BabyWhispererForums.com
EAT => Food Allergies => Topic started by: mjohnson33 on August 29, 2011, 16:09:04 pm
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Please help me, I am really questioning my ability to mother right now. :'( I feel so helpless for my 8 month old little guy and I dont know what to do. Up until late Friday he was on Enfamil Gentelease ready made formula. He had 2 really good nights Thursday and Friday night. My sitter told me she was concerned with the amount his has been spitting up lately and the fact that his eczema has flared up. He has reflux and is on Famotidine for it and has also been battling constipation since 4 months old. He has also been the WORST sleeper since birth. And I thought it was all tied in together. So I called his pedi and I had to suggest that he has a milk intolerance and he said maybe switch to soy and see if it helps. So, I bought Prosobee and started it at 1am Saturday mornning. Ever since then he has been very gassy and very restless sleeping. His spitting up has decreased with the exception of this morning. The sitter called me and told me he is spitting puddles today!!! I am wondering if its not an intolerance at all and maybe something totally different. I think the soy made it worse?? Is 3 days enough to know whether or not its an intolerance? I am so worried about him and I think I am making things worse??
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It's not your mothering - we're all parenting as best we can but there's a lot of information that even the doctors don't know about or think to tell us about that isn't really common knowledge or practice. You're an awesome mother to go looking for answers! :-*
A lot of babies with milk allergy or intolerance also have issues with soy, as I think the proteins are similar enough to provoke similar responses. Neither of mine tolerate either dairy or soy well even now as older girls (6YO and 9YO), yogurt being an exception (culturing alters the milk sugars and proteins enough that we can tolerate dairy in that form).
The dairy sounds like an actual allergy if it was causing eczema. MSPI can totally look like reflux - see this thread for a start: http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=189899.0
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Thanks so much for the kind words!!! :)
Well he has only had eczema flare ups once or twice since birth so I doubt its from the formula. I would think it wouldnt get worse with the soy....and it did....
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Mine had issues with dairy but soy, WOW, let's just say the digestive consequences were....unpleasant. :-X
Let's see what else it might be.... What solids is he on?
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Ok, well it could be....my doctor suggested Nutramagin....they are leaving me samples at the office to pick up.
He is on every solid except for bananas and carrots since they constipate. I try to give him a large balance of fiber as well. So he has a jar of fruits w/ oatmeal in the morning and at lunch he has 1 jar of veggies and for dinner its usually 1 jar of veggies and a few cookies....
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What's in the cookies? A grain intolerance doesn't usually manifest that way but there's always an outside chance, but there could easily be dairy and/or soy in the cookies, and it may be a matter of quantity - in other words he might be able to handle the dairy or soy in the formula OR the cookies but not both.
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Its arrowroot cookies but he doesnt have them every night....
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Hmmm.... must give that more thought.
Definitely try the Nutramigen. Many moms have lots of success with it. The hardest part is getting LO's to drink it, as the taste is apparently quire different from most formulas/milks. It often takes a lot of perseverance, and sometimes mixing the old and new in ever-increasing proportions of the Nutramigen to accustom them to it, but it has been done!
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Oh great!! So its horrible then?? Crap!!!
I thought for sure he would hate the soy and he actually liked it....so maybe he will like it??
I just know he is in agony from all the gas and he wasnt this way with the Gentelease so maybe I should go back to that.....
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Not all babies hate the stuff - just enough that I didn't want you to be surprised IF it happened to you guys! :-*
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at 8 months personally i would not try Nutramigen, Aptimil pepti might be a better start.
Nutramigen is FOUL! my pead said that at almost 3 months when Alyssa tried it she was almost too old to introduce it
I have tried every milk my babies have had, rangeing from breast (so i would know if the EBM was off) to normal formula, to soya then nutramigen and Neocate
Soya tastes hardly different to normal formula, Nutramigen omg!!! Neocate a bit blah but after Nutramigen very nice lol
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I think she is in North America and we don't have Aptamil here.
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Yeah, we dont have that stuff here. :) I tried the Nutramigen last night and he really didnt like it so I did 1/2 of that and 1/2 Gentelease and will slowly increase the Nutramigen and decrease the other until its all the HAF. Hope it helps my poor little guy. :)
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ugh... My SIL used Nutramigen with two of her three and it took a couple of weeks for them to happily take it... there were good days and bad along the way, just like anything with a baby really ;)
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Thanks Kara, I also put a little splash of pear juice in it so it tasted a little better for him. LOL
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I am sorry you are going through this. It sounds like he could have MSPI. Are you going to take all soy and dairy out of his solids diet too?
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Buntybear, yes I am going to try as much as possible. I dont think his allergy is severe if he has one. How do I know if soy and dairy is in his solids?? Is there a list?
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No I don't think it is sever but if you are going to try HAF then you may as well go the whole hog and take it fully out of his diet. Then it is easier to trial it abck in in a few weeks time.
You will need to check the ingredient lists on eveything that you give! It is hard to start with but gets easier.
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So, I just look for soy and dairy in things and avoid it?
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So, I just look for soy and dairy in things and avoid it?
Yep. And all the incarnations and derivatives of them as well.
This should help: http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=135427.0
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Ok, so today is day 8 on the HAF formula. Shouldnt I see a difference by now?? I am still having to use the same amount of miralax everyday or he gets stopped up. The only differnence is he sometimes will poop before he has that bottle in the am but even if he does and I lower the miralax for the day he starts getting backed up already. Also, his reflux is pretty much the same as well. I thought it was getting better but my sitter said he is still spitting up at ton at her house 3 days a week. And, his eczema is the same too. His nights are the same as well, he is still restless and I do see a link to the stomach on this. Seems like if he is constipated he is more restless and then when he has to poop or is going to poop soon he is restless as well.....any advice on this would be greatly appreciated!!! :)
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I don't think it's a dairy issue hun. How much Miralax is he taking now? Are you giving a probiotic as well?
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He is on 2 tsp a day of miralax. I have not tried probiotics as the HAF (Nutramigen) is supposed to have them in it.
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2 tsp a day is a standard dose for a bubs around 20 lbs :)
Are you going to switch back to standard formula? Regardless of the low level of probiotics in the HAF, I would start him on a separate probiotic... the concentration and quality of the probiotics in the formula won't do much to help him out.. I use BioGaia and they are amazing!!! You can get them at the pharmacy behind the counter (they are refrigerated so you have to ask for them). They are about $40 but last a couple of months :) The dose for a baby is the same as an adult - 5 drops :)
DD started pooping so much better with 2 days of the BioGaia... I was able to stop the Miralax after a week of using both together... she was on Miralax for almost 2 months and was the same as your LO... miss half a dose and would get backed up again...
Funny enough, my cat is taking them right now too to help her out while on antibiotics ;) The whole family, including the four legged kids can use them :)
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I was going to wait another week on the HAF before I switched back. But I would think if it was an intolerance the difference I would see would be super dramatic already right?? My drugstore sells the BioGaia, I will definately get them after I switch back to regular formula. This HAF stuff is $26 a can that lasts me 5 days!!! Its ridiculous!!!
How did you decide to try the probiotics??
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OUCH! That's a little pricey! I would expect to see a change after a few days that would gradually get better and better... if he is still the same, I don't think it's dairy.
I asked Dr Sears about my DD's constipation issues and probiotics were one of the first things he suggested :) Also, Kirsten in my birth club (she's an RN who used to work for a gastro dr) suggested the brand.
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Yeah, its totally ridiculous!!!
I just wish I knew for sure what was going on. I would hate to switch back to the Gentelease and him get worse. :(
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It's so hard when you don't know what will work best... I know exactly how you feel... I am so scared every time I change something with DD's diet... I do not want to have her go through that whole experience ever again.
Rest assured that the constipation issues do generally resolve around a year of age once they are eating a balanced diet and moving around a lot more :)
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Kara, what formula do you use for DD? I was thinking about trying Similac this time around and trying the sensitive line. Its supposed to be partially digested and low lactose.....I was using Emfamil Gentelease for fussiness and gas but he still has gas with the Nutramigen. :) The only difference with Nutramigen is DS usually poops in the morning before I give him the bottle with the miralax in it instead of after but its still pretty pasty.
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I use Nestle GoodStart :) I had switched her to GoodStart2 (for 6 months +), but she got constipated on it in combination with solids so I went back to the basic GoodStart. I used to use the one with DHA/ARA but actually find that it backs her up too... lots of research actually says that the DHA/ARA in formula can be harder for them to digest.
We have never had any problems with GoodStart - I would highly recommend it!
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... and I should add that I use a concentrate - not a powder. Powder is harder for them to digest.
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Wow, Good Start, really?? How many different ones have you tried before you settled there??
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Our hospital uses GoodStart :) I've used it from birth ... when the constipation started (bottle refusal was her first symptom), I tried her on Enfamil thinking that the refusal was related to flavour... she hated it.
Good Start is one of the best out there... my doctor recommends it first. It digests faster than formulas like Similac or Enfamil, it's easier on the tummy.
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Ok, I will ask my doctor when he calls me. He is supposed to call me today to discuss everything. Thanks for all your help. I am going to get the probiotic tomorrow as well. I will definately keep you posted on our progress. :)
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Good! I really hope that you find something that helps your wee man!
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His pedi also recommended Good start. So, I went to Walgreens last night and bought the ready made Good Start Gentle. And, I started mixing half and half with the rest of his Nutramigen to ease his belly into it. ANd, he was farting quite a bit last night. Do you think thats a coincidence?? He only had 2 oz of the Good Start.....I hope this doesnt cause belly issues. I am so nervous.....But he hates the HAF formula and will barely drink it and because of that I am up at least once a night b/c he is hungry. :(
I also asked the dr about the probiotic. He said to wait and try just the Good Start first but I dont really want to listen to him.....So, I wanted to ask you, how long after you started the probiotic did you stop the miralax and how did you know to stop it?
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I can't think of any reason to wait before giving a probiotic unless it's to isolate a cause for something, but that's not really the issue here. ::) I'd start with it and see what changes if any you notice in terms of bowel habits and then decide what to do about the Miralax. No need to decide right now or set a schedule that I can think of.
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Deb-after reading back do you think I am safe to say its not a MSPI??
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Good question. I have seen cases where a dairy intolerance masqueraded quite well as reflux; in retrospect I suspect that my older DD was one of them. :( The only way to really tell for sure is to completely eliminate dairy and re-introduce it after sufficient time away from it, which this *might* have been to at least see a difference. But if soy was playing into it as well, that complicates things - and that's why only full-on elimination diets can confirm intolerances. Makes it so hard, doesn't it? :-[ Having him so farty the night after you gave him the Good Start would lead me in the direction of dairy intolerance, but nothing solid.
But I have seen cases where probiotics gave relief from some colic-like symptoms immediately or at least within 1-3 days. BTW, if you are thinking dairy intolerance still, check the probiotics to see if they're actually dairy-free. You can give them a try since you already are giving him the Good Start and see if it makes a difference. Then you can tweak from there if you still think it might be a dairy issue.
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He didnt seem bothered by the gas like he was with the soy....he just farted a few times at night. He has had "reflux" since birth and was EBF for the first 4 months of life and I rarely ate any dairy. The real issue at hand here is the constipation. I am just so nervous that I am doing the right thing. But to be honest I didnt see any kind of change in the bowel movements on the HAF and I thought for sure after 11 full days on it I would be able to back off the miralax a little.
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The toots could be simply because of a change in diet... DD can get quite farty with some things! She makes her daddy proud at times... as long as it didn't bother him, I would assume it's normal.. everyone farts ;) Babies just make more of a show out of it! LOL!
I would go ahead with the probiotics now. They certainly won't hurt... if he has an upset digestive system, they will start to work within a few days... I was able to stop the Miralax on day 4. I knew that I could reduce the dose because she was pooping a huge number of times in a day and everything was watery... she even pooped milk solids a few times, letting me know that everything was just moving way too quickly... If you are unsure of DS's transit time, feed him something like beets or blueberries - no mistaking those on the way out ;)
Alexandra was on 1 tsp in her first bottle and the same in her last bottle... after 2 days, I cut her back to 1 tsp AM and 1/2 tsp PM... then after another 2 days, I cut it completely out. We are on day 13 with no Miralax at all and still pooping 4-6 times a day. Although, I think I have found that she might be wheat intolerant... not celiac becuase she is fine with small amounts (gerber puffs, cereals etc), a slice of toast makes for a disaster though!
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Thanks Kara, going to get them on my lunch today!!! :) Keep your fingers crossed for us the transition goes smoothly.
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No problem at all hun! I really hope this works for your little man - my fingers are crossed!!!
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I just got back from Walgreens and the only thing they have is the Bio Gaia ProTectis Baby, is that the right one?? It just says 5 drops a day? Mine is only a 25 day supply for $31.99 :(
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Not the same one I have but I am sure it is just fine! Same brand and same number of drops per day ;) I just checked their website and it is the same probiotic in it and the same dosage ;)
And yeah, mine was $40.
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Still cheaper than $26 every 5 days for formula. LOL Ok, do you have Walgreens in Canada?? On their website its only $25 with free shipping for a months supply. I am ordering from there next time. :) So you just put it in your DDs bottle??
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We don't have Walgreens... I think everything is cheaper in the USA :) I miss living in Vancouver and just jumping across the border in under an hour!
I actually just put it on a spoon when I am feeding her breakfast ;) Generally on top of her applesauce!
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Ok, I put it in his bottle last night and again today, do you think that is ok? I can do it another way. Do you think he got any of it?
Also, he had a pretty restless night last night. He was farting a little but not much....and didnt seem like he was in pain but just flopping around alot. He kept rolling onto his back and thrashing....very restless....he did poop this morning but it was kinda thick....does this sound belly related?? I could only get him to drink 3 oz of his bottle this morning too.....I am so scared this is going to backfire on me and I am going to have to go back to Nutramigen.....
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Kara with your DDs constipation and miralax, did she ever poop alot of water mixed in with harder stools?? My nurse practicioner told me that was normal but I really dont think it is!!!
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No, but that does sound like he is clearing a plug of sorts... If it continues to happen, I would go to the dr, but if it's only a few times, I wouldn't worry :) Miralax is supposed to soften the stool he has, not work like an enema - which is what that sounds like.
I'm sure it's fine to put it in his bottle...
Have you stopped the Miralax??
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I haven't stopped the miralax yet. He does that water mixed pop at least once a week. I really hope things get better soon. Does last night sound like belly issues?
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This is a shot in the dark, but if he's pooping like that once a week..... if you're keeping track, is there a particular food he's doing it after? I'm wondering about grains, like gluten (wheat/grain protein) for example.
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That is weird...
I would stick with the probiotic for a bit and then try to get him off the Miralax, or at least on a reduced dosage...
As for the night issues, that sounds like gas to me ;)
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Deb, I will try to keep a better log of when he does it. He usually does it while at the sitter. I dont know if its related to gluten or wheat. I usually give him oatmeal cereal everyday so doesnt that have wheat/gluten in it?
Kara, last night he did the same thing around 3am started tossing and turning so I gave him ibprofen and teething tablets and he slept good until about 6:45 so I am thinking its teething related!! :)
I am starting on full Good start tonight. I used all the nutramigen I had left today. I also emailed the probiotic people and they said as long as the bottles arent heated up past 80 degrees its fine to give to him that way. This morning I gave it to him on a spoon plain and he HATED it!! LOL it must taste yucky! :)
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Straight oatmeal doesn't have gluten in it, but if it's processed with wheat or if it's a cereal mix, it may well have wheat or gluten. Just something to keep an eye on, see if there's a connection.
Some probiotic mixes have little or no taste but the texture isn't agreeable. If you're giving it straight on a spoon as a powder it probably won't go over so well. :) you can try it yourself - it won't harm you at all. Just good bacteria for your gut too.
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Deb - the one she is using is in oil :) Yucky!
I am putting the drops into a bottle nipple with a tablespoon of water and that seems to work too! Just be sure he drinks it all since the probiotic seems to dissolve a bit into the water.
Oatmeal is generally cross contaminated with wheat so it does have gluten in it. Barley also has a load of gluten in it.
I had a huge chat with my SIL yesterday about wheat/gluten/dairy intolerances... she has 3 kids with everything you could imagine when it comes to allergies/intolerance... 2 have celiac as well, with one being allergic to rice! Yeesh!
She thinks Alexandra is intolerant to wheat (not gluten)... she gets killer diarrhea within hours of having a piece of WW toast... and tends to poop 5-6 times a day if she has had Cheerios/gerber puffs etc... all have wheat in them. So I cut that all out yesterday and we got soft formed poops today... and only 3 poops yesterday. If it is wheat, cut it out and you will see a change in a few days at most.
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Cole never has runny poop!!! So I doubt its a intolerance.
Kara, Cole has pooped 4 times already today and my mom said its getting watery!!! I think the probiotic is working!!! So do you think its safe to say I may cut down on the miralax tomorrow?
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I would give him another full day before reducing the Miralax - he could just be reacting to something new ;)
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I only gave him 1/2 the dose this morning and will give him more this afternoon if I think he needs it. before I was giving it all to him in the morning and after yesterday he has horrible diaper rash so I feel bad pumping him full of more miralax. I am sure we are going to get this all figured out and he will be all healed from the constipation and then he is going to start teething..... UGH! :)
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I'd keep up with the probiotics for now (although you can reduce the dosage if his tummy is having trouble adjusting at first). It can help reduce the incidence of yeasty diaper rashes as the gut flora re-balance.
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Oh yeah, I am totally keeping up with the probiotics, I feel like they are working already after 3 days!! :) So it will help with the constant yeast infections he gets too??
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Very likely. :)
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Just watch for a yeast rash as he adjusts to the probiotics... they can actually cause a yeast rash in the beginning.
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He has had many flare ups this last month and its pretty bad today. :( How long til it goes away you think?
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In some cases the probiotics take hold pretty quickly, while in others they may need a few days to really gain a foothold in there. I'd say be on the lookout another day or two, maybe three at most, to see some real changes from them. Nat's room-clearing farts as a baby disappeared after only a day, but now the kids are older and their school gives them stuff I wish they wouldn't, they're on daily probiotics for maintenance anyway. And we double up during and for about 7-10 days after a course of A/B's.
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Alexandra got a rash that lasted about 4 days when we first started the probiotics... it went away as quickly as it arrived though and never really seemed to bother her at all.
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OMG, his diaper rash is gone!!! And he is pooping regularly every day, pretty good!! I still am doing miralax but some days I dont need as much. He seems to be sleeping better and on most days not spitting up as much.
Kara, I am having a hard time finding Good Start RTF here in Missouri. I have even tried ordering it online and had to resort to buying powder. I havent started it yet as I keep trying to buy as many RTF as I can at each store I go to. :(
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Have you tried the Gerber website to find a supplier?? There is a concentrate liquid as well which would be cheaper than RTF would be... I buy concentrate and make it in a small juice jug to keep in the fridge and use as needed since it is fine for 48 hours after you make it :)
Here in Canada, it is super easy to find...
I think we are going to have to go back to Miralax :( Things have gone from good, to bad to terrible in less than a week... I think the wheat issues were masking the constipation... I had to suppository her again today... she pooped right away and it was soft... I think the suppository just helped her relax enough to go... which keeps me hopeful that she won't be on the Miralax much longer if I do have to go back to it... her bowels have obviously shrunk down quite a bit since July when we were in the ER a few times with pooper issues... but she isn't quite there yet... ugh.
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Yes, it says they have it and when I go there they dont. :(
So you think she is allergic to wheat??
Do you think maybe the constipation has caused her to hold in her poop?
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I don't know if she is allergic to wheat or if she just isn't ready for it... either way, I have cut it out for now and will re-introduce it around her first birthday - apparently, wheat used to be one grain that was recommended as 12 months +
Have you talked to a pharmacist to see if they would order it in for you?
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So can you tell me what happens when you give it to her?? How did you figure it out??
I am going to call the store and see if they will order it for me.
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If she has wheat (like half a piece of toast), she gets horrible diarrhea within half an hour. It's almost totally water with little bits in it (TMI!)... a little slimy looking too as if it might have a bit of mucous in it... it's shiny!
Do you think maybe the constipation has caused her to hold in her poop?
I just noticed that I forgot to answer this! Sorry! I don't think they have the ability to "hold it" at this age. The physical ability to control pooping doesn't actually develop until at least the age of 2.
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Aww poor little baby!!! Sorry to hear that and wheat intolerance sounds horrible. I am sure its very hard to eliminate that from their diets. Hang in there!!!
I called everywhere and they dont have the concentrate and wont order it!!!! So, I just had them order me the RTF since they usually only have 2 at a time in the store. :)
Hopefully sooner or later I can switch to powder.
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What a pain in the butt! Did you try calling Gerber directly?
Wheat isn't actually too hard to eliminate at this age - cut the Cheerios and cereals/bread and all is good! She didn't eat crackers yet, so no worries there! I will give her a 6 week time frame to be sure it is out of her system, then try to reintroduce it... ugh.
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Yes, I called Gerber. They changed their packaging and said that they have started shipping the new product out over 2 weeks ago so they should have it in stores. They really cant help me. :(
Does your DD eat cereal in her fruits and stuff?? I used oatmeal cereal to thicken alot of my sons foods so it would be hard for me to eliminate wheat. :)
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She started on baby cereals but started refusing them after about a month of other veggies/fruits. I used rice cereal to thicken on the rare occasion that I had to use something... I tend to mix things to avoid having to thicken ;)
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Thats a good idea!! :) Keep me posted on how she's doing!!
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I will for sure... we had a small poop this morning without too much grunting and fanfare... hopefully the extra water is helping to keep things moving along!
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Kara, we are now backed up too!!! :( He had a horrible nights sleep and so did I. I gave him 3 tsp of miralax yesterday too!!! I think its b/c I gave him something with bananas! :( So, this morning I went back to 2 tsp in his first bottle. I ran out of RTF Good start too so I had to mix his bottles 1/2 and 1/2 with the powder. I hope it doesnt make it worse.
Also, I am having a horrible time getting him to finish his bottles ever since I switched from the Gentelease almost a month ago. He eats just enough to satisfy himself and the he acts like it has poison in it!!! This morning he finished all of it but 1/2 oz and it had the probiotic and miralax in it so I mixed it with his breakfast and my mom said he refused to eat it!!! It had to be b/c of the formula!!! Why is he doing this?? I am having a hard time getting him to get in the 20oz he needs at this age. And I am trying to wean the NF and if I do that he will only be getting 15oz.....should I be concerned?
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I looked at your other thread and I think he is taking in more solids than average for his age :) Have you thought about a routine change with his feeds? DD dropped to 3 bottles around 8.5 months and things were a battle for a few weeks before I clued in to the signs...
We do this:
Wake and 8 oz bottle around 7am
Breakfast of solids around 9am
Lunch of solids only around noon
Bottle of 8 ozs around 3pm, just before PM nap
Dinner of solids only around 530pm
Bottle of 8.5 ozs at 750pm, BT 8pm.
The only other time I have had DD take a bottle partially and then pull away acting like it was poison was when she ended up in the ER for an enema. Babies can be terribly constipated and still poop a few times a day... mine did. They only found it by doing an abdominal x-ray.
If you think that might be the issue, you could set his Miralax at 2 tsp AM and 1 tsp PM for 5 days to ensure he isn't plugged up. Even if impacted, that will clean him out.
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Thanks so much for the advice!!! He is now refusing solids too!!! That scares me!! He did poop last night it was pretty thick and then right before bed hard pieces. So I upped his miralax yesterday and today and he pooped first thing this morning alot but still thick and then again after I dropped him off and my mom said it looked good. So I wouldnt think he would still be plugged up but I will have her add miralax to his next bottle.
What do you suggest for the rest of the day today??
He had only 3.5 oz of milk at 12:15 then at 1:15 she tried solids and he only ate 1/2 a jar.....
Oh and how much solids should I give him at a setting?
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that sounds like he is fairly backed up to me... DD started to drink part of her bottles, then she refused solids, then it was all bottles until she was starving! Then should would take a few ounces to take the edge of her hunger and pull away fairly upset.
It's okay for him to poop any consistency except hard pieces... once they are on a fair bit of solids, soft and formed like an adult is normal.
I really wonder if you have the same issue as we do! Not enough fluid with the food... causing constipation.
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So help me!!! What else can I do?? :) You seem to have alot of answers and yes we do seem to be having some of the same issues. .
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No worries... You need to get him cleaned out first so stick with the Miralax for a week more at least a full dose of 2 tsp AM/1 tsp PM. If you need to make a smaller bottle of 3-4 ozs to make sure he takes it all, do it to get the Miralax into him. I had to do two small bottles on the chance that DD would only take a little... but had a second one ready if she wanted more formula.
Will he take a bottle with just warm water in it? I would try that a couple times a day as well. Best to watch out for high fibre foods until he ups his fluid intake as well - too much fibre without the water needed to use it can make constipation worse.. we are sticking with jarred green beans and pears here right now. Easy on the tummy and good for the pooper ;)
If he is really reluctant to take formula, I would cut back on solids a fair bit to get his fluids back up... he really needs that right now to get everything moving... Still offer when you normally do, but limit him to half a jar for each meal. No cereal at all until that fluid intake comes up. No applesauce/carrots either - both are constipating. And of course, no rice or bananas.
I would try moving him to 3 bottles a day... with the lowered solids, he will get much hungrier and will be more likely to take a full bottle of 7-8 ozs. Another thing I have been doing since mine will generally take a full bottle without problems now is 7 ozs formula and an extra ounce of water (she will not take water in a bottle on it's own and is useless with her sippy). I also offer her a top up bottle before her AM nap since she would be going 3 hours with nothing after her breakfast... I use 2 ozs formula and 1 oz water... she still drinks it just fine and it gets a bit more water into her ;) With this method, she takes around 23-25 ozs of formula a day plus her 3 meals and sips of water throughout the day...
I have a recipe for the best prune baby food too - just wait to use it until you have a bit more fluid going into that little man :)
Simmer 10 dried pitted prunes, 14 dried apricots and 1 fresh pear (peeled, cored and cut into 4) in just enough water to almost cover the fruit. I bring it to a slow boil then reduce to low and cover for 25 mins. Let it cool in the fridge for an hour and then blend in until smooth. I freeze it in ice cube trays and give her 2-3 of them for breakfast at least every second day :) She loves them!
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THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! I WILL TRY ALL OF THIS!!! So you are just feeding her green beans and pears right now?
I will try to give him water, I know he likes it in sippy cups but not sure about bottles.
Do you think I should continue to wean the NF or wait until the constipation subsides??
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Are you still doing the probiotic as well?
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I am still doing the probiotic daily :)
I would continue to wean that NF sooner rather than later ;) He needs to shift those calories to daytime... and momma needs to sleep ;)