Hi,
 
My name is Robyn and I have 2 sons, the younger of whom is milk protein
allergic.  I am breastfeeding him and cow's milk products in my diet
were causing him to have gastroesophageal reflux (like heartburn in his
case) and blood in his stool.  So obviously I've removed cow's milk
products from my diet (including anything containing casein or whey).
Figuring this out was a little tricky as the symptoms continued when I
removed these items from my diet -- he also appears to be allergic to
soy and peanuts, and possibly peas.  Matthew is now 7 months old, and his
problems started at 6 weeks; we challenged cow's milk in my diet at 6
months, but a tiny amount caused his symptoms to come right back.  His
doctors have told us there is a 94% chance that he will outgrow his
milk allergy by 1 year.  That would be nice, of course.  For those who
are interested, I assume he was sensitized in the womb or by milk in my
diet in the first 6 weeks.  He was never given formula until after we
knew he had allergies, when he got some hypoallergenic formula (Alimentum)
to reduce the quantity of allergen he was exposed to while we figured out
what the triggers were and I cleared out my system.
 
Matthew tested negative to milk and soy on the RAST test but I had already
removed those items from my diet at the time, so that my have contributed
to the (presumably) false reading.
 
So, here's what I don't understand.  What is the difference between the
proteins in different mammal species' milk?  Breastmilk contains both casein
and whey -- why can he tolerate them (and thrive on it) there?  I know the
proteins occur in different amounts, but I don't believe it is a matter of
amount, as a very small amount of cow's milk in my diet (so presumably only
a fraction of that got passed onto him) caused him significant distress,
while approximately 40 oz per day of breastmilk (a guess of course) is no
problem.  So it seems to me that there must be some qualitative difference
between the proteins in cows milk and those in human milk.  For example, is
casein the same in all species, or is human casein different from cow
casein?  And where does goat's milk fit in with all this?  I'd like to try a
little goat cheese (in my diet for now, not to give him directly yet), but
I'd like to understand what the similarities and differences are between
the different types of milk first.
 
I also worry about calcium.  I have read that collard greens are the best
vegetable source as the calcium is most easily absorbed.  But I don't eat
them every day ;-)  I use calcium fortified OJ when I can find it, and take
OSCal supplements when I can remember.  I wonder if those really get used
efficiently, though.  Does anyone here know what the best way to supplement
calcium is to maximize absorption?
 
Also for the mom worrying about protein, turkey is one of the least allergenic
sources.  Try small bits of real meat, not the jarred stuff.  I'd stay away
from fish for a while with an allergic child -- fish and shellfish are among
the 10 most allergenic foods.  I am anaphylactic to finned fish.  (This is
where I assume Matthew got his tendency toward allergies -- my older son, Ryan,
got lucky and doesn't seem to have any food allergies.)