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Sophia’s Story: having a baby with CMPA (Cow’s Milk Protein Allergy)
Symptoms
I first realised something was wrong with my daughter as she was a very grizzly baby who was very sick after every breastfeed. She also had green, mucussy poo and her weight gain was very slow at first and she was dropping centiles despite spending the majority of the day feeding. I took her to the doctors but her symptoms were initially dismissed by the GP & HV as colic and reflux. One GP clearly didn't understand that I was breastfeeding and couldn't give me any advice other than to use a bottle with a slow flow teat.
I was backwards and forwards to The Breastfeeding Café in Ashford's Clarendon Children's Centre to rule out any issues. We were also referred to the hospital to check for tongue tie or any other abnormalities which may have been causing the slow weight gain and other symptoms.
Diagnosis
At six months old, after taking her to the GP several times, I insisted that they do some investigation. We were referred to a Paediatrician and then on to Dietitian who confirmed CMPA (Cow’s Milk Protein Allergy). We cut out dairy and soya in both diets and saw huge improvement.
Reaction from some people was very frustrating as lots of people dismissed it as 'everyone has an allergy these days' and don't understand how CMPA differs from lactose intolerance.
Breastfeeding with CMPA
The relatively late diagnosis caused a slight problem in that there was a very slim chance that she would never take the dairy free formula (it's very bitter and apparently once babies have tried solid foods and realise there's a variety of tastes they will likely reject it) so I decided to breastfeed until she was ready to stop.
The NHS guidance is that CMPA babies need breastmilk or formula until at least 2 years old, however with my daughter self-weaning at 17 months there was no way she was going to take the formula. Our dietitian agreed at her last appointment that she was fine to go on to soya growing up milk and recommend the supplements that may be needed alongside it.
Introducing Solids
I was nervous about weaning but she took to it really well and loved everything I fed her. It was so refreshing after having troubles with my older son when he was weaning. We just all went dairy free and I fed her family meals.
There are lots of blogs and support groups with recipe recommendations and advice which can be helpful. Visit: www.CMPAsupport.org.uk or www.allergyuk.org
by Sophia Smith