how long does it take an allergen to enter breast milk?

[lsmama]

hi.  i have a 6 week old with reflux.  the dr suggested i eliminate dairy for 2 weeks to see if symptoms resolve (they haven't) and then to "challenge" by reintroducing it.  my question:  how long does it take for it to enter the milk? also how will i know if she's sensitive?  nothing has changed in these 3 weeks.

thanks!

[CoBabyMaker]

It's hard to give a solid answer on that since everyone's body will metabolize things differently.  You would know my watching for changes in her behaviour, digestion, spitting up, etc.

As a side note:  We found the BIGGEST improvement for DD's reflux was giving her probiotics.  She still spit up but the screaming in pain stopped within 24 hours for her.  We used Bio Gaia infant drops. 

[lsmama]

Thanks!  I just started the BioGaia drops last week.  What dosage did you use?  Also, did you give them at a certain time of day (ie before nursing, after etc?)

It's just so hard to tell with her, and it's also confusing because babies just change so much every week at this age.  We have good days and bad days.  Knock on wood, she's a really good sleeper.  She just cries intensely after feeds and sometimes wakes out a sleep with a sharp cry.  She's been spitting up a bit more lately (as in since I've eliminated the dairy and coffee) but nothing compared to people I know whose kids are "spitters"  It's really just the crying; however now that she's a little older, she has started smiling and having more quiet awake periods.   This is developmental though, and I'm not sure I can attribute it to the lack of dairy.  I have no history of allergies or sensitivities nor does anyone in my or my husband's family. 

I'm eager to reintroduce these foods to see what will happen but scared that they will hurt her. The pediatrician has been little help in explaining how to challenge the food and what to look for.

[CoBabyMaker]

I gave her 5 drops before bed since she seemed least likely to spit them up at that time. 

They do change a lot which can make it tougher to tell.  Even if she is not truly allergic, her reflux may be aggravated by certain foods.  I would also maybe give it at least a month (not two weeks) personally.   You would "challenge" the foods by simply adding them back into your diet, one at a time.  Just watch for increased crying, spitting up, that reflux sound (Does that make sense? Like when it comes up but they don't spit up.), any change really.  Are her stools normal?

[lsmama]

Yeah.  Stools are normal.  Yellow, sometimes seedy.  Usually 3-4/day 1 of which will be a really big one.  I'm trying to figure out if I should keep a "crying journal" to log the duration of her crying.  Otherwise, I have no idea how to determine if she's getting better or worse.  Yesterday, I decided to reintroduce dairy - I had Indian food for lunch which I presume had some ghee in it, and added milk to my tea.  She cried hard for about 20 mins in the evening and after a bath and then slept normally in 3 hour stretches.  Today, I think I'll try some yogurt and some cheese.  Basically, I'm not a huge dairy eater.  I just want to see if I can be less vigilant without it affecting her.

Thanks for your ideas

[eternamariposa]

You know my little girl had reflux too and the biggest improvement I saw for her was switching to block feeding for our nursing sessions, it made a big difference.  For us with our intolerances, I usually see a diaper rash, fussiness, or unusual poop the following day.  But that kind of follows suit with my own timing for reactions because I almost never immediately react to anything, all of our issues are digestive though, no swelling up, hives, etc.