Author Topic: Could the transition to cow's milk be causing digestive issues?  (Read 5748 times)

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Offline Sam-n-Max's Mommy

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Hello,

I started the transition from formula to cow's milk two days ago.  The first day was fine, but then yesterday, DS had 3 BMs (as opposed to his usual 1).  1 was normal, 1 was loose, 1 was diarrhea.  He was also very gassy.  He had a NW last evening and he seemed to be in some sort of discomfort.  He went back to sleep after about 10 minutes, but while he was resettling, he was fussing on and off and kind of writhing around. He has been having EWs the past week because of teething, but this am he was up even earlier.  When I went in to him, he was again very gassy.

Do you think it's possible the the transition from cow's milk is causing some digestive problems? It doesn't seem severe, but if it is caused by the milk, I wasn't sure if this was something that was normal that many LOs go through when they transition, or if it was indicative of an intolerance.  He has always been on milk based formula and I always use whole milk when I cook anything for him.  Plus, he always has whole milk yogurt (usually 1 a day) and we haven't had problems.  I have read, though, that milk has more lactose in it, so it could be harder on babies' tummies. He hasn't really had too much to drink mixed with the formula -- I'd say yesterday was a total of about 4 oz, but the timing of the gas/diarrhea made me think.  I also read in Tracy's book that she doesn't suggest mixing formula and milk because the milk can change the composition of the formula and then you can't tell if any reaction an LO is having is caused by the milk or the mixture.  DS won't drink it straight yet, though.  Has anyone had this experience, is it normal or something to be concerned about (I know it's only been a few days!!)?  I suppose it could also be the teething (a molar just cut), but the timing seems suspect.

Thanks in advance for your help!
Nicole
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Offline kiansmam

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Re: Could the transition to cow's milk be causing digestive issues?
« Reply #1 on: April 07, 2011, 20:35:26 pm »
only me again lol. it does sound like his digestive system can't cope with that amount of cow's milk atm. my lo was having the same symptoms and my hv told me to leave him on 1yr+ formula and try again in 3-4mths time. hope this helps x
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Offline Sam-n-Max's Mommy

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Re: Could the transition to cow's milk be causing digestive issues?
« Reply #2 on: April 09, 2011, 11:11:07 am »
Hi Kiansmam! Thanks!

We went to his 12 month visit yesterday and the doctor said that I could try again and see if it happens again and then keep him off of it for a few months and try again.  I am going to try some today, but I'm going to stop the second his tummy doesn't seem right.  He's been on the gentle formula since 3 months old, so I'm not surprised that he is not ready yet.  I was initially confused because he eats quite a bit of yogurt and cheese, but the ped told me that the lactose is broken down in those where it's not in the milk.
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Offline deb

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Re: Could the transition to cow's milk be causing digestive issues?
« Reply #3 on: April 09, 2011, 12:00:36 pm »
Yes, lactose and casein (a milk protein) are partially predigested by the probiotic bacteria in yogurt. They also help digest food in our own guts, BTW, so probiotics are good things and need to be replenished after any course of antibiotics.

I would avoid the milk for a while per doctor's orders. In my family, we're all milk-intolerant: we get awful gas and tummy pains. Lactose-digestive stuff like LactAid helps only a little, so for us it's more a milk protein thing. So milk, cheese, and ice cream are pretty much out for us, or only in limited quantities, but yogurt we enjoy as much as we like (I make my own now to cut the cost).