After Abby was born, she was diagnosed with a milk protein allergy. I’m not going to go into great detail because I wrote a post about it here: Our Insurance is paying for baby formula. So she spent her first year on a prescription baby formula design for babies with this allergy and it was a miracle for us.
Well, now that she is 1, the doctor is having us try cow’s milk. I am not happy about it because I would rather wait another 6 months but the process to extend the insurance coverage pretty much dictates we try the cow’s milk first. Yesterday and today we gave Abby just 2 ounces of 1% cow’s milk. First of all, she did not like it but she did eventually drink it because I didn’t give her anything else. Second, all around her mouth turned red after she drank it and third she had the foulest diarrhea yesterday. Today so far her mouth turned red…time will tell about the diarrhea. She also woke up last night crying which she hasn’t done for months except when she was sick, so I am afraid she has a tummy ache.
I hope I am wrong and that she will be fine with the cow’s milk because frankly it will be easier, but I am afraid I will have to say “I told you so” to the Doctor next week.
Don’t mess with a mother’s intuition!
I tried to take a picture of Abby’s red mouth but all she wanted to do was show me her chewed up Cheerios.
Oh and check out what is in her hand. A SIPPY CUP! She learned to use it the other day. She can’t figure out the hard spout ones yet, but she’s a pro with the soft spout ones we bought at Wal-Mart.
Does anyone else have any experience with milk allergies? I wonder if these symptoms will disappear once she has had cows milk for a week or if they are just the beginning and by next week she will be miserable.
About Kim
My daughter was allergic to baby formula and milk so I gave her Rice milk. The rice milk work wonders for her. I am just glad I found a Low Cost Health Insurance For Kids I am always going to the doctor with my daughter and it can get expensive. I wish insurance companies would cover preventive medicine. If you think about it you can fix the problem instead of covering it up with drugs. In the long run it would be cheaper and better on everyones system.
Thanks for sharing your story Shelby. We *think* Abby is doing ok. She’s got some rashes but they just started all of a sudden after being on milk for a month. She’s going to the doc hopefully tomorrow!
My daughter did not test positive for milk allergy, but I suspect she has one. I did when I was younger, and here is my cautionary tale…
I was diagnosed as allergic to milk when I was about 4-ish, so I didn’t have it for about 5+ years or so. By then, my mom couldn’t keep me away from it and it didn’t make me asthmatic as it had before, so we just went on with me having milk.
Cut to when I was 21. I developed an autoimmune condition called orbital myositis. I suffered with it for about 10 years, on and off steroids, until finally someone suggested that maybe I had a milk allergy and should stop drinking/eating milk products.
What had once been a 2x/year, 3 months of agony each year, turned into a maybe once a year, maybe 5 days of a mild headache. This year (knock on wood), I haven’t had it at all. I’m 35.
So, Western docs will tell you, “Oh Yeah, you’re not VERY allergic, so you can still have some,” but trust your intuition. It can cause all kinds of problems down the line if, year after year, you continue to eat something that you’re allergic to – even if you’re only mildly allergic.
I’m currently trying to figure out what my daughter has allergies/sensitivities to right now, and feel completely frustrated by the lack of support from my Western docs. I pay enough for my damn insurance. I should be able to see the docs I want to see – Naturopaths, acupuncturists, etc.
my daughter had milk and soy allergies. We did the milk test and she failed around a year and we tried again at 16 months which she failed again but not as strongly. I would call the doctor and mention the signs you have seen. The Doctor should tell you to stop. My daughter could not have plain milk but she could have stuff with milk that was cooked. We had weight problem so we tried to give her high calorie foods. I made her things with milk but I always had to cook the milk first until she was about 18 months. At 3 she can eat anything now (well too much peanut butter makes her itchy)
Happy New Year! ok ok, I’m running late getting messages out… Tot has a slight allergy to lactose. He drinks Lactaid. He can have a small amount of cheese and the like, but any more than just a little and the foulest, nastiest, wettest poop comes out of the little man. I feel so bad when I forget and give him something with cheese two days in a row. ugh… Hope all works out for you.