hypoallergenic formula

[mmom]

How quickly would you see a difference on this if it were to help your lo?

[~ Vik ~]

I know that with a dairy allergy, it can take up to 2 weeks for the protein to clear your system after eliminating it. Not sure if that applies to all allergens/intolerances, but it's a good place to start.

[scarlettsmom]

I know that with a dairy allergy, it can take up to 2 weeks for the protein to clear your system after eliminating it. Not sure if that applies to all allergens/intolerances, but it's a good place to start.

I agree.  You may see some improvement within the first 24/48 hrs, and BIG improvement in two weeks.

 

[hrk]

Hi Kara!  For H it was better after a few days, improving over time.  Nothing else seemed to help, as we tried about everything.  Hugs; I hope it helps soon.  XXXXXXXXXXXXX

[mmom]

Thanks everyone.  I tried to post yesterday, but I kept losing it.  I had an appointment with the ped and it was very confusing.  I pretty much broke down in the office and said that I had not seen any improvement at all from being off of dairy for 1 week and I was afraid that it is something else.  I don't have it in me to go 3 more weeks, find out it is something else, and try and eliminate that.  It is too stressful and tiring.  He went on to say that there isn't significant research that drastic elimination diets work and that breast milk is always beneficial.  I didn't want to sound like a nut talking about my 'online friends', but I said that I know many people it works for.  Anyway, I said I was thinking of switching to a HAF and he suggested I give it until Tuesday on it, pump to maintain my supply, and if I see a difference I can add in bm later.  In the office, this seemed reasonable.  However, when I got home, I wondered if I would notice anything in that short time and if I did, wouldn't adding bm back in be like adding poison back in since I still have something that is causing pain?  His opinion, as DH explained it to me, was that bm is beneficial no matter what.  But to me, that seems crazy if there is something in it causing him pain.

Anyway, reflux was confirmed as my LO's voice was hoarse, throat was red, and his boogers were snow white.  I also brought a diaper that had what I thought was mucus and he did say it was loose and tested it to find some blood in it.  So we know there is something upsetting my LO.

For those who don't know me, DS#1 has EE and reflux.  He is off of several foods, which is why I am thinking of a HAF.  I am afraid we are going down the same road and I don't want to spend months with DS#2 in pain like the 1st only to switch to formula anyway.  I am trying to remember, but I think we saw a difference within a few days like Jean did. 

[scarlettsmom]

Hey there. (((Hugs)))). 

It's interesting what your dr said about elimination diets not proving to really work.  My ped allergist said basically the same thing - that research showed there really wasn't any benefit in eliminating allergen foods, BUT he said he never argued with a BF mama who said differently.  And I told him there were thousands of women (and babies!) who would absolutely disagree with that sentiment - and it's actually a rather dangerous one to have. 

If it seems impossible to find what is causing all his pain, and it is causing you stress and your gut says HAF is the best bet - then that's what it should be.  It sounds like he just wants to make sure you don't regret your decision, some moms have -but most feel confident with the decision.  I went back and forth SO many times myself - the only thing that stopped me was that I was terrified she wouldn't even be able to tolerate the HAFs. 

Hang in there and go with what is right for you and your family. 

[donna_issabella]

It's interesting what your dr said about elimination diets not proving to really work.  My ped allergist said basically the same thing - that research showed there really wasn't any benefit in eliminating allergen foods

DD had some nasty looking poop and a very unsettled few days 2 weeks ago. A friend/colleague of mine is a paed allergist, and he looked after DD in NICU, so I phoned him as her regular paed was on holiday. He was of the same opinion re ED and foods annoying LOs. He thougth she might be coming down with a bug rather or gastro. A day later she had some blood in her stool; I went back and scrutinized all the new foods in my diet and the ingredients. Cookies I thought was safe, I missed the 'Whey protein' ingredient. (Insert head smack icon here!) Of course, as I have not had anything 'nice' or treatwise, I had eaten the whole packet over the course of 2 days. So, as much as I respect his opinion, I have seen the difference and the consequences.

I went back and forth SO many times myself - the only thing that stopped me was that I was terrified she wouldn't even be able to tolerate the HAFs. 

This is me too. I know I should change over sooner than later. DS took to it at 3.5 months with no problem from breast milk. In the UK immunisations are 2, 3, 4 months. So I wanted to BF until after at least his second set of shots. Here it is 2, 4, 6 months and as paed was away, we are 2 weeks behind. I think If I were to wait until 5 months, when I do go back to work, it would be a big potential problem. So sometime in the next few weeks I need to make the change. I am really really really sad about it - I saw us BF and expressed BM until 1 year, but as I started her on expressed BM already - BF was a nightmare!!! - I cannot see myself pumping exclusively for the next 10 months. Not when I go back to work in 3 months, KWIM?

That is my take on it. You have to do what is right for your LO and YOU! DS was on nutramigen from 3.5 months until about 16-17 months. We then switched to So Good soymilk - I wanted him on a sippy/wean the bottle and the nutramigen was just oo vile to hit you on the front of your tongue, KWIM? He has turned out FINE! Immune system, development, language - 2 languages fluently I migth add - fine and gross motor skills all on track or even ahead of his peers.

HUGS and good luck!

Oh too add: We had to trial DS on a cow's milk formula, he had a rash and runny poops - fair enough we only did it for one day, and then swithed to nutramigen. He was better within days!

[mmom]

Oh too add: We had to trial DS on a cow's milk formula, he had a rash and runny poops - fair enough we only did it for one day, and then swithed to nutramigen. He was better within days!

This is why the comment the ped made about food in our diet having no consequence was surprising to me.  then why are there so many different formulas?  Babies obviously can't tolerate some things.  But he kept saying the properties in bm surpassed all of that.

He was surprised I was considering giving up bf because most women fight to continue and don't assume that is what is making their lo's sick. 

[scarlettsmom]

DI - pretty much EVERY time my dd2 had mucous in her stool they said it was a virus.     They thought I was crazy when I went on an ED and pretty much every time I introduced something she had an issue.  It wasn't until we went to the ped GI then the ped allergist and she tested positive for 95% of the tests (there were like 30 on the skin patch testing!), that they started listening.  I think because it's relatively new (all the allergies w/babies) and for so long it was just "colic", but now we are better educated as BF'ing women, and aren't afraid to go with what we see as right for our babies.  Here in the States they go by everything the AAP says and it's maddening at times.  Because the standards change and then they are regurgitating something else, lol.  I very much respect dr's and I really really like our ped, but unless they've been in this position themselves, they don't understand exactly what it's like for these babes (and us moms). 

Oh, the other reason I didn't go to HAF was because Gwyneth didn't take a paci, and my ONLY way of comforting her was to nurse.  And it was the only way any of us got sleep for several months.  I didn't know what the heck I would do for sleep if I didn't have that.

He was surprised I was considering giving up bf because most women fight to continue and don't assume that is what is making their lo's sick. 

It's hard for them to make the connection between the allergens in the BM being the cause of pain for the babies.  And being their mothers what we want most for our babies are to be happy and healthy.  It can make you feel so helpless.  It makes perfect sense to US - remove the source of pain, nourish your child in a different way, and have them not suffer and be happy! 

You are all wonderful wonderful mamas trying to figure this out.  There are NO wrong decisions.   

[Edesanja]

He went on to say that there isn't significant research that drastic elimination diets work and that breast milk is always beneficial.  I didn't want to sound like a nut talking about my 'online friends', but I said that I know many people it works for.  

I just really can't understand how Drs can think this. I KNOW breast milk is beneficial, but from personal experience, cutting out offending foods can make a HUGE difference and then surely you can only describe breast milk as MORE benificial then because they are getting benefits of breast milk AND it's not causing them discomfort!!

Eliminating dairy from my diet with DD was such a miraculous change. She had been going on strike for days at a time (8 days at the worst point only drinking the tiniest amount). The first time I eliminated dairy iI wasn't convinced that it wasn't a fluke so started eating it again. Then decided that it was in fact better when I wasn't eating it so stopped again. That second time, within 5 days I had a totally different child who breastfed fine and was so much happier. Breastmilk might have been giving her antibodies and all those other good things, but I would not have described it as adequate nutrition for her because she pratically didn't drink until I stopped eating dairy!

I am having a similar dilemma now with our GI/allergy paed telling me that mucous in poo is normal and some kids have it and it's not really a problem. This does not make any sense to me and goes against a lot I have read and the experiences of people (especially on here, but in real life too) I know. I think we know a lot from just being MOTHERS who deal with our situations 24/7. A Dr, no matter how much training won't get a full picture of how difficult it is to feed a baby with intolerances, (or in our case this time of how WEIRD and surely NOT NORMAL! poo can be) unless they spend a whole week with us seeing what we see.

[mkaes]

We were only dealing with a MPI for our lo, but I noticed a difference within a few days of making the switch and then it got much better within a few weeks. I can tell you that my paed too said that there isn't a true milk allergy when BF, but she was the one who suggested eliminating dairy and switching to a soy formula (we were supplementing with formula) to start.  DD2 had green BMs with mucous and blood in them. (She did say that blood can be a sign of an allergy, conflicting I know). We randomly started with one allergen at a time (dairy per her suggestion). It would have taken us much longer if she was intolerant of others as well, so we were lucky there). Within a few weeks her BMs were back to normal. However, if I tried to sneak even a little hidden dairy, he poops went back to green again. I don't think that is merely a coincidence. I ended up switching completely to formula at about 4 months as the diet was driving me nuts. It seemed that any bit of hidden dairy caused her issues.

You need to do what you feel is right for your lo and for you!!

[Katet]

You need to do what you feel is right for your lo and for you!!

I agree.

While I do agree there isn't a great deal of evidence (published) that Elimination diets work, being on BW there is lots of anecdotal evidence. While I think there is lots of value in regular visits with a Paed, I've worked with enough Drs to know they are human & so they are influenced by information that they believe in, many don't see a child at their worst & many were trained that it was "normal" to have a colicy & unsettled baby & that part of that was the mum's anxiety & so they see a worried Mum & rather than trusting the Mum, they see the Mum as the reason. 
Your Dr doesn't have to live your issues, you do, you have gained his/her professional opinion, you don't feel 100% comfortable with it, that doesnt' make you wrong it means you need to trust your instincts & do try what your instinct is saying.

DS1's ENT said there was very little correlation between allergies & glue ear (& maybe there isn't in published) but he came up with allergies exactly the same as I did when I had glue ear & he (like me) gets a runny nose when he has any full cream milk, but can tolerate (like me) a moderate amount of reduced fat milk.