Understanding Baby Formula

The only way to cure a baby whose colic is caused by an allergy to milk is to take the baby off of milk and put him or her on a hypoallergenic formula. The problem is that the market is glutted with all kinds of different formulas. How do you know which one is best for your colicky baby?

Most mothers feed their baby a standard based formula. Standard infant formula is made of cow's mill protein. This can cause some confusion for parents who are told to never give cow's milk to a baby before her first birthday. This is because milk protein is very irritating to the young human intestinal tract.

As the vegetarians say, ' I am not a baby cow!'

When companies make this formula they break down the cow casein and why protein and modify it in a way so that it is nutritionally appropriate. Still your child's body may react to the proteins in standard formula. In fact this type of formula is one of the biggest villains when it comes to causing colic in babies all over the world and why donations of formula to third world countries are also frowned upon by some experts in children's poverty.

This is because formula is not a universal solution to hunger. If it is the wrong type it can make a child sick – as in give it severe colic.

In order to create formulas for the protein allergic infant manufacturers go a step or two further with milk protein, They heat and treat it (called hydrolyzing) the protein to break it down into smaller chunks. After protein is hydrolyzed the body has difficulty recognizing the cow protein and the baby does not have the allergic reaction. These formulas are the hypoallergenic formlaes.

The drawback of these formulas is that they really smell. This is because when proteins are broken down they cause an odor. The odor is often compared to old, cold hamburger that has been stored at the back of the fridge for a few weeks.

If your baby doesn't like the taste of this type of formula then you can try adding a drop of vanilla extract or a half packet of NutraSweet Sugar substitute to make it taste better. Don't add sugar to it as it can cause diarrhea.

Yet another drawback is that this formula is really expensive. The cost of standard hypoallergenic formula runs from about $350 a month for a typical infant.

Some babies cannot tolerate the hypoallergenic formula, which means you have to go to a super hypoallergenic formula. In these formulas the proteins are broken even further down. Sometimes these formulas are also called completely hydrolyzed formal. It contains not a trace of intact protein.

These super hypoallergenic formulas are even more expensive then the hypoallergenic ones. They are also even smellier. However for the infant that has an inflamed intestine this formula may be just what the doctor ordered.

Soy does happen to be a fine nutritional alternative to breast milk and standard formula if your baby can tolerate it. However soymilk can also cause acid reflux symptoms if your child just happens to be allergic to soy!

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What is a Milk Protein Allergy?

Milk protein allergy is best described as irritation or inflammation that occurs in a baby's intestinal tract in reaction to protein exposure.

Milk (and most foods) is made up of there major components – protein, fat and sugar. It's the protein part of the milk that gives allergic babies a problem. These proteins are made up of large chains of amino acids which are the building blocks of protein Sometimes the body reacts to certain sequences that these amino acids form and the result is milk protein allergy.

Whether or not your baby will react to milk protein depends whether or not his or her immune system perceives the protein as a problem. If it does it will recruit white blood cells to the lining of the intestinal tract. These white blood cells release chemicals making the GI tract red, swollen and ulcerated. This, of course, can cause your baby great pain!

The two proteins most often responsible for reactions in babies are those found in cow's milk – casein and whey. The protein whey used in standard infant formulas comes to cow's milk. It isn't intact or whole protein but it is cow's milk protein nonetheless.

Even if you are breastfeeding your baby you are not safe from passing on a cow's milk allergy to your baby. Infants can react to proteins found in our milk.

Between two and eight weeks of age the typical baby with milk allergies shows some combination of the following symptoms –

· Bloody stools – Infants with milk protein allergy often have blood-streaked stools. Not all blood in baby's stools is visible and you may have to have the stools analyzed to detect it.

· Mucus production – The colon, like the vagina, sinuses and lungs is a mucus-producing organ. When there is a milk protein allergy your baby may excrete thick, stringy mucus that mixes in with stools.

· Cramping and fussing – Babies with ulcerated intestines tend to be very crabby. That is because they are experiencing painful spasms in their intestines that may be dismissed as just colic.

· Diarrhea – When the bowel is not happy it produces diarrhea. Diarrhea is caused by the inflammation of the intestinal walls.

· Excema – This is dry scaly patches of skin that are found on the extremities. Dry weather and excessive bathing of the baby can make matters worse. If your baby's eczema is milk induced you will notice a marked improvement within two to four weeks after changing to a hypoallergenic formula. Infants with eczema due to milk allergy do have a more intense case of allergic inflammation.

· Wheezing and congestion – Like eczema, wheezing and chronic nasal congestion are often described as symptoms of milk allergy but in most babies they aren't a problem. For most babies the reaction to milk protein occurs at the lining of the intestinal organs.

If you suspect your child has a milk protein allergy consult him or her right away so your formula can be adjusted.

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