9 Cow’s Milk Protein Allergy Questions to Ask Your Doctor

Article Summary:

• Make your little one’s doctor’s appointments more productive by having the right questions prepared in advance.
• Asking the right questions about CMPA (Cow’s Milk Protein Allergy) can help you manage it.
• You might want to ask your doctor about the best formula for your baby, how long CMPA lasts and how it’s diagnosed.

What Is Cow’s Milk Protein Allergy?

Learning more about this allergy can help you manage it. Ask your doctor what cow’s milk protein allergy is: it’s one of the most common food allergies in infants, and it happens when your baby’s immune system reacts to the proteins in milk.¹ CMPA can result in immediate (IgE) or delayed (non-IgE) symptoms.²

Could My Child’s Symptoms Be Caused by Cow’s Milk Allergy?

Common cow’s milk protein allergy symptoms include blood in stool, regurgitation, vomiting, rashes, diarrhea and colic.¹ Refusing to eat, poor growth and irritability may also be symptoms of cow’s milk protein allergy.¹ If you notice these symptoms, it’s possible that your child may have cow’s milk protein allergy.

Is Cow’s Milk Protein Allergy the Same as Lactose Intolerance?

Cow’s milk protein allergy is often confused with lactose intolerance.¹ Cow’s milk protein allergy is an allergic reaction to the protein in milk, while lactose intolerance is when the body has trouble digesting lactose, a natural sugar found in milk.¹ Lactose intolerance isn’t common in babies, and lactose-free milk won’t be helpful for a baby with CMPA.¹

How Long Does Cow’s Milk Protein Stay in Breastmilk?

If you breastfeed and consume dairy, it’s possible for cow’s milk protein to pass to your little one.³ If you suspect that your baby has cow’s milk protein allergy, stop eating foods that contain milk.³ If you have dairy, avoid breastfeed your baby for 7 days after consuming it.⁴ Talk to your doctor to learn more about how long dairy can stay in breastmilk.

Does Formula Contain Cow’s Milk Protein?

Cow’s milk protein is often found in infant formulas.⁵ Babies with a cow’s milk protein allergy should be fed an extensively hydrolyzed formula, a type of formula that breaks cow’s milk protein into very small pieces.³ This means your baby’s immune system is much less likely to recognize the cow’s milk protein and cause an allergic response. Work with your healthcare provider to find the best formula for your baby.

Take control of common cow's milk protein allergy concerns* such as colic^, eczema, vomiting and diarrhea** with Nutramigen® A+® with LGG®. Talk to your doctor if you suspect your baby has cow’s milk protein allergy.

What Is the Benefit of LGG® Probiotic for a Baby with Cow’s Milk Allergy?

Nutramigen® is the only hypoallergenic formula with LGG® probiotic. LGG® is clinically shown to promote gut health and support the immune system. Nutramigen® A+® with LGG® also contains DHA, a type of Omega-3 fat and an important building block of the brain. Learn more about LGG® formula.⁶

How Is Cow’s Milk Protein Allergy Diagnosed?

To diagnose CMPA, your doctor may recommend an oral food challenge (OFC).¹ This involves removing cow’s milk from your baby’s diet.¹ If your child is formula-fed, you’ll have to try an extensively hydrolyzed formula.¹ If your little one’s symptoms improve, cow’s milk protein is introduced again to see if there are recurring symptoms.¹ If your baby starts showing allergy symptoms again, this confirms a cow’s milk protein diagnosis.¹

Depending on your child’s symptoms, your healthcare provider may also recommend a skin prick test or a serum-specific IgE test to diagnose cow’s milk protein allergy.⁷ You might want to ask your doctor about different types of allergy tests to weigh their pros and cons.

What Dietary Changes Are Required for a Baby with Cow’s Milk Allergy?

It’s important that you avoid giving your baby any milk products until their cow’s milk protein allergy resolves.¹ Feed your child an extensively hydrolyzed formula, which contains broken-down proteins that are less likely to cause an immune system reaction.² If you breastfeed, you’ll need to remove dairy from your diet, too.³

Is It Possible to Outgrow This Allergy?

The good news is that cow’s milk protein allergy usually resolves by 1 to 6 years of age.⁸ Make sure you talk to your healthcare provider before reintroducing dairy to your child’s diet.¹

Having the right questions prepared for an upcoming doctor’s appointment can make your next visit more fruitful and productive. Visit the Allergy Centre to learn more about cow’s milk protein allergy.

* HCPs evaluated infants with suspected cow's milk protein allergy by the follow-up visit and reported improvement in infants with the following common symptoms observed in the current study: 90% improvement in diarrhea, 74% improvement in reflux/regurgitation, 86% improvement in vomiting, 95% improvement in bloody stools, and 86% improvement in rash/eczema.

** within 3-6 weeks between initial and follow-up visits.

^ 90% infants experienced relief within 48 hrs, due to cow's milk protein allergy.

1. https://cdhf.ca/en/digestive-conditions/cows-milk-allergy/
2. http://gikids.org/digestive-topics/cows-milk-protein-allergy/
3. https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/assets/info/nutrition/if-nfs-milk-allergy-birth-to-3-years.pdf
4. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28222656/
5. https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-topics/cows-milk-protein-allergy-babies
6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK542243/
7. https://cps.ca/en/documents/position/cows-milk-protein-allergy