Anyone else Become Lactose Intolerant during Pregnancy?

[amyschlink]

First I want to say THANK YOU for this webstite. It helped me out a lot in the past year. I have found everyone's information VERY useful.

Before I got pregnant, I could drink milk and eat cheese just fine. Never was lactose intolerant. Now that I am about 7 weeks along, it seems like my stomach can't handle the milk or something because I get a upset stomach and (tmi)slight diarrhea everything I drink milk. I don't know if maybe the baby is Lactose Intolerant because my husband is slightly (just gets gassy and slight upset stomach after he drinks or eats to much dairy) or if it is just because I am pregnant or even in my head....lol.

Thank you for your responses!! :)

[freeflavor]

With my first pregnancy I had diarrhea throughout but no cramping or any other symptoms (almost no morning sickness!) so I didn't connect it with anything except being preggers. My boy, however, definitely has problems with milk (I don't think it's lactose since he has the same issues with yogurt and cheese; milk has so many proteins that can cause intolerance, lactose is just the most common).

Anyway, I'm on my second pregnancy and have full blown all day nausea, severe intestinal cramping, major diarrhea. Ugh. I've just started cutting out dairy and it seems to be helping.

I also "developed" gluten intolerance during my first pregnancy, though I didn't figure it out until about a year later. Started getting arthritis in my twenties, aches and pains all over. I went on a juice fast and all of a sudden felt wonderful, so I started cutting things out until I figured out it was gluten. A year and a half later I am pain free, plus my allergies are gone and I don't have restless legs.

Long story short, trust your body and don't think because there isn't a randomized, controlled study on an issue it doesn't make it real. Us folks in western society eat insane amounts of diary and gluten, and considering we didn't evolve to eat this stuff (at least not in quantity) it's no wonder we're all developing forms of intolerance!

[mommaDavenport]

o my god girl...i am in the same boat as you...im expecting my first...its been rough!! i cant eat much of anything...and dairy kills me.

[Annaboo0726]

I was able to eat drink diary products but when I realized I was pregnant any time I ate cheese or drank milk and even eggs gave me an upset stomach n on the toilet so quick .

[mommaDavenport]

me too! its unreal...i never was until i was preggers!!! its so annoying...i cant eat alot of anything...i thought while being preggers i would have so much fun eating...i am the opposite! my stomach is sooooo sensitive to everything!

[mommaDavenport]

me too! its unreal...i never was until i was preggers!!! its so annoying...i cant eat alot of anything...i thought while being preggers i would have so much fun eating...i am the opposite! my stomach is sooooo sensitive to everything!

[Barbie323]

Being pregnant slows down your digestion.and your body has more enzymes to break things down. so u can receceive the max nutrition out of all the food you eat.this also causing indigestion frequently and heart burn.and if u haven't noticed sensitivity to certain foods they would definitely magnify since that fact that you digest things alot slower now.for example sensitivity to lactose.in my case I just couldn't drink milk in the morning before.but now a piece of cheese  in my whole pregnancy at any time of day will give me extreme abdominal pressure.

[JLillyT86]

Hi Kayla,

Just wondering if your baby is lactose intolerant? I see you were 33 weeks back when you posted so I think you should know by now lol. I am the same way as you, only 21 weeks right now but milk is the only thing that bothers me....no gas or discomfort really, just nausea and vomiting! :(

[Megzgossett08]

Early in my pregnancy I seemed to become somewhat lactose intolerant. I could only drink a little at a time which was hard for me since I love milk.  I also had to plan when I would drink milk or eat ice cream so that I didn't have to much to close together.  I talked to my doctor and she said this is common for pregnant women and usually goes away after the baby is born.  This past week I have started to get horrible diarrhea and gas like I have never had before.  After not having any milk or symptoms yesterday, then eating cereal with milk this morning and getting it all back I have decided my intolerance has increased! I am 39 weeks so hopefully it will go away when my baby is born.

[Jobanza]

I'm 5 mos. expectant and this is my second lactose intolerant pregnancy. This time I decided to try Lactaid milk. I'm do well with them. Try a tablespoon of it and see. Trust me, if you're sincerely lactose intolerant during the pregnancy, even that small smidgen will make you nauseated. Try almond milk. It's a great source of folic acid and a yummy substitute.

[kaylamarie0425]

okay so i see almost everyone having my same syptoms, but this isnt tellin me if i could be lactose intolerant or if my baby could be.. im 33 weeks along & ive been havin very sharp pains in my stomach, & sometime a lil diarreah but mostly its just pains when i have cereal or a glas of milk. doesnt really happen with pizza or other dairy products jus milk in its own form.. i need help can anyone tell me what this might mean??

[flowerpowerdeuce]

I see many women have had this problem. I have been feeling the same way I've had mild intolerance to dairy before I got pregnant and with my first pregnancy it was never an issue. But now this being my second pregnancy I feel like instant pain in mu stomach from eating dairy, I'm only six weeks but have been having cramps n more nausea than I remember from my first. Is all this normal is it normal yo feel this bad during second pregnant n from eating dairy. I can't seem to keep anything down either its a horrible feeling.

[mominus]

With my second child I developed severe lactose AND SOY AND PEANUT intolerance. The symptoms are terrible cramping, as in you want to die, and diarrhea. The aftereffects can last a while, depending on offending food substance. Soy and peanuts are legumes, so the proteins are related. The soy allergy came after I started substituting soy for milk in all products. My body just got overwhelmed with soy and started to reject it. So I advise anyone with milk issues to go easy on the soy. Use a mix of substitutes like almond, coconut and hemp milk, cheese, and ice cream.

It has never gone away. The doctors didn't think it was unusual and they all said it was probably permanent. This kind of intestinal intolerance (which I call an allergy since people take that more seriously) is not the kind that will show up with traditional allergy testing.

It didn't affect my daughter. She breastfed just fine and doesn't have any food allergies.

Just another lovely side effect of pregnancy...that completely and totally *****.

[Dani_m723]

When I got pregnant with my first I became sensitive to just milk and cheese. And continued after giving birth I got pregnant with my second just 8 months after my first and slowly till about mid pregnancy I couldn't stomach dairy at all getting all the symptoms. After birth up until now my youngest being 8 months old now I'm learning Im getting symptoms from food that has dairy in the ingredients like milk chocolate, some pastries, pop tarts or even  chewy bars.... Really aggravating and from what I've read else where once ur body starts producing less or stops all together of the enzyme that breaks down lactose that's it. There are pills you can take to help better digest so you won't get synptoms but in Extreame cases like mine they do very little to help. All my dr has told me just to trial and error and find out what I can eat and can't.

[Tlt3]

I developed a total milk allergy after my daughter (2nd child) was born in 09. I now have to carry an epi-pen and cannot even have milk products touch my skin without getting a rash. I have been to the ER for my anaphalyxis! Please be careful with dairy if you suspect tgat may be a problem. I had symptoms of intolerance while preg w/my first child and they have gptten worse with time. There has to be some connection!

[robbynmarie]

Im 27 weeks and over the past month or so i think a have developed a lactose intolerance. the thing that gets me is that i can eat cheese, or ice cream and be just fine but if i drink milk, im in the bathroom all day and i feel sick to my stomach!!!

[erinbmama3]

Since I was about 4 weeks pregnant, I was having stabbing pains in my stomach, intestines and what i thought was heartburn. (All of the same symptoms everyone else is describing. At about 8 weeks, I figured out it could be lactose intolerance ,so i went online of course and found out that all of my symptoms were there. I cut out milk and icecream first and tried just yogurt..didn't work. I ended up cutting out milk, yogurt, and ice cream and drink a glass of lactaid with chocolate in it (only way I can stand it) instead. I have been great ever since. Luckily, cheese hasn't been too bad, as long as I take it easy on the amount. My question now is, however, is my baby going to be lactose intolerant and will I still be able to breast feed? I have really been looking forward to breastfeeding this one (my first two did not) and if I can't, I'm pretty sure my heart will break and...the added expense of formula..YIKES!!

[amandajb7]

Hi ladies,
I got lactose intolerant right after our daughter was born (16 months ago).  I looooove dairy products, milk, cheese, yogurt, you name it.  Approx 2 hrs after eating, I would be in the bathroom up to 4 times in a row.  And this would be almost every day.
Wasn't sure if that's what my issue was, or if I had an infection.
Was at the pharmacy 3 days ago, found these dairy digestive pills.  They contain emzymes that lactose-intolerant people are missing.  I took one right away (I was feeling the onset of my illness), and that fixed it completely.
Have since been taking one before eating dairy, and have had zero problems since.  If your drug store has them, they might be worth a try for you, too.
(Mine were store brand, 100 pills for $13.  Low cost when you consider the inconvenient alternatives.)

[jasminedr19]

Hello,
My name is Jasmine.
I'm about 8 weeks along and I just ate pizza a few hours ago. Now I have terrible cramping and diarrhea. What's wrong with me? I usually have no problem with dairy foods and this didn't happen during my first pregnancy any advice?

[busimommi153]

During the beginning of my first pregnancy i was fine. Bout halfway in anytime i drank milk i would feel terrible, gassy in pain got the bubbles pretty much. After i had her i was fine :) then with this second baby(completly different dad and everything) im getting the same thing, early on though. I just a cup of milk nd boy oh boy do i regret it. Is this just something that develops with pregnancy? Cuz my daughters tummy cant handle regular formula. She has to be on a one called fussiness and gas for lactose sensitivity, will my second one be subject to the same even though its different fathers but same symptoms?

[Anggel]

I am 37 weeks pregnant, and as a life long habbit drink almost a gallon of milk every day. About 3 weeks ago I was admitted to the hospital for intense stomach pain, vomiting, and painful contractions. I had no idea why this was happening to me. It turned out that I'd gone about 3 days without milk, and having some with my morning cereal triggered these symptoms (which I discovered a few days later when the same thing happened again about half way through my breakfast). The pain was unbearable! My Dr said I could have developed a sensitivity to milk, but she did not seem convinced, and put me on bedrest and told me to avoid milk. Well, 5 days ago I made ham, egg, and cheese bagels that I had NO PROBLEM eating, but I ate one yesterday, and ended up in excruciating pain, projectile vomiting and having sharp, close together contractions. I was sent to the hospital, again! After they flushed out my system I was ordered to not eat any kind of dairy for at least the rest of my pregnancy.

What is happening to me?!?
It was so painful!
Will this go away?

[monicam32]

I have had this same problem and went to the pharmacist tonight.  I told her that I was very newly pregnant and was having issues with Dairy.  She told me that this was common and to stay away from dairy all together and not try to take the lactade medicine.  She also said that if I were to continue to eat dairy, the child could develop problems.  

[nomilkferme]

Hi All-
I am lactose intolerant and have been for 3 years. To test yourself for real lactose intolerance, go one day with NO dairy- I mean, read every label, scour for milk/whey/cheese/buttermilk/"flavorings"- they put lactose in everything these days, as it is a cheap way to add flavor. The next day, drink a glass of milk and wait. You will know within two hours if it is lactose. There is no mistaking real lactose intolerance because the pain is AWFUL. Yes, that includes horrid diarreah, farting like a brute, and curling up in a ball to whimper. Sometimes even vomiting. Your intestines will make noises and you might think an alien is going to pop from your gut.
On the bright side- most pregnant women (myself included) can tolerate dairy MORE SO while expecting, as digestion slows, giving the dairy time to digest. Yogurt is OK for me- the acidopholus helps break apart the lactose (frozen or non-active yogurt is NOT OK). A tiny bit of hard cheese is OK. I can enjoy most dairy as long as I take Lactase enzyme pills (lactaid)- ie a dollop of sour cream or pizza, but I would never risk drinking straight milk, even with the enzyme. Not worth the risk involved (especially when you won't be absorbing all those good nutrients for baby- just pooing them out!).
It is possible to have started a milk allergy of some kind- seems like allergies and sensitivities are worse in preg-time. Or maybe it's just morning sickness (fingers crossed for ya).
Lactose intolerance is a pain, but certainly livable compared to other problems in this world! Best of luck!

[amiegamache]

A few months before my 2nd pregnancy I went to Guatemala, got a bacterial infection and took ciprofloxacin.  (It's the same stuff they give you if you come in contact with Anthrax!)  My stomache was a mess!  When I got pregnant a couple of months later and was craving milk - I was getting sicker and sicker.  The lactose intollerance got a little better after the pregnancy but did not go away.  That was 7 years ago.  

Over the years I've found that I can eat some dairy - usually at dinner after eating a dairy free breakfast and lunch.

I'm pregnant again and my intollerance is out of control.  I'm eating so little (lost around 13 lbs in my first trimester) that I can't eat ANY dairy.  I just started taking children's chewable calcium suppliments (that and flintstones, I can't tolerate the regular prenatals)  I'm hoping that helps.  I've also been trying a probiotic as I think perhaps my intolerance is due to an imbalance on my intestinal flora and fauna due to the strong antibiotics.
Perhaps, also, when I start actually EATING I can resume my evening dairy consumption.

[cocacolapanda]

I was Lactose Intolerant before I became pregnant the first time, now I'm just fine!  

I'd say, that a lot of the symptoms you can get from being Lactose Intolerant are normal for many pregnancies, that maybe you aren't really Lactose Intolerant and it's just the symptoms?  

It sounds more like food Food Aversion and morning sickness to me!

[mamagude]

I have a 5 month old, my first, and I also am realizing that I seem to have developed a lactose intolerance.  I have never had any problems before I had my daughter, and I absolutely LOVE dairy.  I had been trying to figure out why I was having abdominal cramping and gas, and as soon as I didn't eat any dairy for a day, it was completely gone.  I tried to find anything about post partum LI, but I haven't found much.  I hope it's one of those weird pregnancy/pp things that clears up.  I'd hate to not be able to have dairy for the rest of my life!