s/o allergies - milk intolerance

QueSrah

I think DD has a milk intolerance (not a real allergy).  I primarily BF and cut out most dairy when DD was around 3 or 4 weeks.  Since then, I find she'll tolerate me eating small amounts of butter or parmesean cheese, but no other dairy, at least cow's milk.  I've tried small amounts of goat and sheep cheeses with success, but not so helpful in terms of returning my diet to normal.  Every 4-6 weeks I try a little something hoping her stomach is strong enough to handle it.  I tried ice cream over the weekend and while her reaction wasn't nearly as bad as the last time (horrible lower GI pain/gas within an hour of eating), we've had to revert to giving her Mylicon every few hours at night to get her back to sleep.  She seems ok during the day - I think she's just not able to cope with the gas pain while laying relatively still and flat(ish).

I'm wondering if there is an average age that babies with milk intolerance outgrow it?  We have no history of milk allergies, so I never expected this to be something she would have to live with for several years or longer.  I am looking for some guesstimate to give DH, who is feeling deprived by my dietary restrictions and is quietly urging me to quit BFing so I can go back to eating normal foods.  I don't want to be selfish and give up BFing for something petty, but at the same time I really miss certain foods and experiences (like going out for coffee) that I can't replicate with goat cheese, soy cheese, or soy milk (I'd rather not have coffee than get a soy latte).

eeclem

I love soy mochas! I seriously can't tell the difference. But anyway . . .

My doc said not to even bother trying to introduce dairy until 1 year, but my friend's baby had a pretty bad soy/milk protein intolerance and was cleared to go back on milk at 10 months, and she's been doing pretty well. I get the impression that it sort of depends on your kid's reaction and your doctor's stance - it seems that responses to this question are all over the place on the bfing board.

nolebride

I was able to start back on dairy when LO was 6 months but as I'm sure you know every baby is different. Some can't tolerate it until a year. Giving up dairy was really hard for me too but it did help me keep the pounds off. Now that I'm back on dairy I gained back a few pounds. I normally don't slam husbands and I'm sure yours is great overall but I think he needs to settle down a bit. BFing is your choice and my thought is that he needs to either support you or keep his mouth closed. If you want to stop then it's up to you (I love dairy so I completely understand) but I really think support is key to continuing to BF. My H tried hard not to eat dairy in front of me when I was off of it but he didn't totally quit. Of course he was happy when we could order pizza again but he took one for the team when I was off. GL. I know this is a hard decision.

 

Edit: Reread my post and I hope I didn't come across as being bitc*y. I just don't think it's fair for husbands to be negaitive about BFing when it's not the easiest process for so many moms. I'm not a flag waving member of LLL or anything just a big supporter of women.

Sofka

I would not give up BFing just yet, you may be asking for more trouble by giving it up as your DD may have to go thru several formulas before you find one that suits her and it may be a very expensive one. Just keep BFing.

I explained our situation in a response to bh's post but it does seem like my DD outgrew it around age 1.

I had rice cream while off dairy.

QueSrah

nolebride:

I was able to start back on dairy when LO was 6 months but as I'm sure you know every baby is different. Some can't tolerate it until a year. Giving up dairy was really hard for me too but it did help me keep the pounds off. Now that I'm back on dairy I gained back a few pounds. I normally don't slam husbands and I'm sure yours is great overall but I think he needs to settle down a bit. BFing is your choice and my thought is that he needs to either support you or keep his mouth closed. If you want to stop then it's up to you (I love dairy so I completely understand) but I really think support is key to continuing to BF. My H tried hard not to eat dairy in front of me when I was off of it but he didn't totally quit. Of course he was happy when we could order pizza again but he took one for the team when I was off. GL. I know this is a hard decision.

 

Edit: Reread my post and I hope I didn't come across as being bitc*y. I just don't think it's fair for husbands to be negaitive about BFing when it's not the easiest process for so many moms. I'm not a flag waving member of LLL or anything just a big supporter of women.

No worries   I'm happy about the weight loss aspect, at least!  It's not like I'm completely depriving DH of his favorite food in the world (all things Italian), since he goes out for lunch every day and has ample opportunity.  And he's not pushing it - it just comes up in conversation every month or so, so I'm trying to give him more real data in addition to my gut impressions, since he's big on researching facts.  (Not that he's researching this himself...that would make too much sense!)

 Sofka - We found early on that DD can tolerate Gentlease just fine (we supplement with a bottle or so per day of formula).  Luckily we won't have to go through a nightmare of finding a formula that doesn't hurt her stomach worse. 

MrsTiara

A year is the general rule of thumb for when babies start tolerating more stuff.  Have you tried just experimenting with dairy in the morning?  That way she isn't going to bed for a long time afterward (and a nap being messed up isn't as bad).  BabyCrown had a nasty soy intolerance (projectile vomiting) and we tried again at 13 mos w/o a problem.  And tell DH to knock off the complaining.  Oh, and my brother raves about coconut milk ice cream (since he is allergic to soy and dairy).  And there is always Haagen Daz chocolate sorbet.