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Conference moira::parenting_v3

Title:	Parenting
Notice:	READ 1.27 BEFORE WRITING
Moderator:	CSC32::DUBOIS

Created:	Wed May 30 1990
Last Modified:	Tue May 27 1997
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	1364
Total number of notes:	23848

1022.0. "IF IT'S NOT THE MILK--THEN WHAT?" by TRACTR::MAZUR () Wed Jul 10 1991 11:05

    
    	I'm wondering what your experiences have been in switching
    your baby/toddler from breast milk/formula to regular whole
    milk.  
    
    	My pedi told me to switch my daughter (11mos) very gradually--
    mixing the milk with the formula.  The first time we tried she
    became incredibly gassy, just with 2 oz of milk mixed with each
    bottle.  We waited a few weeks (per pedi instructions) and tried
    again 6 weeks ago.  We increased the milk amount by 1 oz/week--
    very gradually compared to what I've heard other moms do.  Well,
    six weeks ago we tried other things too...cheese, real bananas--
    more "people" food, you know?   She also began taking vitamins.
    
    	Here's the problem--Alexa has been waking in the night every
    other night or so for the past 5 weeks.  She had an ear check
    on June 12th and she was fine (I know that can change fast though).
    During the day she seems fine--except for one thing that just
    started this week.  We took her totally off of formula this week
    and I noticed that her stools are much looser than normal--not
    more frequent though.
    
    	I've spoken with my pedi at great length about her waking
    during the night.  We don't do anything to encourage this behavior--
    like taking her out of her crib, giving her a bottle, etc.  The pedi 
    thinks that nightmares are a possibility.  But now I'm wondering if 
    she's having trouble digesting the milk.  If this was the case though, 
    wouldn't we see some signs during the day?
    
    	What have your experiences been?  What are symptoms of a
    lactose intolerance/milk intolerance?
    
    	By the way, no one in my husband's family or in my family
    has any type of allergy to milk.
    
    Thanks,
    
    Sheryl

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
1022.1	could be intolerance	TLE::RANDALL		`Wed Jul 10 1991 13:13`	7
	I have a mild lactose intolerance -- I avoid whole milk, but I can handle most cheeses, sour cream, yogurt, ice cream, etc. Your daughter sounds like the way I get when I've had too much dairy product. Stools very loose, sometimes almost like diarrhea, and sometimes trouble sleeping because of the gas pains. --bonnie
1022.2	Things that go bump in the night	KAOFS::S_BROOK	The U word makes me c-sick!	`Wed Jul 10 1991 13:18`	14
	Unless she is in obvious pain in the night, then I's say that the waking is just a typical phase. Possibly a full bladder, wet diaper, a new mid- night noise ... the list goes on and on. I'd be less inclined to believe in milk problems unless there are other obvious gastro-intestinal symptoms and more inclined to look for something else ... These hot nights cause a lot of kids to wake in the night. If you have air conditioning, perhaps the noise or draught might be the culprit. As ever though, if you suspect any medical problem, the best person to ask is your doctor. Stuart
1022.3	not sharp pains, just discomfort	TLE::RANDALL		`Wed Jul 10 1991 13:24`	7
	I don't know that this is true of everybody, Stuart, but the gas cramps that come from mild lactose intolerance don't cause obvious pain. They're kind of a dull ache in the background. And they usually only last for a few minutes, often just long enough to wake me up thoroughly. --bonnie
1022.4	Milk or Food maybe?!	NEWPRT::WAGNER_BA		`Wed Jul 10 1991 14:06`	11
	My guess is that this is a result of her starting on table foods. The system goes through an adjustment period, when new foods start coming through. I remember Chase would get really constipated sometimes on new foods. Also, if you think it might be the milk, and she is eating regular meals, take her off milk for a while to see if she settles down. My doctor told me to do this if any signs whatsoever were shown of allergic reactions. (I was allergic to milk though). As long as they are getting calcium through other avenues. Then you can give a little at a time later and see what happens.
1022.5		KAOFS::S_BROOK	The U word makes me c-sick!	`Wed Jul 10 1991 14:40`	9
	re .3 OK ... point taken ... it's just that there are so many things that can awaken little ones (don't I remember but ah, I'm glad the worst is over!) that I'd be looking for all kinds of other things before assuming something medical ... but then I'm biased too because we have no significant allergies or intolerances in our families. Stuart
1022.6	combination was what made me wonder	TLE::RANDALL		`Wed Jul 10 1991 16:47`	8
	re: .5 It was the combination of loose bowels and night waking that made me think the milk was the most likely candidate. You're right, there are millions of reasons a kid will wake in the middle of the night, including that just being the sleep pattern. --bonnie
1022.7	Lactose-intolerant vs. Alergy to Cow's Milk Protein	JARETH::DIBONA		`Tue Oct 01 1991 13:56`	9
	I have a 13-month old daughter that had/has a problem with whole milk. We've been giving her milk treated with Lactaid, a type of enzyme that partially "digests" the lactose and makes it able for her to tolerate. You place five drops in each quart and let it sit for 24 hours. We have no family history of lactose intolerance in our families, either. Incidentally, the pedi stated that it was better for her to be lactose-intolerant than to be alergic to cow's milk protein. Anyone ever heard of that condition?
1022.8	Did you find out if it was intoloerance?	SHALOT::KOPELIC	Quality is never an accident . . .	`Thu Oct 31 1991 11:48`	12
	so, did you ever find out what it was? The reason I ask is that I just started my daughter on whole milk about 2 weeks ago (at just about 1 yr.) Since then her BMs have bee really loose, lighter in color, and about 3/4 nights she's been up earlier than usual, and is hungry. At first I thought that the change in BMs could be caused by an illness (she had rosiolla (sp?)), or then her ear medicine, but now that is all over with and they have not returned to normal. Could she be intolerant to milk? How would I find out for sure? Thanks, Bev
1022.9	we used 1% milk instead.	WONDER::BAKER		`Fri Nov 01 1991 11:49`	12
	My son Stephen had the same loose, light stools when we tried to switch to whole milk from formula. I tried at 6 months and then tried again at 1year. At 1year I started giving him the 1% lowfat milk and he did fine on that. I think they like the kids to have whole milk because they need the fat, but Stephen was really getting enough fat with the rest of his diet. I think maybe he just couldn't tolerate the fat? He is 3 and 1/2 now and drinks whole milk with no problems. Karin