How I found out about my baby's Milk Protein Allergy
Author: Melissa Lahti
Feb. 27, 2012
When my daughter was a few months old I was worried because she had a rash all over her body all the time and was always spitting up after she ate, sometimes even projectile vomiting. With symptoms very similar to reflux, I still thought it must be something different because of the rash. She was a very fussy baby and needed some type of relief. We didn’t have any health insurance so going to the doctor was kept at a minimum. We were only able to take her when she needed to be getting her shots or was very sick. I started doing some research online and came across some information about milk protein allergy. After reading about this, there was no doubt in my mind this is what my baby had. The website suggested that if I suspected she may have this, I would need to breastfeed her and completely eliminate all dairy from my diet. Baby formula contains the milk protein the baby is allergic to. I followed this for two weeks and sure enough, the rash and all symptoms disappeared. She no longer spit up all the time and was a much happier baby.
After reading through the website, I discovered there is a baby formula that does not have the milk protein in it but it is very costly. The cheaper option for me was to continue to breastfeed her and keep all dairy out of my diet. When I took the baby to the doctor for her 6 month shots I mentioned to the doctor that I had discovered she had this allergy. The doctor had never heard of this and asked me to show her the stuff I had printed for her. She said it was a good thing I was doing for the baby and that most babies outgrow their allergies after one year. She said the baby should be able to drink milk once she turned one.
For exactly 12 months I avoided all dairy in my diet and breastfed my daughter. Every once in a while I would experiment and eat something with milk in it, to see if she was better or not. Every time I did she would immediately get a rash all over her entire body and start spitting up. Once she turned one, the rashes stopped and I slowly introduced her to cow’s milk. She loved it and has been fine and allergy free ever since.