confused about cows milk intolerance....can someone help me

[katierocket]

DS2 (20 weeks) always been very unsettled, has reflux, crap sleeper etc. Was suggested by paed that try out dairy free diet as am BFing him.

I need to start him on some formula as he'll be going to nursery soon (can't do expressing - long story). I know that soya isn't recommended but what I'm confused about is should he be having a lactose free formula or a cows milk free one - or is essentially the same thing? I know Enfamil is often recommended but is this dairy free? or just lactose free? (or is it the same thing...arggggghhh)

oh, I shoudl add that the dairy free seems to be making a difference hence the question!

have a GPs appt on wed so want to go well armed in case she poo poos the whole thing (as I know is fairly common).

Hi
this site here explains the difference between lactose intolerance and cow's milk intolerance very clearly

www.medeserv.com.au/ascia/aer/infobulletins/pdf/Milk_ allergyhealthprofessionals.pdf

My breastfed DD didn't show any definite symptoms of cow's milk allergy until I experimentally tried her on formula at around 12 weeks - the formula gave her bad vomiting symptoms. She didn't gain weight well from around 12 weeks, but I don't know if that was related to either the formula episode or from taking dairy in through my breastmilk.

Cow's milk protein allergy is more common than lactose intolerance, but for some reason my GP tried my DD on lactose free Enfamil first (it isn't cow's milk protein free, just lactose free). I think GP's are often not too familiar with the differences, so you may need to do a lot of reading up and be a bit persistent. It's helpful to keep detailed diaries of any symptoms if you do experiment with formula. Good luck

thanks very much. I'm still confused though, they talk about cows milk allergy which is very different to an intollerance isn't it.

If your ds can't handle formula, then your GP should be able to prescribe a formula for babies with cows milk protein allergy...our dd didn't have the allergy but because of bowel disease couldn't tolerate dairy and she was put on Pepti milk at 13 months. There are other ones out there as well

DD is milk protein intollerant and has Soy Formula on prescription - she's almost 13 months.

thanks, OK so I'll just see what she says.

allergy is normally used only for symptoms which involve IgE (rashes, breathing problems) and intolerance for those that don't (digestive problems, reflux, eczema, asthma).

Lactose is the sugar in milk and some people (very few) are born without the ability to digest it at all. More often there are "temporary " problems after an illness. To add to the diagnostic problem sometimes wheat intolerance can make people unable to tolerate lactose - remove wheat and they can have milk.

With little ones its usually trial and error to see what works. Good luck

Hi - sorry meant to say intolerance not allergy with ref to both lactose and cow's milk protein, realised after I'd posted that I used both and got them mixed up!

Hope the doc is helpful

Hiya - hate to hijack but my 13mth old ddr has had a cough and cold for 95% of her first year, she does attend nursery though and we attended the docs most weeks to check her out. DD has improved in last couple moinths but has recently got another really bad sounding cough back again. My husband wants to try taking her off cows milk, I hate to do this as she loves milk and has 3 bottles a day. i dont want to fimd she does have an allergy and then has to have a awkward diet when I understand that most kids just grow out of it. Am I being silly or shall I just give it a try? Am off to docs again in about half a hour to discuss with them (usually ignore what they say anyway but like to discuss)

Foxey she could have whooping cough, doctors often miss that now.

She won't have a milk allergy but she could have an intolerance to it. Its no good taking a child off milk unless you are going to be very vigilant and remove all food containing skimmed milk powder, whey or casein. I'd only do it if she is really miserable but you could try goats milk for a while.

katierocket - just looked at the article in the link again and realised they do refer to allergies not intolerance throughout, yes it is confusing! I think you need to ignore that particular bit of terminology, the rest seems to fit with other things I've read and explains it reasonably clearly.

The paed I took my DD to used the term 'cow's milk protein intolerance' with my DD's diagnosis. (She reached this conclusion not by tests but from the food diary and symptoms, which was basically every time she had been exposed to cow's milk protein she had prolonged vomiting episodes after an hour or so's delay).