im breastfeeding my baby and she is milk protein intollerant. I am not able to eat any dairy, soy or eggs. Has anybody else had to do this and ay what age was your baby able to tolerate dairy? And do you have any recipes?

Melinda - posted on 02/25/2009

Intollerance of milk is due to the difficulty or inability to digest the milk sugar, lactose, from lack of (or minimal amount of) the milk sugar enzyme produced in the gut. This is very different from a milk protein allergy. An allergy is an immulogical response that results in rash, vomiting, eczema, or worse case allergic symptom of blood in the stool. I'm guessing you are talking about a cow milk protein allergy since you are breastfeeding? Tell me what the symptoms were; what type of milk or formula resulted in an allergic reaction or were you talking about your baby having a reaction to the foods you are eating???? and if there has been a diagnosis by a pediatrician and I can give you an idea of what you are looking at in terms of approximate age that we typically see an end to allergies. You can try goats milk that is better tolerated due to the less complicated proteins compared to cow's milk, if you are talking about a child over the age of one or even try drinking goats milk yourself, if you are talking about milk allergy from what transfered in the breastmilk when you eat/drink dairy. Goats milk comes in a can, pasturized at almost all grocery stores. Also, read labels and look for the ingredients casein and whey as these culprits come from cow milk protein too!!! There is a great allergy website that I used to refer to when I used to work as a registered dietitian and when I have a chance to look for it, I'll send it out to you!

Jacinta - posted on 02/25/2009

Quoting Clerissa:

How did you find out?? I'm concerned about my little one having an allergy to something I've been eating!!

My baby was unsettled and had days of screaming. At first i was told it was colic then reflux and also told some babies just cry. I then took her to another dr and from her symptoms they thought it was an intollerance to the milk protein in foods (even traces of it). I kept a food diary and cut all dairy, soy and eggs out of my diet and she is now a different baby. She is so content now, a very happy baby. And since this has happenend, talking to other people i have found it to be quite common. I am so glad i didnt listen to the health nurses and the first doctor ( they are from the old school!). This is my first baby and seeing her in pain and the crying and screaming i knew there was more to it (it didnt start til she was 4 weeks). I am still breast feeding my bub and am glad i have changed my diet to keep her happy and healthy. I know now to always trust your instincts and go with your gut!

Melissa - posted on 02/25/2009

Oh - I should also state that the vegan side of things is good IF your little one doesn't respond negatively to soy in your diet.  Scarlet couldn't handle soy direclty but doesn't seem to respond to it in my diet.  Important point.

Melissa - posted on 02/25/2009

We had the exact same issue.  My daughter is 9 months old and we figured out at about 3 or 4 weeks that she was allergic to dairy protein.  Around 6 months, we tried to give her some formula b/c I had a work trip but she threw up the soy so that is apparently an issue too.  I've been told that about 50% of kids who have issues with dairy also have issues with soy - wow! 

I've been off dairy since then and am just now slowly introducing small amounts of dairy into my diet to see if she reacts.  She's been more gassy but hasn't had the poop issues, etc.  I think she's growing out of it! 

The trickiest thing about it is the hidden dairy in things.  I realized that I could have anything vegan and could use any recipe that was considered vegan and add meat or eggs, etc, if I wanted to.  That was a watershed moment and has been great.  Check out this blog for good vegan recipies:

http://veganyumyum.com/

I also use Rice milk - which was my fav of everything I tried - and love Tofutti Cuties for dessert!  A small silver lining - cutting out the dairy also cut out a lot of the fat from my diet and really helped me shed the baby weight quickly!  You have to make sure you get enough protein though and good fats in the place of dairy - plus calcium supplements or orange juice, etc.

Shannon - posted on 02/25/2009

My son is almost 8 months and we recently found out he's allergic to milk, eggs and peanuts. Its really hard keeping those things out of my diet so I can relate to you. But it does get easier; you just have to read labels religiously. There are substitutes out there. Check out your local organic market. www.allrecipes.com also has an ingredient search tool that allows you to find recipes with and without specific ingredients. And they have a section of recipes for dietary restrictions, too.

Mary - posted on 02/24/2009

Wow, I thought I was the only one!! We were told my daughter just had colic and to "deal with it" for up to a year until it went away.  Instead, I started slowly eliminating the typical foods that cause colic and found that any dairy products were the trigger. 

So from the time my daughter was 2 months-6 months, I had no milk, cheese, chocolate, etc.  Even dry products that had those ingredients hidden in them made her scream uncontrollably for hours.  I also ate lots of fresh fruits and veggies and found that substituting canned goats milk in recipes worked wonders!! Believe me, you can't taste the difference.  I tried multiple non-dairy substitutes, like soy milk, rice milk, etc. and found that I liked almond milk the best.  I found really tasty ice cream made with rice milk in the "health food" refrigerated section at the local grocery store. 

When she hit 6 months, we started feeding her infant cereal and pureed fruits and veggies and I was able to slowly integrate the dairy back into my diet.

I hope this helps.  It was hard to resist eating those things but it was more important to me that my baby was (and still is!) breastfeeding.  Hang in there! :)

Saundra - posted on 02/24/2009

My daughter is ok with soy in tofu but not soy milk. As the first post stated, I followed the similar plan. I've eaten alot of stir fry since my daughter came and the onion and garlic are good for both of you. I can eat some diary but only in small amounts, like a splash of milk in a cup of coffee and I'm too scared to try peanuts. She's 14 months now and I have found good options for her that are diary/egg free foods. I was worried that she wouldn't get in enough protein/calcium but her ped. says if she's nursing 3-4 times a day, she'll get in enough.

Clerissa - posted on 02/24/2009

How did you find out?? I'm concerned about my little one having an allergy to something I've been eating!!

Hannah - posted on 02/24/2009

That must be really hard for you.  We are going through the same thing at our house right now.  My 5 month old doesn't tolerate any dairy, soy, eggs, or peanuts.  She seems to be okay with small amounts of eggs cooked into something like a muffin.   I have found some recipes that I will post for you when I get a chance.  The la leche league is a great group to look to for support. Good luck and I will post some more when I get a chance.

Anna - posted on 02/24/2009

Hi there! Both my kids were Milk/Soy Intolerant. My ped. recommeded eliminating milk/soy, eggs, wheat and peanuts. I did so for a month, then slowly reintroduced each one until I found the culprits which fortunately were only milk and soy. I just ate alot of fresh fruits, veggies, fish for meals, lots of salads. My dd was able to tolerate small amounts of milk if it was in a product as an ingredient, but I couldn't eat cheese or drink a glass of milk. I was finally able to have milk products again when she turned 10 mths old, but every baby is different. My son was not able to tolerate milk or soy until he was 19mths old. There are lots of great food products in the organic sections of the supermarket and you can always substitute w/ any recipe that requires milk w/ rice milk. I have to say I lost a ton of weight eating with these restrictions so it's not all bad. I weigh less now than I did before I got pregnant. Good Luck!

Alexii - posted on 02/24/2009

if you contact your nearest la leche league they would have a bunch of info to help you they are moms that have been through it all!!!! best of luck to you

http://www.lllc.ca/