Dairy Free Baby Formula

[jwhitty]

Hi there,

I was diagnosed with celiac a few summers ago and have worked with my doctor to heal my body so I could have a baby, which thankfully happened two weeks ago! I have a healthy baby boy, but I’m struggling with breastfeeding and looking at formula options. Most of what I’m seeing is either dairy or soy based. I don’t love or trust soy, really, but dairy is also a question mark because part of my work with my doctor was eliminating dairy in my own diet for six months prior to conceiving and for the duration of my pregnancy. So the baby has never been exposed to dairy through me, and knowing he’s a baby of a celiac makes it more likely that he can’t tolerate dairy himself. Right? 

Wondering if any mothers out there have navigated this challenge before. My doctor recommended introducing dairy back into my own diet six weeks after birth and learning his usual digestion so it would be more obvious if it was impacting him in a negative way. But we didn’t talk about formula or introducing him to it directly. 
 

help?

[Scott Adams]

I don't believe that your son would necessarily have issues with dairy simply because you have celiac disease, but it might be possible. He has a ~44% chance of also having celiac disease, according to a recent Mayo Clinic study, so you need to be very careful when you first start feeding him gluten, but to me it seems like trying the dairy formula should be fine. Be sure to ask your doctor about this just in case.

[Wheatwacked]

Congratulations!  Only one choice. Nutramigen. It saved my infant son when he was diagnosed Celiac Disease after weaning in 1976 and is still the best.  Hypoallergenic and has 100% essential nutrients.  Also no heavy metals.

Edited June 19, 2023 by Wheatwacked

[trents]

Welcome to the forum, jwhitty!

It is not uncommon for celiacs to not tolerate dairy well, either because of the lactose in milk (the sugar) or the protein, casein. Did you actually determine with your doctor that you are one of those or did you just eliminate it because because it was on the list of common problem foods for celiacs? Was the elimination of dairy done solely because of the possibility that it was contributing to child bearing issues or because it was causing other symptoms? Many celiacs who actually did have dairy issues before diagnosis and going gluten free find they can reintroduce dairy safely at a later date when they have experienced a good amount of gut healing? I have the same question about your elimination of soy in your diet. Was it a statistical hunch or did you determine it was actually causing issues? You say you were diagnosed two summers ago. Coincidentally, it often takes about two years to experience full healing of the gut after going gluten free.

Also, for the same reason I have a question about whether or not you need to eliminate soy and dairy from your baby's formula. Many older studies pegged the chance of someone having celiac disease at 10% if a first degree relative (parents, siblings or offspring) had it. A couple of large, more recent studies found a much higher incidence among first degree relatives, almost 50%. Perhaps the true incidence is somewhere in between. And it may be fair to say many or most celiacs have no problems with dairy. Are you being overly cautious here, operating on assumptions?

Edited June 19, 2023 by trents

[jwhitty]

@trents The dairy thing started because my doctor (who also has celiac) said my gut would heal faster if I eliminated both gluten and dairy at the start of my diagnosis, mostly to just cut way back on inflammation. We did that and watched the numbers go down on my labs. When I reintroduced dairy about six months later, my numbers went back up. But it wasn't because dairy was determined as an allergy for me. I think it's just from inflammation. The same thing has happened because my OB put me on daily Baby Aspirin during pregnancy. It sort of wrecked my gut and my twice-a-year celiac labs looked like I had been eating gluten because of it, even though I'd been very very careful all through pregnancy. I really hate living without dairy and feel that as long as it's not doing the same damage that gluten does, it's worth some inflammation. The stress of avoiding dairy causes enough inflammation by itself! 😅 So the doctor's idea was to wait to reintroduce dairy to my own diet so I could get a feel for my son's regular digestion and then know if something was disrupted from my own dairy consumption. 

The soy thing is because a nurse at the hospital told me to hold off introducing soy as long as possible. I don't remember exactly why because I was in such a fog of exhaustion, but I don't do a lot of soy in my own diet because it seems to upset my stomach a bit. 

It's entirely possible I'm being too cautious here. I hate to think of introducing a formula that will make my son sick, even if we can simply transition and look for something else. Maybe that's just how it goes. 

Coincidentally, a friend sent me a link to Holle Goat Milk formula which is free of cow's milk and might be worth looking into as an alternative.

[eKatherine]

Some people are so sensitive to grains and soybeans that they react to the proteins that animals fed these pass into meat, dairy products, poultry, and eggs. I can eat some dairy products (pastured yogurt and most cheeses) and pastured eggs, but get serious inflammation from non-pastured products. 

[trents]

23 minutes ago, eKatherine said:

Some people are so sensitive to grains and soybeans that they react to the proteins that animals fed these pass into meat, dairy products, poultry, and eggs. I can eat some dairy products (pastured yogurt and most cheeses) and pastured eggs, but get serious inflammation from non-pastured products. 

I don't believe that to be the case. Proteins are broken down in digestion and reconstructed to meet the body's needs. Can you supply links to some good scientific evidence to support that claim? We have dealt with that idea many times on this forum in relation  to cows eating gluten-containing grains and causing celiac reactions in those who consume their meat.

[eKatherine]

8 minutes ago, trents said:

I don't believe that to be the case. Proteins are broken down in digestion and reconstructed to meet the body's needs. Can you supply links to some good scientific evidence to support that claim? We have dealt with that idea many times on this forum in relation  to cows eating gluten-containing grains and causing celiac reactions in those who consume their meat.

If gluten were broken down in digestion, we wouldn't be reacting to them. 

The natural diet of chickens, cattle, and pigs is not corn, wheat, and soy. GMO is also a factor. I suggest you check out the writings of Dr. Steven Grundy. The most sensitive people may react to grain-fed meat. I was unable to eat eggs for years without an inflammatory response until I discovered pastured eggs last year. Now I can eat as many eggs as I want. 

[trents]

1 hour ago, eKatherine said:

If gluten were broken down in digestion, we wouldn't be reacting to them.

The reaction starts to happen before it is broken down. You would not find gluten in the blood or tissues that is fed by blood. Links, please, to reputable scientific evidence.

[Wheatwacked]

How does the baby father stack up in regards to all of this?  Has he been tested?  Does he eat gluten free?  Aside from the gastrointestinal issues, Celiac autoimmune disorders mimic some 300 other symptoms, and the risk for other autoimmune disorders is statistically increased. Type 1 Diabetes. "The estimated prevalence of celiac disease in patients with type 1 diabetes is approximately 6%. Most patients with both conditions have asymptomatic celiac disease, or symptoms that may be confused for symptoms of their diabetes. Diabetes and Celiac Disease " The damage is irreversible.  Given your issues, and issues with breastfeeding, it would make sense to me to continue to protect him from allergens for as long as possible.  At least until his own immune system becomes active at around three months old.  Introducing soy and cow milk at this point would put stresses on him that his infant body is simply not ready for.

Below are the nutritional breakdown of several baby formulas that I did comparing them.  The RDA percentages are for an adult consuming 400 grams a day but a 12.6 ounce can of Nutramigen LGG will yield 89 fluid ounces, when prepared per label directions. Your story reminds me so much of our story, so I am adding from my experience.

12 hours ago, jwhitty said:

The stress of avoiding dairy causes enough inflammation by itself!

Modern dairies use palmitic acid supplement in the feed to increase milk fat and volume of milk produced by about 25%. This raises the omega 6 (inflammatory fatty acid) to omega 3 ratio to 5:1.  Organic dairy is 3:1. 100% Grassfed dairy is 1:1.  Less inflammatory and it tastes better.  Overall the standard American diet is up around 20:1.  Sweet potato are 17:1, by the way.  Russet potato, with about the same vitamin and mineral profile, is only 4:1.  Yet, sweet potato are purported to be the healthier choice?  For the vitamin A, carrots and red leaf lettuce are the better choice from an inflammation standpoint.

 

[knitty kitty]

@eKatherine,

On 6/19/2023 at 8:25 PM, eKatherine said:

Some people are so sensitive to grains and soybeans that they react to the proteins that animals fed these pass into meat, dairy products, poultry, and eggs. I can eat some dairy products (pastured yogurt and most cheeses) and pastured eggs, but get serious inflammation from non-pastured products. 

People are more likely to be reacting to the high levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, in animals raised in crowded conditions.

Cattle fed in crowded feedlots contain higher levels of cortisol than cattle allowed to graze in pastures.  Dairy cows have higher levels of cortisol in their milk if not allowed to graze.  Same with chickens and pigs raised in confined quarters.  

Animals allowed to graze and have more space have lower levels of cortisol.  

[Russ H]

On 6/20/2023 at 2:52 AM, trents said:

I don't believe that to be the case. Proteins are broken down in digestion and reconstructed to meet the body's needs. Can you supply links to some good scientific evidence to support that claim? We have dealt with that idea many times on this forum in relation  to cows eating gluten-containing grains and causing celiac reactions in those who consume their meat.

Exactly. Undigested proteins are excreted in the stool, they don't get into the meat or dairy products.