Facts About Lactose Intolerance In Your Baby That A Moms Must Know

LACTOSE INTOLERANCE

What Is Lactose Intolerance?

Lactose is a natural sugar mostly found in dairy items. If a baby cannot digest this lactose present in milk, it is called lactose intolerance. Intolerance happens when the enzyme lactase needed to digest this lactose is not secreted in sufficient amount in the baby’s gut. In turn, the baby will have problems in the digestive system since the milk stays inside the stomach in an undigested form.

Do You Think Your Baby Is Lactose Intolerance?

Symptoms Of Lactose Intolerance In Babies

In the absence of lactase, the lactose present in the milk does not digest and stays in the gut. As a result, the bacteria in the gut eat the lactose and produce large amounts of gas. This causes a wide range of symptoms including:

·        Diarrhea

·        Stomach pain with bloating

·        Noisy bowel sounds and wind

·        Vomiting

·        Crankiness

·        Unable to settle

·        Coming on and off the breast during breastfeeding

·        Frequently crying

·        Malnutrition, unable to gain weight

 Causes Of Lactose Intolerance In Babies

There are two types of lactose intolerance: PRIMARY and SECONDARY.

1.      Primary lactose intolerance:

When babies are born with a lack lactase enzymes (the enzyme that digests lactose) at all is known as Congenital Lactose Intolerance. Primary or Congenital Lactose Intolerance extremely rare and occurs due to genetically inherited metabolic disorder. This kind of lactose intolerance in babies is recognized by severe diarrhea from the first day of life. These babies with congenital lactose intolerance need a specially formulated lactose-free diet to thrive.

2.      Secondary lactose intolerance

Secondary lactose intolerance is noticed when child’s digestive system is disrupted by something like gastroenteritis, which cause temporary irritation of the lining of the gut and reducing the amount of lactase production. Secondary lactose intolerance is temporary and generally improves 2-3 week after the causative illness subsides. 

Conditions that causes of secondary lactose intolerance: Gastroenteritis, Coeliac disease, parasitic infection, food sensitivity, Crohn’s disease, oral rotavirus vaccine or after use of antibiotic. Secondary Lactose intolerance should not be a problem once these conditions are taken care properly. 

What To Do Lactose Intolerance In Babies?

You might be encouraged to take out lactose from your infant's daily diet, when lactose intolerance is suspected. You need to do this under the supervision of a pediatric medicinal expert, who will give exhortation about guaranteeing your child still get nourished with the supplements required for overall growth and improvement. Supplementing calcium needs extraordinary consideration. Minerals like, calcium and vitamin D, is typically associated with lactose-rich dairy products and which can influence your child’s bone and teeth development.

]  Switch the baby to soy based formula. Soy protein based formula milk contains corn syrup solids rather than lactose and this can be given to these babies.

]  Milk are also available that has been ultra-heated to break down the lactose. However, these milks costs twice as much as the regular, but it is far cheaper in consideration to the protein-based formulas.

]  Other than milk, there are many options these days, which are alternative to cow's milk like soymilk-derived curd, almond milk, peanut milk or soy yogurt.

]  You could also try switching to goat's milk. Some children who are lactose intolerant only have issues with cow's milk.

]  If you're worried about compensating the calcium when you avoid milk to your lactose intolerance baby or kid you can give lot of calcium rich foods to them examples are beans, avocado, eggs and vitamin D supplements on consultation with a doctor.

]  Do not forget to check the label while purchasing milk and dairy products for your lactose intolerant baby. Even a small amount of lactose in products like cheese, ice cream and other desserts may intricate tummy upset in your baby. Even processed meats and foods, Bread and bread products, Breakfast cereals, Cakes, Biscuits may contain lactose.

The lactose levels of some common foods:

1. Glass of milk (200ml)                 9g lactose

2. Carton of yogurt (125g)            5.9g lactose

3. Fromage Frais (60g)                  1.8g lactose

4. Cheddar cheese (30g)                0g lactose

5. Cottage cheese (40g)                  1.2g lactose

6. Milk chocolate bar (54g)            5.5g lactose

7. Bowl of rice pudding (200g)      7.8g lactose

  LACTOSE OVERLOAD and LACTOSE INTOLERANCE

Lactose overload and lactose intolerance are not the same. Lactose overload not related to the production of lactase. Lactose overload happens when a baby fed with large amounts of lactose containing diet at one time and having problem to digest. Overloading your baby with both breast milk and cow's milk or formula meal can cause an injured gut, which leads to signs of lactose intolerance.

How To Avoid Lactose Intolerance Due To Lactose Overload?

v  Hence, do not overload the young tummy with too many types of milk.

v  Breast milk is more than sufficient for a baby. You can always choose to stop the formula milk or cow's milk instead to avoid possibility of lactose overload.

v  If symptoms of lactose overload perceived in your child, ensure to feed your baby a position so that sucks all the milk from each breast.

v  Make your baby to feed from one breast only for a 4-hour slot before moving onto your other breast for the next 4-hours.

v  If you suspect over-feeding is causing the overload, avoid to feed more often than every three hours.

Does Breast Milk Also Cause Lactose Intolerance?

As stated earlier babies with congenital lactose intolerance (lack in lactase-the lactose digestive enzyme), need a specially formulated lactose-free diet. Consult your doctor to make sure of congenital lactose intolerance before stop breastfeeding or switch to formulas.

However, for a breastfed baby with secondary lactose Intolerance never substitute breast milk with lactose free formula. For a breastfed baby with secondary lactose intolerance caused by gastroenteritis, you should be able to continue breastfeeding. Since breast milk has so many essential nutrients and lactose is good for your baby’s growth, weaning is not recommended. Usually your child tolerate small amount of lactose present in breast milk and breast-feeding will help the baby to increase the ability to produce more lactate. Usually secondary lactose intolerance is noticed when something that has irritated the gut and breast milk can help your baby’s gut to heal.

The intolerance to lactose is generally from the cow's milk or formula prepared with it. So if a baby is lactose intolerance do not stop breastfeeding. Breastfed baby may have allergy to cow’s milk protein, if the lactating mother removes cow’s milk protein from her diet, the secondary lactose intolerance in her baby will wane.

Do You Have Food Intolerance? FOOD ALLERGY or FOOD INTOLERANCE

 Lactose Intolerance In Breastfed Babies

Switch the baby to soy based formula. Soy protein based formula milk contains corn syrup solids rather than lactose and this can be given to these babies. Even some formulated lactose-free diet may contain cow’s milk protein. Be sure that your baby is not allergic to cow’s milk protein before feeding your baby. Consult a pediatric dietitian to choose the correct formula diet that contains all the essential nutrients for your baby growth.