Can a newborn baby be allergic or sensitive to its own mother's milk?
week now and i am getting mixed messages from all over the place. the pediatrician thinks she is essentially "allergic" to the milk proteins in my breastmilk and this is what is causing an irritation in her gut causing her to pass blood. i have been told by them to try not to breastfeed her and only give her hypoallergenic formula instead. i breastfed both my other two children and with the exception of my second one being a very picky eater and giving me a really hard time eating anything at all, i didn't have this issue or many others.
i strongly feel that it's just plain insane that a baby would be allergic to it's own mothers milk, but i just want to do the right thing for her and don't know what that is. i have eliminated all dairy from my diet so any breastmilk she does get does not have any cow milk proteins.
i am wondering if breastmilk has the same type of milk proteins that formula does. my pediatrician said that the ratio of casein and whey in the two differ but i have also heard that breastmilk doesn't contain casein. i just don't know what to believe. any other info or advice anyone has would be greatly appreciated and very helpful.
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M$4 Answers
It is possible she's allergic, but it is highly unlikely. According to the sources I've listed below, there is a much more likely reason for her symptoms.
It is very possible that she is allergic to something you're eating, and not the milk itself. One of my kids could not handle it when I ate broccoli, and would get extremely gassy, runny stools and a rash. A good friend currently has a daughter that can't handle it when she eats any dairy, or any legumes. She gets very similar symptoms to what you're describing.
There are other things that can cause bloody stools besides allergies. I would get a second opinion, for sure. I'd also call your local hospital and ask them to put you in touch with a lactation consultant, who can help you with an elimination procedure so you can see if it's something you're eating. You should probably start keeping a food/supplement/medicine diary immediately, and a diary of when symptoms happen in your baby.
I'm including a link to an article by an R.N. who says essentially the same thing that I just said. I'm also including a link to a site that has a chart of the most common culprits that cause allergies to the baby through the mother's milk.
Finally, according to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, human milk definitely contains caseins.: http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/77/6/1537S
I also found this chart of what human milk contains, including a listing of the casein/whey ratios. http://www.americanpregnancy.org/firstyearoflife/whatsinbreastmilk.html
This echoed what I found on several other sites, but was best-stated here. Dr. Sears also has a chart on his website comparing the two.
http://parenting.ivillage.com/newborn/nbreastfeed/0,,70jn,00.html R.N. advice
http://www.babycenter.com/0_breast-milk-interactions-chart_8788.bc chart
Also my own experience having nursed three kids into toddlerhood, one of whom had an allergy
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M$
A second opinion from a doctor who supports whole heartedly your desire to breastfeed should be your very next step. Contact your local La Leche leader for a referral to a doctor who does. http://www.llli.org/resources.html. Blood in the stool is not good.
If you are determined to continue breastfeeding you will appreciate some more support. I suggest your local La Leche League or even the online community found at http://www.llli.org/.
My 3 children had definite sensitivities to many things I ingested. I wound up with a very limited diet but it was worth it for my children and my waistline. The information listed by the others is quite helpful, however, PROFESSIONAL ADVICE QUICKLY is very important. But let me let you now that advice DOES NOT necessarily MEAN YOU HAVE TO GIVE UP BREASTFEEDING ALL TOGETHER. Some changes may need to be made which may need you to offer formula until you can nurse again. But you will need to continue to express milk as often as you would be nursing to keep your supply up. and you will probably be dumping that milk. This will be continued until you can identify what you ingest is actually causing the issues. However, at first you can eliminate all commonly known irritants and take it from there.
"If an elimination diet is necessary, it should begin with the top offender, cow's milk protein." from http://www.llli.org/ba/Nov98.html
La Leche League and their representatives will help you through this if you ask. For no fee.
I've been there, done that, and more. It is doable.
The first weeks of a child's life are trying. But you do have the fortitude to get through this. There are other's out there to help you as well. Best wishes.
Personal experience-Breastfeeding 3 children who wound up displaying sensitivities to my breast milk. 1st child nursed until the child was 1. 2nd child nursed until the child was 2. and 3rd child nursed until age 3. To each there own each child is different.
http://www.llli.org
http://www.llli.org/ba/Nov98.html
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M$
thank you. i have been a LLL member for 7 years now actually. i also contacted a lactation consultant last week too. and fortunately the GI doctor we saw is supportive of breastfeeding as long as the mom is willing to alter her diet if it is actually an allergic reaction to something i am eating. the GI doctor thinks it may be either an allergy or these inflamed nodes in her intestine which are benign. we are going to have a colonoscopy next week to determine whether or not it's allergen related or medical. i had already been cutting all dairy and dairy derivatives out of my diet, but now i am also eliminating soy, wheat (gluten), eggs and nuts. i don't eat seafood so at least that's not a problem. after next week if we find out that it is not a medical issue, i will wait another two weeks and begin to introduce one of those allergens back into my diet slowly. i have been basically ignoring my pediatricians recommendation to stop breastfeeding, and it is good to know that it is unlikely an allergy to breastmilk (even the GI doctor thinks it's unlikely).
To answer one specific part of your question:
Casein is in breast milk, but according to the Sears' (a nurse and doctor author team) in "The Breastfeeding Book" it's the special balance of proteins in human breast milk that make it so valuable and the best option for babies:
---quote---
The whey is the easy-to-digest liquid portion, and the curd is the casein protein that forms a rubbery, harder-to-digest lump. Breast milk contains a much higher whey-to-casein ratio than most formulas and cow's milk do, so it's easier to digest.
---/end quote---
http://www.enotalone.com/article/3610.html
Although I'm not a medical expert, I have two kids and did nurse them both as babies. I'd suggest a few things:
1. Get a second (and even third opinion), follow your instincts and keep asking questions. Find a doctor(s) that listens and responds well to you and your baby - and pursues the medical issues.
2. Examine your own diet - to rule out other possible causes for irritants - anything you consume will be passed to your baby while you are breast feeding as you are aware - so it is possible that something else is causing the problem.
Best of luck to you.
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M$
Great, sounds like you are going to get to the answers eventually, and it sounds like you have some good sources of support. Perhaps considering a new Pediatrician might also be in order depending on how everything turns out...just an opinion based on what you've mentioned here. Best of luck to you.
thank you. we saw the GI doctor yesterday and he thinks it may be either an allergy or these inflamed nodes in her intestine which are benign. she is going to have a colonoscopy next week and then we will know whether or not it's allergen related or medical. i said above that i have already been cutting all dairy and dairy derivatives out of my diet, but since yesterday i am also eliminating soy, wheat (gluten), eggs and nuts. since i don't eat seafood that's not an issue. i have been basically ignoring my pediatricians recommendation to stop breastfeeding, and it is seems unlikely an allergy to the breastmilk itself (even the GI doctor thinks it's unlikely).
You can also go to llli.org and look for your local la leche league. They may be able to offer you better support.
Good luck
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M$
Try eliminating them one by one, 2-3 days apart. This way you'll know more definitely at one point her symptoms stopped.
I'm glad you took her to another doctor! I was going to put a lot of things about the benefits of breastfeeding (or the dangers of not feeding your baby the way that has been normal for the bulk of cultures through history) but it seems I would have been preaching to the choir. And it wouldn't have been answering the actual question.
Please update with how she's doing and what the answer did turn out to be!
i went to select you as best answer but didn't realize i was a day late...sorry.
i do want to say though that all of the answers were helpful, this one just included more information, such as the fact that the cause may not even be allergen related. thanks again!!
thank you. she is not really experiencing any other symptoms. she is a relatively good baby. not too fussy and not very gassy. we were able to see the GI doctor yesterday and he thinks it may be either an allergy or these inflamed nodes in her intestine which are benign. poor baby is going to have a colonoscopy next week but then we will know weather or not it's allergen related or medical. i had already been cutting all dairy and dairy derivatives out of my diet, but now i am also eliminating soy, wheat (gluten), eggs and nuts. i don't eat seafood so at least that's not a problem. i have been basically ignoring my pediatricians recommendation to stop breastfeeding, and it is good to know that it is unlikely an allergy to breastmilk (even the GI doctor thinks it's unlikely).