by Eleanor O'Donnell

Created on: March 09, 2008   Last Updated: July 11, 2009

It's inadvisable to diagnose medical problems yourself, especially where babies are concerned; but it can help you to prepare for a consultation with your doctor or paediatrician if you do some research into the symptoms your baby is experiencing before attending your appointment to help make sure that you're prepared to ask all the right questions.

When my son was a few weeks old, I realised he had a problem with cow's milk formula. It was particularly obvious to me because several members of my immediate family suffered from milk allergy as babies and I myself am lactose intolerant. Although it's important to note the difference between intolerance and allergy when considering older children or adults, when it comes to babies it's advisable to treat both spectrums of negative reaction as serious. Though intolerance may not be considered as life-threatening to an older child or adult; prolonged malnutrition or dehydration in the early weeks and months of life can be just that in extreme cases where young babies are concerned making it advisable to avoid the offending food regardless of the immediate severity of the reaction.

Usually you'll find that a negative reaction in a baby less than six months of age is down to cow's milk formula as that's the only thing they ingest at this age. Where it's that a baby is being breastfed yet still displays most of the symptoms of allergy or intolerance, it can sometimes be down to something the Mother is ingesting and passing on. Treating breastmilk reactions is something a health professional can guide you through by helping you eliminate possible culprits from your diet.

So why did I think he had an allergy or intolerance to cow's milk formula in the first place?

1) Firstly, my son projectile vomited from birth. Vomiting after feeds is of course very common in newborn babies as they need time to learn to control their stomach and throat muscles. However when the vomit is shooting a considerable distant across the room, and occurring not only after feeds but regularly throughout the day, it's time to consider whether or not there may be a medical cause. In the case of a cow's milk allergy, you'll find that your baby is incapable of digesting the protein element of their milk though it's important to note that excessive or projectile vomiting is not exclusively caused by an allergy.

2) From a few weeks of age, I found my son appeared distressed after feeding to the extent that at about a month old he couldn't decide

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