A mother left a message asking me:
Teacher Wang, my baby is 3 months old, from the second month, she is not very normal to breastfeed, eat less than before, and often have diarrhea. Go to the hospital to check and learn that she is allergic to milk protein, the doctor recommends eating hydrolyzed protein formula, can you eat it for a long time?
Judging from the baby's performance, it belongs to the protein allergy in "pathological anorexia". It mainly refers to the baby's intolerance or allergy to cow's milk protein, and abdominal discomfort after feeding, so he refuses to drink milk. For babies with protein allergies, they need to change to hydrolyzed protein formula in time.
01 How should my baby be fed if he is allergic to cow's milk protein?
Special formulas, including moderate, deeply hydrolyzed protein formulas and amino acid formulas, should be selected under the guidance of a physician.
Hydrolyzed protein formula is a special process to turn the hypermolecular proteins in milk that cause allergies into low-allergenic small molecule proteins, which can reduce the risk of allergies in babies. Amino acid formula is also known as a "non-sensitive formula". Insensitivity refers to the possibility that the ingredients contained do not cause any allergies, and is mainly suitable for dietary treatment of cow's milk protein allergy or multiple food protein allergies.
02 Can hydrolyzed protein milk powder be eaten for a long time?
The answer is: no!
The function of the baby's organs is constantly developing and perfecting, and most babies can be desensitized as they age.
"Chinese Infant Milk Protein Allergy Diagnosis and Treatment Inquiry Recommendations": Milk protein avoidance usually lasts for 3 to 6 months, and should be re-evaluated before deciding whether to resume the routine diet, including skin prick test or specific IgE, milk protein provocation test.
The reason why special formula milk powder is "special" is because it is designed for special groups of people, so people who do not belong to special circumstances should eat ordinary formulas or natural foods.
Hydrolyzed protein is an ingredient that does not exist in breast milk, if a healthy baby eats it for a long time, it may affect the development of intestinal function and the establishment of its own immune system, in addition, the unpleasant taste may also lead to the baby not eating much.
Therefore, parents must not think that hydrolyzed protein milk powder is "good digestion" and have been drinking, just like after adding complementary foods, eating mushy food is just a transition.
When your child drinks deep hydrolyzed formula after 6 months of complete improvement in allergy symptoms, he can gradually switch to moderate hydrolyzed formula after the doctor's evaluation; after 3-6 months of observation, without any discomfort symptoms, and normal growth and development, he can gradually switch to ordinary formula.
03 How to transition hydrolyzed protein milk powder to partially hydrolyzed/regular formula milk powder?
After the new and old milk powder is mixed, the proportion of new milk powder gradually increases.
Example:
Your baby drinks 180 ml of milk in one meal, and the first time he adds a new formula, just try 30 ml.
Punching method:
Mix 150 ml of old milk powder and 30 ml of new milk powder and mix them together. Observe for 3-7 days, if there is no discomfort and then gradually increase the proportion of new milk powder.
In this process, parents must be patient and pay attention to carefully observe whether the child has symptoms of discomfort.
Studies have shown that a child who grows up breastfeeding for a long time not only has a low incidence of allergies, but also reduces the chance of allergies to other foods, and will continue at least until adolescence. Breast milk is the safest food for your baby, so if possible, feed it for as long as possible!
If you can't stick to breast milk for various reasons, you should also choose the milk powder that is closest to breast milk for your baby. When encountering feeding problems, be sure to pass the assessment of a specialist or dietitian and follow the scientific feeding method.
Parents and mothers, do you all understand the little knowledge about whether hydrolyzed protein milk powder can be eaten for a long time? Healthy babies who are not allergic to milk protein do not need to drink hydrolyzed protein milk powder. When encountering feeding problems, be sure to pass the assessment of a specialist or dietitian and follow the scientific feeding method.
About author:Wang Bin, child nutritionist, China registered dietitian, national second-level public nutritionist, national senior nutrition lecturer. Good at combining medicine with modern nutrition knowledge, focusing on the field of maternal and infant nutrition and health, teaching you to feed your children scientifically.