Lactose Intolerant?

[HarlaHorse]

Lacey is 1 month old tomorrow. I had her on formula from the very start, we started her on Lactogen (these are Australian brands), but she was crying then spewing her whole bottles up, so within 3-4 days we changed her, I knew that formula wasn't working, so we put her on Nan Gold, she was way better, not spewing at all but she wasn't settled, she was hardly sleeping at all during the day so I thought I'd change her again, we put her on Heinz Nuture Gold and she was doing great, but within the past 5-7 days something has changed, and I know its not the formula. I surfed the net and this is the information I found.

The common symptoms are wind, pain and swelling in the tummy, crankiness, failure to settle, at feeding times, coming on and off the bottle, failure to gain weight, diarrhoea. & Lacey has them all. I kept researching and found out that aparently it can cause dry, scaley skin, red, sore, irritated and sometimes bleeding skin 'down there,' which Lacey also has. It said that it can cause pussy lumps on them or dry bumps, another thing Lacey has. So I'm 99.9% sure that thats what it could be. She screams and screams before she poos and then it all comes out in one fart (sorry TMI!) so I really really think shes lactose intolerant. I'm going to the doctor to hopefully have her diagnosed tomorrow.

We've put her on a lactose free formula as of 5pm yesterday and its 7:49pm. I did notice a change (I think!) she didn't have any screamy moments, only 2 when she was pooing but she still wasn't settled, she still only slept on and off today. She didn't have diarrohea (however its spelt) though so is that a sign its working?

How long will it take if she 'is' lactose intolerant for the formula to kick in and her to become fully settled again?

Thankyou!

 

[daddiesgift]

Infants can not be lactose intolerant. A lot of the things you said are "symptoms" of colic. And switching formulas could definetly be causing the diarrhea.

My son started out on "regular" formula but kept throwing it up. So doctor put him on Soy formula which he wasnt really throwing up but he was having very hard stools, trapped gas, belly aches ect. Doctor also told me he was colic, he would not be able to settle, he would cry and cry in pain ect. I was also feeding him expressed breast milk and he would get sick on the breast milk only. Doctor told me he has a protein allergy and young babies are not lactose intolerent. We changed formula to Similac Alimentum. It is an american brand so im not sure if they sell it in Australia but I would maybe look into the Australian equivelant cause it has done WONDERS for my son. It is proven to decrease symptoms of colic within 24 hours. (Id research colic and protein allergy)

He no longer has trapped gas EVER, he actually farts a lot now. His poo is no longer real hard, he no longer cries for no reason, he is no longer antsy, it has completely changed him. He still spits up (he has reflux) but doesnt puke like he was puking. I also think changing bottles helped a lot too. Trying getting bottles that do not let air in or let them suck air that causes much belly pain and trapped gas. I use playtex drop ins. Not sure if they have them there but its a bottle that has "plastic" inserts that hold the milk and push all the air out of the bottle. If you notice bubbles in your milk thats air. Hope you get it figured out!

 

[storm84]

I have my boy on parent choice sensative " lactose free" its quiet good

 

[summer rain]

The symptoms you describe are those of a milk protein intolerance; not a lactose intolerance. The symptoms of a lactose intolerance are diarrhoea and vomiting, bloating and failure to gain weight well-lactose intolerance is purely a digestive issue and doesn't cause rashes etc. A lactose intolerance from birth is very rare and would have meant your baby never gained any weight and probably would have had ever worsening jaundice that doesn't even resolve with light treatment; some babies do develop a temporary lactose intolerance from an illness but this is usually after a few months old. This is what the lactose free formulas are designed for by the manufacturers; babies with such a temporary lactose intolerance; they are not designed for general digestive issues (lactose is important to brain growth and development so if possible its better to have a formula with it) nor milk protein intolerance/allergy. Babies who are born with a lactose intolerance need special prescription only formulas specifically designed for their condition. xx

 

[HarlaHorse]

But she farts honestly, all day. She brings her wind up really well, so I didn't think it could be wind or colic? Although, she gulps in alot of air when shes drinking her bottle, and shes difficult at feed time. I'm looking into buying new teets, even though I've already gone through so many!

Reading this website really is what made me think that she was lactose intolerant ' https://raisingchildren.net.au/articles/lactose_intolerance.html#symptoms .' & reading about the 'perianal excoriation' really made sense to me.

Also, shes been on a lactose free formula, going on her third day today and shes not crying at all while pooing whereas before she was screaming. Theres definitely been a change but I definitely don't want her on a lactose free formula if she doesn't have to be.

See, she has the slowest flowing teet you can buy but when she drinks, she makes a weird gulping sound, sometimes chokes and it runs out the sides of her mouth. I thought she had a blocked nose originally since we'd tried so many different teets. Then I read something about some babies can't breathe, swallow and drink at the same time and they have to learn, and while they try and swallow whats in their mouth, the milk keeps running down and chokes them. So I'm going to try teets with the whole up top so when she pauses to swallow it doesn't keep running down her throat and hopefully she doesn't struggle and gulp in heaps of air. I have another doctors appointment in 2 weeks, so I'll keep her on the lactose free formula and I'll buy different teets tomorrow, if she does better on those teets and doesn't gulp air and I can see she's settled, I might try her back on the normal formula, because it could have been colic and wind all along.

 

[loz27]

my lo was diagnosed with temporary lactose intolerance after a nasty cold at 3 weeks old. he's symptoms were explosive diarreoh, extreme discomfort whilst feeding. very uncomfortable all day. loud griping noises coming from his belly. excessive wind and vomiting. i was prescribed a lactase enzyme to break down the lactose in his milk which certainly helped but my lo had reflux also so this was not sufficient on it's own.

i was told lactose intolerance is not so common in babies, milk protein intolerance is much more common. my lo never developed rashes, i have read this is a symptom of milk protien intolerance. as already said it is quite common for lo to have temp lactose intolerance after a viral infection and usualy passes after a few weeks.

i would imagine if she is lactose intolerance you should start to notice a difference with the new milk in a few days. i noticed a difference after a few days with the lactase enzyme.

good luck at the doc's. hope you get to the bottom of it soon x

 

[HarlaHorse]

my lo was diagnosed with temporary lactose intolerance after a nasty cold at 3 weeks old. he's symptoms were explosive diarreoh, extreme discomfort whilst feeding. very uncomfortable all day. loud griping noises coming from his belly. excessive wind and vomiting. i was prescribed a lactase enzyme to break down the lactose in his milk which certainly helped but my lo had reflux also so this was not sufficient on it's own.

i was told lactose intolerance is not so common in babies, milk protein intolerance is much more common. my lo never developed rashes, i have read this is a symptom of milk protien intolerance. as already said it is quite common for lo to have temp lactose intolerance after a viral infection and usualy passes after a few weeks.

i would imagine if she is lactose intolerance you should start to notice a difference with the new milk in a few days. i noticed a difference after a few days with the lactase enzyme.

good luck at the doc's. hope you get to the bottom of it soon x

My doctor said the rash looks like just a milk rash which is common he said, so hopefully thats nothing to worry about. Her symptoms sound exactly what you just named, she definitely had explosive poos and she'd have crying fits like half an hour to an hour before and my OH whose also lactose intolerant said that when he drinks milk or any sort of lactose, hes in pain hours before he actually needs to 'go.'

 

[loz27]

my lo was diagnosed with temporary lactose intolerance after a nasty cold at 3 weeks old. he's symptoms were explosive diarreoh, extreme discomfort whilst feeding. very uncomfortable all day. loud griping noises coming from his belly. excessive wind and vomiting. i was prescribed a lactase enzyme to break down the lactose in his milk which certainly helped but my lo had reflux also so this was not sufficient on it's own.

i was told lactose intolerance is not so common in babies, milk protein intolerance is much more common. my lo never developed rashes, i have read this is a symptom of milk protien intolerance. as already said it is quite common for lo to have temp lactose intolerance after a viral infection and usualy passes after a few weeks.

i would imagine if she is lactose intolerance you should start to notice a difference with the new milk in a few days. i noticed a difference after a few days with the lactase enzyme.

good luck at the doc's. hope you get to the bottom of it soon x

My doctor said the rash looks like just a milk rash which is common he said, so hopefully thats nothing to worry about. Her symptoms sound exactly what you just named, she definitely had explosive poos and she'd have crying fits like half an hour to an hour before and my OH whose also lactose intolerant said that when he drinks milk or any sort of lactose, hes in pain hours before he actually needs to 'go.'

sounds like it could be then. forgot to mention earlier does your lo's poo's look slightly acidic, bubbly looking. this was another thing my lo had and his bum used to be on the verge of bleeding, poor thing.

going off what you've said your doc should test for lactose intolerance when you go. my doc requested a poo sample, which i gave in but the test was never carried out, there mistake. i never did another as things had settled with the colief and a different doc said there was no need in my lo's case as his was likely only temporary due to his cold infection.

how's your lo getting on today with the milk x

 

[Leopard]

I just saw your post HarlaHorse, and not sure if you remember me but we met ages ago here Good to here LO is pretty good.

I was lactose intolerant and mum says it took about two to three days for me to get over the lactose levels in my system. Also Try soy formula, mum said that she used lactose free with me but I still had a slight reaction to it but the soy worked wonders

Sorry for jumping ahead, but not long till LO is here and I am a terrible lurker, just gotta learn to squash the urge to post xD

 

[summer rain]

But she farts honestly, all day. She brings her wind up really well, so I didn't think it could be wind or colic? Although, she gulps in alot of air when shes drinking her bottle, and shes difficult at feed time. I'm looking into buying new teets, even though I've already gone through so many!

Reading this website really is what made me think that she was lactose intolerant ' https://raisingchildren.net.au/articles/lactose_intolerance.html#symptoms .' & reading about the 'perianal excoriation' really made sense to me.

Also, shes been on a lactose free formula, going on her third day today and shes not crying at all while pooing whereas before she was screaming. Theres definitely been a change but I definitely don't want her on a lactose free formula if she doesn't have to be.

See, she has the slowest flowing teet you can buy but when she drinks, she makes a weird gulping sound, sometimes chokes and it runs out the sides of her mouth. I thought she had a blocked nose originally since we'd tried so many different teets. Then I read something about some babies can't breathe, swallow and drink at the same time and they have to learn, and while they try and swallow whats in their mouth, the milk keeps running down and chokes them. So I'm going to try teets with the whole up top so when she pauses to swallow it doesn't keep running down her throat and hopefully she doesn't struggle and gulp in heaps of air. I have another doctors appointment in 2 weeks, so I'll keep her on the lactose free formula and I'll buy different teets tomorrow, if she does better on those teets and doesn't gulp air and I can see she's settled, I might try her back on the normal formula, because it could have been colic and wind all along.

perianal excoriation is a symptom of milk protein intolerance as well (as well as in BF infants, a sensitivity to tomatoes or citrus fruits), did you get your baby checked for tongue tie as this can affect how your baby sucks (even bottle fed babies) and means they gulp in too much air when feeding which can cause a lot of discomfort and excess wind? Lactose intolerance isn't usually hereditary, unless it is the severe type from birth and then your baby would never have the hospital; the type of lactose intolerance your OH has usually starts in toddlerhood at the very earliest but is more likely to start in late childhood or even adulthood. If you reread the article you linked to again, it says this

Lactose intolerance is uncommon in Caucasian children, who usually don’t develop symptoms until they’re at least 4-5 years old. About one in five Hispanic, Asian and African-American children have lactose intolerance, with symptoms occurring at around 3-5 years of age.

Also the article says at the bottom

Food allergy versus lactose intolerance

Sometimes symptoms we think indicate lactose intolerance are actually caused by a food allergy. An allergy to milk, for example, affects bottle-fed babies more than breastfed babies because the majority of infant formulas are based on cow’s, goat’s or soy milk.

I would ask for a stool test to see if it is lactose intolerance, then if it is negative I would go back on the first milk, also make sure you get checked for tongue tie or other sucking difficulties. A lot of wind and explosive/burning stool problems are caused by excess air taken in when feeding xx

 

[summer rain]

I just saw your post HarlaHorse, and not sure if you remember me but we met ages ago here Good to here LO is pretty good.

I was lactose intolerant and mum says it took about two to three days for me to get over the lactose levels in my system. Also Try soy formula, mum said that she used lactose free with me but I still had a slight reaction to it but the soy worked wonders

Sorry for jumping ahead, but not long till LO is here and I am a terrible lurker, just gotta learn to squash the urge to post xD

Soya isn't recommended in most countries now until a baby is over six months; and even then there are usually other formulas that are more suitable, which can usually be prescribed for free or prescribed at heavily subsidised rates depending on the policy of the country you're in xx

 

[sapphire1]

I agree with Summer Rain, it sounds like cow's milk protein intolerance rather than lactose intolerance. Holly has CMPI and had most of the symptoms you described - especially the farting! As Summer Rain said, true lactose intolerance is rare and usually temporary. I also agree wih her about the soya. Also, soya formulas often aren't any good to CMPI sufferers as the proteins in soya are very similar to those in cow's milk. Get a stool test done to be sure which type of allergy LO is suffering from - they are very different but can have similar(ish) symptoms. x x

 

[HarlaHorse]

She has severe thrush in her mouth which would be causing her to drink weirdly, which could be giving her wind or colic right? I'm still puzzled that as soon as I switched her to lactose free formula her stools weren't runny and she wasn't screaming though. We're going to the doctors tomorrow, a different one, the one we went to last time didn't do anything. I'm so confused. Could thrush have been the problem the whole time?

 

[HarlaHorse]

& I forgot to mention about the rash on her face. It looks terrible, its gotten worse. The doctor said a milk rash but I don't think so. My little brothers sweat glands never opened or worked properly when he was born and he had a similar rash. I guess we'll just see what the doctor has to say.