Severe allergic reaction to formula

[bethann]

I gave ds 3 oz of Earth's Best Organic Formula the other day and within 20 minutes he had hives all over his body.  I normally bf, and was trying to see if he would even take a bottle (it took a good hour to get him to drink it). 

He's ok now- I gave him some benedryl and the hives and swollen ears went away by the next morning.  I am on vacation- so I did take him to an urgent care just to make sure his breathing was alright. It was.

And then, yesterday, I gave him a taste of my ice cream and within 15 mintues he had hives all over his chin and neck.  SO, I am suspecting a pretty severe milk allergy.

What Do I do in this case?  I would like to see if he can take at least some formula as I am going back to work in a little over a month and also am considering some med changes...

Also- if he reacted that severely to the formula, do I also need to change my diet for breastfeeding?

[lisi's mum]

I can't answer the formula question, but if you aren't seeing any allergic reactions when he's just on a bf diet I wouldn't change yours. There is some evidence that the mother avoiding certain allergenic foods through pregnancy and bf-ing helps prevent allergies, but there's also evidence that it doesn't actually help    In your case, as far as your diet is concerned I'd go with the "if it aint broke don't fix it" philosophy.

[Jimbob]

If you are wanting to introduce some formula then you could try a hypoallergenic formula like nutramigen or try a soy formula. There is a chance that your ds could react to soy formula as many that are allergic to dairy are also allergic to soy. Having said that my brother in law has a step son that did great on soy formula.

[RachelC]

I just wanted to offer some {{{hugs}}} Bethann.  You don't need to be dealing with this now   

[Samuel's mum]

Oh no!
I'm so sorry. That's awful news.
I agree that I don't think you should consider changing your diet. It might actually be a positive thing that he is getting low-level exposure from dairy proteins in your diet. If you aren't seeing a reaction I wouldn't alter anything.
It sounds as though hypoallergenic is the next step to try. Good Luck.

[bethann]

I have noticed some vomiting and/or extreme spit up after I eat a bowl of icecream or have a glass of milk- that along with some fussiness where it seems like his stomache hurts.  I may try to avoid the ice cream and milk a little and see if the vomiting stops.  He never did that before and just all of the sudden he startede spitting up in huge amounts.  And I think I can link it to when I have a lot of dairy. 

But i was looking over the lactose free diet and it seems like it would be impossible to follow- so I think that I'll just try to cut down and see if it helps.

thanks everyone!!   

I'll also try the hypoalergenic formula....  any suggestions on the best one? 

[Jimbob]

It seems to really depend on the individual baby. Some do great on nutramigen and others on alimentum. There are others but these seem to be the most popular ones. My son still reacted to hypoallergenic formulas so we have to use an amino acid based formula. We use neocate but there is also elecare. Hopefully your ds will be ok with a hypoaalergenic formula or a soy formula.

If your ds is showing signs of reacting when you eat dairy then I would try and eliminate it altogether or limit your dairy intake as much as possible.

Kelly

[Shdef]

Oh Bethann, sorry to hear this 

Agree with PP, great advice. For the formula, I'd talk to the doctor about it, you may get a prescription for it. It has to be hypoallergenic, dairy free and should be soy free, too. Nutramigen is good, but takes a while to get used to. if he is allergic to that, too, there is rice milk and coconut milk, both available as formula, but I would talk to the doctor about it before buying it.

Hugs 

[jennyh]

i agree with steffi,you are better off discussing it with a doctor.
if he is reacting like this though i would steer clear of any milk products until you get medical advice-hugs bethann