Understanding the Causes of Cow Milk Allergies and How to Overcome It

There are about 8 percent of babies suffering from cow's milk allergy. One type of food allergy occurs because the immune system reacts to the protein content found in cow's milk. Then, what are the symptoms and how to overcome them? Medical conditions, lifestyle, or the lack of breast milk sometimes makes mothers unable to give milk to their babies, until finally the choice fell on formula milk. But if a child is allergic to cow's milk, he will not be able to consume regular formula milk. The following are some of the symptoms and signs of a child having cow's milk allergy.

Symptoms of Cow Milk Allergy in Children

To find out if your child is suffering from cow's milk allergy, try to check his condition after drinking milk. If after consuming cow's milk, your face looks red, rashes, vomiting, diarrhea, runny eyes, nasal congestion, wheezing, or shortness of breath, you should be suspicious that your child is suffering from cow's milk allergy. But keep in mind, the symptoms and signs of allergies do not always arise immediately after drinking cow's milk. Symptoms may appear some time later. Immediately consult your child to the pediatrician if he experiences these symptoms, to determine whether he suffers from allergies. The doctor will do an allergy test, either through a blood or skin check, to find out what substances trigger an allergic reaction in your child. If the test results show that he is allergic to cow's milk, no need to panic. You only need to avoid giving cow's milk or its processed products, such as cheese or butter, to Little One. For mothers who breastfeed, avoiding the consumption of foods containing cow's milk and its processed products also need to be done, because what is consumed by the mother can affect the content of breast milk consumed by the child.

Choosing Milk for Children Sufferers of Cow Milk Allergy

Many parents are worried when they find out their child is suffering from cow's milk allergy. This worry arises because parents feel afraid that the nutritional needs of children to support growth and development are not met properly. But actually you do not need to worry too much, because there are various ways to meet the nutritional needs of children who suffer from cow's milk allergy. One way is to provide hypoallergenic formula milk. Hypoallergenic formula milk is safe for consumption by children who suffer from cow's milk allergy, because the protein in milk has been broken down into smaller particles so that it does not trigger allergic reactions. At present, there is also hypoallergenic milk which is not derived from cow's milk, but directly contains amino acids. This amino acid formula milk is safer to consume for sufferers of cow's milk allergy, while also being able to provide energy and nutrition to support the growth and development of children well. If there are no obstacles to breastfeeding, the risk of an allergic reaction to cow's milk in children can actually be minimized by exclusive breastfeeding, which can then be continued until the child is 2 years old. Even so, mothers still need to pay attention to the food they consume so that allergy-triggering substances are not absorbed into breast milk and consumed by children.