Question when switching over to milk.

NovemberSue Posted: Mar 22, 2005 07:57 AM

Question when switching over to milk.

Her pediatrician did a small amount of allergy tests on her bloodwork & found out she IS NOT allergic to milk so he said it was ok to slowly start adding it to her formula. I've been adding 2 oz of milk to her 5 oz of formula and she is now SPITTING UP again every time. The spitups are not that bad but she WASN'T spitting up for months until I started adding milk. Does anyone know why this is happening since she is NOT allergic?
Should I do 6 oz formula and 1 oz milk? Does their body have to get used to it or should I try 1 % or 2 %? We would really like to switch slowly to milk because her formula is extremely expensive. Any advice? Its only been 2 days trying her on milk but I worry because she's spitting it up.

emilain Posted: Mar 22, 2005 09:04 AM

Re: Question when switching over to milk.

Yes, definitely slow down. Start with 1/2 oz of whole milk, not 1% or 2%, with each bottle for the next 2-3 days only use 1/2 oz. Then after a few days add 1 oz, stick with 1oz for 3 days and slowly increase by 1/2 oz increments. Maybe she is lactose intolerant since she has no milk allergy.

NovemberSue Posted: Mar 22, 2005 09:24 AM

Re: Question when switching over to milk.

Ok. This may sound stupid but if she has no milk allergy, doesn't that mean that she can handle regular milk & doesn't need lactose free milk?
I am putting smaller amounts of milk in her bottle and hoping that she does better with it.
Did you have a similar experience too?

emilain Posted: Mar 22, 2005 10:05 AM

Re: Question when switching over to milk.

Having an allergy to milk is completely different than lactose intolerance. My daughter had a serious milk protein allergy and we only switched to milk in November (she just turned 2), and we did itvery slowly. If you have a milk allergy it menas you are allergic to the milk protein in dairy products and it omes in various differnt forms (whey, casein, cream of tarter, lactoalbumin, etc). A lactose intolerance is less serious, but maybe she just needs smaller amounts for her stomach to adjust, it's like you eating salad and veggoes all month and then having a hamburger with fries, your stomach would be our of whack. I was told by my allergist to do everything very slowly, and you're little princess may need to be introducsed very slowly. Let me know if you need more help. Good luck, if you keep her on 1/2 ounce for a few days and then increase it to 1oz you may see she adjusts better.

NovemberSue Posted: Mar 22, 2005 10:11 AM

Re: Question when switching over to milk.

Thank you very much. I will do that and let you know how it goes. I really appreciate your help.
I feel so bad for my daughter. She had reflux, has exzema and the dr recently did a tiny handful of allergy tests and she has allergies.

emilain Posted: Mar 22, 2005 10:13 AM

Re: Question when switching over to milk.

My daughter had sever reflux too! She still has small bouts when she has a cold or os teething. What allergies does she have?

Kate Posted: Mar 22, 2005 10:31 AM

Re: Question when switching over to milk.

My doc told us the same, to introduce very slowly.

At his 9 month appt I asked the Dr how much formula should he be drinking per day, because it had dropped off drastically and I thought he wasn't getting enough. She told us he is telling us he is ready to transition to milk since he is getting more nourishment from solids. But I told her we are in no rush to stop the formula and I will continue to 12 months.
When we do though she did say the same as PP because it can be a big change to little bellies some babies just need to get used to it very slowly, about 1/2 oz at a time.

NovemberSue Posted: Mar 22, 2005 10:37 AM

Re: Question when switching over to milk.

They only did a small handful of allergy tests. I believe they did the ones that people are more likely to be allergic to.
I just found out she is allergic to cats and we have two. The dr said that its not a bad allergy because its on the low part of the allergy scale but to keep them away from her anyway because it could get worse and if it does, we'll have to get rid of the cats.
She's more allergic to dogs, egg whites and peanuts.

BermudaBride Posted: Mar 22, 2005 11:11 AM

Re: Question when switching over to milk.

I was just looking for info on this also. My son is now on whole milk. I started him slow & he too would spit up. He seems to be good with it now except he seems to get constipated & when he does go, he immediatly gets a rash. He has had milk products with no problems so, I'm not sure what to do. The Dr. said to add more fiber & prunes for now & see how it works. But I feel there is no change so far. He's never had any of these problems before.
Anyone else have this problem?

Kate Posted: Mar 22, 2005 11:45 AM

Re: Question when switching over to milk.

Just curious, do they randomly test for allergies at some point? Like the one year appt? Or only if they are suspected for some reason? Do you have to request it? Thanks!

NovemberSue Posted: Mar 22, 2005 12:09 PM

Re: Question when switching over to milk.

I think the only reason Alyssa's dr did a few tests for allergies is because she had problems with 2 of the formulas and because she has exzema which they say makes you more susceptible to allergies.
They really don't like to do allergy tests that young so he only tested for the most common allergies. They just took a little of her blood and sent it out to be tested.

michele31 Posted: Mar 22, 2005 12:54 PM

Re: Question when switching over to milk.

Sue- a peanut allergy is NO joke. That is actually very serious. Egg whites as well. You should speak to Lee (ryan's mom). Peanuts are in MANY packaged foods as our egg whites. I am not trying to alarm you but you may want to see an allergist to discuss food do and don'ts. For instance, if you got vanialla ice cream from Friendly's (hard, not soft serve) and they have just used the scoop for Rocky Road ice cream that could be your child at risk...there are a number of things you will need to look for on packaged foods as well.
Peantus are not just in peanut butter...peanut oil is used in many forms of cooking. Again, I would speak to Lee and get the info she has.

Nancy Posted: Mar 22, 2005 02:17 PM

Re: Question when switching over to milk.

Sue, she maybe lactose intolerant, which is totally different than an actual milk allergy. Since she has been on special formula, her system has had to deal much with producing the enzymes needed to break milk down. This is something you should discuss with your Dr. It's something that will take a lot of time.