Babies can develop Breast milk allergy due to the reaction to the foods from the mother’s diet. Proteins from foods such as milk, soy, peanuts etc. can cross from the mother’s diet into the breast milk, resulting in breast milk allergies.
Cow’s milk consumed by the mother is the most common reason babies develop breast milk allergy. The proteins from cow’s milk are transferred to the breast milk. When the mother feeds the baby with breast milk, an allergic reaction is seen.
Soy, eggs, peanuts, fish, and wheat etc. are other foods in mother’s diet which can trigger allergies in baby are
Symptoms of Breast Milk Allergy:
The following are the symptoms of breastmilk allergy:
- Diarrhea
- Skin rash
- Gas
- Blood in stools
- Fussiness
Prevention of Breast milk Allergy:
To prevent breast milk allergy in the infant, the mother has to eliminate the offending foods for a period of 1 to 2 weeks to see if the condition of the baby improves. This is because the offending foods can stay about 7 days in the breast milk. After this period they are eliminated.
Most babies do not have allergies after the mother eliminates cow milk and dairy products. If milk products are eliminated in the diet, one has to compensate calcium in the diet by finding alternative sources of calcium.
If the baby’s condition does not improve even after eliminating milk, mothers should try eliminating allergy-causing foods such as milk, eggs, soy, peanut. If the allergic reaction is not seen after eliminating a certain food, then the food should be completely eliminated in the future. Drastic changes in diet can result in weakness, hence, consulting a doctor for healthy food intake is recommended.
Most infants grow out of milk allergy and other food allergies as they grow. But, mothers should be careful and avoid allergy-causing foods in their diet to prevent infant breast milk allergy.
