Milk Allergies - Are we too quick to diagnose them in babies?

Milk allergies - are we too quick to diagnose them in babies? I was speaking to a new mum the other day, her baby is 8 weeks old. He suffers with colic, a rash on his face, mild constipation and is often sick after a feed. She spoke to her doctor and he said the rash is just baby eczema and all of the other symptoms are normal for a new born. The health visitor however said she was convinced it was a cows milk allergy and to take him off dairy straight away. This particular mum was breastfeeding and so the advice was to cut out all dairy from her diet, not something that can be done over night and has a massive impact on her not just her baby. For any new mum this is such conflicting advice and can leave them stressing about what the best option is.

Whilst we aren't medical professionals at Serene, and we would always encourage to to consult your GP, we can give some tips on things to try before completely cutting out dairy. For example, if your baby is often sick after a feed, try winding them for longer and keeping them in a slightly upright position while feeding and up weight for a while after to let the milk go down. If your baby suffers from a rash, if you have done all of the necessary medical checks, you could try changing your washing powder. Babies' skin is so delicate and sometimes washing powder and softener that has perfume, in can really aggravate their skin.

At Serene we feel as long as your doctor is happy, it's worth giving these suggestions a try before completely cutting out dairy.