Lactose Intolerance and breastfeeding?

Yep, its another breastfeeding thread from me! lol.

I took DD2 to the natropath as she has been diagnosed with reflux but I dont like the idea of her being on medication for it so I went to see the natropath to see if anything i was eating/drinking that could have been affecting her in hope to stop the medication. A couple things came up but the main one was Lactose ( I wasnt suprised as she was showing all the warning signs).

Im now cutting all dairy out of my diet, especially milk and yogurt as these are the highest in lactose.

Im recieving so much conflicting advice regarding this. I understand breastmilk naturally contains lactose but in no way am I willing to stop breastfeeding. Previously before I went to the natropath, I was consumming ALOT of lactose and would easily drink 3 litres of milk a day (a warning sign that I too have lactose issues as I crave it like a mad woman and it makes me horribly sick but I cant stop drinking it). So stopping my lactose intake all together will help DD's tummy issues yeah? Even though breastmilk has lactose in it, it wouldnt be enough to affect her too much would it?

Sorry if thats all abit over the place, I really should be in bed....

Could you lovely ladies tell me abit about breastfeeding and lactose intolerance?

OK. Let's talk about the components in milk. I have fairly horrid lactose intolerance, but it is really rare for babies to have it. lactose intolerant babies are really really sick and they don't gain weight.

1) Lactose is a sugar. Breast milk is full of it, and it is believed to be in there because it is the most efficient fuel for growing brains. Regardless of what you eat your breastmilk will be full of lactose. I think your naturopath has no clue about breastfed babies and is basing his/her advice on what might happen in older kids and adults.

2) Cow's milk protein can cause reactions. And some of it passes through to bub from you - so if she is sensitive to this protein then you removing it from your diet will help. The dairy foods highest in protein are the really solid ones (i.e. cheese) - which are also the lowest in lactose.

Things get very muddly because the gut inflammation from response to cows milk protein can produce temporary partial lactose intolerance (i.e. very grumpy farty baby). But this should settle once her gut heals a bit.

If you think your baby is suffering from lactose overload (i.e. getting more lactose than she can handle) it is usually best to try block feeding. This is where she gets one side until she has well and truly drained it (even if it takes two feeds to do so) before she gets the other.

Other things that sometimes make for grumpy babies are the general onion/garlic family and caffeine.

As she gets a bit bigger she will cope better - at 6 weeks she still has a weak valve at the top of her tummy, and she's still learning to pooh and fart.

Hang in there!

Sorry, no time to chat. But suggest you google 'lactose intolerance ABA'. There is a very good article about this on the ABA website. Basically, cutting out dairy will make no difference to the lactose content of your milk. Could be intolerance to cow's milk protein though (and cutting dairy will help this). This was the case with my DS and non-dairy diet has made a huge difference. Sheeeeesh I miss cheese though!

Hey Hun, I've had to cut out dairy due to DDs dairy intolerance. It made a huge difference when I did. Did they say lactose? Or did they mean dairy? And like you I was eating huge amounts of dairy and DD was really unsettled.
Cant even think what else I was going to say but it's a tad early and I should be back in bed!

My DS was initially diagnosed with reflux and then with the right paediatrician and dietician we eventually got diagnosed with a milk protein allergy. We could then stop the reflux medication without any more symptoms. As the others have said babies with dairy issues usually aren't lactose intolerant, it's a milk protein issue. If you decide to cut out diary remember to take a calcium supplement and depending on your meat and egg intake you might need a B12. The professionals have advised me to take 2 x caltrate which is more than the recommended dose on the bottle. You need an increased dose because of BF.

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OK. Let's talk about the components in milk. I have fairly horrid lactose intolerance, but it is really rare for babies to have it. lactose intolerant babies are really really sick and they don't gain weight.

1) Lactose is a sugar. Breast milk is full of it, and it is believed to be in there because it is the most efficient fuel for growing brains. Regardless of what you eat your breastmilk will be full of lactose. I think your naturopath has no clue about breastfed babies and is basing his/her advice on what might happen in older kids and adults.

2) Cow's milk protein can cause reactions. And some of it passes through to bub from you - so if she is sensitive to this protein then you removing it from your diet will help. The dairy foods highest in protein are the really solid ones (i.e. cheese) - which are also the lowest in lactose.

Things get very muddly because the gut inflammation from response to cows milk protein can produce temporary partial lactose intolerance (i.e. very grumpy farty baby). But this should settle once her gut heals a bit.

If you think your baby is suffering from lactose overload (i.e. getting more lactose than she can handle) it is usually best to try block feeding. This is where she gets one side until she has well and truly drained it (even if it takes two feeds to do so) before she gets the other.

Other things that sometimes make for grumpy babies are the general onion/garlic family and caffeine.

As she gets a bit bigger she will cope better - at 6 weeks she still has a weak valve at the top of her tummy, and she's still learning to pooh and fart.

Hang in there!

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Thats interesting, thankyou :) I dont have the best supply in the world so she completely drains both sides everytime she feeds... I have heard that most babies are sensitive to lactose under the age of 3 months (i think i read that on the ABA website..). Thats what I thought about the sick and not gaining weight thing. Shes pretty happy and gaining weight so this also confused me. When she tested her the results came up as Lactose, Sugar and Kiwi fruit (random lol).. So the lactose and sugar is going hand in hand yeah?

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Sorry, no time to chat. But suggest you google 'lactose intolerance ABA'. There is a very good article about this on the ABA website. Basically, cutting out dairy will make no difference to the lactose content of your milk. Could be intolerance to cow's milk protein though (and cutting dairy will help this). This was the case with my DS and non-dairy diet has made a huge difference. Sheeeeesh I miss cheese though!

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Thanks hun. I did check the ABA out :) they are my saviour at the best of times!

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Hey Hun, I've had to cut out dairy due to DDs dairy intolerance. It made a huge difference when I did. Did they say lactose? Or did they mean dairy? And like you I was eating huge amounts of dairy and DD was really unsettled.
Cant even think what else I was going to say but it's a tad early and I should be back in bed!

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I went and seen you know who.. (i wont mention her name for privacy reasons). She said lactose. You know her, she knows her stuff and said it wasnt dairy, just lactose. DD isnt too unsettled, I just wanted to try and help her in regards to the reflux and try and settle her tummy abit (DD1 failed to gain weight randomly at 0-6 months from the massive amount of vomit and she was FF... ).

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My DS was initially diagnosed with reflux and then with the right paediatrician and dietician we eventually got diagnosed with a milk protein allergy. We could then stop the reflux medication without any more symptoms. As the others have said babies with dairy issues usually aren't lactose intolerant, it's a milk protein issue. If you decide to cut out diary remember to take a calcium supplement and depending on your meat and egg intake you might need a B12. The professionals have advised me to take 2 x caltrate which is more than the recommended dose on the bottle. You need an increased dose because of BF.

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Thanks hun. I spoke to my GP yesterday and she said if Im going to cut out dairy all together then I will need to take 2 X 600mg calcuim tablets daily.


So Im still confused.. why wouldnt it just come up dairy?

Most babies make lots of gas as they digest lactose, but that's completely normal. Along with very sloppy multicolored pooh and frequent possetting.
Does keeping her a bit more upright help?

Nah not really Kmn. She will chuck if shes laying down, upright, asleep, awake.. you name it. lol.

So your trying to say some sort of lactose sensitivity is normal in babies? Is that why it came up in the natropaths tests?

Sometimes babies can get lactose overload - due to too much milk, for eg, due to oversupply or very fast letdown. It's also possible if baby has the diarrhea as this can strip lactase from teh gut (this is the enzyme that breaks down lactose). These are only temporary problems though that tend to resolve themselves with time and block feeding can help.

I'm not certain that consuming lots of lactose actually increases the amount of lactose in your milk though... It doesn't really sound like she has a serious problem :dunno: Is reflux the only symptom? At her age that sort of thing is pretty normal really. My DD chucked all the time for the first few months, but she was quite happy about it I must admit. DS had silent reflux and was quite miserable.

She has water poo. But apart from that I would have never thought she had an issue with lactose. It was only since I went to the natropath and was told she had one. Im not sure if I should get her tested at the GP for it seemings it wont make much difference in my world (I WONT be stopping breastfeeding unless is life threatning, which i highly doubt) what the outcome of that test is. Shes due to get weighed tomorrow at the local MCHN as I know lactose intolerant bubs have issues with putting on weight (I dont think this is the case, shes quite the chubba.. ). Also there is a ABA leader coming to town today so Im going to go chat to her too :)

What I was trying to say is that really sloppy pooh and frequent chucking can just be normal - and if your baby is growing and active and mostly happy then there is no need to do anything at all other than take lots of spare clothes and a towel with you. It should get better as she grows.
Talking to the ABA and having her weighed should give you a bit more of an idea as to whether you have an actual problem or just a messy baby.

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Sometimes babies can get lactose overload - due to too much milk, for eg, due to oversupply or very fast letdown. It's also possible if baby has the diarrhea as this can strip lactase from teh gut (this is the enzyme that breaks down lactose). These are only temporary problems though that tend to resolve themselves with time and block feeding can help.

I'm not certain that consuming lots of lactose actually increases the amount of lactose in your milk though... It doesn't really sound like she has a serious problem :dunno: Is reflux the only symptom? At her age that sort of thing is pretty normal really. My DD chucked all the time for the first few months, but she was quite happy about it I must admit. DS had silent reflux and was quite miserable.

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On righty I do have a super fast letdown. She coughs and carries on lol. Poor bubba. Im shocked that my natropath didnt know that it doesnt matter how much lactose you consume, it doesnt change the amount in your breastmilk. She gave me a big list of what I can and cannot eat and drink :/ Im not concerned at all about her chucking.. my kids just like to chuck lol. It passes eventually.

I have stopped dairy for myself anyway as it was making me horribly ill. Since doing that I have been able to cut down her reflux medicine from 3 X .6ml a day to just 1 X .5ml a day. Hoping I can stop it all together soon as it makes her chuck even more and makes her poo very very green :/

Kmn - yeah hun, I know thats normal. I have been a little concerned of late when there is just a staining of poo in her nappy (like coloured wee.. no chunks) but wondering if its just her adjusting to the massive amount of BM she has been taking lately (its been hot here and she just had her week 6 growth spurt).


I dont know whether to trust the natropath findings or not. Im thinking that yes, she does have an issue with dairy but its not lactose. I too am leaning more toward the cows milk protein. Wonder if its as easy as, what makes me sick, will make her feel yucky too? Sounds good in theroy..

Actually, MM, your theory sounds good. If you've got an intolerance to cows milk protein, it's entirely possible it's genetic.

Cutting it out of your diet is going to help you at the very least, and can't hurt her. If it makes it better, then you've probably got the answer!

Cows' milk protein allergy is not uncommon, true lactose allergy is rare. We'd never have survived as long as we have as the human race if we had lots of babies with lactose allergies. Kmn's points are excellent!

Just got home from speaking from a couple lovely ABA ladies for the past couple hours. They believe that the amount of lactose I consume will influence the amount of lactose in my breastmilk therfor how much DD consumes.

One of them actually goes to the same natropath I do and said she was very good at her job so she would believe what I have been told.


So this is why I wrote this thread as there is so much conflicting when it comes to lactose and breastfeeding. They said that they base that on more experience than scientific.

That's the thing MM just cos there hasn't been heaps of studies done to prove it doesn't mean it isn't true. Good luck at keeping the dairy cut out I am so craving cheese right now lol

LOL Em, ide kill for a thickshake atm!

On a brighter note... DD hasnt needed any of her reflux meds since yesterday lunchtime :D

That's awesome! I'm hoping this baby can have dairy otherwise I'll never get to eat it lol thanks now I feel Luke one of them too!

Have you asked about lacteeze drops? They are the enzyme that should be there to digest lactose - and that would isolate whether you have a protein problem (in which case no cheese for you, for example) or a lactose problem. Will pm you link.

Also this article: http://www.health-e-learning.com/articles/Lactose.pdf
suggests that a low fat maternal diet can lead to more lactose problems in babies - could this be an issue for you?