Saga Of The Rash: Cow Milk Protein Allergy

So the dreaded rash, Mr. R, chose baby A’s bum as his abode.

Not a big deal ya! Mr. R visits almost every tot. I had read about it in almost  every parenting blog. I phoned my ever-busy hubby who was then in Paris to notify about Mr. R’s entry. He did some investigation like a good father and asked me to get a Sudo cream. Tada! Sudo cream worked its magic and Mr. R started to disappear  making baby A slightly settled. Then came the night – the night of howling, crying and sobbing accompanied by projectiles of vomits and episodes of diarrhea. Poor Baby A was terrified, as Mr. R had now taken over her bum.

The next morning I fixed an appointment with the doctor. He told that my baby was colicky and scolded me for using too many diapers on baby A, which was far from reality. I always gave diaper free time to Baby A. Nevertheless, I decided to stop using diapers altogether. My poor dressing table that once bragged Mac and Chanel, was now exhibiting antifungal ointments and antifungal creams. Debugging began on Baby A’s bum. Some did with technical expertise and the others with “gharelu ilaaj”. But Mr. R was adamant. He did not go away. I prayed, I chanted and even bribed Mr. R and offered him my own bum, but alas! Mr R was harsh and stubborn. He was multiplying like anything. Most of the doctors asked me to wait as the rash takes time to ebb.

Then one day, Baby A bawled uninterruptedly and turned blue. I grabbed her and took her to the doctor. This time I was advised to stop my consumption of dairy. What doctor suspected now was cow milk protein allergy.

None of the family members believed that Baby A could suffer from this allergy. They heard about this allergy for the first time and in fact encouraged me to have dairy, as I was exclusively breastfeeding.

Things started to deteriorate and Baby A cried profusely. I decided firmly that I would go on an elimination diet. Kicking out Mr. R was my objective now. Mr. R was undervaluing the power of a new mom. I could do anything to shoo him away.

The voyage of dairy free life started that included non consumption of butter, ghee, milk, cheese, curd, ice-cream, reading of food labels carefully if they had any milk solids, switching to soy, cutting down on dinner dates and eating home cooked food.

It’s been 4 months that I am off dairy and Mr. R has disappeared.

No, I don’t miss eating dairy products as all I see now is an ecstatic and a playful child.

I am glad that I took a stance and worked towards kicking off Mr. R from baby’s bum.

What is Cow Milk Protein Allergy?

CMPA, in layman terms, is nothing but a reaction to cow milk protein, by the immune system. The reaction can cause an injury to the stomach and intestines. Do not mix it up with lactose intolerance.

Symptoms:

CMPA symptoms are very diverse. Skin rash, vomiting, abdominal pain, blood in stool and diarrhea to name a few.

Diagnosis:

You should see a doctor if your child has any one of the above symptoms.

Also, the doctor would see the child’s condition once you are put on an elimination diet.

This is how I shooed away Mr. R from Baby’s A bum. Have you heard about CMPA?

Disclaimer: This is only an informative post. Please consult your doctor and do not do any self-diagnosis.

Also read: Common Allergies In Babies And How To Identify Them

Explore the entire collection of articles: Baby Care

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