Milk Allergy - Livonia, MI

You might consider cutting out ALL dairy for a bit to see if it helps. My son spit up a LOT and although I don't think he had a dairy allergy my cutting it out of my diet seemed to help with the level of spitup. He spitup for probably 7 months. I do have to admit though... it def. helped me lose some weight not eating dairy. : )

Hi S.,
Obviously, I'm not an expert, but it does not sound like an allergy to me. My son was a big spitter-upper too, after every feeding, however, he was not in any pain when he spit up and did not express any discomfort. He was not allergic to milk (he was eventually tested around 15 months for different allerigies), he just spit up a lot. He's fine now, loves milk and of course does not spit up anymore. Some babies just spit up a lot, simple as that. Also, his bowel movements seem normal for a 7 wk breastfed baby. If you notice any blood in the stool, then that could be an indication of an allergy. Since you are breastfeeding, you could always eliminate all dairy from your diet and see if it makes a difference. If he still spits up the same after you do that, then you have confirmation it is not a milk allergy. Good luck!

It could have nothing to do with your milk and more to do with what you are eating that is going into the milk...
Do you eat a lot of tomato based things or spicy foods?
The spitting up could be from having an immature digestive system that a lot of babys have and grow into...

My 2nd child (1st boy ) always had poop that was on the verge of diarhia... Even now, at almost 5 I don't have to worry about him having hard poop. My 3rd (also boy) has more "normal " poop like his big sister had...

Is the whole diaper area red or just where the poop is? He could be sensetive to the perfume in the diapers. Try a different brand and keep a log of what you eat. Make notes on if it gets better if you cut out tomato products...

I hate to tell you this but...you might just have to wait it out. My daughter started constantly spitting-up (PUKING) at 1 week and it lasted until 7months. It was disgusting and stressful but we managed. You just learn to deal with it and cover furniture in towels and always have a change of clothes with you. I breastfed for 6 weeks then switched to formula. We tried soy and another brand before returning to the milk-based. We tried feeding smaller amounts, keeping her upright, constant burping and nothing helped. Bibs, burp rags and new clothes were our only option it seemed. The doc was never worried because she wasn't fussy and still managed to gain weight normally (which always surprised me!) Trust me, I know what you're going thru. Good luck.

When my daughter was tiny we went through the same thing. I ended up cutting all tomato based products out of my diet after I found blood in her stool and took her to the ER. She had anal fissures because of the amount of pooping she'd done - 5 times in one day! It was awful, I felt absolutely terrible. After I cut the tomatoes out she got much better. Later on down the line I started adding them back in slowly (around the time she was about 8 months old) and she does fine with them now.

To answer your questions:

It's not likely he has a milk allergy unless you see blood or foam in his stools. To quote kellymom.com:

"A small percentage of breastfeeding mothers notice an obvious difference in their baby's behavior and/or health when they eat certain foods. Cow’s milk products are the most common problem foods and the only foods conclusively linked by research to fussiness/gassiness in babies, but some babies do react to other foods. Food sensitivities in breastfed babies are not nearly as common as many breastfeeding mothers have been led to think, however.

If a breastfed baby is sensitive to a particular food, then he may be fussy after feedings, cry inconsolably for long periods, or sleep little and wake suddenly with obvious discomfort. There may be a family history of allergies. Other signs of a food allergy may include: rash, hives, eczema, sore bottom, dry skin; wheezing or asthma; congestion or cold-like symptoms; red, itchy eyes; ear infections; irritability, fussiness, colic; intestinal upsets, vomiting, constipation and/or diarrhea, or green stools with mucus or blood."

http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/food-sensitivity.htm...

As for the red diaper area, I would suggest changing the brand you use (when my daughter was that age she'd get a rash from anything other than Pampers Swaddlers Sensitive or her cloth diapers). From the description you gave it doesn't sound like your baby is sensitive to dairy. Even if he is, it doesn't seem like it'd be enough to really affect the both of you too much. I cut out most dairy from my diet when my daughter was about 9-10 months old and it took me about a week but I don't miss it! I still eat cheese on occasion but I don't drink milk anymore, and I used to LOVE milk. It's just a matter of getting used to it.

Good luck!

It could be something YOU are eating. Eggs and milk are the usual culprits. Be sure to burp him frequently..he could be taking in air as he nurses. When mine were babies, my mom always said spitting up babies, not vomiting, are just over flowing! HOORAY for you that you are breastfeeding!!! You are doing the best thing for you and your baby.

Hi S.,

I'm not a perdiatric doctor, so take my advice as experience shared only. First, you should call your perdiatric doctor's office and speak with either your lactation consultant (they should have a nurse consultant on staff or contact information for you). Babys spit up a lot in the first few months of life. Sometimes it's hard to remember from one child to the next and each child is different as well. Your baby could be just an eager eater that takes in too much milk and their little stomach cannot hold it all. This is normal. Look inside the baby's mouth and if the tongue is white, then look at your nipples. Are you cracked, itchy or swollen. These are signs of Thrush, a common and cureable fungal infection which can cause a constant red rashy bottom for your baby. Plus, pooping A LOT is NORMAL when breast feeding. The milk is so easlily digested that it moves very quickly through the baby's system and the outcome looks much like yellow-mustard seeds. So long as your baby isn't showing ANY signs of dehydration, very loose, watery diapers, pooping is normal.
If you are breastfeeding, congratulations! You are doing a great job by trying to give your baby the LEAST allergicly possible substance you have to offer. If you are supplementing with formula along with BF, you should talk to your doctor about other formulas as well.
Now there are a few things that can POSSIBLY (not always) contribute to some spit ups: positioning while BF. Does the baby's head sit higher than their stomach during feedings (it should to help bubbles get out of the espohagus during gulps), is the baby's mouth taking in as much of the areola of your breast as possible, if you are switching breasts during feeding, do you give time for your baby to burp enough, instead of hitting/slapping the baby's back again and again, try to jiggle and rub a bit from the ribs up the left side of the baby's back to the shoulder to get rid of bubbles. These are some basic test and try methods and there are more that a Lactation nurse could help with. Secondly, are you able to back off YOUR intake of cow's milk and supply your calcium needs (and baby's) through yogurts, veggies, soy products (becareful, these can possible cause the same spit up reaction) and supplements? SOMETIMES, a baby can show an irritation of their stomach to foods from the mother's breast milk. Although this isn't a perfect way of knowing if your child has milk allergy at this age, try a two week change in your dairy diet (keep getting calcium though!!) and see if your baby spits up less. So long as your baby is gaing weight at the right rate and you're able to get into the pediatrition form regular check ups, you shouldn't have much to worry about. Just get enought sleep and eat plenty of healthy foods for your energy needs and for the baby's health as well!!

Take care.

I wouldn't think its milk. I would think maybe reflux. Most babies bellies don't have the flap grown yet theres a little door in the belly that allows food to stay down and to stop food from coming back up. most babies aren't grown completely for about 6 months or so. What might help is feeding him upwright or when he is done eating make sure he stays up wright for an hr. Even if you sit him in his car seat for an hr or so. Its hard to thins but it works. I had to do it with all 4 of my kids.

I breastfed my son and he was not only allergic to mother's milk but any kind of formula and whole milk. I had to stop breastfeeding and put him on a soybean based formula called Prosobee I believe it's made by infamil, he was fine I gave that to him until he was 1 year old. Now my grandson developed the same allergies as my son (my grandson's father) we had to put him on Prosobee, he's doing great, big as ever and doesn't spit up all the time. If your baby is spitting up more than he's taking in then it's time to talk to your doctor about changing him to the formula I mentioned...good luck

It is virtually impossible for babies to be allergic to your breastmilk. Some babies are big spitter-uppers. He sounds very normal. I wouldn't worry. I sure wouldn't get into adding formula or medication. As long as he' growing, wetting and pooping, he'll outgrow this eventually. You can try burping him if he pauses during a feeding or after, though not all BF babies need burping. I'd just keep something handy to catch the spit-up. Good for you for breastfeeding! Are you familiar with LaLeche League? You'd love being part of a group and making friends who are knowledgable about parenting this way. Go to www.llli.org to find a local group or I can help you find one if you contact me.

My son had reflux and spit up quite frequently. We switched his formula to Nestle Good Start and saw a huge difference. Try it out and see if it helps. Good luck and God bless. :)

My first son spit up like crazy and had colic. This time I did things different with breast feeding as we figured out that he was getting too much fore milk.

Make sure you BF on one side and for at least 15 minutes. Make sure you are not feeding him too much - if you are engorged express some milk prior to feeding. Make sure you are not feeding him when he is just tired, cranky, etc.

I know it seems simple but these changes made a huge difference for me with my second son (who is 7 weeks today). He is not as gassy. I use to always think my oldest was hungry and feed him, when he really was tired or needed a change of scenery.

It also helps that I cannot rush and pick up my second - if he fusses and I cannot get him, I will look over and sure enough he is asleep. I would have ran to my oldest immediately and tried to feed him.

I hope this helps. My 7 week old was spitting up and pooping with every feed too, but now his pooping is slowing down (normal).

Oh yeah - BURP! Burp him like crazy.

Good luck.