Cmpa?

[Mumlifeandme]

So I feel like I’ve been in denial about this but everything keeps pointing to this. I think my little one has Cmpa sigh

I’m breastfeeding a 4 month old (almost 5 months). She was having lots of reflux & projectile vomiting, crying from discomfort and seemed very windy. She’s quite a chilled baby so this was noticeably unlike her. She also only pood about once a week. The omeprazole helped but made her more constipated which didn’t help. I spoke to HV and breastfeeding helpline who some helpful tips as well as suggested eliminating cows milk and soy from my diet.

i did this and saw a noticeable improvement. Then I reintroduced to see if symptoms would return and she had following symptoms: Bloating
Wind
Discomfort and crying (doesn’t usually cry)
Constipation
Projectile vomiting (with straight milk in drinks or cereal)

More noticeable when I eat:
Cheese, cake, cream, milk in cereal and tea

She’s my second daughter and first is 3 and has lots of admissions for asthma/viral wheeze but no known allergies. So this feels new territory.. anyone had similar experiences with Cmpa?

dr couldn’t give me much info about it tbh and asked me to ring the pharmacist. HV referred us to dietician next month. Apparently no formal testing to see if it’s an allergy cus I queried whether it could be an intolerance.

Anyone had this experience?

she’s otherwise such a chilled happy baby and it makes me sad to see her in such discomfort.

Usually elimination and then reintroduction is the way to diagnose a non-ige cows milk allergy. Only ige allergies will come up on tests, based on the symptoms above it sounds like a non-ige.
Have you spoken to your GP about it? I've found some of the most useful info is actually via Instagram. Such as Childrensdietician , dradamfox, themilkallergydietician , thedairyfreemum are just a couple I've found useful.
My daughter is 2.5, she's growing up of her milk allergy now. It's scary and took me a while to get my head around to start with, but now it's second nature and we are hopeful by the time she starts school she might be able to tolerate milk.

Thank you. That’s helpful. And I’m glad your daughter is growing out of her allergy, that’s encouraging to hear! I spoke to GP about it and honestly he didn’t suggest anything. Gp asked me to speak to a pharmacist about whether I/baby would need further supplements.

I don't think you'll need to give her any supplements @Mumlifeandme apart from the usual recommended vitamins.

When she starts weaning I'd just try to offer some calcium rich foods.

This fact sheet states yours and DD's daily requirements and gives suggestions of non-dairy sources of calcium, which might be helpful.

For now now she will be getting all of her calcium needs from you. You just need to make sure that you are taking a really good supplement for your own bone health.

You mention an intolerance. I don't think it's called that anymore. There are two types of allergy. There's IGE which gives instant and severe symptoms then there's non-Ige which gives delayed symptoms, similar to the ones that your DD is experiencing. Kellymom has some useful information on BFing and allergies, specifically dairy, here.

I think in your shoes, I'd give Allergy UK a call and talk through any concerns.

You say DC1 doesn't have allergies, has she been allergy tested at the Hospital?

And if you're after suggestions of things to eat that are DF just ask

@SiouxsieSiouxStiletto thank you so much for taking the time to write this and for all the helpful information. I feel like I’m a bit clearer now. The terminology about intolerance/allergy is confusing but I get now that she actually has an allergy as she badly reacts to even a small amount of dairy in my diet, albeit a delayed response. I’m learning about it a bit more as everyone thinks it’s lactose intolerance but as I’ve learnt, that’s different.. and if it was this she’d be intolerant to my breast milk, which she isn’t. She’s allergic to dairy in my diet.

Dc1 has not been tested for allergens. Do you think I should get her tested?

Only too glad to help @Mumlifeandme, especially if it makes things even a tiny bit easier for you

As for DC1 I think it's worth asking at her next Asthma check up if she can be allergy tested. Asthma can often be triggered by allergens and it might be easier for both of you.

Until then, I'd assume that she's got Dust Mite Allergy as it's such a common trigger.

I've breastfed 2 cmpa babies. The dietician is your best person to give advice, I've found the gp and health visitors very limited in knowledge. There are a few really good cmpa breastfeeding Facebook pages for support.

Start with eliminating just dairy, soy often goes hand in hand but the advice is to do one allergen at a time. Check all packaging for hidden dairy, it's really surprising where it turns up.

Usually cmpa is outgrown within first few years, the dietician will support you with the dairy ladder to reintroduce safely. It took my eldest 3 years but she's almost all the way through to being fully ok with dairy now.

Definitely ask about supplements for yourself, the calcium requirements for a breastfeeding woman are quite high. I take a vitamin d/ calcium supplement.