After giving birth to your baby it is recommended that you feed it on nothing else but breast milk for about the first six months of its life. This is because breast milk strengthens the baby’s immunity and also has all the required nutrients that a new born baby requires to get it through the first few months of life healthy and strong. Be this as it may there is a number of babies who are allergic to breast milk and as a result feeding it to them could prove risky.
Breast milk contains different sugars; it is some of these sugars that are responsible for setting off allergic reactions in infants. If you realize that your baby has an allergy to breast milk it is vital to make a visit to the doctor so that he/she can undergo an evaluation to ensure that it does not get malnourished.
Symptoms
Once your baby checks into the planet it could lose some weight, in most cases this weight will be regained at the rate of about five ounces every week. If you realize that this is not the case or that the baby is losing weight inexplicably the problem could be breast milk allergy and as a result, you should get in touch with the pediatrician as fast as possible.
Another symptom that is rather adverse will be related to the gastro-intestinal system. In this case the baby might vomit right after feeding it, suffer pain in the abdominal region or even have a running a stomach in which case the fecal matter could be bloody. Abdominal pain and diarrhea will take longer to manifest but once they do they can prove quite severe.
Coughing, overproduction of mucous and watery eyes may also be evident in an allergic baby. At times, a rash may develop around the baby’s mouth and it can be quite itchy. There are also certain respiratory symptoms that may be witnessed including breathing problems, wheezing and chest congestion.
In most cases respiratory as well as gastro-intestinal symptoms will usually manifest themselves as a result of the presence of something foreign in the breast milk as opposed to milk itself being the root cause. Certain allergic reactions are very dangerous and should therefore be dealt with the very moment they are noticed. If the allergy is very severe it could lead to anaphylaxis which is basically an overreaction to an allergen and if left unchecked death is a possibility.
Is there a Solution to the Problem?
Yes there is, as mentioned, the first thing you should do is rush to the doctor in order to eliminate certain risks. This is even more important in the event that the baby goes into anaphylactic shock. So how do you know when this has happened? Well for one, the baby may lose consciousness and become unresponsive, blood pressure might drop rather suddenly and also, its throat might swell up hence making breathing almost impossible.
Seeing that breast milk is very vital for the baby’s well being, it is important that you do not take the first diagnosis to be bible truth and stop breast feeding. It would be better if you could visit another doctor for a second opinion more so if you notice these symptoms a few months after you start breast feeding.
Once it has been determined that your baby is indeed allergic to your breast milk the pediatrician will assess the allergic reaction in order to fully understand what the exactly the baby is allergic to. As a result, this will make it possible for him/her to come up with the best solution or rather alternative that will ensure your baby gets all the nutrients even without breast milk.
Elaine Smith writes for BreastPumpsForSale.com, a site which provides breastfeeding tips and information on choose breast pumps.
Is Your Baby Allergic To Breast Milk?
