Baby milk allergy: how to detect it and what to do to help baby |Parents.fr

Does your baby suffer from a milk allergy?Do not panic, there are solutions for him diet side.We explain everything that can be done to do.

You can't or don't want to breastfeed or start baby withdrawal?Infantile preparations will perfectly meet baby's needs, even if it is allergic to milk!

How to recognize and know if there is an allergy or intolerance to milk in baby?

If baby does not present any diet, bottles of infantile milk First age (liquid or powder) will meet the needs of your infant during the first 4 to 6 months, before switching to a second milk then a growth milk.If you fear a food allergy at Bébé, note all the same that it is not because you, the co-parent, or a brother or a sister presents a food allergy, that baby will necessarily have inherited it!

However, if your little one is considered "at risk", conventional industrial preparations are to be avoided.The pediatrician will prescribe hypoallergenic milk (ha) for at least 6 months.Available in pharmacy, this milk contains fragmented cow's milk proteins, supposed to minimize the allergic risk.

Sometimes a special milk, usually reserved for the treatment of proven allergies, may be recommended when there are family history of allergy to cow's milk proteins.

These tips are also to be followed as part of mixed breastfeeding (breast and infantile milk).Know that baby can more or less appreciate certain milks.Whatever your choice, their composition is developed to get closer to breast milk.

Breast milk: can my infant be allergic when he is breastfed?

Whether your baby is allergic or not, the introduction of food other than milk is not recommended before the age of 4 months over.As the World Health Organization (WHO) regularly recalls, breast milk is the best food for your baby at birth."It contains particular proteins called antibodies, which are involved in allergies prevention," explains Magali Nadjarian, dietician.A priori, the only milk proteins in which baby cannot be allergic are those coming from its own species!

Know that there is still a rare risk of protein, ingested by mom, in breast milk and leading to awareness of the baby.The mother will then have to stop consuming dairy products and taking calcium supplements.

Intolerance or allergy to cow's milk proteins: what are the symptoms?

Allergy to cow's milk proteins can be expressed by general signs from the introduction of the first bottles.2 to 3% of babies would be affected by allergy to cow's milk proteins (APLV).The most frequent symptoms are:

These symptoms generally appear in a few minutes or up to 3 hours after ingestion of the cow's milk bottle.

Studies have also shown that certain vomiting, colic, abdominal pain, gastroesophageal reflux (RGC) would be linked to the APLV (allergy to cow's milk proteins).More rarely, neurological signs, assimilated to discomfort can occur.Baby can also be irritable and suffer from sleep disorders.

All these manifestations are abnormal immune reactions of the baby's body when exposed to proteins, harmless, contained in cow's milk.You must then consult a doctor or a doctor.

APLV: Is the diagnosis difficult to make?

The diagnosis is quickly made when cow's milk allergy manifests itself in acute reactions reflecting immediate hypersensitivity.But it is also frequent that baby has only delayed manifestations, without a specific sign.

In case of doubt, your doctor will prescribe a series of additional tests and exams intended to verify whether it is indeed an allergy and to identify the responsible substance.To confirm his diagnosis, your doctor can ask to set up an ouster diet: baby is in this case nourished with special milk where proteins have been split into very small units.These so -called “pushed hydrolysis” milks should not be confused with hypoallergenic milks.

If symptoms disappear with this treatment, no doubt: the nature of cow's milk allergy is confirmed.In this case, the eviction regime is most often the only treatment that can be implemented.It is based as a first intention on the use of milk protein hydrolysat.But these formulas are very bitter and sometimes badly supported by babies.Faced with a failure, we then use preparations based on amino acids from other soluble (soy, casein) or synthesis proteins.Please note, the eviction regime takes time to set up, the change of formula does not immediately disappear the symptoms.

In most cases, cow's milk allergy is transient and we can therefore - on advice from her or her pediatrician - try to reintroduce these proteins at a time in the diet of our child.

Can we do allergic tests at a baby?

The labial provocation test consists in depositing a drop of milk on one side of the lower lip.After a few hours, the doctor seeks the presence of inflammation where the drop was deposited.During the oral provocation test, growing doses of milk.

Another examination, the prick-test, is carried out using a short needle.A little milk is deposited under the skin.If your little one is allergic, inflammation will appear in terms of injection.

Patch-test is used in specialized hospital services.The milk is put in contact with the skin and maintained fixed by an adhesive product for 48 hours.The patch is positive when the skin is red and slightly inflammatory in terms of application in comparison with a control patch.

More classic, a blood test can be prescribed to seek the presence of antibodies directed against milk proteins.

Which diet to put in place if baby is allergic?

The treatment is based on an exclusive diet based on cow's milk whose proteins have been finely split (protein hydrolyzes) and thus cease to be rejected by the body.Please note, other precautions are also to be taken:

As a last resort, if despite all these precautions, your child still has allergic symptoms, he will be supplied with amino acid solutions.Their cost being very high, this treatment is reserved for the most difficult cases to treat.

Vocabulary point: lactose or allergy intolerance?

Lactose intolerance (sugar contained in milk) is due to insufficient secretion of lactase (enzyme that digests lactose) by the intestine.Unfortunately, there is no means of prevention for this frequently observed disorder in children of Mediterranean, African or Asian origin.

Symptoms look like allergy but are limited to gastrointestinal tracks: sour diarrhea and irritating for the seat, vomiting, bloating, stomach cramps, gas.They usually depend on the amount ingested.Do not hesitate to consult your pediatrician.He or she can prescribe additional examinations if he or she suspects an intolerance or an allergy to cow's milk.

How to treat lactose intolerance in baby?

If the insufficiency of lactase is hereditary, the symptoms may appear from birth.Infection of the intestine can also be the cause of lactase insufficient.In this case the intolerance disappears with healing.Milk will be gradually reintroduced.On the other hand, if lactose intolerance is confirmed, the doctor will prescribe a lactose -free diet and lactase supplements.Also remember to report it to your pharmacist because certain drugs contain lactose.

What if baby was allergic to something else?

Infants who suffer from an APLV have a risk2 at 3 times higher to develop another form of allergy growing up: food allergy, asthma, eczema...Egg allergy is also widespread in infants.It results in symptoms similar to those of the APLV with which it is sometimes associated.

Some studies show that reducing allergenic elements during pregnancy reduces the allergic risk later in baby.Among these elements, we identify the consumption of peanuts for example, but also the use of sweet almond in cosmetics.

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