During pregnancy, pregnant women receive a lot of dietary instructions and recipes that all have one thing in common: They contain dairy products.
Milk is still considered the number one source of calcium. Calcium is important for everyone. But the mineral is especially essential for pregnant women.
However, if they are lactose intolerant, most pregnant women do without milk and suffer from a calcium deficiency as a result.
To avoid a calcium deficit, certain measures can be taken:
For example, some other foods also contain calcium. What many people also don't know is that completely giving up milk is not necessary at all.
In the case of primary lactose intolerance, those affected can usually still digest lactose up to a certain amount without complaints.
Even during pregnancy, lactose-intolerant women can take lactase supplements. However, there are some points to consider, because the choice of the right preparation is crucial for the health of mother and child.
The Right Preparations For Lactose Intolerance During Pregnancy
In order not to endanger your own health and especially the health of the baby, it is critical that the preparations taken during pregnancy are also beneficial to health and not harmful.
Nothing should be added to the preparations that do not belong in them. This includes, for example, chemical additives such as silicon dioxide, titanium dioxide or inulin, as they are unimportant for the actual effect.
A good lactase preparation can be recognized by the fact that it contains only the enzyme lactase and vegetable separating agents.
Also, it is not wrong to make sure that the preparation has a high dosage. That's why Lactojoy is free of chemical additives, sweeteners, dyes and animal ingredients and therefore perfect in case of lactose intolerance during pregnancy.
Babies With Lactose Intolerance
While pregnant women with lactose intolerance can safely take lactase supplements during pregnancy to avoid having to give up milk and dairy products, it is a completely different issue with infants.
If lactose intolerance is detected in newborns, it is important that breast milk and all cow's milk-based infant formulas be avoided immediately.
In this case, consultation with the pediatrician is essential (!) and action should not be taken on one's own.
The symptoms of lactose intolerance can lead to high water loss in the infant, which can be life-threatening. Other types of milk, such as almond or coconut milk, are also no substitute for the necessary special food that infants need to obtain all the vital substances.
Fortunately, however, lactose intolerance is a rarity in newborns. Only about one to three percent of newborns suffer from lactose intolerance and thus cannot tolerate breast milk.
References
- Ledochowski M, Bair H, Fuchs D. Laktoseintoleranz. Ernährungsmed 2003; 5(1): 7-14
- https://www.windeln.de/magazin/baby/ernaehrung/laktoseintoleranz-bei-babys-und-kleinkindern.html