ALLERGIES: BREAST MILK COLITIS
This condition can develop when babies drink allergen-containing breast milk. These babies become very colicky and often pass blood through the bowel and whereas the amount passed is seldom ever a threat to the baby it is an accurate barometer of just how inflamed and painful the lining of the baby’s bowel is.
Some authorities claim that milk and wheat are the only causes of breast milk colitis. My experience is that this isn’t so. Any food can do it. It all depends what the mother is specifically allergic to and not all mothers are allergic to milk and wheat. Don’t take yourself off these foods unless allergy tests have proved your sensitivity to them. They are nutritious foods and going off them could reduce the nutritional value of your milk. For the same reason don’t attempt to test for allergies by the elimination diet method. Go to an allergist and have the blood and skin tests.
The only exception to this rule is for those people of Mediterranean, Asian and African extraction. These people lack the enzymes needed to digest cow’s milk properly and invariably have a sensitivity to it. This sensitivity is often carried through their breast milk to the baby. If you belong to one of these ethnic groups and your baby’s breast milk colitis isn’t responding to treatment go off milk for a trial period. Milk could be the culprit. Going off milk means going off all those foods that are made from milk or contain milk in their manufacture.
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