Need to go dairy free

[amysaurus87]

Not sure if this is the right place for this, so feel free to let me know if I need to get it moved!

My little boy is 4 weeks old, and there is a possibility he has an intollerance to cows milk, this was suggested by a breastfeeding specialist as he has become very fussy after feeds, fidgety when on the breast and has had mucousy nappies. She has suggested I go dairy free to see if this helps, has anyone got any advice?

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

I’m DF, what is it you want to know amy?

[amysaurus87]

@Jilted thanks for replying just how to go about it really, do I cut out all dairy including if its in bread etc or just the obvious milk, cheese, yoghurt etc.

What are the best alternatives to milk?

How hard did you find it to go DF?

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

If you’ve been advised to cut out dairy you need to cut it out completely and it’s in lots of things. You need to check every label. At first I found it quite daunting but I soon got used to it and the difference it made was obviously straightaway.

I stopped drinking tea but if you’re into coffee, I’ve heard that Oatly do a nice barista milk. I wouldn’t swap to Soya milk as about half of all people with CMPA are also allergic to Soya as the protein molecules are so similar.

Jusrol pastry is DF and so are their crosswinds and pain au chocolat. Crumpets are usually DF. You can have a English Breakfast if you check the sausage and we like blueberry pancakes made with almond milk.

For lunch, I sometimes likesmoked salmon pasta. Cook your pasta, add some olive oil, smoked salmon, rocket, black pepper, lemon zest and lemon juice and mix. Ready in 10 mins and super fresh and tasty. Lots of other things you can try though

For snacks, try dried figs (high in calcium), dried apricots, almonds (again high in calcium), Mrs crumbles coconut macaroons, Nakd bars, some 9 bars are DF, some crisps are DF, basic range bourbons and Jaffa cakes are usually DF and you can bake with Vitalite or pure instead of butter if you’re into baking.

What have you had so far today?

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

Oh and don’t forget to take a good calcium and Vit D supplement. Have a read of this too

[amysaurus87]

@Jilted thanks for this.

so far I've had black coffee, a bagel with bacon, bbq at my parents (burger with no bun or cheese, sausage and some coleslaw that was homemade) and some fruit and water to drink. Oh and some crackers.

With the labels do I only need to look for dairy like cows milk or is there other things I should be looking out for?

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

Any allergens should be labelled in bold but once or twice I’ve read the ingredients list and they’ve had whey power in which wasn’t highlighted. Can’t for the life of me remember which products they were unfortunately.

Were the crackers, the sausage and the burgers all DF?

[amysaurus87]

The crackers had a small amount of whey in them and I have no idea about the sausage and burger...had no idea they would even contain dairy!

[TurdLord]

You need to get into label-checking. Seems tedious at first but it becomes second nature in no time.

Best milks: alpro soya, cashew or oat milks (Oatly is amazing for tea and coffee)

Best butter: Vitalite spread

Best cheese: probably violife for those new to dairy-free cheese as it’s quite mild. Mozzarisella is great if you can get hold of it (it’s the vegan cheese that ziizi and pizza express use).

Best yoghurt: most are nice. ALpro fruit ones and tesco plain soya yoghurt are the best.

Ice cream: swedish glace, alpro, booja booja, dairy free ben and jerry’s...

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

You need to get into label-checking. Seems tedious at first but it becomes second nature in no time. definitely this.

Crackers containing whey are a big no-no but there are others yiu can try. Lots of Lidl’s are products are DF. They do a seeded cracker in a red box which is DF, check the label though, ingredients can get changed.

And yes, you do need to check everything, even the things you would never have dreamt contain milk can have it in.

Another biscuit to try is McVitie’s fig rolls if you need some nice BFing calories

[amysaurus87]

Thanks so much for all the help. Will definitely start to check all the labels from now on!

I'm guessing the things I need to be looking for are milk, milk powder, whey...is there anything else?

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

You need to check for Lactose and butter too. THers a full list of things to check for here

I’m guessing that the person you saw, was it a Lactation Consultant, suspects CMPA rather than a problem with the sugar (lactose) as this is far more common. If this is the case, lactose free products won’t be suitable either as they still contain milk products.

If you do your shopping online, Sainsbury’s publish a list each month of every DF product they sell. You can also click on the ingredients of the products before you buy to see if they are DF.

[amysaurus87]

Saw a breastfeeding specialist at my local children's centre and yes she suspected a CMPA or at least an intollerance to it.

I've decided to try almond milk as my new milk, was told to avoid soya as an alternative and I've got vitalife for butter. Thankfully my bagels are dairy free, so that's good!

Going to take some getting used to, but if it helps my little one then I'll do anything!

[Ellboo]

Just to add - some GPs etc suggested I try DF for ‘a week or two’. Consultant I spoke to said minimum of 4 weeks for any dietary exclusion. I saw no improvement until after 3 weeks but it was miraculous beyond that: so do stick with it. Good luck!

[amysaurus87]

@Ellboo I was told at least 4 weeks of dairy free, she said I might see an improvement after a couple of weeks, but to keep going as it can stay in my system for ages, and therefore in my milk for ages.

I find it mad that a feeding specialist suggested this (though my health visitor did suggest it could be something in my diet a week or so ago - she thought it was fruit squash/juice ) especially when I went to see the GP and I mentioned I thought he might have an intollerance she basically told me to stop worrying and stop googling symptoms!

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

Saw a breastfeeding specialist at my local children's centre. That’s absolutely fine, but if she didn’t tell you what her qualifications were you might want to have a second opinion. All of the BFing Helplines are manned by fully trained Breastfeeding Counsellors (BFC) who have BF for at least 6 months.

I’m not saying she’s wrong and of course she could be fully trained but anyone can call themselves a BFing specialist without doing any trying or even having BF their own baby. Lots of things can look like CMPA too at this young age.

Does your LO sound like www.allergyuk.org/information-and-advice/conditions-and-symptoms/469-cows-milk-allergy?

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

Training not trying and the last sentence should have said “Does your LO sound like this?

[Ellboo]

That’s a helpful suggestion. In my experience (and i understand the pressures they face) many GPs interpret things through the ‘anxious new mum’ frame and you sometimes need to push for another opinion on these things that can seem really subjective. I wish I’d been pushier with my poor wee CMP intolerant baby - didn’t work it out til he was 2!

[MIdgebabe]

Marks and Spencer's do some dairy and soya free bread

Moo free chocolate because I can't imagine life without chocolate

[amysaurus87]

@Jilted will look to get a second opinion on this, just in case.

Having read the fact sheet on the link you sent, he doesn't hit any of the skin reactions but hits all of the digestive ones for a delayed reaction. He has done pretty much since my milk came in, there's been other factors that meant I didn't immediately consider cows milk as an issue as I was readmitted to hospital when he was a few weeks old with mastitis so put his loose stools and fussyness down to the IV antibiotics they were filling me with!

I also thought it was just colic so tired infacol which didn't make a difference. Thought it was just reflux so kept him upright for 30mins after a feed, with lots of back rubbing and patting to wind him, as well as doing bicycle legs and this didn't seem to work either, though he did pass his gas!

[eurochick]

Be careful about crisps and nuts - lots of the flavourings contain milk powder. As does pretty much every ready meal - they use it to bulk it out.

[trinitybleu]

Watch out for sneaky milk in things like tomato ketchup, ham, and salt and vinegar crisps.... It's also used as a base for lots of medicines so check before having any antibiotics, and it's in those old fashioned teething powders too (Parsons and something?? That was a fun weekend, not...)

But then you'll find most brands of bourbon biscuits, value range garlic bread and cream crackers are fine.

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

It’s actislly easier that has the CMPA rather than the DC and I don’t get skin reactions either, mine is the non-ige which means I get the delayed, digestive symptoms. Sometimes I can feel it almost as soon as it hits my stomach though, so not that delayed!

Fussiness and wind can also be symptoms of tongue tie. Has that been checked?

[amysaurus87]

He did have a tongue tie and we had it corrected on Wednesday, which is what prompted the suggestion of me going dairy free.

So far today is going well. I've had coffee with almond milk, a bagel with spread, water and grapes! Going out for a picnic so will be checking the labels on all the food!

[NameChange30]

You’ve had lots of great advice, just to add that this website has excellent advice too plus a handy treats list!
dilanandme.com/dairyfree/
There is a FB group too which you can join if you want support.

Good luck. You are lucky btw that you have identified CMPA as a possibility this early on, sadly many people struggle on with unhappy babies for much longer than 4 weeks before anyone suggests it.

[icclemunchy]

I was going to ask about a tounge tie as it can cause the symptoms you mention. Did she observe you feeding? It can sometimes take a few weeks after the revision is done for then to learn to latch properly.

I'm Not saying she waa wrong about the cmpa but when you say specialist what is her actual qualification? Some the the chonrens centre staff will have had as little as 6hours training. It might be worth you seeing if you have a la leche leader near to you or an ibclc (lactation consultant) that you can see for a second opinion