Baby Care Knowledgebase Guide for First-Time Parents Dear parents, in this article, we will talk about what the symptoms of cow’s milk allergy in babies and how many types of cow’s milk allergy there are, and how to deal with it.
Unfortunately, food allergies in babies are increasing all over the world. Cow’s milk allergy is one of the most common allergies in infants. Although it is not known exactly what causes this, the fact that your baby does not use cow’s milk prevents the effects of this allergy.
Cow’s milk allergy, especially seen in infants, is up to 50% in some countries. However, this baby milk allergy will go away as your baby grows and turns 5 years old.
How Many Types of Cow’s Milk Allergy Are There?
There are 3 different types of cow’s milk allergy. Of these;
The first is the immediate reaction of cow’s milk allergy (IgE-mediated). In this case, symptoms appear within minutes or hours of cow’s milk intake. Such cow’s milk allergies can adversely affect the respiratory system, gastrointestinal system, and cardiovascular system.
The second type is an IgE-mediated non-reactive allergy.These are situations where reactions occur almost 24 hours after ingestion of cow’s milk, unlike allergies with immediate reactions. Symptoms can adversely affect the respiratory system, gastrointestinal tract, and cardiovascular system, as in IgE-mediated reactions. However, it mostly affects the gastrointestinal system.
The third is allergies with mixed-type reactions. The effects of these may appear after minutes or hours, or they may appear days later.
Unfortunately, there are no reliable laboratory tests for their diagnosis.
Eczema that occurs very early (in the first 3-4 months) or is observed more severely than normal is one of the signs that your baby has a high risk of cow’s milk allergy.
What Are the Symptoms of Cow’s Milk Allergy?
Many symptoms can be observed in cow’s milk allergy. Unfortunately, in this case, you may miss the symptoms in your baby’s early stages.
Regurgitation in the intestines, diarrhea, abdominal pain or bloody stools are symptoms of allergy.
Your baby’s skin may be inflamed. Inflammation is a reaction that occurs in everyone and is formed by the immune system to protect the body against various diseases or injuries.
Chronic coughing or wheezing may be observed.
In addition, runny nose, shortness of breath, vomiting and hypotension shock may also be observed.
How Can You Differentiate General Symptoms From Allergy-Related Symptoms?
When you look at the symptoms listed above, they are very similar to the general symptoms. That’s why you should observe closely in the first week when you start giving cow’s milk to your baby for the first time. If you have observed a few of the above-mentioned symptoms in the week you include cow’s milk in your baby’s food for the first time, we recommend that you consult your doctor. If you have encountered such a situation, we recommend that you take a break from cow’s milk for a while, then try again and observe again. If the same symptoms reappear, this will serve as strong evidence.
We recommend that a specialist doctor monitor your baby’s allergy status until your baby’s allergy goes away. Especially if your child shows severe reactions, you should determine an action plan with your doctor beforehand. It is very likely that your doctor will write a prescription for such conditions.
Can Cow’s Milk Allergy Symptoms Be Seen From Mother’s Nutrition?
Yes. Cow’s milk allergy from breastfeeding mothers also affects your baby. In such a case, breastfeeding mothers should pay attention to the content of the foods they consume. Even the unborn baby can be affected. Although breast milk is safe, we still recommend that you consult your doctor if your baby has a cow’s milk allergy.
If your baby has a second type of allergy, which is observed after a long time and is not IgE-mediated, then the mother’s consumption of cow’s milk is rarely restricted.
How Can You Cope If Your Baby Has A Cow’s Milk Allergy?
In addition to all these, if your baby has a cow’s milk allergy, the best solution would be to remove cow’s milk from the menu. Meanwhile, goat milk etc. Milk should also be avoided.
In such cases, although soy-containing formulas are usually recommended, if your baby is younger than 6 months, we do not recommend soy-containing formulas. The reason for this is that the risk of allergy to soy-containing formula is higher than for babies older than 6 months.
In addition to all these, if your baby has a cow’s milk allergy, the best solution would be to remove cow’s milk from the menu. Meanwhile, goat milk etc. Milk should also be avoided.
In such cases, although soy-containing formulas are usually recommended, if your baby is younger than 6 months, we do not recommend soy-containing formulas. The reason for this is that the risk of allergy to soy-containing formula is higher than for babies older than 6 months.
Don’t Confuse Cow’s Milk Allergy With Lactose Intolerance
First of all, we should state that lactose intolerance is not an allergy. To describe lactose intolerance simply, lactose intolerance is the inability to digest lactose properly. In lactose intolerance, your baby’s intestine is not damaged. However, a cow’s milk allergy can harm your baby’s intestines. Lactose intolerance occurs at a later age than cow’s milk allergy. In general, you should not have any major problems until your baby is 3-4 years old.
If your child has a cow’s milk allergy, you may want to take a look at our article on “How do Allergy Tests In Babies and Children”. Click to read.
Also, if you want to read a more detailed study on the subject, click here.
Get well soon.