Been told to stop BF because DD maybe cows milk intolerant - help!

[Lucky13]

We've just got back from the hospital, where we've been told that DD (8 weeks) is probably cows milk intolerant. The consultant wants me to stop BF and start formula immediately. I want to wait until the test results are back (a week) - would i be doing her any harm in holding off till then? The doc says i can go back to BF if tests are negative, but i feel that's the wrong way to go.

If the tests show her to be intolerant can i still continue to BF if i go dairy free?

I really don't want to give up, but feel like i'm hurting her.

Does anyone have any advice.

Ta

Thanks everyone, you have convinced me that the formula is not the way to go. Now that i've got over the shock of having to go dairy free, i'm sure it won't be that bad.

They've taken blood and i have to submit more samples from her nappies, but if there is no reliable test from these, i guess cutting out dairy is the only way to go. It seems like the doc wants the quick fix method!

another hidden ingredient is also casiene, plus lactose is from dairy too.

erm.....whey powder, but VVQV said that already.

oh, butter fat.....something else to look for!

It is hard at first but you get used to checking everything and like pannacotta, I prefer some of the alternatives now. Butter actually tastes quite acidic and milk seems slimey.

There are loads of delicious chocolates and treats and the free-from aisles in the supermarket have quite a large range.

I do miss cheese as nothing really matches up, but thats the only thing and its not for ever. I plan to eat the most enormous cheeseboard when I stop bf.

if i were you, i would also ask them to test for egg allergy. it is, from what one paediatrician told me, a more common allergen than milk.

maybe go egg free too if they will want more bloods?

hi my friend has gone through the same sort of thing with her DS and I am sure he is on nutrimigan now (too late or I would have asked her) he was bottlefed from the off so she was told to switch formulas.

They docs actually don't know what he is allergic too and he sicks most of the formula back up even the nurtimigan stuff. I am not being funny but it smells disgusting, really foul, she gets upset feeding it to him but this is what she has been told to do.

I hope dairy free works out for you as I am sure breastmilk must be better than that stuff they are trying to give you.

I think you'll find that your 'one paed' is wrong kiskidee. Milk intolerance affects up to 7% of babies (plus all the undiagnosed cases of course), which I'm certain is substantially higher than egg.

I really wouldn't switch to goats products to start with. Make sure that milk is the problem, and then try to introduce them if you want to, but the proteins are very similar to those in cows milk.

But obv can't hurt to test for egg though, and soya whilst they are at it.

I would try and avoid all dairy for as long as you need to Lucky - if you find that milk IS the problem, then it might be worth trying goats/sheep products later on, but I wasnt suggesting you try goats now, as I appreciate it is similar.

Just read OP only but wanted to add that my dd was allergic to cow's milk so I cut out dairy from my diet and continued to bf without any problems. If I slipped up and ate something with a tinge of dairy (e.g., whey, other derivatives) she got a rash. don't give up on BF, just cut out dairy for awhile and see if it gets better.

And, also, dd was fine with dairy by time she was 1 so it's possible that your dd will outgrow it too.

Hang in there. Nothin better for her milk allergy than some dairy-free momma milk

so what % of infants are diagnosed with egg allergy? is it tested as often as milk allergy?

I've no idea kiskidee. Am basing my assumption on the very statistical analysis of post frequency on the subject on MN .

I would carry on until results come back, as we all know how difficult to carry on bf if you have a break and start givin formula, don't worry either my brother was cows milk intolerant and he had grown out of it by toddler stage...does sound bit strange though as i would of thought breast milk best thing. Might make him sick up feeds a little if he is but i agree with other people that cutting dairy out of your diet might be good idea till you know results

There is def lots of good advice already posted all I can tell you is that my ds is anaphylactic to dairy, milk and lactose and Im still bf. I have milk in my coffee, on my cereal and I love yoghurts so it really makes no sence at all that you should stop bf. my ds is so allergic that if I give him a kiss on his cheek after having had a coffee he will within 1 minute get a white lump surrounded by a red rash in that area. I would go ahead with caution as to if you should stop bf it really is important that your dd gets the calcium she needs so desperately. I was told that they absorb the most calcium in their first year. My ds is on calcium supplements to top up.

You will be able to get lost of information about this and very good advice from Allergy UK www.allergyuk.org they really are brilliant. There are so many different terms for milk to look out for.

Chin up and just remember you're not on your own

Aha, CSWS, see it can be more the level of awareness of milk as a possible allergen and possibly the lack of awareness of egg as one that can be a problem then. and you know the nhs, if you don't ask for it to be tested then you are stuffed.

as I said below, dd's eczema and asthma have disappeared since I took egg out of my diet. she herself steadfastly refuses to touch the stuff or any food with appreciable quantities of it.

Thanks for all the support - from what i can gather these test sounds pretty inconclusive then. The only answer would be cutting out dairy and see what happens.

Motherhurdicure - thanks for all your info. your description of of functional lactase deficiency sounds pretty close - but i've been trying using the same breast twice before switching for a few days now (as i was concerned she wasn't getting enough hindmilk). Maybe i'll carry on with that just in case. She is feeding a lot, maybe she is getting too much.

I naively didn't realise that there was so much to breastfeeding - i'm so grateful for MN!

Hi Lucky13 ... I am sorry your baby is poorly ...
My DD had funny skin rashes at about 4 months (but not scary nappies like your baby) and when my doctor thought she may be allergic to dairy he suggested we stopped breastfeeding.
The conversation went something like this:
Him: I think she is allergic to dairy.
Me: But she doesn't have dairy
Him: I think you should stop breastfeeding and start on formula
Me: Why?
Him: Because I think she may be allergic to dairy
Me: But she doesn't have any dairy
Him: What does she eat?
Me: Breast milk.
Him: (patiently as if I have a very very low IQ) Exactly. So I think she should switch to formula.
Me: (equally patiently) She does NOT have any dairy. I am NOT a cow. She has MY BREASTMILK.
Him: (light dawns and he goes red) Ah, yes, I see what you mean .... ummmmm .....

Hopefully if you cut out dairy like everyone says it will help your DD

well I hate to go against what everyone else has said but nutramigen was brilliant for dd and no it's not a cow's milk formula - it's a hypoallergenic formula specially designed for babies allergic to cow's and soy milk protein. I swapped from breast feeding to nutramigen and she was a different child, so much happier and healthier.

We're talking about a baby with bloody nappies here - not just some minor problem.

I understand carrying on breastfeeding until you get the results, but just be careful, that's all. And TELL the doctor this is what you are planning on doing - it may be that you cut out dairy and everything is ok, but you may find that this doesn't work (it didn't with me and dd) and you have to use the hypoallergenic formula.

I hope the cutting out dairy works for you but I just want to put a note of caution in here so that you don't feel a failure if you find out it doesn't work iyswim.

and I hope she is better soon and they get to the bottom of what it causing all her tummy troubles, poor thing!

what appalling advice and your baby is so young. If she is cows milk intolerant obvously you cut out all milk in your own diet and go on feeding her. however, my ds also had blood [and mucus] in his poo from 3-6 months, and though cutting out gluten and dairy from my diet helped, it didn't resolve completely until i introduced Neocate [another, dairy free, formala] at 6 months. BUT - he wouldn't take a bottle, and i used to spoon feed about 200 ml a day into him and continued breastfeeding [on excluding diet] So he didn't get an enormous amount of Neocate but it seemed to work. Good luck!