CMPA, help please!

[llaethqs]

I believe my son has CMPA (I also think he's reacting to eggs) he is exclusively breastfed

Symptoms are:

Reflux
Cough
Rashes on face and stomach that flare up after feeding
Explosive nappies that go up his back (but they are mustard yellow and seedy so the colour is normal)
Unsettled regularly

I've been shut down by the consultant regarding it but I'm adamant it's worse after certain foods. His poor face looks so sore. I don't know whether I pump for a few days so I don't lose my supply and give him a few days of cmpa formula and see if it helps? Or if I need to cut my diet back for weeks?

General consensus is to keep feeding but to remove the allergens from your diet. There is no research into how long it takes for allergens to leave your milk supply and people suggest between 3 days to 6 weeks.

Not all cmpa formula is actually dairy free and it can take weeks/months to find the right on and then you need to get the baby to actually take it.

If you can keep bf. Join the CMPA breastfeeding facebook group.

Just cut dairy initially out of your diet (not eggs at the same time as otherwise you won't know which was the cause if you see an improvement) and continue to feed as normal. The "it takes weeks for an allergens to leave your system" is BS and you can be making hypoallergenic milk within 12 hours, but you should be seeing a difference to his nappies within a few days if dairy is the cause. If no improvement after a week, additionally cut out egg and then again reassess symptoms over the course of a week. Be mindful not to replace milk with soya as the two often go hand in hand. CMPA/I to some degree statistically affects around 50% of babies so there's definitely a chance.

If I cut dairy out would it make his allergy/intolerance (if there is one) worse in the long run? Is it better to get him used to it? Or is that totally wrong?

Cut it out. If it’s CMPI, for many children you can indeed create tolerance when they’re a bit older and their gut and immune systems have matured. You work your way up to this with a ‘ladder’ system of slow introduction. But if it’s CMPI and you keep feeding him it now, all that will happen is his symptoms will worsen.

If it’s CMPA growing out of it/developing tolerance is less likely, though can happen, as babies’ immune systems aren’t fully mature and they may grow out of it. You would need close medical supervision to test this via skin prick test etc.