Did I just give my 8-week-old a milk allergy?

[askins]

Long time lurker, first time poster, here.  I'm feeling like a bad mom at the moment.

DS is eight weeks old.  On Friday, while running errands, I stopped at Jamba Juice for a smoothie.  I wanted a protein booster.  I don't like to get soy protein because of the estrogenic properties, so I got whey protein.  

Yesterday afternoon (Saturday - so like ~30 hrs later) DS had three poops with small spots of blood and a little mucus.  Then it went away after that.  He was very happy, slept well, didn't seem to be in pain or anything.

He is not a colicky baby.  Never fusses excessively.  Very calm.  He's had a great appetite.  Nothing about these items has changed in the last 48 hours.  

I asked Dr. Google about it and find that blood in the stool is commonly indicative of cow's milk protein (i.e. whey) allergy.  I had a large dose of whey on Friday.... Saturday, bloody stool.  

It was only a little blood and it hasn't recurred, even though I had cereal with milk for breakfast on both Saturday and today.  But still.... did I just do a horrible thing and cause a milk protein allergy where there was none?  

[Pynki]

You can't cause a milk protein allergy.  It's is something inherent.  You could trigger an already existing allergy, but not cause it.  Especially not via breastmilk.  You didn't give the smoothie directly to the baby right?  You just ingested it? 

It does sound like the baby may have reacted to something.  Though.  What else was in the smoothie?

[askins]

No, I didn't give the baby the smoothie - I just ate it.  It had strawberries, bananas, frozen yogurt... I can't remember what else.  It was  a Strawberries Wild flavor.  

I am making an assumption that tghe blood in the stool is linked to the whey thing, because I googled blood in stool and turned up a lot of stuff about milk protein allergy.  He also had his first round of vaccines (at his 8 week appointment) on Friday as well.  But my search didn't turn up anything about that, and it seemed much more likely to be related to the whey thing.

Can you really not cause an allergy like that?  It was my understanding that food allergies came from introducing something before his intestines were ready to handle it.  He has been handling my consumption of cow's milk and dairy products just fine until this... And I guess i thought maybe he might have OD'd, sort of, you know?

[BabySmurf]

i agree w/ pp...you can't cause an allergy.  i think that the thought of waiting to introduce certain foods to a baby has to do with stomach upset and to wait until LO's are a little older before they are exposed to things that may cause an allergic reaction.  you shouldn't need to worry about what you eat unless your LO is reacting to it.

my DS is now 7.5 months old, and about a month and a half ago i had a serious ice cream splurge and DS had the bloody mucosy stools.  he had a couple, then they got better. i mentioned it to my pedi and he said that DS probably has a dairy sensitivity, and that eating that much dairy ( i used to eat a LOT) probably caused the upset.  i took dairy out, and he started sleeping a lot better, and the gas that he had with the ucky poops went away.  for us taking out dairy has seemed to make him to react to smaller amounts...or maybe i am just more on the look out.  i haven't cut out EVERYTHING with milk in it, but i think i am going to try and see if DS continues to improve.  The biggest thing that surprised me was how much better I feel having cut out dairy! When i reintroduced it to see if DS reacted (he did), I felt terrible! So out with the dairy!

But you certainly didn't CAUSE the allergy if there is one!!

[teraze]

I think the above posters are correct...rather than causing the problem, you've likely uncovered your babe's dairy sensitivity.  I have a seven and a half month old DS with dairy sensitivity.  Once I realized he had a problem when I ingested dairy, I cut it out (he was about 2 weeks and would break out in hives).  I've recently added a few things here and there with a *little* bit of dairy...like English Muffins.  He did ok.  I took a swipe of wedding cake icing.  He was *not* ok.  So, still mostly avoiding it.

I've used the links below to help me learn about this.  I hope you find them helpful.  And I hope your babe feels better soon!

http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/feeding-infants-toddlers/food-allergies/food-allergies-while-breastfeeding

http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/food-sensitivity.html

[MoonWillow]

I'm going to go ahead and move this to the allergies forum. 

[Pynki]

Originally Posted by askins 

No, I didn't give the baby the smoothie - I just ate it.  It had strawberries, bananas, frozen yogurt... I can't remember what else.  It was  a Strawberries Wild flavor.  

I am making an assumption that tghe blood in the stool is linked to the whey thing, because I googled blood in stool and turned up a lot of stuff about milk protein allergy.  He also had his first round of vaccines (at his 8 week appointment) on Friday as well.  But my search didn't turn up anything about that, and it seemed much more likely to be related to the whey thing.

Can you really not cause an allergy like that?  It was my understanding that food allergies came from introducing something before his intestines were ready to handle it.  He has been handling my consumption of cow's milk and dairy products just fine until this... And I guess i thought maybe he might have OD'd, sort of, you know?

Only if you are giving it directly to the baby.  That's why I asked to make sure that you hadn't given any to your baby directly.  He got the proteins indirectly from your breastmilk.  It can cause a reaction if the baby is born likely to react.  That wouldn't have cause a baby who was born without that inherent likelihood to react.  You didn't do anything wrong. 

[changingseasons]

Vaccines can trigger a food allergy. So if you're looking to place blame on anything, that's where I would look. But yes, blood in stool is commonly a dairy allergy. Have you tried removing all dairy from your diet to see if symptoms improve?

[Pynki]

That would only be if you were allergic to what the vaccine was cultured in which is why some people with egg allergies have problems with some of the vaccines that have been cultured in eggs/yolks.  You can't get a milk allergy from a vaccine with an egg cultured strain.

[Bokonon]

Originally Posted by Pynki 

That would only be if you were allergic to what the vaccine was cultured in which is why some people with egg allergies have problems with some of the vaccines that have been cultured in eggs/yolks.  You can't get a milk allergy from a vaccine with an egg cultured strain.

The DTaP is grown in casein, which is a milk product.

My daughter started exhibiting symptoms of a milk allergy after her 2 month shots as well.

[changingseasons]

Originally Posted by Pynki 

That would only be if you were allergic to what the vaccine was cultured in which is why some people with egg allergies have problems with some of the vaccines that have been cultured in eggs/yolks.  You can't get a milk allergy from a vaccine with an egg cultured strain.

I didn't say that you can have an allergy reaction to a vaccine (which you can), I said that vaccines can TRIGGER food allergies. Vaccines skew the TH1/TH2 balance in your body. Your immune system goes too far in one direction, and starts attacking benign substances (food.)

Also, as pp mentioned, many vaccines contain animal and human tissue, as well as egg and casein. Injecting those substances directly into the bloodstream of a tiny person, who may have an undiagnosed food allergy can cause major damage, making the body more sensitive and reactive to other things.

So yes, vaccines CAN trigger food allergies.

[Pynki]

Interesting.  Do you have any links where I can read more on that?

[changingseasons]

At my fingertips? No, sorry. I've been reading and studying allergies and the immune system for the past 3+ years, so it's a compilation of knowledge from a lot of sources.

[Pynki]

Alright thanks.  Thought I'd ask.

[MoonWillow]

I just had to double check that I didn't move this thread to vax. 

Can you guys stay on topic please? I'm not saying that there is or that there is not a relationship between vaxes and allergies but taking the thread solely in that direction is OT to what the OP was asking. 

Thanks! 

[askins]

so here's an update.  Went to the ped on monday and they did a stool culture which tested positive which indicated allergic colitis.  I have been off dairy since then.  I have to say that his stools are of an entirely different nature than ever before.  they are much less liquidy/runny/mucousy and have a thicker, more pasty consistency.  I'm guessing that he has always had the sensitivity, but that something on Friday, either the smoothie or the vaccine pushed him over the edge and resulted in the bloody stools.  I really appreciate all the responses.

[askins]

Originally Posted by BabySmurf 
  i took dairy out, and he started sleeping a lot better, and the gas that he had with the ucky poops went away.  for us taking out dairy has seemed to make him to react to smaller amounts...or maybe i am just more on the look out.  i haven't cut out EVERYTHING with milk in it, but i think i am going to try and see if DS continues to improve.  The biggest thing that surprised me was how much better I feel having cut out dairy! When i reintroduced it to see if DS reacted (he did), I felt terrible! So out with the dairy!

But you certainly didn't CAUSE the allergy if there is one!!

oh yeah, AND he is much less gassy.  he used to be a fart monster!!!

also, cheese is my diet downfall, so i'm hoping being off dairy will help my post partum weight loss effort - lol.

[BabySmurf]

i never realized how much i ate until i took it out! it's sooo hard, but totally worth it - and yes, i have lost the last couple lingering pounds to get (below!) prepreg weight - i'm sure it will help you too =P