Preparing for your GP appointment

Speaking to a healthcare professional can be difficult, especially if you are talking about a condition that is new to you. With the right guidance, you can get the most out of your GP appointment.

Information to help your GP or other healthcare professional

To help the healthcare professional better understand the symptoms your baby has been experiencing and aid them in making a diagnosis, it is better to provide them with as much information as possible.

Information that can help the healthcare professional reach a diagnosis for your child includes:^1–4

Symptom presentation

• • What symptoms does your baby have?
• • How severe are the symptoms?

Timing of symptoms

• • When did your baby first react to milk?
• • How quickly did symptoms appear?
• • Do symptoms appear every time your baby has milk?

Symptom management

• • Does anything seem to improve symptoms?
• • Is there anything that seems to make the symptoms worse?
• • Have you tried to feed your baby free-from products and alternative infant formulas? If yes, what effect did these products have?

Allergy history

• • Does your child have any other allergies?
• • Has anyone in your family ever had a milk allergy, or any other food allergies? If so, which foods did they avoid and why?
• • Has anyone in your family ever had any allergic symptoms (e.g. asthma, eczema)?

Questions to ask your GP or other healthcare professional

Here are some examples of questions you can ask your GP or other healthcare professional to get as much information about CMA and the journey to diagnosis as you can:⁵

• • How is CMA diagnosed?
• • Do we need to do any allergy tests? How can I prepare for any diagnostic tests?
• • How is CMA managed?
• • What can I do to help improve my baby’s symptoms?
• • Should I cut out all cow’s milk products from my baby’s diet?
• • What foods are likely to contain milk products?
• • What information should I pass onto other caregivers about this allergy?
• • Are there any printed or digital materials that you can recommend that are about CMA?
• • Is there anything I should have available for my baby at all times to help with their condition?