The Symptoms of Milk Allergy in a Baby
A full blown allergy to milk is fairly easy to recognize, though there are two kinds, one of which is not strictly an allergy but an inability to process lactase.
When your newborn cannot process lactase, which is the sugar in milk, milk products and breast milk, the symptoms include, vomiting up whole feeds within a short time after feeding, green stools, intense stomach pain and not gaining weight.
This will more than likely be picked up quickly by your health professional because any baby not gaining weight will be of concern.
Most babies grow out of this within a few months.
A second type of allergy, in fact a real allergy to cow's milk, is caused when the babies body treats the substance as harmful which is what happens in other allergies such as a peanut allergy.
In this case symptoms can be extreme and can include, swelling of the mouth, lips and throat, hives, anaphylaxis, and vomiting.
If there are severe reasons like this you may need to dial 911 and get your baby or child treated straight away.
Both of the forms of milk allergy above are described as having immediate reactions.
The food is ingested, and within minutes the body rejects it.
What's harder to diagnose is a dairy or milk intolerance.
These tend to have delayed reactions (8-72 hours after eating) which is why they are a lot harder to pick up.
Also, your baby will most likely be putting on weight normally.
Symptoms can include: colic, stomach pain, flatulence, unsettled, crying fits, excessive wind, trouble sleeping, reflux and eczema.
If your baby constantly shows signs of these symptoms it may be worth talking to your doctor, midwife or health visitor about trying a dairy free diet for a few weeks or, if you are breast feeding, simply cutting out dairy products from your diet for 2 weeks.
It can take up to 4 or 5 days for your baby to get all of the dairy out of their system so it really does have to be an experiment that lasts over a few weeks.
Many children grow out of milk allergies and intolerances and it's nothing to be alarmed about.
Even for children that have a long term problem with cow's milk there are many safe alternatives that you can try such as soya or goat's milk that will provide them with all the nutrients they need and help them to grow up to be healthy and strong.
When your newborn cannot process lactase, which is the sugar in milk, milk products and breast milk, the symptoms include, vomiting up whole feeds within a short time after feeding, green stools, intense stomach pain and not gaining weight.
This will more than likely be picked up quickly by your health professional because any baby not gaining weight will be of concern.
Most babies grow out of this within a few months.
A second type of allergy, in fact a real allergy to cow's milk, is caused when the babies body treats the substance as harmful which is what happens in other allergies such as a peanut allergy.
In this case symptoms can be extreme and can include, swelling of the mouth, lips and throat, hives, anaphylaxis, and vomiting.
If there are severe reasons like this you may need to dial 911 and get your baby or child treated straight away.
Both of the forms of milk allergy above are described as having immediate reactions.
The food is ingested, and within minutes the body rejects it.
What's harder to diagnose is a dairy or milk intolerance.
These tend to have delayed reactions (8-72 hours after eating) which is why they are a lot harder to pick up.
Also, your baby will most likely be putting on weight normally.
Symptoms can include: colic, stomach pain, flatulence, unsettled, crying fits, excessive wind, trouble sleeping, reflux and eczema.
If your baby constantly shows signs of these symptoms it may be worth talking to your doctor, midwife or health visitor about trying a dairy free diet for a few weeks or, if you are breast feeding, simply cutting out dairy products from your diet for 2 weeks.
It can take up to 4 or 5 days for your baby to get all of the dairy out of their system so it really does have to be an experiment that lasts over a few weeks.
Many children grow out of milk allergies and intolerances and it's nothing to be alarmed about.
Even for children that have a long term problem with cow's milk there are many safe alternatives that you can try such as soya or goat's milk that will provide them with all the nutrients they need and help them to grow up to be healthy and strong.
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