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Infant feeding

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

Milk allergy but fine with formula?

8 replies

DD6798 · 27/12/2024 18:51

My little girl turned one a few weeks ago. She's been on formula since about a week old as I struggled with breastfeeding. She did have some issues, spitting up a lot, trapped wind, but never enough for the health visitor to think it was a milk allergy. Then by 4/5 months she was absolutely fine.

After she turned one we switched her to whole milk. For a few days we mixed with formula with no issues, then gave her whole milk on it's own. She was ok for a couple of days. She did have a bad cold and a cough at the time so I didn't make the connection at first, but on about day 3 she threw up after her bedtime bottle. She was coughing a lot though and I thought it was the coughing that was making her sick. We went to the doctors about the cough but they said it was just viral.

She's been sick multiple times over the last few weeks, it's always late at night and it's all like curdled milk. I am so annoyed with myself for not thinking it could be the milk, but I thought if she was OK on formula she can't be allergic to cows milk. Friends with babies who have had cows milk allergies needed special formula.

But the more I thought about it the more I thought it was connected. She's been waking up at night more regularly (again I put this down to being generally unwell) and I realised the nights she's been sick are always when she's waking up and having a second bottle to help get her back to sleep. It's like her tummy can't handle it.

I realised this on christmas eve, obviously couldn't call the health visitor or anyone so wasn't sure what to do. I didn't want to start messing around with soy milk etc when I don't really know enough about it, so I thought I'd just try her back on formula.

Since switching back to formula, she's like a different child. No vomiting and her cold symptoms have completely disappeared. It seems too unlikely to be a coincidence when she's had a runny nose for weeks. So now I'm wondering if it's all because she's allergic to milk.

But is that even possible when she's fine with regular formula?

OP posts:
Pandasnacks · 27/12/2024 18:53

Maybe the whole milk is just too much for her. Does the formula contain lactose?

Psychologymam · 27/12/2024 18:55

Formula and milk are pretty equal in terms of cows milk protein - both last step of 12 of ladder. But it still could be the milk but some other factor about it!

DD6798 · 27/12/2024 19:23

@Pandasnacks yes the formula does contain lactose.

@Psychologymam that's what I'm thinking but I don't know what! Also meant to mention she's been fine with dairy in general - cheese, yoghurt etc

OP posts:
Psychologymam · 27/12/2024 19:28

Maybe it’s the change she is sensitive to - don’t some people mix them to start? I’m don’t know anything about formula to definitively check if you can do that safely but might be easier on her tummy? Nothing wrong staying on formula for a bit longer if it’s suiting her better. You can look up the imap ladder for dairy so you’ll see milk and formula are treated the same in terms of the protein in it. Sorry to hear your little one is unwell..

DD6798 · 27/12/2024 19:32

Psychologymam · 27/12/2024 19:28

Maybe it’s the change she is sensitive to - don’t some people mix them to start? I’m don’t know anything about formula to definitively check if you can do that safely but might be easier on her tummy? Nothing wrong staying on formula for a bit longer if it’s suiting her better. You can look up the imap ladder for dairy so you’ll see milk and formula are treated the same in terms of the protein in it. Sorry to hear your little one is unwell..

We did mix for the first few days and she seemed fine (no vomiting) but this cold she hasn't been able to shift started then. So now I'm wondering if it's all linked and the runny nose etc was due to some sort of allergy.

I will have a look at that, thanks so much! I've tried googling everything i can think of but all I get is information about babies having cows milk allergies from birth and needing different formula etc. It seems really unusual that a baby can be fine with formula but not with milk.

We have her one year review with the health visitor next week so I'm just going to keep her on formula until then and discuss it with them.

OP posts:
Psychologymam · 27/12/2024 19:37

So strange! The only other thing I can think of sometimes kids with tummy bugs can become temporarily intolerant to lactose (it’s weird but a real medical thing!) so maybe they had a viral infection just as you swopped? But sounds like you have a solution for the moment and can follow up with HV. Glad they are okay right now!

hopingforthemillion · 27/12/2024 19:37

My LO was fine on formula (hipp organic) but when we weened her she would spit up a lot and it was always milk. For a while I just thought it was because she was being greedy and her little tummy couldn’t handle it but when we went on holiday she didn’t want any whole milk with cereal, porridge etc for three days and wasn’t sick once and as soon as we reintroduced it she was. The doctor was a bit baffled and just advised that we stick with soy or similar and we basically did the milk ladder and she was fine after a few months so maybe just a bit sensitive to it.

FreedFromDesireMindAndSensesPurified · 27/12/2024 19:40

Good idea to keep her on formula for now, til you can speak to a HCP. She'll be absolutely fine having it.

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