Milk Allergy Symptoms in Baby

[DFB05]

HI All,

I last posted about my gassy baby...she was having trouble burping, but constantly passing gas, then would have terrible pains in her belly & scream, grunt, scrunch up her body.  (She's now 1 month old yesterday...)  Last week we switched her to the Enfamil Gentlease, which seems to have helped a bit, but I also took her to the pediatrician and he said to keep looking out for the symptoms to recur, if they do, we'll have to switch to Nutramagen/Alimentum.  He says that lactose intolerance in babies is rare, so the gentlease may help for a while, but we may have to switch over because normally it's an actually milk allergy.  She also has sensitive skin, and acne/rash all around her cheeks which he said is from the drooling of the formula, but I've also noticed that her skin gets all blotchy when she eats and gradually subsides after she's done eating.  I don't think it's from crying, because I notice it even when she wasn't crying.  Does anyone know if this is a sign of an allergy?  (Her skin is really dry, but I don't know if it's technically excema, which I read is a sign of allergy.)  I don't want to be an alarmist or label her allergic or switch to the other formula if we don't have to, but I also don't want her to be uncomfortable if she doesn't have to be either.  Thanks to anyone who can help--and sorry for the rambling posting!

[low22]

I actually was allergic to milk when I was a baby.  Nothing worked and my mom said I was absolutely miserable.  The only thing that worked for her was goat's milk.  Sounds gross, I know.  But that was 28 years ago so they must have something in formula that mimics the goat's mild ;)  Good luck!

[emcy2]

You can actually still get goats milk now, also soya milk is another option, as the rosey cheeks come when she is feeding I would personally demand they take an allergy test for your little one, dont let them make you feel neurotic, you have genuine reasons for this concern.
big hugs
  xxxx

[emma10]

My son had bona fide dairy allergy (and allergies to many other foods too). For over 12 months the peds told me it was 'a rash' the spots on his face. They too would inflame and eventually started to ooze. They were itchy as well--any itchiness? They got redder after eating, eventually spread to wrist/knee cracks too. He was coated in this steroid cream which eventually led to growth delays.  I finally got him tested (RAST test, one blood draw in which they test the substances, no pricking test) and ped apologized for half-hour about misdiagnosing him (really just ignoring it).

The more you take in of a substance you are allergic to they more your IgE multiplies, making you more allergic in future to other stuff.  Why not just TRY the other non-dairy and see if it helps? If so, you have an answer (my poor boy was allergic to soy too so it wouldn't have helped). Dairy and soy are on the list of top 10 allergenw in America, along with wheat.  My advice is to be assertive--you know when something is WRONG with the baby. They call everything "rash". Good lucK!!!

[twiceadopt]

my youngest has either lactose intolerance or a dairy allergy. tho he was largely breast-fed, milk-based formulas never agreed with him. our symptoms were runny poops. my sister's kid broke into hives whenever she had dairy. gas may be a symptom of intolerance, not allergy. it definitely runs in families, so if you or your partner have a history of dairy problems, thats likely it. can you try soy formula?

[DFB05]

Thanks everyone...i'm goung to

[DFB05]

oops!  i have a baby in my arms & hit the wrong thing...i'm calling the pedi,i'd rather be safe than sorry...my hubby is lactose intolerant/sensitive, & my nephew had a milk allergy as a baby too.

[DFB05]

Thsnk you so much!  I'm waiting for the pedi to call back, but i may just try the nutramagen anyway for her next bottle--he gave us a sample of it to try if we needed it.

[MIA3]

Hey, Similac makes a lacto free formula..just thought you would like to know.  Mia

[tinad]

Lactose free does not mean milk free. If the baby is allergic to milk she will need to have a strict avoidance of milk.

[tinad]

My son has a severe milk allergy that was diagnosed when he was one year old. If your child is allergic to cow's milk they will be allergic to goat's milk. Food allergies are from an allergic reaction to the protein in the food. My son had anaphylactic reactions to milk three times before the doctors would do any testing on him. I highly suggest the RAST test which is a blood test that shows if your child has food allergies. I don't know if they can do the test on a baby as young as yours. Please check with your doctor though. I breastfed my son for the first year and he didn't have many problems with my milk. However, I didn't drink milk or eat cheese during that time. He had some weird episodes of breaking out in hives for no apparant reason and the doctors figured I had eaten something with milk in it that got transferred into my breast milk which caused the reaction. The scary thing is the more your child is exposed the worse the symptoms will get. It might not be a bad idea to switch your baby to nutramagen. That is what we put my son on and he thrived on it. It tastes bad and your baby might not want it at first but she will get used to it within a few days. It's better to do that than have your baby be uncomfortable or have an anaphylactic reaction. I posted a couple of good websites below. I hope they help answer your questions. Also, only 5% of the entire population have a 'real' food allergy to milk. The majority of people that say they have a milk allergy actually are only milk intolerant. Allergies effect your immune system. Intolerance only effects comfort (such as gassy discomfort). If your baby gets flushed then it may be an allergy. Definitely see if there is any testing your doctor can do. Let me know if you have any additional questions. I'll try to help as much as I possibly can. Good luck.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/food-allergy/DS00082
http://www.foodallergy.org/

[MIA3]

I placed the comment on about the Lacto free milk based on the fact there are few infants who develop a" milk allergy" below the age of 1 they are just intolerant. Now after age 1 yes, a milk allergy(lactose) can be diagnosed. If you choose to place your infant on a non-milk based formula Alimentum Advance, Isomil all from Similac or your Enfamil, Nutriminagen, and thier soy products are wonderful. Please consult with your pediatrician before you switch formulas often. Try your soy based products and if your child has hard time with bowel habits try the formulas low in iron or natural supplements(water) to ensure bowel habits are normal.

[amy524]

Just wanted to add that we switched my DD to Alimentum at 4 months of age and it has been wonderful!  The little rash she had on her cheeks cleared up within a few days.  I'm guessing it was excema (sp?) from the milk allergy but overall she's a brand new happy baby!  She also has acid reflux so a new medicine there made all the difference.  Alimentum is expensive and it tastes AND smells really bad...but it's SOOOOO worth it!  Good luck and remember to give ANY formula you switch to at least TWO WEEKS before you decide if it's working or not.  :)

Amy

[ginger0122]

My son has excema on his legs, cheeks and some other little spots on his body that never go away-I rub lotion on them all the time.  He also has bad gas but his poops are hard and normal-no consistency.  He's uncomfortable and it disrupts his sleep.  The ped. are doing nothing to help me-saying he'll grow out of it.  I think it's the milk-should I try soy milk on my own and see what happens.  He's 15 months now and this has been going on since he was an infant.  He was breastfed too.  Help!!!

[debbah]

I am concerned that my 11 week old has a dairy allergy.  She is on gentle ease low lactose formula.  It seemed to work well for a while ( I expressed to my dr. that I had a concern bc her father is lactose intolerant)  She is now spitting up alot of mucus and formula mixed,  I was told to look out for mucus in stool but never spit?  She did have a cold so not sure if the mucus is from the cold or allergy?  My daughter also arches and yells before she burps, but she has gained weight so there was never a concern about reflux?  Any ideas or suggestions?   Thanks  

[gingerbread87]

Hi, I have had eczema all of my life, and it is a direct result of food allergies. It started when I was extremely young and it was a result of cow's milk. I have been drinking soy milk for the last five or more years, before then I just went without drinking milk. Eczema can actually be quite painful so I suggest changing to soy milk for your little one. Eczema is not something that will just go away, but it can go into 'remssion' due to changes in diet. Believe me, I know, I worked in health food for years, and I have been going back and forth with eczema for a very long time. Also, STOP USING LOTION. Lotion can cause eczema to be even drier, Purchase some shea butter, 100% shea butter and put it on his dry areas. Don't use harsh soaps, get something pure and gentle...not Johnson's...its not as pure as you think. Go to your local health food store and purchase a natural soap....such as castile. And don't use steroid ointments....they cause problems later in life. My face is shades lighter than the rest of my skin and much much thinner because my mom didn't know that steroid creams can harm your skin more than help!! They have also weakened my liver and my immune system. God Bless You!