5mo DD2 has hives after cow's milk - talk me down!

[Lastyearsmodel]

I know, I know, weaning advice is 6mo but she was so interested in my spoon I gave her a little bit of cow's milk.

Within 2 minutes hives had come up on her face. She already has exczema and is fully breastfed. No other reaction and has gone off to sleep (but I'm worried and checking on her regularly).

The out of hours GP has prescribed Piriton (am waiting for DP to get back with the car so I can go and get it).

So, I have no experience of allergies. What are we in for? Will it get worse? Is she likely to be allergic to other stuff too?

Is there any sense in me giving up dairy to see if it improves her exczema?

This is what happened with DS2. He was given a hospital appointment with paediatrician who said he had dairy intolerance. He also had the hives and eczema.

He has been on a diary free diet ever since and his eczema has all but disappeared. He is 20 months old now and can tolerate some things that are cooked with dairy in them eg a rich tea biscuit.

The good news is that he will grow out of it by the time he is 3 apparently.

Oh and we got to see a dietician too.

Hi Lastyear. I remember this fear so very well. DD had a very similar reaction when we gave her a spoon of porridge (with milk) at 6 months old. There are loads of experts on here so you will get lots of good advice but in the meantime, here's my two pence worth.

You will need to get her tested by an allergy specialist. GPs rarely know much about this and can be quite dismissive of the need to do this - so really push. Milk can cause an anaphylactic reaction and (if that is what caused the reaction) you never know how bad the next reaction will be so you really need to get professional advice from an expert.

It is unusual to only be allergic to one thing - although we have been lucky and dd is only allergic to milk, so not unheard of. Again, that's why testing is important.

As to whether you should give up dairy, well I did on the advice of the allergy specialist. But not to help with her eczema. DD had always been unsettled and as soon as I eliminated milk from my diet she improved massively. Incidentally, our consultant has a theory that it's not allergies that cause eczema but the other way round i.e. the allergen is introduced to the body through the breaks in the skin and the body develops and immune reaction to it thinking it is the cause of the skin problem.

It's a scary time for you now - you need to focus on getting her to see a specialist. They will do skin tests and blood tests. Once you know what you are facing, you may also be referred to a dietician. It's a whole new world in some ways but it is manageable.

Good luck.

Thanks, that's a help to know we need to talk to a specialist from day 1. The out of hours gp said 'er, your hv?' when I asked about further advice.

gah, no rich tea? DD1 and DS were weaned on them!

Tesco value rich tea biscuits are dairy free!!

You need to get your GP to refer for allergy testing. Obviously avoid any dairy for the moment.

It's not that bad dealing with a dairy allergy once you get used to it, there are lots of good substitutes for everything apart from cheese. Pure spread and vitalite are dairy free, oatly milk and cream are really good for cooking with and soya yoghurts and ice cream are nice.

So, do you think DD2's exczema will improve if I give up dairy? She's exc. bf, and now will be for at least another month til I can be confident I'm getting the right advice (apart from wise MNers, of course).

I would say if you feel you wont want to breastfeed longterm start introducing a little hypoallergenic formula as soon as possible as the older they are the harder it is and it can take a while to get the right one.

I am currently experiencing the same problems with DD2 (7 months) she has had several reactions to various things and we have now ascertained that the link is probably dairy.

After initial reaction I saw GP who referred us to Dermatologist at hospital. She agreed that it sounds like a clear case of food allergies and has referred us to the allergy clinic and we are currently waiting for an appointment.

We have been advised to stay clear of anything new until we have had further tests and I have also heard that subsequent exposure to allergen can cause the reactions to become more severe so probably wise to avoid completely until you know more.

Hope you get referral and expert advice soon.

Tesco value rich tea biscuits are dairy free!!

LOL That explains why he can eat them! Thought they had dairy in like the posh ones!

Bourbons are dairy free though I think. But don't ask me, what do I know!

Thanks, MrsAlwaysRight, useful info about referral and avoiding more exposure.

We've got an appt with the gp on Friday and I've bought some dairy free products to try and reduce my dairy intake.