Lactose Issues

Yogurt isn't like most other milk products. In fact, for the lactose intolerant, yogurt is usually on the list of things they can have.

However, are you using yogurt with live or active cultures or yogurt without cultures in it?

If you are using it with live cultures, until a colony successfully establishes itself in the body, gassiness and diarrhea is pretty common. These cultures will actually help the body digest and process foods better than it could on it's own. If you are using non-cultured yogurt, then that in itself could be causing the problems. The cultures in yogurt will break down the lactose so a yogurt without it is just introducing lactose into the system without a way to digest it properly (for the lactose intolerant).

Ask your doc if he wanted yogurt with live cultures, or inert cultures. Chances are that your baby just needs time to get used to it either way.

T., trust your mommy gut and if it's telling you to take him off the cow's milk products, go ahead and do it. Little bodies shouldn't "have to adjust" to something new in their diet. Period. Either it's easy on him, or it's not. Please know that cow milk products are NOT essential for healthy living - here in the US, dairy is really a huge part of our diets, but in the rest of the world, it's really more of a condiment (used in very small quantities) than a daily beverage (used on cereal, drunk by the glass, cheese on everything, etc.).

My little guy is allergic to cow milk products. It took us maby 3 weeks or a month to adapt to eating dairy-free, and now it is really 2nd nature. Here are some resources/tips that helped us:

1) This link has a printable, foldable card which lists all the words that mean a product has cow's milk in it
http://kellymom.com/store/freehandouts/hidden-dairy01.pdf

2) Just ignore that the following link is for "nursing mothers trying to avoid milk" -- the tips and hints and info apply to ANYONE who needs to avoid milk for whatever reason...
http://www.kjsl.net/%7Ebeanmom/nomilk.html

3) Some dairy-free recipes (this is just one site - there are many more!) http://www.godairyfree.org/index.php?option=com_content&a...

Best of luck to you!

Your pediatrician is right to encourage you to introduce him to foods containing lactose in small doses. (Good for you in choosing the cheese/yogurt route.) It sounds like his little body is getting used to the lactose. The symptoms are very common. He's uncomfortable, but you're not hurting him. An allergy would show itself as a rash, stomach upset/vomiting, etc.

I would recommend smaller doses of yogurt and cheese at a time... possibly 1 oz. per day until the gassiness passes (no pun intended), and increase his intake VERY slowly. My 2-year old is up to 2 oz. per day and it took us 4 months to get past the gas and fussing.

Good luck to you!

Hello T.. I went through the same type of thing with my son. Before you go lactose free, you might want to try organics. My son did terrific on organic yogurt and milk. I actually talk to a dairy farmer and his wife and they made that suggestion to me. They told me that the process of which regular milk is processed is what causes the allergies. I wasn't sure so I ask my son's doctor. He told me that there had been some studies to find that this info. was true. He gave me the okay to try it and worse case scenario would be that my son was truly allergic to milk and I would have to try lactose free or soy milk. I'm not sure this helps but it is something to think about. I hope you find a solution. Good luck!!

Hello T.. I'm sorry to hear that you and your son are having such a difficult time. My daughter was like this too, and still is sensitive to lactose and she is five. I think that doctors aren't always right. As a matter of fact, I know this. You are this childs mother. IF you feel that your child isn't ready for this step, then follow your instincts.

When my eldest child was an infant her doctor kept telling me to give her Similac...every brand out there! My children, all three of them, could not tolerate Similac. It made my first one vomit all the time, my second one vomit and have constipation and my third, goodness, the long nights I was up with a gassy, screaming baby. Go with your gut feeling hun. If you feel that he isn't ready, then keep him on the Isomil until he is a Toddler. Then slowly introduce him to milk products. By then he will be able to tell you what hurts when and if he consumes a lactose product.

Blessings to you and to you family,

M. F

I would call the doctor just to make sure, but it sounds like everything you are describing is just his little tummy adjusting to the dairy products you are intorducing. Stick it out and give him a couple more days. I hope you get some sleep and good luck.

My neighbors daughter is lactose intolerant. They thought she was, but her Dr did a blood test for lactose intolerance to make sure and see what she was actually allergic to. Would your Dr be willing to do a blood test for allergies?

M.

It could be either, but to be honest with you, but I am leaning toward the allergy. Have you contacted your ped to ask him? You might want to try giving him some good bacteria. That will colinate in his GI tract and will help with the gassiness. I bought "Primadophilus Reuteri" by Nature's Way at the Health Food unlimited store by the Dayton mall. It is safe to give to children.

My 1 year old is also lactose intolerant. I had the same problems when I started giving him milk products. I would double check with your pediatrician, but I personally would take him off of milk products and just use soy or lactose free cheese, yogart, etc.

I know all about the constantly getting up in the middle of night in pain thing. My son also did that, and it drove me crazy until I figured out what was wrong with him.

Best of luck, and I'm sure he'll be fine once he's off of the "milk" products.

My daughter was also lactose intolerant. It's very likely that those are the signs of his body reacting to the lactose. Whenever my daughter had milk products that is how she acted, gassy, diarrhea, vommiting. My daughter wasn't able to use milk products w/out using meds to counteract the lactose until she was about 5. When she turned 5 we slowly started introducing lactose again and she did fine and has no problems w/milk products now. I would try the cheese instead of the yogurt first and if he is still feeling bad in a couple of days let your dr know.