Milk Protein Problems/ Acid Reflux? with Infant

Updated on December 05, 2011
S.L. asks from Moab, UT
6 answers

Last question today- maybe!

My little one was Breastfed for 2 months and had diarrhea the whole time so we switched her to formula to see if it would help (I tried to cut out diary but just couldn't). That helped a little but she was still having a lot of pains and what not. So we tried her on acid reflux meds and nothing! so we finally switched her to soy formula with baby zantac and she was all good! Recently we took her off her meds and she seemed to be doing well.

This weekend I tried to give her some baby yogurt and I don't think she handled it well. She was all flustered and had trouble sleeping. The sleeping thing could have been caused by various other things, but I'm not sure.

My doctor pushes the acid reflux thing, but I just don't think that is it. The meds have been gone for 2 weeks with no problems...

What are you experiences with milk protein in babies? How did you reintroduce it to them to see if they can handle it? Should be mix her bottles with regular formula to work her back up to it? Do it just go away with age most of the time or are we forever going to have to keep her away from it??

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M.O.

answers from New York on

This sounds like a clear case of a milk protein intolerance. Most (not all) children who have this outgrow it by their first birthdays. However, I do NOT think introducing milk before she's ready will help her outgrow it any sooner. Why don't you wait until your next ped. checkup and ask the doc to recommend a schedule of "milk trials"? We checked my son once at 9 months, once at 12 months.

Hope this helps,

Mira

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A.C.

answers from Madison on

My daughter at the age of 6 months had a cow milk allergy, so we switched her to soy formula. We had to wait at least 1 year before reintroducing any cow milk or cow milk products whatsoever--you are probably trying to introduce cow milk too early into her diet. Also, not every baby who has cow milk allergy is going to grow out of it--some have the allergy for life (I discovered at the age of 40 years that I had a casein allergy; it is hypothesized that I have probably had it since birth).

My daughter is currently not allergic (or not showing signs) to cow milk/cow milk products, but she has a very high propensity to reacquire the protein allergy at a later age in life (to either casein or whey. But knowing that both me and her dad are both allergic to casein, that is probably the one she is/would be allergic to as well).

Try giving your daughter other dairy items that are NOT cow dairy, like goat, sheep, and milk-substitutes like hazelnut, oatmeal, rice, coconut, almond, hemp, etc..

Oh, and I would definitely watch/switch her from soy. Soy has estrogen-disrupters for women/little girls and can make little girls go through puberty earlier than normal. I wish I would have known that 11 years ago; I never would have put my daughter on soy formula. I would have found something else for her to drink.

And it is entirely possible that your daughter is/will be allergic to cow milk forever. One way to know if she's allergic now is to see a naturopathic doctor and have the doctor do a saliva swab on your daughter; it will tell if she has a casein or a whey allergy.

If your daughter is still having issues with anything to do with cow dairy products/milk, I would keep her away from them. There are other alternatives out there; she doesn't need to drink or eat cow milk.

M.Q.

answers from Detroit on

Milk proteins are really hard on babies tummies before 12 months & even then you should still introduce milk w/caution. I my daughter is almost 7 yrs old I nursed her from day one she was diagnosed between 6-7 months anaphylactic to dairy & dairy derivatives if I had known sooner & known that it was more than just colic more than just reflux it would've made a HUGE difference I cut all dairy out of my diet & had to even cut eggs from 7-12 months there was a huge difference she became a better sleeper (my husband & I had to take turns sleeping w/her on our chests because she would not sleep but for an hr at a time) Anyway....long post you can read my other posts (answers to questions) I also have a son who will be 3 yrs old & I knew what to watch for he tested positive for milk protein intolerence & outgrew it after 12 months I also nursed him as well....again, please feel free to read my other posts : )

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B.P.

answers from New York on

It depends. I agree with you that it sounds like it's really the milk more than the AR. My son has a milk allergy. He was constipated a lot as an infant. Nothing too terrible but his poops were usually a little harder than they were supposed to be and he was more irritable than most babies. He is now 3 1/2 and has not had dairy since age 2. I tried a couple times to reintroduce it and it was unsuccessful. I would ask you doctor but for now, keep her off dairy and see how it works out.

J.S.

answers from Hartford on

Keep her on soy and forget ANYTHING dairy. Why are you pushing dairy, even yogurt, so hard? Of my three children, my middle daughter is lactose intolerant and we suspect she has a sensitivity to whey. She was very reflux-y on top of that as a baby. But I'll tell you, I don't care how inconvenient it is, that child doesn't get real dairy since I first suspected she was lactose intolerant.

Get your daughter to a pediatric gastroenterologist. A gastroenterologist will set you up with a nutritionist who will walk you through an elimination diet for dairy. Follow it strictly for a full four weeks. You'll have to do this before the breath test. But the elimination diet will clear all dairy from her system and you'll see how she is without it, and then if you reintroduce it with a glass of real milk, you'll know right away (within an hour) if she reacts to it. That will indicate that they need to perform a breath test. They can perform a breath test that will test the nitrogen in her breath after she drinks a lactose solution (after a period of fasting since suppertime the night before). They can also test her for milk protein allergy, which is more likely if she also gets eczema.

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J.D.

answers from Phoenix on

Not to be obnoxious, but my son had this issue and I searched in mamapedia's website and found lots of answers people had put in the past.
You might want to do that!

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