breastfeeding a lactose intolerant baby?

[megs4413]

my Dh and DD are both lactose intolerant and DS is showing some signs. He is 80% breasfted by the bottle and we supplement with soy formula. i am trying to go dairy free to see if that's the issue, but what do i eat?????????? i love dairy! is this too drastic a step? anyone BTDT? thanks!

[jniter]

lactaid and yogurt with live cultures.

I love dairy, but I'm also lactose intollerant. I just deal with the gas and discomfort. My body can handle it now that I've been eating dairy for years. Maybe your ped or ob/gyn can tell you how much is ok? You can try doing this: when you eat dairy and pump 4-6 afterwards, mark the bottle with tape and a pen that you had dairy. See if your DS has reactions to that food. Since breastmilk is digested so quickly, you should see a reaction within an hour if she's gassy/fussy.

I couldn't go dairy free, so I just eat lots of yogurt. The live cultures help with the digestion.

[Momof3Labs]

Hmm. My DS1 was bf'd (no formula) for 19 months and never showed signs of being lactose intolerant from my breastmilk, though he is definitely lactose intolerant (sensitive to milk - yogurt and cheese are fine). From your post on the lounge, I would blame the formula more than your breastmilk, though try to eliminate gassy foods (broccoli was a biggy for both my niece and my DS2).

[o_mom]

It is very rare for a baby to be lactose intolerant (though it does happen). Breastmilk and formula are both full of lactose and a true lactose intolerance means they can't digest the sugar in milk. What is more likely is a dairy sensitivity, where they are sensitive to the proteins in milk.

With both boys I had to elimiate all straight milk from my diet for about 5-6 months. Cheese and yogurt were fine for us, but YMMV as some babies are sensitive to even these. As long as I didn't drink milk or have ice cream they were fine. If I did it was screamfest.

If you eliminate dairy for 2-3 weeks and he improves, then it is a dairy sensitivity, not lactose intolerance (your BM still has lactose regardless of your diet). You can then try small amounts of modified dairy like cheese and yogurt to see if he reacts. It is so hard to eliminate all dairy since so may things have it. I really feel for you :-(. I also know someone that even beef would give the baby problems, though that is even more rare.

[hellbennt]

it most likely is an intolernace to milk proteins that are passed through your milk? also, about 40% of babies who are sensitive to milk proteins area also sensitive to soy as well...

I'm a moderator at www.infantreflux.org/forum
and there's a lot of links of yummy foods for breastfeeding moms who are on restrictive diets to eat :-)
here's a link:
http://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_topics.asp?FID=44


~laura in miami~
ds1 7/03
ds2 7/06

[Bean606]

BTDT for the first six months. It was torture - I had to switch to Coffemate for my coffee, Smart Balance dairy free buttery spread, and no cheese, which meant no pizza, a huge staple for me! Also, a lot of things are made with dairy, so I had to read labels - no whey, no casein, no milk products at all. But it was worth it -- DS stopped showing the signs of milk protein allergy, and at 6 months, I started reintroducing the dairy products slowly, and he has not shown a reaction since. Good luck. I know it's tough.

[DrSally]

DS is allergic to milk (and eggs). My allergist said a lactose intolerance in babies is very rare. I cut out obvious dairy, but can get away with eating things with whey in them. I used to be able to eat cheese, but had to cut that out too. I just ended up eating what he's eating--vegan "butter", soy yogurt (I don't bother with the cheese), soy milk. Not having real pizza or ice cream is kind hard, but better than a screaming baby with red cheeks.

[megs4413]

i'm limiting dairy (not elminating though no straight milk) and we got rid of the soy and are using the similac alimentum formula when we have to supplement. crossing fingers it works...

[Bean606]

Yes, we used Similac alimentum too when we had too. But DS could only take the ready to feed until he was about 8 months old. Fortunately, he only got formula very occasionally, because it is SO expensive. Don't forget to sign up for coupons on the Similac website.

[DrSally]

We used alimentum when DS got formula and he did fine with it. It's your safest bet with dairy issues. Ask for samples when you go to your ped.