Why Are There Lactose Intolerant Babies?

The term lactose intolerant refers to the body not being able to produce enough amounts of lactose. This enzyme serves the purpose of digesting lactose which is present in all dairy products. It is the sugar present in cow's milk, for example. When lactose does not get digested, it remains in the intestines leading to gastrointestinal problems.

Those babies which have had premature births have a higher tendency of not being able to produce enough lactose. This becomes evident when they suffer from diarrhea too often, and cry due to pain in the stomach. In some cases, babies may also vomit, or experience eczema. These signs usually start taking place around thirty to sixty minutes after the baby has consumed milk. This milk could either be cow's or breast milk.

A few basic symptoms of lactose intolerance include pain and cramps in the abdominal area, bloating, and having gas for up to two hours after the baby has had milk. The intolerance does not only show up when the baby has had milk, but even if he or she eats solid food. This is for those babies who have reached the stage of eating solid food, and if they eat anything made out of dairy products such as cheese, they may experience similar symptoms.

There are differences observed between babies who are intolerant of lactose, as some may be fine even after consuming food or milk that contains lactose, while the rest would be highly uneasy after consuming a little amount.

The pain that is experienced by babies may make them show signs such as crying and screaming, grimacing, shifting positions and twisting themselves showing that they are uncomfortable. Most mothers may think that their babies are crying because they are hungry. But this may continue even after they have been fed.

Not going to sleep and disturbances while they are sleeping are also common. After crying the whole day while they are awake, they may seem to be unhappy at night too, causing discomfort for the mother. While sleeping, they may wake up all of a sudden and cry loudly, just as if they are experiencing pain.