Reply #106: You can't be allergic to human milk [View All]

[Lucille]

according to the pediatric gastroenterologist I brought my daughter to at around four months. She had constant infections. She failed to gain weight. Her intestines were bleeding and she vomited bile. She was solely breastfed. Her pediatrician suggested I put her on soy formula. I did, unfortunately. She became even sicker. I brought her as an emergency to Columbia-Presbyterian in NYC. She was assigned to one of the a top specialist in the country who told me that human milk allergy is unknown. Lactose intolerance, on the other hand, while very rare in infants, was a possibility, so they did a biopsy of her intestine and tons of blood tests. Lactose intolerance is NOT an allergy, it is the inability to produce lactase. In the meantime I was advised to continue nursing her after she had been given sugar water through a drip. However, I had to remove all allergy-causing foods from my diet--dairy, grains, soy, etc. The doctor explained that large proteins cross into breast milk--and even the placenta before birth-- and stimulate an auto-immune reaction, ie allergies, in some infants. However, if the baby/fetus were allergic to human protein, it would never survive to be born.

Because I eliminated allergens from my own diet, my daughter began to to thrive, even before we got all the test results. I nursed her until the age of three; until that age she was allergic to most foods, so breast milk was her major source of nutrition for a long time. I often found it exhausting because I was often ill myself. But I was glad to do it because while she was in the hospital we contemplated various metabolic disorders like celiac and cystic fibrosis. Today she is a healthy, 18-year-old PITA.

Breast feeding can be a wonderful, tender time. The oxytocin release is supposed to make you more mellow and bond w/your baby--I believe that it does. I must say, though, I sympathize with those who for one reason or another choose not to nurse. It's not for everybody, especially if you are ill or stressed or in a work situation that makes nursing difficult. Not everybody produces copious amounts of milk. Not everybody "lets down" easily. Not every family is supportive. And if you are a person who is made to feel uncomfortable or is uncomfortable, you pass that stress on to your baby just from the way you hold him/her. Breast may be best, but you can't deny the importance of finding the method of feeding that works for you and your kid--and being supported in your decision.