Reply With QuoteThere is lactose free formula you can try if you want to go that way.
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allergic to dairy
ok so i have been told that it looks like bub is allergic to dairy so i have to stop having it
dairy is like my main food group lol.
so just a few questions on this, hopefully someone will be able to help.
egg isnt dairy is it?
i was told to look at lables but like all biscuits have milk/cream in them so does that mean i have to cut all them out completly too?
if i struggled with not having dairy would formula effect him too?
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There is lactose free formula you can try if you want to go that way.
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you mean the protein in cow's milk right? I saw a thread of someone else's a while back with the same issue. Maybe someone can remember where it is.
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What is happening with bub that they think he is allergic?
I found my little one was sensitive to when i ate dairy early on (colic) but after a couple of months was able to reintroduce it to my diet and now she is ok.
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Eggs aren't dairy
Registered User
Firtsly no eggs are not dairy so they are fine for you to eat.
What is happening when you eat dairy that is making them think bubs is allergic?
DD2 has a dairy allergy, we found out when she ate yoghurt and i had to rush ehr to hospital, she has since had allergy testing, she is still BF and i haven't had to cut out dairy as it seems the small amounts i do eat don't affect her.. even though her allergy is quite serious.
Before you stress yourself too much let us know whats happening, it might be something else or you may need a 2nd opinion OR to get proper allergy testing done. (may need to be done as bub is older though)
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Firtsly no eggs are not dairy so they are fine for you to eat.
What is happening when you eat dairy that is making them think bubs is allergic?
DD2 has a dairy allergy, we found out when she ate yoghurt and i had to rush ehr to hospital, she has since had allergy testing, she is still BF and i haven't had to cut out dairy as it seems the small amounts i do eat don't affect her.. even though her allergy is quite serious.
Before you stress yourself too much let us know whats happening, it might be something else or you may need a 2nd opinion OR to get proper allergy testing done. (may need to be done as bub is older though)
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What sort of allergy, or intolerance?
If its lactose intolerance then theres not much you can do; breastmilk contains the highest level of lactose.
If its cows milk protein allergy have they done a definate stool test? If its this you will need to swap fairy for goats milk, or other non-dairy milk substitutes, being wary of soy as children with cmpi are also sensitive to soy. You CAN still breastfeed if this is the case.
What symptoms does he have?
BellyBelly Life Subscriber
If your baby has been diagnosed as alergiic to dairy protein passing through your milk, then yes, you'll have to cut out all dairy (and check all labels on food very carefully)
Are you being guided through this process by a peadiatrician and/or dietician?
If you were to switch to formula, you'd have to find a dairy-free one. If your baby suffers from allergies, an elemental formula is usually recommended (you can discuss this with your doctor)
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As others have said, do you know if it's lactose or the protein in the dairy?
Dd1 and Ds are both lactose intolerant and reacted to the lactose in my breastmilk, as well as food in dd's case. It took a long time to work it out with dd. She was very underweight and always threw up a feed. It improved once she was on solids and we worked out the problem at 8 months.
Ds failed to put on weight, he was only managing 60g a week if we were lucky. Through a process of elimination and then introducing foods I ate I confirmed it was lactose intolerance. He screamed when I had a2 milk, which is ok if it's the protein they have issues with. He is on top ups with formula and we use lactose free.
He has slowly weaned himself off bfing by refusing or biting and this week he is not taking ebm. He is now putting on 150+ a week.
Good luck with sorting out the problem. I found with Ds if I had wheat he got a bad rash as well.
We have had the support of a pead throughout the process.
Life Subscriber
It sounds like you've been having a difficult time
As the others have said, more information would be helpful. There are two proteins in cows' milk so if there is an allergy it could be to just one of the proteins. This means that some people with cows milk protein allergies can have yoghurt, others can have some cheeses, as many dairy proteins mostly only have one of the proteins. If the allergy is to both proteins then many foods need to be avoided as they contain milk solids - as you have mentioned this includes biscuits and also some tinned foods and even a lot of chip flavours. However, you may not need to avoid these while bring, that will depend on the level of sensitivity. Also note that it can take 8 weeks for the proteins to leave your system so you probably won't see a change for a while after stopping dairy.
It won't be lactose intolerance as this is almost unheard of in babies and when it does occur the baby is unable to tolerate any breastmilk from birth and is very ill. Babies can however have temporary issues processing lactose after a tummy bug, antibiotics or if there is tummy damage from another food allergy. Once the underlying cause goes away this resolves within a few weeks and breastfeeding as normal is recommended in the meantime.
If there is a dairy allergy there may be another food allergy also so seeing a pediatric allergist is a great idea and also a dietician to help with a suitable diet.
GL.
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Blackrose, FYI a2 milk still has one of the cows milk proteins in it, so if you are allergic to that protein then you will react to a2 also. Did you do the elimination diet with a dietician or allergist? By Isolating dairy as a sensitivity you still don't know what component is the issue, even when you have found a2 milk to be a problem. Cows milk protein is still more likely to be the issue. If it was lactose your babies would have had to be hospitalised from birth as they would have not processed any of your breastmilk. This is extremely rare. True lactose intolerance is something that pretty much only occurs in older children or more commonly adults.
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FWIW, my DD1 was diagnosed with a chronic overexposure sensitivity to lactose... she technically isn't allergic to it, but so sensitive (because of the build up over time) that we can only manage tiny amounts of lactose in her diet, usually just what is in cooked foods. She can't drink milk, eat cheese or yoghurt, for example. She started on lactose free formula and we moved to soy.
We saw a tremendous improvement in her bowels and her sleeping when we switched, it was hell before hand. Big hugs to you because this can be stressful!
If you do try formula, perhaps express for a while so you can go back to BF if the sensitivity is still seen on FF.
HTH
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Hi,
It can be very daunting to be told you need to cut out all dairy, especially when if, for you, like many of us, dairy forms a large part of your diet.
I wonder, who diagnosed the allergy? Is there any family history of dairy allergies? What are your baby's symptoms?
It is possible to eat well on a dairy free diet, but you probably need to see a dietician to give you some ideas. It is important for your well being that you are able to eat well.
Formula is made of cows milk, so that won't be suitable. Some babies (around 50% or more) react to soy milk proteins as well. It is important that breastfeeding is preserved while you figure this out.
A related article that explains this is on the ABA website Australian Breastfeeding Association - Lactose intolerance and the breastfed baby
Good luck - let us know how you go
BellyBelly Member
Hi Sas. Both of mine have had intolerances to lactose and dairy, both caused by bouts of gastro. DD1 was 7 months, she was on formula by then, started on lactose free and we couldn't get a complete improvement until she went on soy, which took 2 months of trial and error, which she stayed on until about 15 months, when after another trial on normal dairy she better. These days she can't have to much dairy in one day, 2 tubs of yogurt gives her the runs.
DD2 got gastro at 2 months, is fully breastfed, after 4-5 weeks with no improvement my gp recommended I cut out all dairy out of my diet and slowly reintroduce it. She improved within about 3 weeks but I slowly found out if I slipped and ate something I shouldn't, the following stool she did the next day was a lactose stool, and was foul. She is 10 months and its pretty much still the same way. I am on lactose free milk in my coffee and have switched to rice for my cereal, but if I drink to much lactose free that it will upset her. I can have cheeses without a problem. I haven't had to go as far and cutting out things like biscuits that contain milk etc, I think that would indicate a massive intolerance, I'd just start with direct sources.
Both of mine did classic lactose stools, literally liquid green water, frothy, containing jelly and smelled rank. DD1 both stool samples came back negative, and since it is literally impossible to catch a liquid stool, we gave up on that. She was also tested for other problems, such as coeliac, which sometimes is masked by LI symptoms. My gp had seen the stool and that was enough for her to diagnose and not bother sending for a hydro breath test and the trial and error with the lactose free and soy formulas worked. DD2 we didn't bother testing, given DD1's history.
I was the same as you, I love dairy and ate a fair bit of it daily. To begin with it was awful having to cut it out so much, but seeing the improvement it made and knowing the reactions DD2 got if I ate even a simple tub of yogurt, kinda makes it worthwhile to know you are making you baby better. My gp has me having the occasional intake of dairy, just to see if we get a reaction in DD, and so far still do, so still no dairy for me.
Even if its a lactose sensitivity or intolerance, breast milk does contain lactose but it is still the easiest form of milk to digest, so is still the better option and far out weights any form of formula. Reducing lactose in your diet can reduce the amount of secondary lactose that is transferred into you milk, and cutting out proteins from dairy will also stop them being transferred to your milk.
Added bonus though, in the first 4 weeks after I cut the dairy out of my diet, I lost 5kg
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hey thanks for all the replies sorry i have been a bit vague its been hard to get back on here.
The midwife i see if great and he picked it up.
I had asked about masons poos because they have always been real watery and soak into his nappy and had really bad wind all the time. everytime he did a fart he would do a little poo. we were changing him so often. he also started pullin off the boob all the time while feeding and was unsettled.
i have cut out everything dairy the since fri and i have noticed a dif with him wind already. The midwife told me that it will take up to about 2 weeks to notice a dif in his poo.
i am cuttin everything out for the 2 weeks or until i can notice a dif in his poo and then i will slowly try biscuits and stuff with tiny amounts in it.
i went shopping yesterday and got some rice and oat milk and they both taste sooooooooooooooooooooooooo bad lol. then when i tried to find some biscuits without milk there r like NONE. it all feels so daunting i am already having withdrawls from milk already. i got some nutlex instead of marg/butter but i havnt tried it yet.
should i go to the doc or just wait and see if there is a dif in the next week or so?
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Nuttelex is GREAT, i use it for DD2 and now put it on all on stuff so if she takes a bite it doesn't matter.
In the health food section of your local woolies or coles there should be a few dairy free options, the ORGRAN brand is dairy, wheat, egg free - they don't taste too bad at all really.
You can also look up their website.. there are other brands aswell.
Check the Sweet Wiliiam Chocolate - if you still want a sweet dairy sugar hit.. it's actually not bad, this is also in the health food section.
Life Subscriber
Sassy, this must be confusing for you. There is so much mis-information around about lactose intolerance and allergies. Good luck with sorting it all out.
A couple of things really stand out from your last post. Firstly, what you have described sounds a lot like oversupply. The classic signs are lots of wet and dirty nappies, runny, green or frothy poos, usually feeding often and sometimes being very unsettled with apparent tummy pain. When there is an oversuppy, babies get more of the watery milk that is designed to quench thirst at the start of the feed, and less of the fatty milk that usually comes later in the feed. The watery milk is much higher in lactose, so the signs of lactose intolerance are there, but it's not intolerance, it's actually overload. Did you read the article that Barb linked to in her post? It's explained really well in there. If you think this might explain what is happening with Mason then there are some things you can do to help it settle down more quickly - such as feeding from one side only at each feed, or even feeding from the same side for 2 or more consecutive feeds (and expressing for comfort from the other side to avoid mastitis). If it is oversuppy, then the good news is that it should settle down soon and there is no need to change your diet.
The other thing is that it takes about 8 weeks for the cows' milk proteins to leave your system totally. Usually if the CMP is the problem you will see some improvement before that time, but it could take a couple of months for the signs to completely go away.
All the best hun
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