My daughter has a newborn who is three weeks old. She is breastfeeding her and she has a rash on her face. She is also throwing up her milk. The doctor told my daughter that her baby is allergic to the milk she is drinking. He told her to eat tums, for the calcium, and drink lots of orange juice. Should she avoid milk?
Eczema, or atopic dermatitis in the exclusively breastfed baby (whose sucking and nutritional needs are all met at the breast) has been linked to the mom's consumption of dairy products (Chandra et al., 1986; Jakobsson et al., 1985; Gerrard et al., 1973.) Eczema is a condition where the skin becomes red and itchy, often beginning as a rosy rash on the cheeks. It is most commonly seen in children with a family history of allergy and/or asthma.
Babies at high-risk for atopic dermatitis have been found to greatly benefit from exclusive breastfeeding. Allergies are less common in exclusively breastfed babies.
If you have a family history of allergy, asthma and/or atopic dermatitis, it is wise to avoid dairy products, and other foods you are allergic or sensitive to while breastfeeding (Practice of Pediatrics, 1976.)
Since your daughter's Health Care Provider (HCP) is concerned that dairy products are causing a problem for her nursing baby, she might want to try removing ALL dairy products from her diet for a period of two weeks to see how this impacts her baby's symptoms (rash and spitting up.) Remind her to check all food labels.
Has your daughter's baby taken in anything else but breastmilk? If so, this may very well be playing a part in her baby's symptoms. While avoiding the use of dairy in her diet, it is actually more important to avoid the direct supplementation with formula that may be causing a direct allergic response or sensitivity in the baby. If supplementation is required she should speak with her baby's HCP about using a less allergenic formula, such as Nutramigen. Otherwise it may be very hard to tell if her dietary changes are making a difference.
As early as 1936 the relationship was documented between eczema and the early introduction of cow's milk (formula). Babies fed cow's milk were found to have 7 times the incidence of eczema as breastfed babies. In a 1989 study in the British Journal of Medicine by Chandra et al, it was found that eczema was 22 percent less common in the breastfed baby (when the mother's diet remained unchanged), and 48 percent less common in the breastfed baby (with restricted maternal diet), than in babies who were artificially fed.
When making dietary changes, it is important to be sure all your daughter's nutritional needs are still met. She will need to substitute other protein and calcium rich foods to help fill in the gap if she is no longer consuming dairy products.
The Institute of Medicine's guidelines (August, 1997) recommend that nursing mothers over the age of 18 consume 1,000 mg. of calcium daily - the same as other adults. Calcium can be obtained from food sources other than dairy products. Calcium fortified orange juice is a good choice. Tums would not be my first choice as a source of calcium. Tums, which contains calcium carbonate, is an antacid, and not always well absorbed. If a supplement is needed, calcium citrate is the form most easily absorbed. It is best not to take calcium supplements along with meals. (See my letter, Calcium and breastfeeding moms.) My best wishes for good health to you and your family!
