Milk & Eczema....

[tonyswife]

Hi mummies....I'm at my wit's end with James' ezcema....we spent most of the weekend in hospital as he got a skin infection, then had an allergic reaction to the antibiotics...nightmare. Anyway, someone mentioned that it could be a reaction to cows milk...I did bf for 3 months and he had a bit of eczema then (not nearly as bad as it is now) but I still had dairy while I was bf. It does appear that it has got worse since introducing formula...although I've only just realised that 

What I want to know is....has anyone else heard of a link between ezcema and dairy? What else could he have as a substitute? 

Thanks for any input!!


Jo & James

[Mom to M&M]

The excema could definitely be related to the cows milk. It's much more intense than when you BF - he's not getting it as potently that way.

If you are definitely doing formula now and not BF I'd suggest a formula like Alimentum - in which the proteins are broken down and easier for MOST (not all) babies to digest. However, if you can still BF it will be better for James in terms of allergies and cheaper too!

If you do switch formulas you'll need to do at least a 2-week trial before making any decisions.

[ryan's mum]

Ryan was only on cow's milk for a month , we switched to rice milk .we changed initially because he wasn't sleeping as well as he had been and it aggrevetd his reflux ! but after changing his eczema was loads better ( he only has mild eczema) his skin wasn't as rough and he slept better,

[Ennypen]

Nadia

You mentioned rice milk to me before - I'm intrigued - whats it like? Can you get it from all the supermarkets?

I have to admit to finding soya milk totally vile as I don't like its taste or greasiness so was wondering about it.

Willy Woo just has formula for now and hasn't touched a drop of cows milk yet - I'm just wondering in advance lol xxx

H xx

[ryan's mum]

tesco's have "rice dream " morrisons have "provamel" they are on the shelves with UHT milk and milkshake powders. i didn't think he was going to like it , but he won't touch cow's milk now . also i thought it would make his reflux worse as it thinner , but  no!
  i think cow's milk is very rich . we had problem's when we went abroad as the milk was soo different . so now we take cartons of rice milk .

[Mom to M&M]

Only problems with rice milk can be taste (to me it tastes like the water the potatoes were cooked in LOL) and the fact that it has basically no fat. But it can be a good subsitute for cow's milk AFTER formula is no longer needed. I tend to think goat's milk or soy milk is a better option due to fat content but rice milk is great for some.

[yaya]

Yep, my lo had bit of eczma while i bf him but it was RAELLY bad when I switched to formula, we switched to lactose free formula and hey presto the eczma went!

[tonyswife]

Thanks yaya.....not sure where you are (I'm in UK)  but what's the name of that milk? It might be worth a try...

[yaya]

I am in Italy...the milk is called PREGOMIN not sure if u can get it in uk but im sure there will b something similar..it basically hasnt gotr milk proteins in ut...pre digested i tihnk they call it! Hope that helps

[Mom to M&M]

That would be similar to Alimentum or Nutramigen formula here. My DD is on the ready to feed Alimentum herself.

[bobby's mama]

Do you ladies think there could be a link even when he tested negative for a milk allergy?  I'm just getting quite desperate b/c my lo has had eczema since birth and nothing seems to help.

[Mom to M&M]

DEFINITELY. He could still have a severe intolerance - just not an allergy.

[jbepko]

My DS eczema was just terrible starting around 4 weeks. I eliminated milk/soy at 6 weeks. He tested negative for both around 6 months. And his skin does much better off dairy. Since negative blood tests, I started re-introducing and he failed miserably at 6 months. But now at 8 months, he seems to do OK with dairy products in moderation (I haven't drank milk or tried cereal iwth milk yet). So I think it is fair to say he has outgrown his intolerance. He does have the allergy triad though- asthma, eczema, allergies...and will have ear tubes in the next month or so.

[yaya]

I was told at the hospital the b4 the age of 3 or 4 yrs allergy tests mostly result neg altho may b positive!

[squeaky's mum]

Hiya,

I wanted to add...

...(in the UK) I asked my health visitor to be referred to a dietician because when dd was 5 months old her eczema definately responded +vely to me eliminating dairy from my diet (She was ebf until 5.5m). They did this with absolutely no problems. Sophie went onto solids and I couldn't express enough milk for her the dietician prescribed soya based formula which was really useful as soya formula is quite expensive. Sophie has never drunk it as a milk drink but it has been quite useful for cooking with. Now she is on proper soya milk for cooking with. For some reason (the dietician told us) girls can have regular soya milk from 6m, but boys need to wait until they are a year old. It was really useful seeing the dietician. I would recommend it if you can.

For bf Mum's, after trying many Soya milks out, the best tasting one I have found is Alpro Calcium enriched in a tall, blue tetra pack. We get our from Sainsbury's and it can be found alongside all the other milks. It's fine on cereal but I wouldn't drink it and its pretty rubbish to cook with although it it does work, the results aren't the same as milk.

My only other experience with dairy allergy is that most health proffessionals (doctors included) are fairly skeptical that eliminating dairy will work. However, I would suggest giving it a go for 3-4 weeks. You never know, if it works, excellent, if it doesn't you haven#t lost anything.

Hope this helps

Claire