milk allergy?

[HeatherMO3]

I need some advice from someone who's been there. My ds is 9 months old and has been a very happy baby. He wants to be held more than his twin, but is not fussy as long as you are attentive to him. I noticed a couple of months ago that when I fed him mashed potatoes or macaroni and cheese he would have 1 or 2 red splotches around his mouth. Now, when I feed him these foods sometimes he gets a splotch, sometimes nothing. So, a couple of days ago I spilled older ds chocolate milk all over him : After I got him cleaned up I noticed a large red splotch on his chest with raised white spots and one very small one by his eye. He occasionally has a green/mucous looking poop, but for the most part they look just like his brothers, so I'm assuming they are normal. He is EBF except for the solid foods, I really LOVE milk and only eat in on my cereal in the a.m. and then ofcourse I may have some foods with milk in it. Does anyone know if it's necessary for me to elliminate dairy completely from my diet since he hasn't been fussy and sleeps very well at night?

[Mrs.PhD]

Hugs. That sounds just like it was for my DD when we found her milk (and egg) allergy. She also had no problems with milk in my diet (that we could see) until she had a few chance encounters with milk directly (mashed potatoes ect..) Then she did start to get a rash from my milk too.

I heard a few different things about the topic, some said I didn't need too. Some said I did need to get myself 100% dairy free. That is what I ended up doing and DD did very well. (but it really wasn't easy for me or the whole family, however it was very good for us in the long run.)

I would go dairy free for both you and him (at least for now.) This includes trace amounts, like in animal crackers, cakes and breads. Become a label reader. It does get easier, but it can be very hard at 1st.

The good news is things like soy milks and other replacements can be very good, especially on cereal. Vegan products are great help.

The good news is you made it this far with out having to cut it out. I was about the same way. I was dairy free for a year (not as strict now, we are almost done nursing, I am pretty dry lately but she still tries in the morning.)

I would also talk with your Doc about testing a bit later to really see just what you are dealing with. We supected the milk, but had no idea about the egg. If he is allergic to soy it could be more difficult (espeically if you replace dairy with soy.)

Oh and to you for nursing twins. You are my hero!

Let us know how it turns out.

[Missy]

Those raised white bumps sound like hives, which is indicative of a systemic response and means your son is contact reactive. Repeated exposure to an allergy can lead to more severe reactions.

Last summer, my ds (who has a huge list of allergies, including several anaphylactic ones) ate a portabello mushroom with no problems. So, this past May, we gave him another one. No problem. The next day, I gave him another one. He said, "I don't like mushrooms." I said, "Of course you do! You loved it yesterday. Just eat one bite." He did. And had an anaphylactic reaction. The previous exposures triggered the immune system.

I would definitely cut out all dairy. His immune system is probably becoming increasingly sensitive and that exposure will keep it on hyper-alert.