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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

Been told I can no longer breastfeed

90 replies

LuluHen · 29/11/2022 21:16

Hi, very new to MN, just wanted some advice and to talk to anyone else who has been through similar. Sorry for the long post…
DD is 9 weeks now, ever since day dot she has been really struggling with pain (arching back and knees up screaming!!!) for hours on end throughout the day and vomiting constantly. Finally she was diagnosed with reflux and we were given Gaviscon at the hospital. This wasn’t effective and she began losing weight so she is now on Omeprazole.
After many trips to HVs, Midwives and doctors due to little improvement, today we have been told she has cows milk protein allergy and I was told I have to stop breastfeeding her there and then and we were sent off with prescription hypoallergenic formula. I left there and burst into tears. I am devastated. I worked so hard on getting it right, persevered through bleeding nipples and pain and finally began to enjoy it. I am not ready to give up. Of course I don’t want her in pain if that’s what’s causing it, but I feel so sad that it’s so sudden and I haven’t had the chance to prepare. Am I being stupid and selfish for feeling this way?
Also, how the hell do I just stop feeding!? My boobs are going to explode by morning!! I was given no advice. Feeling a little helpless right now…..
Thanks in advance x

OP posts:

gogohmm · 29/11/2022 21:23

You can breastfeed but you must avoid all dairy. Get specialist information and advice

ActuallyWorkAtPwC · 29/11/2022 21:23

I'm so sorry to read your baby has been so poorly. Obviously their health comes first but I thought it was possible for a baby with a cows milk allergy to continue to be breastfed if you avoided all cows milk products yourself? I am not an expert by any means but I ended up loving breastfeeding too and would have been so upset if I'd had to stop too.

Does Kellymom have any advice? Or could you try La Leche league?

deeplybaffled · 29/11/2022 21:26

Not true. Both my kids had CMPA and I fed for 9 months each. You have to cut all dairy from your diet ( you become expert at checking ingredients) but you can carry on. It’ll take about a week to get most of it out of your/ their system if I remember correctly but you can always pump and dump to keep supply going in the short term.

MonkeyBoots · 29/11/2022 21:27

Sorry to hear your having these troubles I had the exact same with my daughter....who is now 17months and I'm still going with breast-feeding. So no you don't need to stop. But you do need to stop all dairy from your diet. We are not slowing introducing dairy back into both our diets, and honestly sometimes the process has been tough but I'm so glad I done it

deeplybaffled · 29/11/2022 21:29

And these days, as veganism is more and more popular, the range of dairy free foods is increasing all the time. Oreos became one my major food groups 😂So if you want to carry on, you certainly can, I promise, and you were very badly advised if you weren’t told that.

Bunny2021 · 29/11/2022 21:32

If you can I would suggest getting in touch with a local independent lactation consultant they will be able to help with latch. My baby’s latch needed looking at which really helped with reflux.

as everyone has said - you will also need to cut out all dairy out of your diet.

I really hope you manage to get it sorted xx

QuiltedHippo · 29/11/2022 21:32

Of course you can! I've only recently stopped feeding my 18 month old who had 6 food allergies, just avoiding cows milk would have been very straightforward.

I found Free.to.feed on insta very useful they're website has loads of info

Do not forget your calcium supplements but otherwise it will be fine - happy to share lots of dairy free finds if you need them!

giftswap2021 · 29/11/2022 21:32

Did they give any other reason as to why you must stop immediately?

I breastfed my daughter for over 3 years on a dairy free diet. And am currently breast feeding again on a dairy free diet, once you get the hang of it, it's doable!

Unless there are other reasons, then I'd just cut out all dairy and continue.
Gripe water is very good to help with trapped wind, Incase that would help the screaming? And if it's silent reflux, raise the cot/moses basket slightly at the head end, or use a wedge pillow to raise their head up.

Blessedbethefruitz · 29/11/2022 21:33

Which prescription formula? Lots of cmpa babies are breastfed with mums on strict diets. If it's not an amino acid based formula the problems could continue still. My first was formula fed, omeprazole and alfamino. Seek further advice, there's no need to stop breastfeeding.

SassyPants87 · 29/11/2022 21:33

Oh OP! This sounds like a rollercoaster! Please don’t beat yourself up over it you’ve been doing an amazing job!! If the only reason they have told you to stop breastfeeding is because of a dairy allergy then you can just cut dairy out of your diet. Have they said she needs to stop having dairy immediately? If so can you put her on formula for a few days and make sure you keep pumping to maintain supply and then after the dairy has left your body (no idea how long that takes( you can get back to breastfeeding? Has baby ever taken a bottle before?

dementedpixie · 29/11/2022 21:34

I think they're talking crap
You could continue breastfeeding but cut out dairy products yourself. No need to give up breastfeeding if you don't want to

Pinkflipflop85 · 29/11/2022 21:37

Fed dc1 until he was 4 with suspected cmpa.

I just cut out dairy.

I would imagine it's a lot easier now with so many more dairy free options around.

Motherofalittledragon · 29/11/2022 21:40

I still breast fed one of my DC even though they were prescribed neocate formula, just needed to go dairy free myself.

LookingForInfo12 · 29/11/2022 21:45

If you go dairy free (you've got to be strict about it) your baby should be fine
Good luck !

rhowton · 29/11/2022 21:47

I cut out dairy completely and in 3/4 days my daughter was a different child.

HystericalDinosaur · 29/11/2022 21:47

I am so sorry you've been given such terrible advice. This is actually against the Nice guudelines. You absolutely can keep breasyfeeding. My baby has CMPA and is also allergic to soya along various other things. I have breastfed the whole way through this

Breastmilk is gut healing. My baby had such bad reflux and blood in his poo, never once was I told to stop breastfeeding.

Please contact a lactation consultant who is also experienced in allergies like Shel Banks. You might also be able to get help from the La Leche League. If you search on Facebook cmpa and breastfeeding there are groups that can support you.

50% of dairy allergy sufferers are also allergic to soya.

Look up the nice guidelines. Ask to be referred to an allergist and a dietician.

Please consider making a complaint if you feel able to.

nookierookie · 29/11/2022 21:49

Hi OP

I had a similar trajectory with my son. He didn't feed enough because he was very uncomfortable with the allergy and wasn't a great feeder to begin with (even after we had his TT cut) and he didn't put on weight for a long time. It was awful.

You have done really well to get this far. I cut out dairy whilst bf (and soy - you have to do both) and it kind of improved but I think there was something else (he was gluten free until 1 due to a reaction during weaning) as it didn't fully improve until 5 months when he went on hypoallergenic formula (and I found the screaming and lack of weight gain so stressful I had supply issues). I did try formula before this point, but the hypoallergenic formula tastes pretty bad and I couldn't get him to take a bottle for some time. Once he did, he was suddenly a different child - I felt bad at the time that I couldn't make bf work for my son, but he is absolutely fine, thriving and is passing the dairy ladder at 22 months. Moving on was absolutely the right thing for him - we tried for months and he definitely needed to gain weight more than he needed breastmilk.

My experience doesn't mean that it isn't worth trying to keep bf in your scenario, but please don't demonise the health professionals for advising on formula, though - I suspect that they are now quite worried that baby is actively actually losing weight and don't want this to carry on for another couple of weeks whilst the dairy makes its way out of your system. PP's on here who are saying that they are definitely wrong won't know how much weight has been lost.

As others have said, if you want to carry on you may have to pump and dump until the dairy has made it out of your system. A friend did this very successfully. Another friend found that her daughter loved bottle feeding and so got stuck pumping and bottle feeding, but did manage to give breastmilk until 6 months. You may be able to mix feed whilst the dairy makes its way out, if baby is well enough to tolerate a bit of residual dairy, but it really is best to take advice on how best to keep bf in this scenario.

Best of luck OP, I know how hard it is to try and bf through this. Your baby has a loving mother who wants the best possible start and has worked so hard - whether or not breastfeeding works out for you both, things will be fine in the end.

ISeeTheLight · 29/11/2022 21:49

OP the Facebook group CMPA Breastfeeding support (&the main group) is very helpful.
Like many others I breastfed DD dairy free for over a year. She's now 9 and still CMPA. You do have to be vigilant and check the ingredients of everything but it's really not that hard (and once you start weaning you'll need to know how to cook dairy free anyway).

HystericalDinosaur · 29/11/2022 21:51

Also she should be assessed for tongue tie (not by a health visitor, by a lactation consultant. Health visitors etc generally don't have enough training). My baby had both a posterior tongue tie and cmpa and the tongue tie was missed by multiple midwives and health visitors.

And I would have felt exactly the same way as you at being told that. But you don't need to stop feeding. You can keep going.

My baby is 13 months now and I've been where you are, he used to cry for 8 hours a day. It was awful. Now he still breastfeeds, he is the happiest little boy you ever met and things are so much better. It's worth seeing a lactation consultant who is specifically interested in unsettled babies like Shel Banks or Carol Smyth.

Original poster

LuluHen · 29/11/2022 21:52

Thank you so much everyone! It’s so nice to feel as though I’m not mad or selfish to doubt this xx
I should have added that I cut out dairy at 2 days old but I wonder if I’ve not managed to completely cut it out 100% in everything I eat, ie all ingredients 100% dairy free. I wonder if it’s that? It’s so hard to check everything! @QuiltedHippo would appreciate any recommendations-thank you 😊
@Blessedbethefruitz it’s called Nutramigen.
@giftswap2021 Doctors heard her screaming in pain and said enough is enough, we’ve tried everything else it’s time to stop it and formula feed.
I saw a lactation consultant at 3 weeks who said CMPA is very rare and not to bother cutting dairy, but I was too wary to reintroduce so kept to my alternatives (quite like them anyway). I just felt everyone was telling me different things and I just wanted DD not to be in pain. When she isn’t she is so smiley and lovely. I feel bad for her.
yes, we have tried gripe water too. I spend most of my days pacing the sitting room with her upside down on my arm binging Netflix. I must be burning the calories at least!

OP posts:

gamerchick · 29/11/2022 21:52

Eh, that doesnt make sense. You're not a cow. You just have to cut out dairy.

Sounds like you've been fobbed off because of weight loss

autienotnaughty · 29/11/2022 21:53

I cut dairy and soya out my diet and continued breastfeeding . Nobody can tell you how to feed your child!! Read up on dairy free and see what you think

nookierookie · 29/11/2022 21:53

If you have cut out dairy, but not soy, it could be that. Btw, lots of postnatal vitamins have soy as a listed ingredient.

HystericalDinosaur · 29/11/2022 21:54

Also, a lactation consultant could help you with weight gain too, you shouldn't have had to persevere through pain, you've done amazingly. We did a triple feeding routine initially, but you could also combi feed.

giftswap2021 · 29/11/2022 21:54

It sounds just like me with my first. I cut out milk as in cheese/ice creams etc. but forgot to check for hidden whey/milk powders in foods. Once I cut that completely my girl was completely different. Watch out too for soya, it can have a similar reaction, so you may need to cut it too.

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