Breastfeeding
and CMPA
The Gold Standard
for Infants
Mothers of babies with CMPA should continue breastfeeding. Breastmilk contains all the essential nutrients that your baby needs in the first 6 months of life and should thereafter be complemented with a cow’s milk protein-free diet. In rare cases babies may react to cow’s milk transmitted through breastmilk, in such circumstances you may have to eliminate cow’s milk and dairy from your diet for a period.
A clear improvement in your babies’ symptoms is usually noticeable after 2 to 4 weeks, and sometimes even earlier. It may be necessary for you to take daily calcium and vitamin D supplements while on a cow’s milk/dairy-free diet – you should discuss this with your baby’s healthcare provider.
Breastmilk Nutures Infants' Immune Systems
Babies who have CMPA are at a higher risk of getting infections and future allergies. It is known that breastfeeding can reduce this risk as well as the development of future allergies, therefore you are advised to continue breastfeeding your baby even if they have CMPA.
This is linked to diverse bioactive components present in human milk, including human milk oligosaccharides (HMO). HMO are the third most abundant solid component of human milk and play an important immune-nurturing role. While there are over 200 of these important HMO known today, two of them, 2’ Fucosyllactose (2’FL) and Lacto-N-(neo)tetraose (LNnT), account for more than 30% of HMO found in human milk.
Several clinical studies reported the protective effect of breastfeeding.
For infants, including a reduced incidence of:
Gastroenteritis and diarrhea
Respiratory tract infections
Atopic manifestations
