weight concern/milk allergy/eczema/weaning - support/advice needed

[Jammers]

Not sure this is on the right board - lots of concerns - hope this isn't too long! DS is 5.5 months old and ebf until today. He was born at 37 weeks weighing 6lb2oz and has steadily gained wieght weighing 14lb14 on November 10th. When I got him weighed this week he had dropped to 14lb10 which I am being told by HV is not a cause for concern. She did advise that I start weaning as DS nearly 6mo so I tried him with some baby porridge mixed with formula this morning - the second half a teaspoon had gone in he projectile vomitted all his bm feed and quickly became covered in hives all over his head and neck (it seemed to be where there had been skin contact with the porridge/formula - ds had it all over one hand and had touched his head). He is fine now but I think this is indicative of a cows milk allergy (my brother had a dairy allergy until about 2yo). Finally, he has had moderate eczema since 4mo which was treated with a course of oral antibiotic, HC cream and epaderm.

So, my concerns:

1. Should I worry about the weight loss or not? HCPs are saying not to but it feels odd that he had been gaining more than one lb each month then has suddenly lost 4oz. I am worried my supply may be down.
2. I have stopped weaning and will go to GP on Monday - anything I should ask? Should I push for allergy screening before carrying on with weaning?
3. When I have searched the archives for weight gain tips all of them seem to revolve around adding cream to everything! I am worried I won't be able to help ds to gain enough weight without dairy.
4. Should I cut dairy from my diet as I will clearly be bf for a while longer?
5. General concern re weaning without dairy. Any good books out there?

Phew - apologies for length. Feels like DS got off to such a good start then has been one thing after the other. I should add that he is happy and alert so no other signs of ill health. Thanks for any help anyone can offer.

Hi, first of all you simply sound like a Fab mum. my son had issues. No one appears to ever have a definitve answer. I would change porridge to baby rice. My son got on well with heinz baby rice which is fortified. Mix it with boiled water. still likes to eat it if he has bad tum. Wh

with the skin issues you des and milk issue you drscribe I personally would push to
o see pediatrician. It maybe worth asking docs

bout lactose intolerances which can come on temporarily....it happened to my little one.

HV's and docs I found disagreed on the lactose intolerance issue. All I know is that my son thrived when he was prescribed SMA LF. Also a good probiotic I found helped...not from supermarket but one from company I think called biocare. The powder was called infantis I think. A gp recommended it but said Nhs couldn't afford to prescribe. Sorry message garbled. having trouble posting using my phone. big hugs x

Re allergy screening....yes I would get baby screened. But baby rice is even less likely than porridge to cause probs when mixed with water. It sounds like the problem is formula so I would keep with breast milk, baby rice and water until you can get to pediatrician. X

Poor weight gain is associated with dairy allergy, yes I would stop eating dairy if you are breastfeeding. I had to with dairy allergic DS.

I would push for allergy testing from your GP.

There are plenty of ways to get enough fat into dairy allergic babies. Roast veg in the oven with lots of olive oil. Avocado is really high in fat. Use high fat meats like lamb and salmon.

Don't know about books, but oat milk is a good substitute for milk in all cooking, for making e.g. white sauce. Pure spread or vitalite are good butter substitutes. cheese is almost impossible to substitute for, but apart from that it is easy once you get used to it!

Ps...re weight gain. Once you know for sure if little one has allergy then you can make informed decision to cut. Dairy isn't the only way to get nutrients and gain weight. If you think about it, we in western culture place huge emphasis on dairy food. Hang in there. Get to the docs. Sorry for the long response. X

Thanks both - good to read your responses and have done some more searching of the archives! MN so helpful for stuff like this as none of my other baby friends can help as quite specialist problem. Have read elsewhere that dairy intolerance can be temporary, especially following antibiotics however, pretty sure DS has allergy rather than intolerance. Will go to GP tomorrow and hope I get decent response. Would be so nice if things were more straightforward - what with the moisturising regime and now potentially cutting dairy from both our diets it makes my previous "he won't nap in the cot" concerns pale into insignificance!