Lactose deficiency is one of the most popular diagnoses that young mothers hear today. Moreover, the disease is relatively new, the previous generation of women - ladies of 40-50 years old - have not heard of this yet. The disease is quite serious, because it is associated with the baby's nutrition, which is not so diverse. Therefore, the first problem faced by mothers of children with lactose deficiency is what to feed the baby.
Lactose deficiency is a disease characterized by the inability of the child's body to tolerate milk sugar (in fact, lactose). This is due to the fact that practically no enzyme is produced to break it down. As a result, food does not go to the baby for future use.
Lactose is found in many dairy products. These are milk formulas, fermented milk products, and, of course, breast milk. There are several types of lactose deficiency: primary, secondary and transient.
In the first case, such a disease is often hereditary. The transient variant occurs when the baby is premature, and his body, due to its immaturity, cannot properly respond to the nutrients supplied to it.
Transient lactose deficiency can go away on its own when the child grows up a little and reaches full-term. Indeed, at this moment, enzymes will begin to be produced in proper quantities.
As for secondary lactose deficiency, it can be a consequence of a variety of diseases that develop early in a baby's life. The list of causes includes dysbiosis, food allergies, various intestinal problems, infectious diseases, etc.
How to recognize
The fact that the baby may have lactose deficiency is indicated by some symptoms that are quite difficult to confuse with others. So, for example, if your baby has frequent, frothy stools that are also quite runny, bloating, and restless feeding behavior, you may begin to suspect that he or she is lactose intolerant. Your baby's stool may have an unpleasant, sour smell. And in some cases, you can observe mucus, greens and lumps of undigested food in it.
If you suspect that your baby may be lactose deficient, contact your doctor for a referral for a “feces for carbon” test.
You should not be nervous and panic, because the disease is not fatal. But still, you need to deal with treatment. The main difficulty is the selection of adequate nutrition.
Nutrition for a child with lactose deficiency
The main problem that mothers face when a child is lactose deficient is the baby's nutrition. After all, you have to exclude from the diet that which formed the basis of his diet - milk.
However, this does not mean at all that you will have to say goodbye to breastfeeding. You can continue to breastfeed while giving your baby lactase preparations to help the body break down lactose. True, in very advanced cases, if the child continues to suffer, it is necessary to give up breastfeeding and switch to formula.
If the child is bottle-fed, it is a little simpler here. Modern manufacturers offer a huge number of formulas designed for feeding babies who have been diagnosed with lactose intolerance.
Next, you will have to take into account the diagnosis of the baby and, as he grows up, think about how it will be possible to replace milk and other fermented milk products that are introduced during feeding, and how else you can diversify the baby's menu.
The older a person gets, the more chances that his body will be rebuilt. So, many adults suffering from lactose deficiency allow themselves to drink milk, but a little bit.
The only thing worth considering is that you cannot switch too abruptly from one form of nutrition to another. If you decide to stop breastfeeding, transfer your baby to formula for 3-4 days. The same rule applies to the transition from one mixture to another. Otherwise, the baby's body will not have time to tune in and may give you a reaction in the form of allergies or indigestion.
