tummy issues, 10 month old

[Mum-of-Two]

Hello,

My 10 month old has had a sensitive tummy since birth.  I put him on half regular formula, half sensitive after my doctor refused to diagnose his reflux without aggressive testing -- and it worked, well enough that we just needed a bib and were not getting drenched anymore.  I wouldn't call the situation severe by any means but certainly he is sensitive.  I don't have it in front of me but the sensitive formula is not lactose free but boasts of being broken down for lactose sensitivity?  Something like that.

Fast forward and now he is 10 months old and we are working on introducing foods.  He seems to do OK with your classic first fruits and veggies.  He's not a fan of green veggies so I found a carrot based mix that includes peas and green beans to "sneak" it in there LOL.  He seems to do well on that and on 1 tablespoon (dry) of baby oatmeal.  We didn't do the rice cereal, it constipated him badly.  And we have tried, unsuccessfully, to get him off the sensitive formula - he starts to spit up again.

Anything other than the above mentioned seems to give him bad gas and wet stools.  I introduced white bread toast because he was lunging for our food any time any of us had anything in front of him and I am pretty sure that is when the wet stools started.  Normally he would be up at night from constipation and gas... now he is up at night from gas and loose stools.  I also notice that sometimes when he has a lot of the white bread he will spit up more again (very unsual at this age, and pretty gross too).

My question is... how do allergies present themselves?  Is this coincidence?  Too soon to tell?  I am so afraid to feed him anything other than his formula and oatmeal for fear he will be up all night tossing and turning from the gas bubbles.

We took him off the bread for a few days but last night I made home made chicken soup -- he's had chicken in his jar food and the rest was made with fresh veggies and water (nothing prepackaged).  I also gave him these rice poofs that claim to be like rice cereal but just in the easy to chew/dissolve form.  He was up again all night -- 4 hours straight -- tossing and turning and passing wind.  Coincidence?

Please help -- maybe it is his routine but honestly he slept through the night 4 nights and last night was up for 4 hours straight -- only thing different was the food.

[scarlettsmom]

(((hugs))) to both of you, poor little guy.

Food allergies and insensitivities can absolutely present themselves through digestive issues and stomach pains, which in turn can disturb sleep.  That's how it is for my younger daughter.  She gets loose, mucousy stools, and with her milk allergy would also have blood in her stool from her intestines bleeding and disrupts her sleep.

It sounds like there's a chance he has some digestive issues going on - whether it is specific to a food or just in general is where it gets kind of tough.  What is in the bread (i.e., is there soy? corn? anything that he hasn't had before other than wheat?  same with the rice cake, I would take a look at all the ingredients). 

What you can do is go back to his "safe" foods, his baseline, and then slowly introduce again.  1 food a week.  It's a pain, I know, but if there are digestive issues/digestive allergy symptoms, it can take several days before they present themselves.  Likewise it can take several days for the offending protein to get out of their systems. 

Also - you may just want to ask to see a ped allergist and get some basic testing done (RAST blood testing, skin-prick, or skin patch testing - the allergist will determine which is best, probably skin patch testing which is what we do). 

It could also be just a cold, or any number of things.  It's hard to tell which can be very frustrating.  What stands out to me again are issues after wheat and rice.   

HTH and wasn't too confusing!   

[Mum-of-Two]

Thank you!  Not confusing, it helps my brain get organized 

I feel like at 10 months he is going to be on bottled formula, jarred applesauce, baby oatmeal and carrots forever!  But if slow is best then slow is best.  He had a good night last night but is getting a cold.  I don't think the cold is related to his tummy, that has been acting up for ... well, since birth.  We just know him as the "sensitive" belly and now that he's getting older I can't help but wonder if the sensitivity is coming from somewhere.

The bread is plain white bread.  I'll have to look at the rice cakes -- they are for babies and boast of being free of everything but you never know.  I don't usually like processed foods like that but Oliver also has a bad gag reflex and these are so much better than the teething biscuits where he tends to take too big a bite.  But, I'll have to find something else to help him learn to chew... maybe peas.  I think I started my daughter on peas very early as a first finger food.  Banana... that might work too if I can get the peices small enough.

At any rate... I'm going to give him another week on his normal routine, seems like we do that all the time... and my DH and I are home between Christmas and New Years so maybe we'll try something new that week.

Thank you for the suggestion to see an allergist.  I know his pediatrician is going to tell me I'm crazy -- they are pretty old fashion conservative about these things.  But if I know my boy to be sensitive since the day he was born, maybe there is a reason and we can help him out.

Thanks again!

[scarlettsmom]

Peas and bananas are a great idea.  My dd2 looooves her peas, thankfully, and would eat them morning, noon and night.  I know - it can be so frustrating and kind of sad that you can't just give them things off of your plate.  But he'll be fine as you go forward - some bubs just have more of an immature digestive system than others (both of mine!). 

Even if the bread is plain white and all natural it may have other trigger ingredients in it iykwim?  So I would just check it out, along w/the rice.  It can still be all natural, nothing processed, but have something in it that is hard to digest.  DD2 had/has a corn allergy and sooo many things had corn in it - it's natural and not a top 8 allergy so not easily identified some times.

And for sure go with your gut about your little guy and seeing an allergist.  I KNEW at 3 weeks old that dd2 had at the very least a milk protein allergy and my ped thought I was crazy.  Then I noticed reactions to other things I ate (I bf) and kept telling them and they said it was all a virus, etc etc.  I took it into my own hands, went on an elimination diet and she was a new baby.  Got to the ped allergist when she was 6 months old and she tested positive to over 25 foods!  She has outgrown soooo many - but stopping her hurting would have taken much longer.  Especially with babies who's issues are tummy related, they have to heal properly (i.e, get rid of the offending food) in order to move forward.

((hugs)) - he's lucky to have a mama like you to notice and take the time to figure it out!

[Mum-of-Two]

I BF'd for 3 months and I remember talking to our pediatrician about his gas issues then and was told he was swallowing air.  I even went to exclusively pumping to try and help the situation, it did a little bit I guess (we still have to make sure he burps proper) but there is a difference between a stuck bubble and an on-going tummy upset IYKWIM.

Thank you again!!

So my next question, how do you find a pediatric allergist?

[scarlettsmom]

So my next question, how do you find a pediatric allergist?

It depends on what type of insurance you have (I see you're in the States).  We have a PPO, so we didn't need a formal referral - just had to make an appointment.  Our Ped GI actually referred us to our Ped Allergist...and we loved both of them.  The GI had a rep for being "gentle" and not going for the aggressive testing first which is what we wanted.  And the allergist she recommended was similar, he is the nicest, most gentle man, we just love him.  If you need a referral from your ped (I think through HMOs you may need that) then let them know you would like to take that route (have information/"proof" as to why) and get a few recommendations.  It usually takes a few weeks/months to get in so the sooner the better. 

You can also check out this site kidswithfoodallergies.com.  It is WONDERFUL.  Has sooo much info and support.  Really helped me while I was wading through lots of information and feeling overwhelmed. 

xoxo