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Behaviour/development

Going dairy free!

10 replies

AnnaM84 · 20/02/2014 20:40

Hi, my DS is coming up to 6 months and has had a chronic cough and congestion for around 11 weeks now. It never goes but does subside. He is a very happy baby and is putting on weight fine. He is exclusively breastfed and has shown little interest in solids. We have tried amoxicillin and 2 reflux meds (gaviscon and ranitidine), all have done nothing. A health visitor has suggested going dairy free. Has anyone had experience with this? The cough does not make him unhappy in day but wakes him at night. He has just stRted sleeping on his front which he is much happier with. He is strong and rolls over back and forth so not concerned. Any advice or experience would be gratefully recieved!

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gretagrape · 21/02/2014 08:04

Really if you suspect CMPA then you should be asking the GP to refer you to an allergy clinic/pediatrician/dietician. If you cut dairy out of your diet it will take two weeks for the proteins to leave your system and then another two for them to leave your son's - we didn't see improvement in our son's symptoms for about 6 weeks. By that time, you're going to be starting weaning so you really need to know whether you should be resticting your son's diet or not.

Also, if he was ok for the first few months, I'm not sure how likely it is - our consultant suspected CMPA at 8 weeks because our son was literally miserable from birth - constant vomiting, upset stomach 8-10 times a day, congestion after feeding, hives on chest and face, not sleeping, constant crying, which only got worse with time.

Maybe see the GP with a view to looking into whether it could also be something else.

If you do go dairy free, it's not difficult - I also avoided eggs and soya. I did miss the richness in my diet and I definitely got more tired, but it is doable - you just have to make sure you are getting enough nutrients that the dairy would have provided.

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JiltedJohnsJulie · 21/02/2014 10:07

Agree with everything greta says. You might find this and this helpful.

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AnnaM84 · 21/02/2014 11:48

I was worried about restricting my diet and have been trying to talk to hv today about what to do with weaning. DS is in now way miserable, just cannot shift the cold and congestion. Everyone who hears it thinks it is croup. Not sure which way to turn now!

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JiltedJohnsJulie · 21/02/2014 13:05

Think a visit to the GP is in order. Go, tell them how miserable he is and that some people have mentioned croup. Also tell the doctor that the HV suggested going dairy free and that you feel that you would like him testing before going down that route.

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AnnaM84 · 21/02/2014 13:10

Sorry silly predictive text. I meant he is NOT miserable. Really happy and healthy, just cannot shift this cough. Just spoken to homeopath as I have just given up with GP. They will not do anymore as he is thriving. They gave me an inhaler but I think just to get rid

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trixymalixy · 21/02/2014 13:30

I had a different experience to Greta. DS mostly seemed fine up until about 12 weeks old (looking back he was sick a lot and pooed a lot), then it was like a switch was flicked and he would scream and thrash about when feeding him.

Going dairy free had a noticeable effect within 24 hours. Unfortunately I then started to replace cow's milk with soya milk and then we were back to square one.

The cough doesn't sound particularly like a symptom of dairy allergy, purely from spending a lot of time on the allergy boards reading others experience.

The year before last I had an absolutely dreadful cough that lasted for months and months and was only sorted out by regular use of an inhaler, so I would persevere with that.

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BlueChampagne · 21/02/2014 15:09

If you go dairy free, make sure you have a good alternative source of dietary iodine.

I too would persevere with the inhaler.

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SimLondon · 21/02/2014 20:21

We went dairy free at a year and replaced with oatly milk (calcium enriched), soya milk isn't recommended as 50% of people allergic to dairy are allergic to soya milk and nor is rice milk as its not good for under 5's. If your LO one is to young for oat milk (we were a year old) then your doctor can prescribe you a suitable dairy-free / hyperallergenic formula - you can buy it from the chemist but it's really expensive.

Take a look at the littlerefluxers forum for lots of info and feedback on people's experiences with consultants etc :-)

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SimLondon · 21/02/2014 20:22

I should mention that we went dairy free on the advice of a paediatric consultant who specialised in allergies.