Sometimes an infant can develop an allergy to cow's milk and it goes undetected because parents suspect other reasons for fussy behavior. Of course, babies get fussy all the time so you can't automatically assume every time that happens, its health related. But when the fussiness becomes extreme, there is reason to put a dairy allergy on the list of potential causes.
The good news is that if your baby develops a milk allergy, with some care by you, he or she will outgrow it. It is so common for infants to go through a short-term allergy to milk that an average of 2-3% of babies experience it. So there is no stigma associated with the problem and it does not suggest that you are not being good parents if your baby has this problem.
A milk allergy is caused by the infant's immune system doing what it is supposed to do. When that young immune system makes the mistake of thinking that the protein in milk is a danger to the child, it reacts to it as though it were a danger to the baby. The result is fussiness, irritability and in some cases a stomachache or nausea in the child. The same reaction can happen even if you switch your youngster to some other kind of milk like goat milk or even soymilk in some cases.
Medical science has not determined why some children have problems with milk and others do not. It is true that babies who are breast-fed have lower incidences of milk allergies. It is also important to note that a milk allergy in infancy is not the same as lactose intolerance and it does not automatically mean the little one will become lactose intolerant later in childhood.
If your baby is going to develop an allergies reaction to cows milk, it could show up right away or even surface up to 10 days after the daily product is given to the little one. Some of the symptoms you might see that would indicate a milk allergy is developing would include a skin rash, nausea including vomiting, lower appetite, colic or irritability of the digestive systems and loose stools that may contain blood in some cases.
If the milk allergy is the rapid-onset variety, the above symptoms may occur and you may also witness hives or bumps on the skin that are itchy, wheezing when the child breathes, unusually extreme fussy irritability in the child or sudden nausea. In some extreme cases, babies suffer with a severe form of milk allergy called anaphylaxis, which can affect the child breathing, blood pressure or surface as a rash or a stomach aliment. But anaphylaxis is not limited to only milk allergies and if the reactions are that strong, getting medical help immediately is called for.
Your pediatrician can be tremendous help in diagnosing whether the symptoms you have noticed are the result of a milk allergy. But there isn't just one test that the doctor will need to determine if your infant is suffering with an allergy to milk. So don’t be alarmed if the doctor orders a blood test, stool test and tests for skin reactions to milk. The skin test will call for the lab to place a small sample of milk protein under the surface of your child's skin to watch for a reaction. This is unpleasant to go through since there is a needle involved but it is important to allow the doctor to collect all of the necessary data to come to a correct diagnosis and the prescribe treatment.
Another very common test that you can even conduct at home is to stop feeding your baby milk and milk products for a week or two to see if the symptoms that you suspect are coming from a milk allergy clear up. Then after you have completed the control period, introduce a small amount of milk to the baby's diet. If the symptoms reoccur, that is a good indication that your infant has a milk allergy.
If you do find out your infant has a milk allergy, greet that news with celebration. There are several reasons to celebrate. For one thing, you know what is causing the symptoms that you are witnessing and the situation is not serious. Anytime you can determine that symptoms that seem dire are something relatively minor and easy to control, that is cause for relief.
Secondly, milk allergies in infants generally clear up by the time the child is two or three. So the problem you have identified is not chronic and it will probably not be something that will be part of your little one's life for very long.
Finally celebrate because you have done a good job of parenting in identifying a problem in your child's life. The milk allergy will work itself out in good time and soon you will have a happy and growing baby with no negative impact on his or her health due to the short time arrival of a milk allergy in the life of your baby.