Dairy sensitivity

EPQueen · February 2013

I've cut out dairy and soy from my diet and have seen an improvement in LO's gas, discomfort, and fussiness. Yay!
Does anyone know if infants with dairy sensitivities are likely to continue to have problems with dairy later on, or does the dairy sensitivity tend to resolve itself as the digestive tract matures? TIA!

Rynna · February 2013

It could go either way. Many babies grow out of it by the first year, but many will carry a lifelong sensitivity. The human body is not designed to process the structure of cow's milk (milk from any other animal, really), and it just affects some people more than others. My LO had no problems at all until he weaned and started on whole milk and yogurt, and he would just randomly stop playing and scream in pain. We cut out milk and yogurt, but he still eats cheese and small amounts of dairy just fine.

this decaf life · February 2013

I've read many will outgrow it but I do have a friend who is deathly allergic to dairy so it could go either way! I cut out dairy about 3 weeks ago and I think it helped but I'm trying dairy today to see if it was the actual problem.

lakreuz · February 2013

I don't have the answer, sorry, but I am wondering about dairy sensitivity... How did you decide to cut dairy altogether? And what do you eat?? I may eventually have to as well (right now Dr. thinks he has reflux so we're on Zantac) but it seems awfully hard!

EPQueen · February 2013

lakreuz:
I don't have the answer, sorry, but I am wondering about dairy sensitivity... How did you decide to cut dairy altogether? And what do you eat?? I may eventually have to as well right now Dr. thinks he has reflux so we're on Zantac but it seems awfully hard!

I cut out dairy because basically I didn't know what else to do. DS is a fussy baby in general and very gassy. He wakes himself up crying and writhing with gas pains, and also would cry on the breast and pull away during nursing sessions. Then he would be so overtired that there would be nothing we could do to soothe him. I was just starting to come to terms with the fact that he was colicky and we'd have to wait for it to pass when my mom suggested that maybe it was something I was eating that was upsetting DS's tummy. I did some reading and saw that dairy/soy are the most common food sensitivities in infants, so I just started with that. It's been about 2 weeks now and we've definitely seen an improvement. He still is gassy, but he's not clenching and writhing in pain with it anymore, and he's been sleeping much better. You can google the top 8 infant food allergies for more info, or kellymom.com is also a good resource. I figured it couldn't hurt to give it a try and I'm glad I did. I just cut out the obvious sources of dairy like milk, yogurt, cheese, etc.
DS also has reflux and is on Zantac, which has also helped immensely but it's a totally separate problem and he had different symptoms with the reflux. Mainly he'd choke, cough, gag, and breath hold and then scream afterwards. Not only was it scary to watch but you could tell he was in a lot of distress when it would happen. He still spits up like all babies do, but no longer gags or has
pain with it.
Hope that helps!

shotzie · February 2013

A lot of babies outgrow MSPI, but some take longer than others. As far as allergies go - if a person has a childhood allergy, it's often outgrown at some point. But if you develop an allergy later in life, you're likely to have it the rest of your life.

DD1 is allergic to dairy, soy, and eggs. She gets hives if they touch her skin. We have her blood drawn for a RAST test each year, and her numbers are going down, so she's on her way to outgrowing her allergies. She can eat food with dairy/soy/eggs baked into it, but she can't eat yogurt, cheese, cow's milk, etc.

DD2 is MSPI. I had to cut dairy and soy from my diet last February. She is 1 now, and I've been able to eat some processed foods that contain dairy/soy, for the last 6 wks or so, and she's been fine. I haven't been brave enough to try eating yogurt or other "major" dairy products yet though, and I have not given her any dairy/soy directly. But it does seem that she's on her way to outgrowing her MSPI.

shotzie · February 2013

lakreuz:
I don't have the answer, sorry, but I am wondering about dairy sensitivity... How did you decide to cut dairy altogether? And what do you eat?? I may eventually have to as well (right now Dr. thinks he has reflux so we're on Zantac) but it seems awfully hard!

What are your LO's symptoms? I cut dairy and soy because when DD2 was about 2 wks old, her poop became green, mucousy, and had occasional specks of blood in it. She was insanely gassy, and just miserable. Those are the classic symptoms of Milk, Soy Protein Intolerance (MSPI). Once I'd been dairy and soy free for about 5 wks, her poop went back to normal, and she became a very happy baby (it takes time for dairy and soy to clear out of your system). It is difficult to avoid dairy and soy because they're both in just about every packaged food imaginable. But it became easier with time. I learned some great new recipes too! I run a check in here on Mondays for MSPI Moms and we talk food a lot. You can read our previous posts at www.mspimoms.blogspot.com. The blog mspimama.com has great recipes too.

The MSPI diet is a very healthy way to eat since you have to eat real, whole foods instead of processed/packaged foods. It does take getting used to, and it takes more effort/time as far as meal prep and cooking goes. But it is worth it when you see your LO go from being miserable, to being happy and healthy!

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