2 Month-old with Allergy to Milk Protein

Are you seeing an allergist or a family doc? I ask because allergies in kids are very puzzling/difficult to diagnose. If at all possible see a specialist. My son had allergy issues with milk as well and seeing a specialist made all the difference (or also maybe get a second opinion, you may fidn new information).

Barring that, make sure you are eliminating all sources of milk. There are milk protein additives in tons of things you wouldn't expect- some lunchmeats, many crackers, chips, canned goods, almost any boxed foods (like noodle mixes and hamburger helper type things). Anything like whey, lactose, lactulose and others I am sure I can't think of now. Your doctor should have a list of things to avoid. I only mention this because I thought I was eliminating all milk allergens (and I am an RN) and when my son's nurse practitioner gave us a list there were tons of things I was missing.

Here is a good source of information: http://foodallergies.about.com/od/diagnosingfoodallergies...

Remember that a RAST (blood) test is considered most sensitive (best able to pinpoint an allergy) but a skin test is most specific (meaning it will show if there is a sensitivity). So although a RAST test could show an allergy to milk through antibodies in the blood, the skin test will show if the reaction is actually being caused by that allergen or something else. I.E. my son's RAST test is positive for milk, soy, and egg allergy, but on the skin test is nonreactive. So we know my son has a mild allergy to those things but they are not the cause of his symptoms. So confusing. Good luck sorting this out and definitely keep up the breastfeeding.

Remember that human milk protein is different than cow's milk protein and if you can resolve this issue he will be much better off on breastmilk than on soy formula which has other drawbacks. The specialized allergy formulas are very expensive not to mention stinky (my son had to have this) and I would recommend avoiding them if possible! Good luck.

My 13 month old is sensitive to dairy. While he doesn't have a full blown allergy, his system still doesn't process dairy well. I cut out all dairy from my diet and his problem was solved and we are still nursing.
I have found all kinds of soy products that I can eat at Whole Foods. Soy milk, soy margarine, soy cream cheese, soy sour cream and soy yogurt are all products I use on a regular basis now. About the only soy substitute I don't like is cheese. Bleh!
Just make sure you read all labels very carefully. Look for whey, casein, and obviously milk.
Oh yeah, an unexpected bonus I have found by cutting out dairy is that I have lost weight. I am 25 pounds under my pre-preggo weight all because I can't eat most of my comfort foods! It's great.
Don't give up on nursing yet. And keep in mind that it can take a week or two for all dairy to work it's way out of your system so don't get discouraged if you don't see immediate results.
Good luck!

This happened to me. It wasn't trace amounts of blood either, more like bright red streaks. Started when he was about 14 weeks old. They had me eliminate milk, soy, wheat, dairy, eggs, nuts, and chocolate from my diet. Basically all I could eat was oat, rice, veggies, fruits, and meats. They didn't ask me to avoid seafood but I did just in case. I think it was starting to help (I saw two allergists and two gastroenterologists who explained it can take 30 days or more for the traces of these foods to get out of your breast milk) but I was starving to death and the holidays were coming so when he turned 6 months to the day I weaned him and put him on Alimentum so I could eat again. The problem cleared up completely as soon as I switched him. I kind of feel guilty for not sticking it out a little longer with the diet, but it was tough! God bless you if you are able to do it longer than I was. You have to read labels carefully because soy, wheat, dairy, and egg are in everything. Now my son is 16 months and we have him on soy milk and wheat but the doctor said no dairy until 18 months and no egg until 2. I'm praying the next one doesn't have the same issue, but if it does at least I'll lose the baby weight fast! Hope that helps, good luck!

Our daughter had a milk allergy and I cut all dairy out of the diet. She responded well and I continued to breastfeed her. Good luck, it's bothersome but worth the effort.

I haven,t had any success with the formula either. What are you using?

Don't quit nursing!! Especially if you don't want to. Keep at it, and maybe it's something else in your diet. Check the formula too, it could be that as well.

My DD had this with dairy and soy. I did not quit nursing, and although it was a pain to check all labels so carefully, I think it helped her out grow it (she was fine on say by 10 mo. and went straight to milk at 1). My son has the same thing now. I plan to keep nursing him too. If you don't want to give up nursing, don't!! There is no reason why you should. However, you may need to try eliminating other foods, since there may be another allergy. Please contact me if I can help- I know it is super frustrating!!! Good luck!
E.