Help! Milk Allergy? Infection? Reflux?

My son had the same problem but was spitting up after every feeding. I just cut out all dairy on doctor's orders and it improved significantly. It does take a couple of weeks to get all the dairy out of the system...so be patient.

If he has a milk allergy it is not to the HUMAN milk you produce but to the COW milk you consume yourself.

My little breastfed guy will have poops ranging from burnt orange, yellow mustard and bright green. What you consume is what comes out (food wise, medications and alcohol are mostly filtered out) in the breastmilk - which is why the color and consistency of breastmilk is always changing.

I'd not stress until the results come back from the poop cultures. If it is an allergy, I'd get into contact with your local Le Leche League so you can discuss with experienced Moms about diet elimination and other ways to help out your baby.

Also, some babies are simply gassy... many times it's from broccoli/cabbage/cauliflower/etc, commercial dairy products (organic dairy products don't have as many issues), nuts and caffeine. I personally KNEW my baby was reacting to some of the products I ate, but instead of eliminating them, I simply modified eating as much of any one thing, seems to be fine.

My son is allergic to milk. When I first found out, it was very stressful and I was really upset. So I do understand what you're going through.

First of all, green stool is not abnormal in breastfed babies. My son's pediatrician said their stool can be yellow, green, or brown. It may be affected by what you've eaten and the color may come and go. So don't automatically assume an allergy because of the color change.

As for nursing, if it is an allergy, you will have to choose between eliminating all dairy from your diet or switching to formula.

Many babies outgrow their allergy by their first birthday, but not all. My son is 4.5 and still allergic, but he is rare. Several other kids we knew who initially had allergies have now outgrown them.

There is a good chance that he has a milk protein allergy. Both of my girls had this, and it seems a lot scarier than it actually is. They poop was bright green and mucous with blood in it. My first daughter wasn't too bad. I could still eat things like butter and I didn't have to be so vigilant about reading labels. My 2nd was so sensitive it felt like if I even looked at dairy she would get bloody poop. She was also really gassy from birth and she did spit up a lot. I couldn't even eat beef! It doesn't mean you have to stop nursing, unless you want to. You just have to be careful with what you eat. Nothing with the milk protein in it. Read all the labels! Casein (i think that's how you spell it) is the milk protein and it is in so much stuff! plus if he's really sensitive you may not be able to eat beef either because apparently that has the milk protein in it too. I mean, who knew? The plus side to all of this is you do continue to breastfeed, everything that tastes good and is bad for you has dairy in it so the baby weight just falls right off. :) Also both of my girls grew out of this by their first birthday and now have no issues with food. Good luck! :)

I've never heard of a baby being allergic to breast milk. It's the protein in cow's milk that causes an allergy. My granddaughter was allergic to milk protein and her stools were never green.

He could be allergic to something that you're eating and thus getting thru the breast milk. However, what you describe does not sound like an allergy. A possibility is that he's sensitive to the dairy you're drinking/eating. The way to find out is for you to stop consuming dairy.

On this web site it's suggested that green poop and/or digestive upset can be an imbalance of fore milk and hind milk. http://www.justmommies.com/articles/baby-poop.shtml?page=0,1

I suggest that the doctor will figure this out. In the meantime you could stop consuming dairy and be sure that he gets the hind milk to see if this helps.

Kate,
It should not be YOUR milk he is allergic to. He is likely allergic to cow milk. Or to pasteurized milk. he may not be allergic to goat milk. or kefir (fermented milk).

My thought would be:repeat the test. no vomiting, no fever. may not be a problem.

Then cut dairy from your diet. All dairy. It's hard. but worth it. contact La Leche League for ideas, too. Leaders will be happy to help even if you're not a member.

also asking if you have cracked nipples?

if he does have milk allergy, there are routes you can take. Weston A Price dot org has more information - including the GAPS diet, and other diets.

would love to discuss further but my baby just woke. : | : )
good luck, keep asking questions!
M.

Sounds like he is allergic to something. My son had multiple food allergies, and exposing them to too much of an allergen will cause irritation /inflammation in their stomach and/or bowel. The longer it goes on, the worse it gets. This is the green stool you are seeing. Start an elimination diet now. Cut all the common allergens out of your diet- milk, egg, wheat, nuts. You have to give it several days to work. Ask your ped for an allergist referral as well. This way you will know what the culprit is for sure.

You won't have to stop breastfeeding if he's allergic to dairy. You'll just have to stop eating dairy yourself so that he doesn't get it in the breastmilk. It's hard to do, but worth it...if that's the problem.

If he has reflux, you should notice a lot of congestion while he sleeps (that's actually the #1 sign). If you're seeing that along with a "chewing the cud" scenario (milk in his mouth an hour or so after feeding), then yes, he's probably got some reflux. You might think about propping up one end of the crib, to let gravity help pull that stuff down. And don't worry...he'll be ok!

Dear B.,

There are different types of milk protein allergies, with different degrees of severity, but for most babies, you just need to get yourself 100% off dairy products. My son had your son's symptoms exactly, and when I eliminated dairy from my diet, they cleared up in less than a week. Check with your dr., though, on whether your son can tolerate your milk -- most milk-allergic babies can.

I can give you some dairy-free food ideas, too, if you like; just send a message.

Best wishes,

Mira

My son was the exact same way. We ended up putting him on Nutramigen formula, it's hypo-allergenic, and he was happy after that. I later realized that lactose, or some other milk protein, was upsetting him. My mom and I both get queasy stomachs if we have to much dairy, so it runs in the family. If his intestines are not breaking down the milk proteins then it will give him stomach cramps and gas. Start with taking dairy out of your diet for a week, if no results then put him on Gentlease formula which has the proteins already broken down. If there is still no success after a week or so, go to Nutramigen and see if you can WIC checks for it because it is expensive. Hang in there, and don't be a afraid to give an occasional dose of Tylonol at night so it will relax him to sleep a little better. Just love on him now... get this figured out before you tackle the sleeping thru the night issue, he needs to be comfortable first.

You don't mention if anything has changed in your diet recently. It could be that he's allergic to something. As MamaDuck mentioned, increased/greater exposure to an allergen causes increased/greater irritation...leading to the blood in the stool. Did they check to see if he had any anal fissures that were causing the blood in the stool? I know change in poop can irritate them and cause bleeding from anal fissues.

And the other moms have said, if he has a milk protein allery, it's to the cow's milk that YOU drink that affects your breast milk. Sounds like you might need to consult with the dr about an elimination diet.

same with my son at 4 months. And when I stopped eating dairey no problem. He still has a bad reaction to dairy at 2 1/2! Used to be red spots on face and horrible diareaha at 8 months when I tried yogurt. And the worse rash. Now just loose stools.
Stop dairy for now!!!!