Cow Milk Protein
Intolerance vs. Allergy
Cow milk protein intolerance is avoidable during any child's early months of their life. From the beginning of evolution, all mammal's were given the capability of feeding and nursing their young through the method of breastfeeding. Mother's milk was designed to contain all of the nourishment required for a newborn baby during it's first year of life. Occasionally, whether by choice or necessity, some mother's are incapable of nursing their young. It is in this situation a newborn is first introduced to formula and later to solid foods not found in a mother's milk. When breastfeeding has been determined not to be an option, the first food source a baby is usually given is cow's milk. Because regular cow's milk actually has 25 plus different proteins that are not present in a mother's milk, this has the capability of leading to two main conditions which a newborn can show reactions to. One can be an allergy or cow's milk protein intolerance. What Is Cow Milk Protein IntoleranceNot every situation when a newborn shows a reaction to a milk product is it called a milk allergy. Sometimes, if the immune system is not involved, a baby can just be showing signs of sensitivity or CMPI (cow milk protein intolerance).Parents of a newborn with CMPI will report that the symptoms generally start from 1 hour to 1 day after ingestion of the milk product. Symptoms will usually include gastro-intestinal distress, vomiting and diarrhea. Many times a diagnosis of colic has turned into a diagnosis of CMPI. Eventually though, as the child ages and its digestive system matures, the symptoms and condition will generally subside around 3-5 years of age. Although this is not recommended, a quick but often used test that you as the parents can perform at home will help to determine if your child has a true allergy or is it just an intolerance. Drop one drop of the milk solution on your child's skin and observe what type of reaction develops. If there is redness, hives or welts which start to appear your child does have a true dairy allergy. This test is a variation of what will be done by an allergist called a skin prick test. With no reactions showing on the skin, your baby is diagnosed as having a cow's milk protein intolerance.
Return to "Eating Dairy Free" from "Cow Milk Protein Intolerance".
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This site is not intended to replace the advice and supervision of your professional medical treatment plan. Although all of the information is true and accurate to the best of our knowledge, we still recommend you carefully check all food labels before consuming any food product. We can not assume any legal responsibility for any illness obtained while following the advice contained on this site.
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