Possible Milk Allergy?

Don't stop breast feeding!

Food allergies happen ALL THE TIME - especially if you're drinking cow's milk with the growth hormone which has been proven to be very harmful to cildren. This also could be causing the rash. Mucuous in the stool suggests that the "Good bacteria" are dying in the gut and are being flushed out. This could also be caused by allergens and also by antibiotics in the milk you are drinking. I only use organic milk for my children because of the harm that is caused to their bodies through the other milk. As you know already, your milk is being passed to your son so you have to experiment with what you eat and drink and see how it affects him.

That means you should be consuming plenty of probiotics to replenish the good bacteria that has died out. That will transfer to your baby as well through the milk.

My sister has experienced food allergies in both her children, and when she avoided the offending food, the problem cleared up. I still don't have a clue why MDs NEVER seem to check for food allergies when there is a problem. Her baby cried throughout the night, had gas, spit up a ton. Before I discovered Naturopaths, my son's doctor was always telling me spitting up was normal even though he was spitting up almost everything he was eating!

Anyway, cut out the food for a total of 4 days (one food at a time). If it's an allergen, you will see a difference - maybe not as quickly in the rash, but you will see it in the digestion. First try cutting out milk for 4 days, then wheat, then soy. Those are the top 3. It turns out my nephew has dairy, egg white and soy allergies. You could also try switching to organic milk and see if that helps - of course, you can't eat any dairy products that aren't organic during that time - either because they will have antibiotics and growth hormones in them as well.

Now that my sister has cut out the allergens, no more ear infections for the older son, no more digestive problems for her baby. Her baby was having acid reflux - when she cut out high fat and dairy, he immediately got a lot better. Also, there are other things you can do to help baby's digestion. Super Supplements (no, I don't work there, but have been helped a GREAT deal) is also good at helping baby problems linked to digestion. Their staff is VERY well trained. There is gripe water to try, there are digestive enzymes you can mix with water, put on your nipple so when baby's suckling, baby gets some of it to aid with digestion.

Another MD is a possibility - one that works with gastrointestinal problems, or a pediatric naturopath. By the way, cortisone creme isn't good for anyone.

P.S. I agree with the lady who said that you better wait on the immunizations. NO child should EVER be immunized before age 6 months. The go to the Dr. Sears web site for more information on a revised immunization schedule. His is much more sane. This can cause a whole host of problems as well.

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I would try a hypoallergenic formula like Infamil Nutramigen. Other brands have something like this kind too. I would pump while giving this to him so that your supply doesn't go down just incase the formula doesn't work. I would hate to giveup breastfeeding and have it not be the cause of the rash ya know? I did this when my son had colic to see if it would make him feel any better and in the end it didn't work so I just went right back to nursing him! I hope your little one starts feeling better soon!

Oh BTW my best friend who had a son who also had the rash and still gets it if he has to much dairy went on this formula and he felt sooo much better! Rash went away and the screaming too! I would say its DEF worth a try! Can't hurt.

My daughter had the same rash. Yes follow your intuition. Stop eating dairy products, and they will not go through you to him. give it a shot for about a month to allow time for your body to eliminate all the dairy. Also use something like Arbonne Baby Care: oil,lotion,diaper rash creame, and wash on his skin and you will see an immediate difference.
I've been there, this was the only thing that worked for my little girl.

Hello K.,
Wow, you are describing exactly what we went through with our son. His little face would get so raw that he would scratch at it until it bled. It was terrible to look at. Poor baby. Like you, the doctors we saw were no help at all. After a lot of research, we went to see a ND at Frontier Natural Health. They were incredibly helpful and encouraging. Through their counsel, we decided to go ahead and have our son tested for allergies at 5 months. I was hesitant at first because it involved a blood draw, but it was actually very easy and he hardly even flinched. The people at the lab (this was at the hospital) were very professional. Long story short, we found out that he has a whole list of food allergies, not just one or two. And he wasn't allergic to milk at all! As soon as I stopped eating foods that he was allergic to, he was a whole new baby. No rash, no constant crying etc. It was amazing.
I hope this helps a little. It's such a hard thing when you KNOW something is wrong with your baby and your doctor just hands you some silly cream! Hang in there and trust your intuition.
~A. G.

Follow your gut and your heart. My now 5 month old (mostly breastfeed. She gets 1-2 bottles) about the same time I had crying, some mucus. but no rash. I tried just about everything and the doctor even said she was fine. So one night after little to no sleep for days I told my husband we had to find something. After thought and reading I just looked at him late at night and said I have cut everything out of my diet I can (milk, coffee, soda, spicy food, etc) so I sent him to the store for some Nutramigen and dark karo syrup (for tummy and possible constipation). I mixed her a bottle and put a tsp in. I breastfeed too. After these changes in about 12-24 hrs later she wasn't crying and things got better.

When I took her back to the doctor for another checkup they told me good work. Some kids can have an intolerance to some things. Yes she is a breastfeed baby and her doctor even said it is ok that she has even just 1 bottle that it wont cause an issue. She doesn't take a pacifier but will take a bottle if needed. It is a way my husband or son can feed her so I can have a break or get ready, go work out, or like if you get sick. Just a back up not the primary way of feeding. I know there are some hard core folks that would be aginst this but well they are getting the best, breast milk and a rested mom.

Hope you find a solution and you and your little one aren't going through this much longer.

Hi K.,
Mine didn't have an out and out allergy, but they did have an extreme intolerance to cows' milk (bad colic), which they out grew as toddlers. If I nursed them and had even 1 milk chocolate chip (or other standard dairy in any amount), I could count on 24 hrs of colic. The protiens do carry right through into your breast milk.
I tried several things, but my best was to make formula out of canned goats' milk. If your little one is allergic to cows' milk, switching to goats' milk should help.
Good luck.
L.

I would continue to breastfeed your boy and see a ND to figure out what needs removed from your diet. Please consider waiting on vaccinating your boy until the mucus in his stool stops (sign of leaky gut) and the rash clears. That is an immune system reaction and it will be hard for his system to deal with vaccinations as well.

Hi K. - A good resource to call to find out more, is Dr. Jack Newman (he's based in Toronto, Canada). I understand that milk protein allergies are pretty rare....but he or someone at the lactation clinic might be able to provide a good local resource or perhaps have an answer for you. Good luck. :)

I had a friend who's little girl had taht she went to a lactation specialist who said it was a dairy reaction. She cut out all dairy of her diet and it cleared up right away. It's worth a try, when they are first born they are so sensitive, give him a little bit of time then reintroduce small amounts of dairy.
My daughter was completely intolerable -digestive tract - of me eating dairy and it only lasted about a month. Try a lactation specialist a lot of times they can get to an answer if you are nursing , faster than a pediatrician can.

Please go see a naturopath. Ilana Gurvich is great at this stuff. ###-###-#### Cortisone is actuall yreally dangerous stuff to give someone so small... please go see her. Good luck!

Babies can HAVE allergic reactions to breastmilk - my breast milk even gave my son jaundice. I don't do drugs, smoke, or even take medications for headaches! Sometimes a child has a lactose intolerance, which breastmilk does contain.

BUT before rushing off to grab some soy or lactose free talk with you doctor about analyzing your diet. Sometimes a change in YOUR diet can drastically effect your baby. Sometimes, by you laying off the dairy, babies symptoms will lighten up or even go away. But a simple analysis can often turn up the culprit.

Hope this helps a little bit at least. Best of luck!

C.

Hi there. As an RN in Neonatal Intensive care I see lots of babies get fed a wide array of formulas as well as breastmilk. To have a true allergy to breastmilk is quite rare. There are very few babies that are allergic to "mother's milk protein" but rather have reactions to cow's milk protein. As most people have responded, it would benefit you to remove dairy completely from your diet, just make sure you take a calcium supplement or drink other calcium fortified drinks like orange juice. My second daughter was having problems with irritability and gassiness and I eliminated dairy and the situation improved. She was able to wean from breastmilk to 2% milk at 1 year but never tolerated formula. In NICU we would never recommend a mom to substitute formula for breastmilk unless it was proven that the baby truly was allergic. As for the rash, the same daughter that had the milk protein problems in infancy also had a persistent rash. She still has problems with the rash (she is 2 now) but we are keeping it under better control with aveeno nightly, minimal soap use and cortisone cream in the worst areas. Hope this helps and best of luck to you!

K.,
Our son had the same thing. He didn't have it all the time, only when I ate peanuts or peanut products. I stopped and the rash went away. Our pediatrician told me to stop all peanut proudcts and even after stopping nursing to not give him any until he was over 3yrs old.

We introduced peanutbutter when he was 3yrs old and he hasn't had any problems. The funny thing is that he doesn't like peanutbutter, peanuts or peanut products. We did the same with our youngest and up until last year (He is now 5yrs)he didn't like PB&J or peanut products.

I would try eliminating typical allergens from YOUR diet and see what works. It may be as simple as 1 food. (Gluten, Wheat, COW dairy, eggs, nuts/nutbutters)

I wish you and your baby the best of health.

YES! I have had DR's tell me that it is not an allergy. I have 5 kids, it was numbers 4 and 5 that are allergic to milk. Will (#4) would have projectile vomiting when I ate anything with whole milk. Followed with a rash.
When Carrie (#5) was born I realized that I needed to watch my milk intake. She had the same rashes.
My kids can drink 2% milk ok. But anything above that and the rash shows up. They are now 15, and almost 12, so they are old enough to decide if it is worth the rash.

Listen to your mothers voice. I have found that most of the time it is right.

Try soy milk

Don't give up on your breastmilk yet. My baby is allergic to cow's milk protein. He didn't have a rash, but had mucus-y stool that had some blood in it. He was also very squirmy/gas-y and spend so much time straining like he had to fill his diaper that he have himself a double hernia. Our pediatrician was a little baffled because of some strange circumstances (my son also has CF so everything is a little weird with him). Luckily (or unluckily) we had to be seeing a gastrointerologist for some other problems and she was the one who suggested he was allergic to cow's milk protein. There is a test for this. They take a fecal sample.

The gastrointerologist had me go off all dairy products. No milk, no cheese, sour cream, butter, margarine (has milk in it), etc. I have to read all labels very carefully because so many things have milk in them: lots of pastries have butter, many whole wheat breads have milk. However, this has made a HUGE difference in my son's quality of living. It took 2-3 days for him to stop straining and 2 weeks for the bloody mucus-y stuff to go away, but he has been so much happier ever since. I've been off milk for 7 months now and I have to take extra calcium to supplement my diet, but I think it's worth it.

The American Academy of Pediatrics says that if your baby has a cow's milk protein allergy, it's important to address it because if you just keep giving it to your baby (even through your milk) it can cause them to have other allergies as well. At least that's my understanding of it. I'd ask my pediatrician about this. It's also worth a shot to go off milk for 2 weeks. If you do, take calcium! I think it's 1,000 mg/ day. You will notice a difference if that's it.

It's even more rare that a baby is allergic to his/her mother's milk. You'd need to work with a medical doctor or specialist on that one.

Hi K.!
My son, now 10, had the same thing and he did test positive for allergies...He was actually allergic to things that I was eating that he was getting through my breast milk. I took him to a Naturopath as they are more into testing for food sensitivities and then I took him to an Osteopath (which I would recommend to anyone and everyone). Both Naturopath and Osteopath are extremely thorough and really play detective to figure out WHY the rash is happening...(versus giving a cream to make the rash go away). The rash is a sign that something wants out. That's what rashes are. Good luck! No fun seeing our little people in pain...
Best,
S.

Both my kids had a severe intolerance to COW's milk protein. It is highly, highly unlikely it's the protein in YOUR milk that's causing the protein. So, I just wanted to reiterate that you should eliminate all dairy from your diet (this takes about 3 weeks) if you suspect this allergy in him. Also, if it's an intolerance, in which your bowels instead of your immune system react, you can't determine this with allergy testing. Best of luck with this. It's very tough. The only other thing I would research is hindmilk/foremilk imbalance. My first child had this because I switched sides when breastfeeding too often. It causes green, frothy stools, and is very uncomfortable for baby. Just a thought.

Try adding MSM (a supplement) to your diet. Stop the formula and consider just putting a light covering of Zinc oxide cream on his rash.

He sounds as if he has a slight generalized inflammation so you may need to increase zinc (a supplement)in your diet.

If you eat a lot of sugar, I would stop that too.

My now 19 mo. old son also develop a rough rash when he was about 3 mos. old as well. And while he doesn't have the other symptoms you mentioned, he spit up horribly -- up until he was 15 months old. And the spit up got worse when he switched to cows milk. I kept asking our pedi about it and he kept giving me a cream for his skin and tell me some kids spit up more, but he didn't think it was reflux. Finally, when I took him in for his 15 mo. checkup the Dr. mentioned to me that my son might be lactose intolerant. I immediately switched to Lactaid milk, and he has not spit up since. I was hoping that would clear up his rash, but I'm thinking because I still give him cheese and yogurt he must have a dairy or milk protein allergy because his rash is still there. Anyway, good luck!

Hi K.!

Like other mothers have said. Trust your gut! My first son had the same exact symptoms as yours. At two weeks he broke out with eczema all over his face, mucusy poop, arching the entire time he was breastfeeding and crying all day long. The scariest part was when he would choke on his saliva and turn blue. I would take him back and forth to the doctor and call probably every other day. They kept telling me it was just his immature system and amniotic fluid stuck in his throat. Well I had a hard time believing amniotic fluid can stay in a baby's system for 2 months.

By 2 1/2 months he started to pass blood in his stool. We had had enough by then. I did my own research and confronted my pediatrician. I requested to see a Gastro Intestinal specialist. The agreed it was some sort of food allergy. Since he was passing blood they put fear in me that the quickest way to cure him was to put him on Nutramigen formula and stop breastfeeding. At $25 a can lasting 4 days, I wish I would have pushed to breastfeed and eliminate different food items in my diet. Like someone said earlier, eating chicken and rice is totally worth it for my son's well being.

My son was also put on Zantac and Prevacid for acid reflux. Needless to say, the poor guy had to suffer for 3 months because I didn't trust my own gut and listened to the doctors. He was a completely different baby after all of this. I was able to use Aquaphor bath soap and Eucerin lotion to clear up his eczema.

When he turned 1 they were able to do a blood test before starting any new foods to determine what was causing all his symptoms as a baby. We found out he's severely allergic to nuts, as well as soy, oats, and peas.

In the end you now your son better than any one else! If it doesn't feel right, it's probably not. Good luck and God bless!

We had the same problem when my son was born. The face rush was so bad I had to use some cortisone cream and I wasn't happy with that. What worked for us is keep breastfeeding and take out of my diet everything that might have cow's protein in it. Not just dairy products but also beef (including salami, hot dogs and stuff like that), plus butter, some of the breads and backed products, check the labels for milk powder too, plus I don't even remember what else... Basically you think before you put anything in your mouth. It takes about two weeks for the cow's protein to clear up from your body and a bit of effort before you figure out what you can eat. But is worth seeing your little one happy and contain with beautiful baby skin. I don't know if your situation is the same but it is worth trying before you go for any medications. We took my son to few different pediatricians quite few times for that plus pediatrician dermatologist, plus pediatrician allergologist but I got the advice form "La Leche League", none of the doctors suggested the complete no cow's protein diet change. Some of the things I did switch to was goat milk, sheep yogurt, sheep feta cheese, tofu and etc. Hope I was helpful. Good luck!

Your story sounds SO much like mine!!! My boy, now 2 1/2, had a horrible red rash on his face, mainly cheeks, from about 3 months on. I was breastfeeding and supplementing once a day with formula, as I had just returned to work. His Doc. said to put cortizone cream on it daily and that seemed to take the itching away, but never the redness. Once he became mobile (8 months), it got really bad. He would rub his face on anything with texture to scratch it, carpet, furniture, clothes, blankets, anything. I never thought it was a dairy issue. But then around 14 months he began throwing up with everythings dairy he ate, which is also when we put him to all whole milk, no formula. So we took ALL dairy out of his diet, and NO MORE RASH!!!! His stool became regular and he became the happy little boy we had never seen before!! He is now drinking soy milk, and can now have dairy as long as I give him a small chewable table of Children's Digestive Advantage. He is doing so well now! I just wish I would have known sooner!

Sorry for the long story.....I would most definately try taking dairy out of your diet and see if that makes things better first, before giving soy formula. If not give the formula, you will feel better for doing so. I can only imagine the pain my little one went through trying to digest the dairy and the horrible rash, I felt like a bad mother! Good Luck!

Hi,

Please take your child to Northwest Asthma & Allergy. 4540 Sand Point way NE, Ste 200, Seattle, ###-###-####. It's an amazing place and they will know exactly what to do for you. My daughter has severe allergies to peanuts, diary, eggs. It first started with a rash like you are describing about the same age. We waited because we just thought it was eczema and at 6 months she had a huge reaction and her whole face swelled, ambulance called - very scary. I had three different doctors tell me different things until one of them finally sent me to NWAA. I can't believe we had to go through that. Please avoid all of this and go there. If it's not allergies, then you can put your mind at rest, but if it is you will know what to do about it. When we found out about her allergies I continued to breast feed. I just went on her diet. I breast feed until she was 16 months. That way I knew she was getting enough calcium and nutrients she needed because I could provide that for her. Good luck!!

Also you might try eliminating soy from your diet. This can be a little difficult bc soy is a filler in lots and lots of prepared foods, but it can be very irritating to little people.
I hope you can figure something out!

First thing--KEEP BREASTFEEDING! It is the best thing for your little guy, rash or no rash. I would first try eliminating dairy, as it is the main offender in baby allergies. Remember that it takes about two weeks before it is completely eliminated from your system. Or you could go on a total elimination diet, getting rid of all major allergens from your diet for two weeks, and then slowly adding them back in, one by one. For example, eggs, nuts, wheat, corn, dairy, all artificial additives (my mom calls this the "chicken, rice, and green bean diet"). It's not a lot of fun, but your little guy is worth it! You could also try adding a fish oil or flax seed supplement to your diet. These essential fats pass on in the breast milk and are great for the skin. Good luck! Oh, and make sure you take a good mulit-vitamin during this time to cover any nutrients you might be missing out on.

Nothing compares to breastmilk. Could very likely be dairy. I myself can't have dairy, so I didn't have a problem when dd was little but she's 2.5 now and gets a rash all over her butt when she has dairy and she said it makes her hurt. So, I think they can be very sensitive to the proteins in dairy. If that's what it is you may not have change your diet for too long. If you need help with eliminating it you can email me and I can tell what replacements I use.

Hi K.,

Have you tried giving up dairy or other foods? I am currently breastfeeding my second child, who is 2 monts old, and breast fed the first until he was 2. All of the signs you mentioned is what I experienced when my little one was allergic to food that I ate. I stopped the dairy with my first when he was 2 months old and about 2-3 weeks later he stopped crying all of the time and having rashes. I stopped dairy before my second was born, and whenever I do eat dairy he has tummy pain and green poo. Dairy allergies are super common in infants. Good luck!

M.

My daughter had a rash on her face and neck as well when she was about 2 months old. I was lucky to have a great pediatrician who immediately referred us to an allergist. We found out that she was allergic to wheat, rye, egg, pork, and peanuts. She is now almost 2 and has outgrown 2 of the allergies. She is healthy and happy and I am so thankful that we got on this right away. Please get in to see an allergist and rule that out so that your little one doesn't have to suffer.

Hello K.... awesome spelling of your name by the way.... We have a son spelled it kassie... I really wasnt thinking at the time on the spelling... Now he goes KC..

I was hoping you would get a second opinon...on the allergie... We have 7 children... I have had to get second opinon... Follow your gut when it comes to your kids... Doctors arent always correct...Ive worked in the medical and dental field for nearly 20 years.. Now I stay home... They can take a blood sample from your son...and test it for allergies... and you can test yourself...Its a possibility you might have to stop brestfeeding.. I hope not.. And Kudos to you for being your own advocate...We need to more responsible for ourselves and our children...Doctors have to keep taking class every year... The question is do the classes he picks help him hlep his patients... They do call it a practice....Good Luck..Kim

My little guy also has an intolerance to cow's milk protein. At about 4 months I noticed that he began to have blood in his stool so I took him to the pediatrician. He immediately suggested it was caused my milk protein being passed to him through my breastmilk. I eliminated all food that contained milk protein. It was difficult at first to catch all of it. But I found that it is in EVERYTHING! It is shown on ingredients lists under different names - like casein, whey, caseinates, lactylbumin, lactate, etc. You can find lists on the internet to help you identify it. I would bring the list with me to the grocery store and read all the labels of the food I purchased. It takes some getting used to, but then it just becomes easy. And I don't miss ice cream and pizza - I don't, I don't, I don't!

My son seems to be very sensitive, but his pediatrician said that most moms just have to eliminate milk, butter, cheese, and yogurt. So that may be the case for you also. My babe is now 11 months and his ped says by age one babies typically grow out of the intolerance to milk.

Like some other moms said, it does take about two weeks for all the milk proteins to leave your system and your babies.

Good luck mama!

We experienced the same types of issues with our son and doctors - sometimes I really don't like doctors. If you are still breastfeeding him - stop eating all dairy products and see if that relieves his symptoms. My son is almost 22 months old and still gets fussy if I eat any dairy products (yep still nursing). Give it a good 2 weeks without you eating ANY dairy products - if his symptoms go away - more than likely it's a dairy issue. Good Luck!!

Please take all dairy products out of your diet immediately and start with the probiotics. You will love the change - if he still has any reactions try taking all soy out of your diet and check with an ND. Good Luck!

it sounds like the same dairy allergy that my son suffered. my son developed his rash at about the same time. he began throwing up almost immediately after he was born. the first thing i did after he was born was eat a bowl of cereal with cow's milk. from then on he always threw up after breast feeding. i began cutting dairy out and substituting alternatives, only to find that he was not just allergic to dairy, but to soy as well. i found a wonderful naturopathic doctor who prescribed a combination of homeopathic supplements to strengthen his body from the inside out. as his liver and other organs became stronger and free of the allergens, then his skin cleared up. it took nearly a year for him to lose his rash and become tolerant of both dairy and soy, though i personally try to avoid soy whenever possible. i have found that lately he seems to be getting a tiny rash around his mouth. i attribute this to us eating yogurt very regularly. i intend to cut down on the dairy once again and see how he responds. good luck. if you want more info, doctor referral, or anything else drop me a line. i'd be happy to help.

sincerely, D. r

You may try eliminating dairy from your diet. There are a lot of potentially irritating foods that are passed through your milk to your child. The site has tons of info on breastfeeding in general, but here is a page specific to your question:
http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/food-sensitivity.html

I highly recommend altering your diet to find a solution before you try formula. Breast milk is so much better for your little one than anything else out there!

Best of luck to you,
J.

No baby is allergic to breast milk. It is possible that something you eat is allergic to the baby. I am sure that there are so many babies who are allergic to formula and cows milk. My daughter daughter used to throw up while she is breast feeding. I thought the same as you. Might be she is allergic to breast milk. But I did not give up immediately, I wanted to know what is the real reason, the first thing I did was to stop drinking my morning cup of latte for 1 week. The result was instant. She did not throw up. The next thing she got was eczema, I went to her doctor, she saw and wrote some ointment and asked me to apply for 2 weeks and see what happens. It did not work, again doctor said that something i am eating is bothering her. Once again I did not give up and started researching, it is a skin condition so we started with soap. We changed to eucerin baby non soap cleanser. The result was seen in 3 months but it did work. She is now 8 months and has not had a diaper rash or eczema or vomiting ever since. So think where it might go wrong. I am sure he is not allergic to breast milk. Do not give him formula unless you strike off all possible reasons. Be patient and alert. Good luck

Your baby is NOT allergic to your milk. No way. I am a lactation consultant and that's not possible. But he may be allergic to something you're eating. Lots of good responses here, but do not for one minute stop breastfeeding. IF he has allergies or not, it's always the best thing for him. Consider delaying solids as long as possible, as well.

R. Beebe, M.Ed., IBCLC
www.second9months.com