Ask a Baby Blogger: Can a Baby Be Allergic to Breastmilk?by Valorie Delp | More from this Blogger 01 Mar 2008 07:22 AM Question: I was told that my baby was fussy and spitting up so much because he was allergic to my milk. This doesn't really make sense to me--can you explain it better? I hate to be the one to tell you this, but being allergic to breastmilk is not really possible. Babies simply are not allergic to their own mother's milk. Healthy babies are designed to eat and what they eat is mother's milk. Plain and simple. Anyone who tells you to switch to formula because your baby is allergic to your milk is not someone that you should be taking breastfeeding advice from. Not allergic to your milk but something in it. . . What can happen, is that baby is allergic or sensitive to something in your diet. Most often, the culprit is cow's milk protein. Occasionally nuts can also cause a reaction. There are a few other things that might cause a reaction as well but in general, this is not that common. Breastmilk has been shown to protect against allergies, not cause them. If you suspect that your baby is sensitive to cow's milk protein (which by the way, he may well out grow as his gut becomes more mature) then eliminate all dairy from your diet for a few days and see how it goes. If you notice marked improvement in the symptoms you've found your culprit. However, I need to point out that in more recent years, studies have suggested that babies are not nearly as sensitive to things in our breastmilk as we might believe. Babies are fussy and frankly, some are more fussy than others. Babies also spit up, and some spit up more than others. Projectile vomiting after eating is always a cause for concern, as is lack of weight gain. Reflux Reflux is another 'cause' of a fussy baby that many parents miss for awhile. The tell tale sign of reflux, besides the spitting up, is that the baby screams when he's laid down flat. This is not the only sign; but several symptoms combined may indicate reflux. Your pediatrician should be able to tell you if what you're experiencing with your baby is reflux or normal. But rest assured, your baby is definitely not allergic to breastmilk.
Learn more about Valorie Delp  Hello everybody! My name is Valorie and I am one busy lady! When I'm not writing or editing for families, I am busy trying to get my brood of 5 in line. Relevantbaby tags User Comments  Amber (11749) 01 Mar 2008 08:27 AMi was wondering about this. my neighbor said she couldn't BF because he was lactose intolerant, which lead to horrible reflux. would that much be possible?  Valorie Delp (49340) 01 Mar 2008 10:11 AMWithout knowing more than what you've written the short answer is, it's highly improbable. This is a whole other blog and/or series of blogs. Frequently "lactose intolerance" is the descriptive word used for all sorts of things and consequently--it's seriously misunderstood. I think you'll be my next 'ask a baby blogger' blog! ;-) jenedge (18) 19 Apr 2009 08:28 PMThis was a very serious question and unless you are a doc you shouldn't be answering this one. Yes, a baby can be allergic to breast milk. If your child has galactosemia, a genetic condition, they are allergic to all milk products even breast milk. It is a very serious and life threatening condition. Galactosemia babies die many times if the condition isn't caught early. Please don't answer or write a blog on something this serious without doing research on something like this cause many babies may be hurt in the process because their mom read this and thought the article was true. Valorie Delp (49340) 20 Apr 2009 04:19 AMJenedge--I appreciate your comments. First of all, I am qualified to write this as I have several thousand hours of clinical work helping moms bf. Secondly, if your baby has galactosemia, the diagnosis isn't "allergic to breastmilk" it's galactosemia. You are right--babies with galactosemia cannot drink breastmilk however. . . The condition is exceedingly rare. On top of that your child presented atypically--this is almost always caught in the hospital during newborn screening. Children who have this shouldn't gain weight, should generally present with jaundice. . .and they often have a whole slew of other problems. But again, if your child has this, you're not going to be told that he is allergic to breastmilk.. .you're going to get a definitive diagnosis--which is different. Community Tags breastfeeding, baby, babies, breastmilk allergy, infant, milk allergies Discuss this article
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