Nursing Mothers' Association of Australia Lactose intolerance and the breastfed baby Lactose Intolerance and the breastfed baby Joy Anderson BSc, Dip. It is produced in the breast and is independent of the mother's consumption of lactose. It is present in a constant concentration in breastmilk. Foremilk, the milk the baby gets when he first starts to feed, does not contain more lactose than hindmilk, but it does contain less fat.
Lactase is the enzyme which is required to digest lactose.
The symptoms of lactose intolerance are liquid, frothy stools, and an irritable baby who may pass wind often. If a baby is lactose intolerant, the medical tests, 'hydrogen breath test' and tests for 'reducing sugars' in the stools would be expected to be positive. However these are positive in most normal babies under three months too so their use in diagnosing lactose intolerance is open to question. If a mother is lactose intolerant then her baby will be as well. Lactose intolerance is the same as intolerance or allergy to cow's milk protein.