Does My Baby Have Milk Allergy Or Lactose Intolerance ?
February 12, 2010 by admin
Filed under Allergy Questions
My 3 month old ( breastfed ) baby used to fuss a lot until I stopped drinking cow’s milk. I do however still eat yoghurt and butter. The presence of yoghurt and butter in my diet does not seem to bother him. Does he have milk allergy or lactose-intolernace.
Most babies do react badly to cow’s milk in the mother’s diet… in fact, most people are lactose intolerant without knowing it, but this is not true lactose intolerance. People are not really meant to consume milk or dairy after being weaned, but many of us are just used to it, because we started out that way, for a baby’s system it’s new to them, and it’s very tough for them to digest. It is not true lactose intolerance, but it is a reaction to cow’s milk, and the yogurt and butter probably isn’t a significant amount that he actually recieves anything from it in the breastmilk. This is what we call lactose intolerance, commonly in our country, but that does not mean he’s allergic to all lactose, or he would be allergic to breastmilk too, which he is not.
Most likely, the cow’s milk was too difficult to properly digest, thus causing discomfort. Yogurt is possibly easier for him because of the number of digestive enzymes and probiotics it contains. It really depends on the individual, but that would be my most educated guess.
How are his bowel movements? And vomiting? Does he have any kind of reaction other than fussiness?
Only baby cows should be drinking cows milk. Don’t drink or feed your baby soy either, which contains a protein that acts as estrogen and can block both of you from absorbing important nutrients. Yogurt should be okay as long as it doesn’t contain phenylalanine (aspartame) so check the labels! Try coconut milk, or you could actually make almond milk at home.