Dairy elimination - what to expect

[Maursh]

Hi All,

I have a 17wk DD who was diagnosed several weeks ago with reflux. After trying domperidone unsuccessfully, I am wondering whether she actually has cow's milk protein intolerance. She has other symptoms as well such as an eczema type rash.

She is EMF so I have embarked on cutting out all dairy from my diet earlier this week. In fact I have gone on a more or less total elimination diet just in case. I am cooking from scratch to be sure that I am not ingesting dairy from secret sources.

I am on day 3 and despite improving the last couple of days, DD has deteriorated today with lots of vomiting. I know that it can take up to two weeks for the proteins to clear from her/my systems, but I just wondered whether others can share their experiences of the timeline on which their LOs improved and/or deteriorated. I am gagging for a decent cup of tea and think that I just need some inspiration to continue.

Thanks

[Yesmynameis]

If she was diagnosed with reflux what makes you think it's an allergy?

In your shoes if prescribed meds weren't working I would have gone back to GP before doing anything else. If it is definately reflux, I'm not sure cutting out dairy will have any effect.

However, if cutting out the dairy has shown some improvement it may be that the original diagnosis of reflux was incorrect. I would say a trip back to GP is probably in order?

[Yesmynameis]

So sorry, I totally missed your comment about the rash.

You may well be onto something, go back to share with GP; or can you discuss with HV more easily?

Maybe he/she can give you go ahead to continue. Or can you attend a drop in so they could check out the rash

[camdancer]

Am watching this closely as I'm doing similar for my refluxy DD2. I'm cutting out a whole range of things including tomatoes, acidic fruit, fatty food, lactose, and chocolate. Day 3 also for me and DD is having a dreadful day. Lots of sick, lots of back arching and crying.

My plan is to try it for a couple of weeks and review it after that.

[Maursh]

Hi Yesmynameis,

I am going to be a bit pedantic here and say that I don't doubt that it's reflux. She definitely has reflux, what I am questioning is whether this is caused by a weak/immature sphincter or something else.

I live in Spain, so no GP or HV but a monthly check up with a paediatrician. At her two month check it was a case of she's being sick everyday = reflux, here is some domperidone. I have never been happy with the diagnosis, particularly since the domperidone has done nothing. Also she doesn't appear to be in any distress as many parents of reflux babies report, she just vomits a lot, sometimes hours after a feed. She is also a windy baby, but the gas appears out of no where ie not after feeding or crying

At her 3 month check it was a case of trying the domperidone for longer, meanwhile she is being more and more sick.

I see the paed again next week at four months so I will speak to him then about the eczema, but this has more or less gone in the last couple of days since I quit dairy (coincidence?).

[Maursh]

Hi Camdancer,

Great that we are doing this at the same time - I am keen to compare notes.

I am doing an almost total elimination diet, so bananas, pears and peaches for fruit (I think that grapes are okay as well), root vegetables and asparagus, potatoes, oats and rice as carbs and fish and white meat for proteins. I have warned DH that dinners are going to be bland!

I am having porridge with water and a few pumpkin seeds for breakfast and I have been cooking extra dinner the night before to have for lunch. Fruit as a snack. The downside of the diet is that I seem to loosing weight very rapidly but am hungry a lot of time (since everything needs to be cooked and I have a velcro baby). I also haven't sorted a calcium supplement yet which I need to do pronto. I am also allowing myself one weak cup of coffee a day - black. I couldn't hack the black tea.

If all is well in a couple of weeks then I will reintroduce green vegetables first since I really miss brocolli.

DD has been much better this afternoon - big dry burps after feeds :-)

Let me know how you get on

[camdancer]

Our diets sound similar - dull and boring. I'm a bit confused about exactly what to cut out. Tonight's dinner was a piece of fish, carrot, brocolli, mushroom and a baked potato. I tried oat milk on my cereal this morning. It was horrible so tomorrow I'll just have dry cereal!

DS was quite like your DD - lots of being sick but no other problems. He wanted feeding all the time so put on weight fine. It just meant lots of laundry - and lots of time sat feeding! He didn't have excema though so I hope your diet fixes it.

[narmada]

If your baby is being sick but isn't bothered by it, there is no need to do anything at all. Unless they are failing to put on weight or are in pain, no meds or dietary changes needed.

[toobreathless]

Hello,

My 10 week old EBF DD was diagnosed with CMP allergy one week ago by a Consultant Paediatrician. We were referred initially due to failure to thrive. DD went from the 91st to currently just under the 9th centile for weight.

DD isn't a very vomity baby and really the only symptoms of a problem were her lack of growth combined with very offensive, mucosy nappies.

We are doing well with the diet. I have cut out dairy and am also avoiding soya as the dietician told me that quite a few babies with CMP allergy also react to soya. I' ve tried both rice & oat milk and fine both fine on cereal but not great in tea or coffee.

I've also had some green & blacks dark chocolate which is dairy free & rather yummy.

Would be great to chat to others who are also dairy free. Does anyone know if goats milk is ok?

Hope you are getting on ok Camdancer & Marush.

[trixymalixy]

My DS us allergic to CMP. After a horrible time bfing him there was an almost instant change in him when I cut out dairy from my diet. No more screaming or vomiting almost from day 1 of cutting out dairy from my diet.

[TimeWasting]

DS had some troubles, what I think looking back was silent reflux which improved somewhat when I cut out dairy and caffeine.

Are you eating a more than usual amount of something else on the new diet that might be upsetting her?

[Maursh]

I totally agree with you about the meds narmada only I was shouted down persuaded by both DH and the paed at the last visit to continue with the domperidone for a couple of weeks . DH has now come round to my way of thinking and we have stopped the medication. It wasn't working anyway.

However, I can't say that DD isn't totally bothered by it. She gets windy pains a lot which means she is uncomfortable in any position other than upright and straight which basically means I have to carry her around a lot of the day. Dehydration is a risk since it is very hot here in Madrid and also she hates the car seat so even going to the supermarket is difficult. For quality of life, for both of us, I think that it is worth at least investigating a change of diet. Even if it turns out to be a dairy intolerance then I might go back to eating dairy, but just more aware of the affect IYSWIM

[Maursh]

I am using a combination of Dr Sear's Elimination Diet (both initial two weeks and less allergenic since I thought that the former was for too limited) and this anti-colic one which I was sort of following anyway.

Much like Camdancer I have been avoiding acidic things for weeks and oranges from the word go since I had been warned by mother/grandmother that citrus can cause problems with breastfeed babies. Other general tips I have picked up from the older generation are to avoid cooking apples and raw onions.

Thanks for the tip on the chocolate toobreathless. I don't think that I can get green & blacks here, but have picked up some Lindt 85%. It says that it might contain traces of milk and nuts (ie I think that it is made on the same production line) so I might give it a go after the initial two weeks are up. I have to confess that I am not a huge fan of dark chocolate, but I suppose that it is better than no chocolate at all.

[Maursh]

How did the consultant paediatrician make your diagnosis, Toobreathless?

[Maursh]

One day? That sounds magic Trixymalixy. I am just hoping that my DD is one of the 10 dayers and that it does clear itself up.

It could be something within the new diet timewasting but since it is so limited it should be easy to track down. It's interesting that you mention that you had to cut out caffeine - haven't been brave enough to do that yet

Whatever it is, it must metabolise quite slowly since she was feed at 5.30am this morning having not feed since 10pm the night before and I obviously hadn't had anything to eat or drink other than water. Anyway, she threw up a whole load of partially digested milk at 7am :(

Does anyone know a site that has a list of foods and times when they affect breastmilk?

[trixymalixy]

Be careful of soya, the proteins are similar to CMP.

We had a few hiccups as it turned out that DS was allergic to multiple things, egg being one if them.