, but yoghurt caused a reaction. We have since discovered he has a sulfur allergy though so now I'm thinking it might have been to do with the fruit in the yoghurt and not the dairy. He can eat fruity yoghurts now without a problem so who knows. The good news for you is that most dairy allergies disappear around 1 year.

[christy]

My daughters are both allergic to milk. Matilda had Failure to Thrive & the milk allergy was diagnosed after she turned 3. My DD2 is allergic to milk & soy. She is on breastmilk though for her milk intake & otherwise we use rice milk.

We have seen an amazing change in both daughters, my DD2 hasn't had to be medicated for reflux at all.

[scarlet121]

Hi there, with refluxers it is generally milk protein intolerence that causes reflux to get worse, the reasoning is that kids have a hard time in digesting the large proteins so they reflux more. Soy proteins are large like milk so you may have a hard tiem with the, the best is a hypoallergenic formula generally and it is easier for them to digest.

If the reflux is getting worse, ask about getting the right doses meds etc... unfortunaly a lot of doctors are not really proactive in getting or giving the right meds for refluxers and there are good meds out there.

[jackrose]

Would this allergic reaction to milk proteins (aggravating reflux) be the same case for a fully breastfed baby? That is, would milk and dairy consumed by me translate to an allergic reaction in my baby and be a possible explanation for her reflux?

[River]

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[scarlet121]

If your baby is 100% breastfed it can go either way, a lot of people saying taking both dairy and soy out of their diet makes a dramatic improvement, some say they just need to take milk out, some say it makes no difference.

The best thing to do is try it, have some dairy and see how your bub reacts, if you do want to get dairy out of your system though, it can take up to a month to fully get out of your system.

Both my boys are milk protein intolerent and I intend to go milk and soy free with the next bub.

[LachiesMum]

My son Lachlan is 2 years old and was diagnosed with severe eczema around the age of 6 months! Tests showed that he was allergic to soy, wheat, egg, beef, lamb and cows milk. Starting him on solids was tough and for a long time he was limited to just fruit and vegetable purees.

He's since outgrown his soy and beef allergy but the others remain! I've learnt that these obstacles are more common than what most people realise and there are a number of products available on the market that can give you substitutes.

Lachie still gets bad eczema but now it's a reaction to extreme heat, grass or pollens - not food! I'm hoping that with the continued care of a great paediatric immunologist and dermatologist we will be eczema and allergy free one day!

Oh and just for the record - my son absolutely thrived on drinking soy milk and yoghurt when cleared of this allergy - he has been having them daily ever since.