To be a bit peeved my BF baby (who is now 2.5) is lactose intolerant

[soon2bmumof3]

Just that really. Isn't BF meant to protect against things like that? He was EBF for 13mnths :-(

YANBU at all to be peeved, but breastfeeding doesn't provide iron-tight guarantees...

don't think there's any link between being bf and not being lactose intolerant - my dd was both. She is fine now though (she's 3.7) although doesn't often drink milk by choice

Its supposed to help safe guard against cancer, my mum breast fed 3 children and got breast cancer at 43. Its not a miracle cure.

were there any signs when she was a baby as breastmilk is chock full of lactose

And agree, I don't know that there is a link between breastfeeding and lactose tolerance.

I mean lactose is milk products, right? Milk other than human milk - so why would breastfeeding sway things one way or the other? So I don't think there is any correlation, but am happy to be corrected.

p.s. there are plenty of lactose free foods including milk and yoghurts

lactose is in ALL milk including breastmilk. Cows milk protein can cause an issue too

Ah OK, so odd that it didn't rear its head when breastfeeding then.

Puds11 sorry to hear that about your mum

All- no I know there are no guarantees, just miffed now as MIL is secretly delighted, she was never a BF supporter and thinks this has proved I wasted my time and effort!

JUar because a baby is BF doesn't mean that they are immune to anything YANBU to be peeved though lactose is in breatsmilk the same as any other milk

If your child was lactose intolerant they would've not gained much weight whilst bf? Do you mean cows milk protein intolerant? All humans are. Some worse than others obviously but we aren't meant to eat food made for baby cows?

just* sorry typos

I breastfeed my babies and between them they have all the things that bf is supposed to protect them against, severe food allergies, asthma, eczema serious constipation in both of them, delicate stomachs, intolerances.

Stranger still, its not in their genes.

Thanks soon, shes all better now

Vodka - no symptoms other than loose poos which are normal in. BF babies right? I know now there is actually more lactose in breast milk than cows milk. And yes I am now buying all the lacto free stuff!

you can be born lactose intolerant, you can develop it later through illness (may last a few months or longer), if the gut it damaged by a tummy bug. You can "grow into it" as well - the ability to digest milk sugar is lost in childhood by many people (in some racial group, most people). Milk is an infant food after all, we shouldn't be really drinking the baby food of other animals...

Are you sure it's lactose and not cows milk proteins he's got a problem with?
My DS is fine with Goat dairy products, but not Cows - worth a try for your DS?

YANBU to be a bit peeved that your child is lactose intolerant - it is annoying and inconvenient.

YAB a bit U if you imagined that BFing would actually prevent your child from allergies or getting cancer or any of the hundreds of things that it has been linked to. It's a statistical correlation, not a certain if-then relationship.

My dh is lactose intolerant and was bf for 12months.

I never had a drop of breastmilk.

I bf my dc.

Not sure what my point is tbh.

Numerical - yes he did struggle to put weight on when he was very small but no-one ever suspected lactose intolerance then. That's really interesting to hear, but a bit late now I suppose. It's definitely lactose intolerance he had blood tests for cows milk protein allergy (and coeliac too) and they were clear.

soon2b I know where you're coming from, my ds was BF for 12 months and has a couple of allergies, one which appeared when he was weaned and one which appeared when he was 3. I know it's not a cast iron guarantee against things like that but it doesn't stop me being slightly cheesed off about it!

You can get a temporary Lactose intolerance following a stomach bug even during bfing, it's nothing to do with what milk is being drunk or has been drunk.

And for what it's worth the majority of humans past the age of weaning (2 1/2-7y) are lactose intolerant as it's only a genetic quirk that allows Caucasians (and a couple of other ethnicities I have forgotten) to carry on producing lactase (the enzyme that digests lactose) past weaning.

ds has multiple allergies (including a severe cows milk protein allergy) and eczema. He was breastfed exclusively until I started weaning.

yabu to be suprised at this

sorry, that came out a bit grumpy! I just mean that the causes of intolerances / allergies are far more complicated that this, and it bugs me a bit that people might look at my sons allergies / eczema and judge me. (not that I think people should be judged for formula feeding anyway, as there can be all kinds of reasons why you might have to).

Unless you are Finnish, it is extremely unlikely that your DS was born with lactose intolerance. Lactose intolerance in children is usually acquired through damage to the gut - either surgery or a severe infection. If the latter, it is often temporary and, even if permanent, is usually relative - most people with LI do produce some lactase (the enzyme that breaks down lactose) and can cope with small amounts of dairy products.

What makes you think he is lactose intolerant? As scotch says, cows milk protein intolerance/allergy is far more common.

Lactose intolerance in infancy is very unusual, however lactose ntolerance in older children/adults is actually biologically normal for humans - the ability to tolerate lactose is a genetic mutation.