Milk protein allergy

fwhittaker · July 2015

We just came from the Dr and she thinks my LO has an allergy to milk protein. I apologize if this was already discussed. The Dr said there is special formula. If I want to continue BF, I will need to heavily restrict my diet. Has anyone else experienced this issue?

uta10 · July 2015

Yes! Going through it right now. The not eating dairy thing is such a pain but it's worth it so I can still breastfeed. The formula is expensive but she is a different baby on it (way better).

They start out saying it is milk because that is the most common allergy, once you give up that for 2 weeks they will test again and if baby still shows allergies they have you also eliminate soy (the next most common), then they wait two more weeks and move to the next thing. At least that is how my pedi did it. Usually babies outgrow the allergies eventually which is good.

Oh and lactose free is still not allowed which I didn't know at first. It is a cow milk protein allergy not a lactose allergy....so lactose free doesn't mean cow milk protein free. Stinks because I bought some lactose free stuff before learning that.

One thing to know is that many health insurance plans cover the formula....although sometimes they will deny it at first you can get a doctor's preapproval letter and they will then cover. We are in Enfamil Nutramagin but they also said Similac Alimentum was fine.

Good luck! Hope this helps at least some!!

Kye042 · July 2015

We had a doctor say the same thing but also said it could be reflux too. We tried Zantac for babies and found it did nothing so we tried a different formula. They recommended nutrimigen but we wanted to try a sensitive formula before completely eliminating milk and it did the trick! (Similac Sensitive) he's a different baby

aaw24007 · July 2015

Yes, my son was diagnosed with milk protein allergy after he had blood and mucus in his stools. He is currently On the similac allimentum and seems much better! I was breastfeeding but I decided to go with the formula since a majority of my diet is milk based, I LOVE cheese lol!

menta84 · July 2015

Yes my son has that allergy. I have restricted dairy from my diet and he has improved a lot since then. He still having a little bit of reflux and once in a while he gets a rash on his face so I might have to eliminate soy too, which is the next most common allergen. His next appointment is next week so we will see what his pediatrician says. By restricting my diet, he is still EBF, which was my goal. Oh and as bonus, I started to lose more weight as well

fwhittaker · July 2015

Thanks so much for the responses!!

cambam7 · July 2015

I went to my pedi this past monday when my baby was 6wks-old. She was having bloody stools and mucousy stools over the weekend. Also since her birth, she cries when she passes gas, keeps getting diaper rashes even though i apply ointment cream at every change, and she constantly sharts. Doc says the bloody stool is usually due to milk/soy protein allergy. Doc listened to her belly and said it sounded "raw." Doc wants me to cut out for 2 wks and if still bloody stools, she'll do more tests. Idk.

Im ebf and plan to for at least a year. I cut out those things in my diet but i accidentally ate something with soy yesterday. She had a bloody stool later that evening. And now cried while she passes gas. Idk if thats from the soy last night or just residual stuff still in my system? I just started cutting out these food allergies this week. I saw some improvements. Less fussiness at night, bloody stool stopped until yesterday. But the stool is still mucousy.

I dont want to put her in any more pain from my eating habits. But i want to keep bf.

And is this milk soy protein thing normal? I felt that i lost my birth plan and the one thing i got right was breastfeeding. And now thats looking like it's not working out.

Any success stories without switching to formula? Nothing against ff at all. Just need some reassurance, i guess....with bf. Thanks!

afergerson15 · July 2015

I EFF and my little girl has a milk protein allergy. We have her on Elecare.. About $50 a can. It would make her not be able to poop and whenever she finally would, I would have to hold her little legs back to help her get it out. And she just wouldn't settle like ever, constantly crying and on edge. Switching formula was such a life saver! She's been good for about a month, but now she's starting to have trouble pooping again and she's starting to fuss more and more like before. We go back to the children's hospital next week for a follow up, so hopefully she's not going back to the way she was before..

kristaelaine86 · July 2015

I had Suspected our LO has a milk protein allergy but recent bloodwork confirmed she's showing an allergic response to something. She is EBF, and now I'm faced with the hard decision of eliminating dairy and soy from my diet or just switching to formula. I really don't want to give up breastfeeding but it is extremely difficult to modify your diet like that. I'm encouraged by those of you who have done it!

preston2011 · July 2015

At 3 weeks my poor little girl ended up in the ER (sent there by pediatrician) for the amount of blood in her stool... They said she had a milk protein allergy and I too was faced with the hard decision of eliminating dairy and soy from my diet or going with formula (nutramigen) I ended up going with nutramigen even though it's so expensive because she was so much better on it... The first week was tough for me not being allowed to breastfeed her, but now 3 weeks later I am ok with it knowing my baby is healthy and I won't have to put her through that again if I accidentally eat something ... Once I accepted that I wouldn't be BFing anymore I began to appreciate that my husband or mom or anyone could feed my baby girl and I wasn't stuck on the glider in the nursery all day

MooByrd · July 2015

My best friend's baby has a milk protein and soy allergy. He wasn't gaining weight and was pooping 10 times a day (basically the breast milk was going right through him!) He also had red rings around his eyes and sounded hoarse all the time. She now is formula feeding him nutramigen and he is doing much better. She wanted to breastfeed but would have to give up dairy and soy, which are pretty much in everything except for meat and fruits/veggies. It was just going to be too hard for her. Good luck to all of you ladies who are going through this!

apriljoy32 · July 2015

I am ebf my 5 week old daughter as well, who I am pretty sure has a milk protein/soy allergy. Her symptoms were different from others, where she was hardly pooping..I'm talking every 6 days, and also had a bad rash on her face. I was sent to a pedi gastro dr....who said to start trying the elimination food game or switch to the neocate formula. I eliminated milk/soy for a week with a little change...and then decided to eliminate gluten as well(as this is another common allergen) her rash has totally disappeared and is now poooing more often! This is my third baby...and to me breastfeeding is totally worth it, knowing that I'm doing it for my baby makes not eating those things much easier! With that being said, it is difficult. Perfectly clear skin is a huge incentive, and I'm hoping this helps shed the extra weight as well. Prayers to all the mamas who are facing this. It can be done!

sb184 · July 2015

I'm EBF and DS was diagnosed with milk protein allergy. I have eliminated all dairy from my diet. It's hard but worth it so I can continue to BF. It can take up to 3 weeks for the protein to clear from your milk. As PP said soy would be the next most common allergy. Also you can try adding a good probiotic to your diet to help increase the good bacteria in baby's GI track.

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