Possible milk protein allergy- looking for advice/support (long, sorry)

SA1112 · September 2014

I know that there is a MPSI check in but I haven't seen it posted in a couple weeks so I hope it's ok that I started my own thread. Here's a little background as to why I'm thinking we might be dealing with a milk allergy. At about 5 weeks of age my daughter started to have some blood in her stools (very small amounts, like a tiny spot or two) and they became green and very mucousy. I talked to her pediatrician who thought that the blood was likely from fissure since she was otherwise acting well. She said she was not concerned with the green color or mucous. These symptoms continued for weeks and I kept her updated until her 2 month appointment where she suggested that I could try to cut out dairy to see if that would help although she still believed the blood was from a fissure at this point although we couldn't see one. She had me call back after a week and I said it didn't seem to make a difference so she told me to stop and resume dairy and to just continue to watch it.

As more weeks passed my daughter just got more gassy and started to have episodes of crying like she was in pain and then passing gas or pooping immediately afterwards. I could constantly hear her stomach gurgling and she was extremely fussy. I looked more into milk allergies in babies and learned that it can actually take weeks for the proteins to get out of your system. I was frustrated that the pedi didn't know this and had me go back to eating dairy after such a short time and also that she didn't see anything wrong with mucous in all her stools.

Last week she turned 12 weeks and I called the pedi yet again to tell her that things just seems to be getting worse and that I wanted to try going off dairy again for a longer period. She said that I could try dairy free again for another 5 days (?) and if it didn't help that I would need to stop breastfeeding (but continue to pump) and give her Alimentum. This upset me because again she didn't see the benefit of altering my diet for longer than 5 days and because many things I've read say that when the allergy isn't too severe mothers can usually continue to breastfeed while doing an elimination diet to determine the cause.

Of course I want to do what's best for my baby but I'm somewhat reluctant to switch to formula yet. The main reason is that we had an extremely difficult time establishing breastfeeding and I'm worried that if we switch to formula/bottle feeding 24/7 that she'll reject the breast once/if we're able to resume breastfeeding. Maybe that's selfish but it makes me so sad to think that this could be the end of breastfeeding for us when it's finally become an enjoyable experience. She had a pretty bad/fussy weekend so my husband went to pick up the formula samples from the pediatrician yesterday and I just cried the entire time I was feeding her thinking "is this the last time I'll ever breastfeed her?" I told him I couldn't do it yet and wanted to give the dairy free diet more time to work (have only on it for a little over a week now).

So I guess my questions for those who have gone through this.....Does this sounds like a milk protein allergy? Would you give the diet more time or switch to formula like the pedi wants? How long should I give it to work? Any other advice? Thanks so much for listening.

surpriseaddition · September 2014

I'm confused as to why you need to stop BF? Is your LO gaining weight and having enough wet/poopy diapers? Green poop is an OK color to have when BF. It could mean a foremilk/hind milk imbalance or other things. Green poop in itself doesn't mean you need to quit. All 3 of my BF babies have had green poop at one time or another. Yes, your baby may have a milk allergy (mucous can be a sign of that), and I would just go ahead and eliminate dairy in all forms from your diet to see if that improves. Are you still seeing blood? My LO has an egg allergy that was diagnosed just over a year (she's 16 months) and I now have to check labels constantly to ensure I'm not consuming egg products. In general, babies can get gas and have gurgling stomachs without food allergies. I would try to spend more time burping when BF to see if that helps. It seems to me your doctor is telling you to quit BF a little prematurely. If your LO is gaining weight, I personally wouldn't stop BF. 12 weeks is also a big growth spurt sometimes, so maybe some of the fussiness is due to that?

SA1112 · September 2014

Well her pediatrician wants me to stop breastfeeding because of the blood in her poop. It's a tiny amount every few days or so. She thinks could be colitis so she wants her on the hypoallergenic formula. Baby is gaining weight and having plenty of wet/dirty diapers. I would rather continue on this current diet without dairy than switch to Alimentum so I'm trying to figure out how long to continue before determining if it's working or not. I agree that the pediatrician is a bit quick to tell me to stop breastfeeding which is frustrating because I don't want to go against her but I also don't want to stop breastfeeding either.

Brandiewine11 · September 2014

My DS had the same symptoms but was also gaining well, etc. I cut all dairy and saw an improvement in disposition around 8 days and near complete resolution on symptoms in about 3 weeks. I would find another pedi or see a gi or allergist if I were you.

[Deleted User] · September 2014

Yes, it sounds like it could be an allergy or intolerance. It could also be foremilk/hindmilk imbalance. Could you have oversupply? I would NOT switch to formula now. I would give the dairy elimination diet 3 to 5 weeks, then reevaluate.
Here is a good list of hidden dairy ingredients to look out for: https://web.mit.edu/kevles/www/nomilk.html
It is hard at first - you have to read the ingredients of everything you eat, and look out for those hidden ingredients. Some babies do ok with just eliminating obvious dairy, but I would try to eliminate obvious and hidden first then try adding hidden back in once her symptoms resolve.
I am not usually one to suggest dumping your pedi based on one experience but it is troubling to me that yours has given you consistently bad advice in this area, especially if it is MSPI or allergy and you will be dealing with it for awhile. She kept suggesting the blood was due to anal fissures but didn't see any?? And clearly isn't very up to date on how to continue BF when baby has an intolerance/allergy. It's not surprising she suggested formula as a possible solution, as that is the training most doctors receive. But even mine who suggested formula was also knowledgeable and supportive of trying to make BF work.
Don't despair! I know how hard this is. You can do it. Let us know if you have more questions. Tag me if you want to make sure I see it. GL!!

SA1112 · September 2014

Thanks so much for all the responses. I am going to continue on the dairy free diet for at least a few more weeks. I am in agreement with all of you that are side eyeing the advice of the pediatrician- I am as well. I actually told my husband that I just don't feel like I trust her advice and I am currently looking into switching. Thanks again for the support and advice! I'd like to see the MPSI check-in again soon!

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Possible milk protein allergy- looking for advice/support (long, sorry)

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