Can dairy proteins get in breast milk?

[CarrotAteAllTheEggs]

My nine week old is very mucousy, wheezy and has a blotchy rash that won't clear. The alternative health shop/homeopath told me to cut out dairy as the proteins pass into breast milk. However, at my postnatal check today, the gp said they absolutely CAN'T pass into breastmilk as all protein is processed in the gut and doesn't enter the bloodstream. She says his problems are atopic, therefore genetic and won't be affected by diet as he is purely breastfed. There is so much conflicting advice about this. I think I might try it for a few weeks to see if there is an improvement, but I find it a bit daunting as it's so restrictive. Has anyone found that this has worked?

Hi, there will be someone around shortly I bet who knows more than me, but what I do know is that I have heard from several mums who have cut out dairy as it had an effect on their lo's and I also had the feeling that ds was better when I did not have dairy in huge quantities (so I did not have cereal anymore or cocoa made from milk alone etc).

Hope your lo is better soon

Hmm, thanks, Jomaja, it doesn't bode well for all the easter chocolate I'd normally be stuffing! I think some choc is dairy free though

I know what you mean, chocolate was one of the things I could not eat either as ds was not well afterwards either. But more than windy and colicky he was wound up if that makes sense? First we thought it is a coincidence but it happened every time after I had chocolate

But now at 6m he has outgrown it, so I am eating loads now

There is LOADS of chocolate that is dairy free! Thorntons dark chocolate easter egg is lovely, and reasonably priced, Hotel chocolate label their chocolates, if it says "suitable for vegans" it is dairy free. Sainsburys and Tescos also sell dark chocolate that is fine. IMO, without being an expert, your GP is talking a load of twaddle. I have seen lots of information about dairy passing into the mothers milk and affecting the baby. I think you would be very wise to cut it out for a period and look for improvements in your baby.

Rather that saying "seen lots of information", I should have said "heard of lots of cases". My friend has a son who has severe food intolerances, and spends a lot of time on internet forums that discuss this.

That's what I thought, Cazee, that it was quite common for people to try elimination diets while breastfeeding. It just seemed strange that she was so catagorical about it, and she's not an ancient conventional gp either, I think she's an acupuncturist as well. Mmm, looks like I can still have an easter egg though, our local shop sells some too I just discovered. Not that choc is more important than Lo of course

i have no idea of the science involved but both my dds had rashes if i had dairy.

something must pass through or breastmilk wouldn't be proclamed as introducing babies to a variety of tastes.

really, and it went if you cut it out? I think it's the proteins that are meant to be too large to pass through, I'm not sure how tastes or flavours work but it just seems weird that it wouldn't pass through at all. I think I'm definitely going to try it from today.

one of my children, dd3, had a bad reaction to dairy. she had never been an easy baby, but when we tried formula milk for the first time, at about 6 weeks, she was violently ill with severe diarrhoea (sp?) and vomiting. the dr said the stuff coming out in her nappies was bile. she was under the care of a paed and nutritionist and at 1 year old went into hospital for tests which showed she no longer had a problem with dairy. during this time i bf her and it certainly made a difference if i had anything with dairy (or soya) in it. so i haven't looked into the science but there is no doubt in my mind that what you eat can make a difference.

I think it is the lactose that passes through, but I am not sure.
just googled and found this quote from an organisation that describes itself as "ASCIA Education Resources (AER) is an official education project of the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA), which is the peak professional society of allergy specialists and clinical immunologists in Australia and New Zealand."
"Some infants who are breast fed may develop cow's milk allergy if they receive cow's milk allergens through the mother's breast milk"

is the lactose the sugars in it then, rather than the proteins? It seems there's so much anecdotal evidence it's worth trying anyway.

let us know how you get on. I don't eat dairy (vegan), so if you need ideas for dairy alternatives let me know. Tesco and Sainsburys sell delicious ice cream (Sweedish Glace), and health food shops have loooooads of stuff.

Lactose is milk sugar. It doesn't pass through - all milk contains lactose (lactose means milk sugar).

Milk proteins do seem to pass through. It might be worth trying to cut out, or even vastly reduce, milk proteins in your diet, just to see. Here is a sciency page backing up the fact that cow's milk proteins go into breastmilk.

Thanks, Cazee, I bought oat milk today, it's ok in tea, not sure I want it on cereal though! I'm pleased I can still have an easter egg too

NQC- just read that article, thank you. It's very interesting what it says about some babies losing the enzyme lactase after diahorrea, as LO was ill when we treated the whole family with worm medicine, on the (incorrect) advice from my old gp. It was the last straw with him and we changed, the new one is much nicer but still quite conventional. The symptoms have been from around then, i thought it was a cold at first. Sigh. There is so much to feel guilty about, feel like I've caused his discomfort.

Your GP is an @rse! Yes, cows milk protein can pass into breast milk (though doesn't always - it's not fully understood why it does in some women, but not in others).

My 13.5 month old dd is milk intolerant, and I've now been dairy free for 10 months, since we finally realised that this was the reason that she didn't stop screaming and had diarrhoea and horrendous nappy rash for the whole of her first 4 months.

It's awful when they're ill like that for ages, chocolate, my dd coughed for months and months when she was tiny but she seems to have grown out of it. I think I need to try this to try and get rid of this one's symptoms quickly. Did you find it ok cutting it out for that long?

maybe you should just limit your intake of dairy. I would be wary of cutting out a whole food group. It can't be good for you.

Yes, you get used to it after a while (I'm still bf btw, so still dairy free). Green & Blacks 'Dark & Almond' is a lifesaver , and Swedish Glace ice cream is surprisingly nice.

I tend to use soya milk on my cereal and in cooking (I avoided soy initially, but once I'd established she was ok with it, I re-introduced), but use rice or oat milk on dd's cereal.

You'll want Pure Sunflower spread instead of butter (most marg still contains buttermilk), and check out the 'free from' sections of your local supermarkets for cakes and other treats (or bake yourself, of course!).

You do find yourself checking labels on everything though, as milk is hidden in so many things (even some pre-packed ham for example).

I'm not sure how I can gauge the effects if I just cut down though, Paula, although I would be worried about getting enough calcium. I already don't eat wheat because of my IBS so I will have to spend a lot of my day thinking about food, or what I can't have anyway. Oatcakes and moew oatcakes by the sound of it

paula - there's no harm for the mum as long as she gets plenty of calcium from other sources.

No mammal needs milk after they have been weaned, it is NOT NATURAL! And the milk of a cow? (ooh, my first ever controversial post, I will now hide behind the sofa...)

Chocolate, is green and blacks dairy free? Hurrah! I love that stuff, what about the cherry one? I have bought some olive spread today, haven't tried it yet.

I agree, Cazee, it does seem weird when you THINK about what milk is for, ie baby cows, I don't actually like drinking it but it's butter and yoghurt etc that I'll find hard to give up

The best dairy free marg IMO is the Sainsbury's Organic olive marg, much nicer than the Pure. Alpro yoghurts are nice too. Taste is a funny thing, we like what we are used to. After a little bit our tastes adapt.

I boycott Sainsbury's, but went for Pure intially as it's the only one that is also soya free.

Not all G&B is dairy free, but most of the dark ones are, including the cherry you'll be pleased to hear!

Oh and please call me CSWS - I can't get used to Chocolate being the first bit of my name (it's just for Easter)!