Colic in infants is fussiness and crying that goes on for more than three hours each day and is unexplainable by disease or injury. Colic usually first appears at around 3 weeks old, peaks at 4 to 6 weeks, and starts to improve after that. According to Dr. Neil K. Kaneshiro of the University of Washington School of Medicine, approximately 20 percent of infants have colic. Colic is sometimes attributable to your baby's consumption of milk proteins, either through your breast milk or through milk-based baby formula.
Lactose
Lactose, or milk sugar, is a substance in all types of milk that can cause gastrointestinal problems. Dr. Alan Greene reports that approximately 80 percent of people older than 3 worldwide and 15 percent of Caucasian Americans are lactose intolerant. It's unusual for an infant to be lactose intolerant because babies make an enzyme called lactase that helps them digest lactose. This means lactose is usually not the cause of your baby's colic.
Milk Protein
Cow's milk protein, in the form of casein and whey, are substances in milk that can cause digestive problems and colic in infants. Dr. Greene reports that up to 7.5 percent of otherwise healthy babies are intolerant to cow's milk protein. In contrast to lactose intolerance, cow's milk protein intolerance is common in newborns and starts to disappear with age. Your baby is more likely to have trouble processing milk protein if you have a family history of asthma, allergies or eczema.
Feeding Method
Babies found to be intolerant to cow's milk protein should avoid cow's milk-based formula and stick to soy-based varieties. Your baby can also react to cow's milk protein that you consume and pass on during breastfeeding. Consider eliminating cow's milk and cow's milk products from your diet to see if milk protein is the cause of your baby's colic. If milk protein intolerance is the problem, it can take up to three weeks to notice an improvement in your baby's colic after you eliminate cow's milk from your diet.
Breastfeeding Considerations
If you eliminate cow's milk from your diet, it's important to replace the calcium that cow's milk provides. If you don't replace the recommended daily allowance of 1200mg of calcium every day, it will be pulled from your bones. Calcium is in vitamin supplements and other foods, including dark green vegetables, bok choi, sesame seeds, tofu and sardines.
Special Populations
Premature babies are sometimes temporarily lactose intolerant until their bodies start to produce lactase. Full-term babies sometimes develop temporary lactose intolerance after having diarrhea, which causes them to lose lactase. You can give lactose-intolerant babies lactose-free cow's milk or soy-based formulas. Dr. Greene warns that up to 20 percent of infants with cow's milk protein sensitivities are also intolerant of soy.
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