Reintroducing Dairy in Pregnancy

[MintGreenLife]

Hi all,

I am currently 14 +2 with my first. As a bit of background were trying for 7 months before I fell pregnant, during which time I was suffering with IBS like symptoms and had been on and off for around 2 years. I did a lot of research and found long-term pill use can cause gut problems, and with no clear reason why it was happening (no pattern) I decided to cut out gluten and dairy about 1 month before we conceived. As if overnight all my symptoms disappeared and I haven't suffered since.

As there was no pattern, and I'd never had digestive issues before (I'm 32) I assumed my issue was inflammation or leaky bowel syndrome and my tummy just needed time to repair.

I planned on starting to reintroduce things in the second trimester, partly because I worry about my calcium intake, and also because I feel like I don't really need to continue to follow such a strict diet.

I was planning on starting with low lactose dairy today. What I'm worried about though is baby, and if they will be OK having never been exposed to dairy before?! With gluten I've had the odd slip up while I've been pregnant and all looks fine so far, but not had any dairy at all in about 4/5 months.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Tbh any foods not on the avoid list will only cause you problems not baby as your body will filter it out.
If it causes digestive stress again there are other sources of calcium, green leafy veg, you can go with foods fortified with it or a supplement.

@Chelyanne thanks for your advice :) obviously I will be avoiding any of the dairy products listed on the NHS list of foods to avoid, like mould ripened cheese etc. My worry was if baby had never been exposed to dairy if it could cause an issue. I think I will just go slow - try a few small pieces of cheddar this evening and then leave it a day or two to see if my body reacts, before trying more. I've been taking a pregnancy supplement which contains calcium since I found out, and I have almond milk fortified with calcium. I guess if there is no cause for concern for baby I will just see how I feel and if any adverse effects will stop again.

No, it can’t harm the baby. Their digestive system isn’t functioning yet.

@JohnMiddleNameRedactedSwanson great thanks, I will give it a go!

Im intolerant to dairy and bizarrely found I could tolerate it so much more in pregnancy (randomly after chocolate and cheese cravings!) as your digestive system actually changes. Good idea to start small. But dont worry about not getting enough calcium if its in your diet anyway and its included in pregnancy supplements you'll be fine. Also my daughter has no dietary needs despite me definitely not eating much throughout so I don't think they necessarily inherit it etc. If that makes sense?

@RueRue

Im intolerant to dairy and bizarrely found I could tolerate it so much more in pregnancy (randomly after chocolate and cheese cravings!) as your digestive system actually changes. Good idea to start small. But dont worry about not getting enough calcium if its in your diet anyway and its included in pregnancy supplements you'll be fine. Also my daughter has no dietary needs despite me definitely not eating much throughout so I don't think they necessarily inherit it etc. If that makes sense?

I came here to say the same - my tolerance for dairy is so much higher in pregnancy, I read it's because baby takes some of it and also your pregnancy vitamins help absorb some of it (something to do with the iron in them maybe, I can't remember exactly), so enjoy being able to eat it, OP! I'm 34 weeks and baby seems to have been fine with dairy - and I'm eating a LOT of cheese and chocolate (but still sticking with oat milk).

@RueRue thanks so much for replying! So we’re you mostly dairy free before pregnancy, and then found you could tolerate some during? I did read online some women find this is the case. My main worry was going 14 weeks with no dairy, so baby never having been exposed, and then all of a sudden dairy being in the mix, but maybe that’s a completely unnecessary worry! Going to try a little bit of cheddar shortly and am going to experiment with low lactose dairy first to be on the safe side x

@SkyBlue20 brilliant, great to hear positive experiences! Like you I am planning on trying cheese and chocolate this week, but am going to stick to almond milk. Quite excited at the prospect of being able to have some of my favourite foods again, albeit a little apprehensive x

Yep completely diary free (and egg free) before being pregnant, then gave in to some cravings (would've been after 14 weeks too as all I could eat before was crisps and bread!) and was so surprised that I could tolerate it. I didn't go mad but had some whenever I felt like it. Also stuck to the non diary milk, mostly because I like it. But there is definitely no need for you to worry, there are people who have no dairy at all and then their baby does when born as its totally fine. I researched alot during pregnancy.. 🙈

Same as the previous posters! I’ve been guzzling milk and craving everything dairy for most of my pregnancy, whereas usually even a wee bit of milk would give me an upset stomach and cause me quite a bit of pain. Bizarre but makes a nice change really.

@RueRue brilliant, that makes me feel so much better ☺️ Had a few slices of cheddar this evening so will see how I’m feeling tomorrow, fingers crossed!

@swiftt all being well I will find the same and will be able to enjoy dairy for the rest of my pregnancy 🤞🏼

Same here!
I was never dairy free because i love it too much but boy it caused be bad IBS.
In 1st trimester i couldn't stomach milk and few yogurts so barely had dairy but since 2nd and now in 3rd i have dairy a looooot (crave it) and digestion is perfect!!! No ibs whatsoever.

@SunnySideUp2020 great news, must be nice to enjoy it without the worry of the aftermath! After having some cheddar last night so far I feel fine, so fingers crossed I find the same as everyone else :)