For Taylor Arnold, a registered dietitian nutritionist, feeding her second baby was not easy. At eight weeks old, he screamed when he ate and wouldn't gain much weight. Arnold brought him to a gastroenterologist, who diagnosed him with allergic proctocolitis — an immune response to the proteins found in certain foods, which she narrowed down to cow's milk.
Cow's milk protein allergies, or CMPA, appear to be on the rise — following a similar trend to other children's food allergies — and they can upend a caregiver's feeding plans: A breastfeeding parent is often told to eliminate dairy from their diet, or switch to a specialized hypoallergenic formula, which can be expensive.
