Milk allergy/intolerance only showing up now?

flyliceandcoffee

 S had some blood in her poop today so we took her to the doc and he thinks she might have a milk intolerance now...he doesn't want us to change anything yet though and just keep an eye on her because it's a showing up a little later than he'd normally expect since she's 7.5 months old. I know there's a couple of you guys who have kiddos with milk allergies/intolerances, what symptoms besides blood in their poop did you guys see? We don't want to jump to conclusions, but Dr. Google has symptoms listed that really makes us think she's had an intolerance all along...

botanicalbliss

Green poop with blood and mucus.  Pooping frequently.  Fussiness.  It actually didn't resolve fully until I cut out wheat, too.  

jayro10

We never had it confirmed by the pedi, but M's poops were always really mucousy until I cut out dairy. She never had any blood in her poop though. I think if she truly did have an intolerance, it was pretty mild. Once she started solids, I slowly re-introduced dairy and she's been completely fine. I eat all the dairy now.

flyliceandcoffee

hrmmmmm...from what you guys are saying it's very very possible she's had a milk intolerance for a while. her poop has always smelled like the zoo. she's usually pretty happy but recently has been a grump almost all the time. I'm definitely going to keep an eye on her, but it sounds like we'll be switching to a hypoallergenic formula...i've heard someone say that sometimes that's covered by insurance...anybody know if that's actually the case?

botanicalbliss

Not sure about insurance coverage, but be sure it's not soy based.  A lot of kids w/ milk protein allergies are also sensitive to soy.  That's probably what you meant by hypoallergenic...

flyliceandcoffee

@botanicalbliss, our pedi said the same thing about soy. He gave us nutragimen which is what they call "hypoallergenic" because the proteins are already broken down or something like that. He said it's only like 90% hypoallergenic since it still contains milk proteins, but there's another formula that's supposed to be 100% hypoallergenic and contains no proteins at all. Not sure what that one is called or how what it uses since we're hoping we don't have to switch to something like that.

kelseyhh

Em also was never officially diagnosed, but I decided to cut out dairy at around 5 months because he seemed so gassy, uncomfortable, and fussy all the time. It really helped a lot and I wish I would have done it much sooner!

coffeeandbooks

My LO can't do soy or milk and we settled on this:

https://naturesonedirect.com/organic-formula/babys-only-organic-lactose-free-formula.html?gclid=CL_S9Or_ubsCFUsV7Aod7h8APg

Just a heads up that it is called a toddler formula but it is nutritionally sound for an infant.   The company was also under fire because it is rice syrup based not corn syrup based and the rice was linked to naturally occurring arsenic.

I feel really confident that the company addressed this, and my LO has done beautifully on this formula, knock wood.

LO didn't do well on the other medical formulas and this is actually cheaper and organic.

flyliceandcoffee

so this might actually be a stupid person question, but when you guys say gassy, you mean farts a lot right? how much is a lot? I always just thought that was normal...

coffeeandbooks

ok....TMI...here...but to me the difference is in the smell.
There are farts and then there are stink bombs.   I have no idea on the science behind it but I think if the body can't metabolize the lactose you are in for the kind that you need to open the window for.
And the other difference is...is your LO in pain from the gas?  Like does it keep her up at night?

flyliceandcoffee

@mslaurats - sooo, she's always had stink bombs, I didn't even think there were any other kind with babies hahaha. I don't think she's in pain from the gas though, we've used gentlease though so when we switched to that it definitely seemed to help with the gas pain. I don't think she's in any pain at night, at least she doesn't wake up more than once or twice a night...she does do a lot of leg lifts all night long though...

coffeeandbooks

My LO's farts smell like flowers.   Hah...no, but seriously with the lactose free formula there is a noticeable difference in the aroma.

strawny0807

My DD is on prescription formula for dairy and soy intolerances.  As far as insurance coverage goes, sometimes its covered, sometimes it isn't.  My insurance only covered formula that was available by prescription only.  There are other hypoallergenic formulas that don't require a prescription (Nutramigen, Allimentum, etc.)  DD was on Nutramigen first but she was still have mucous and blood in her stools so she was prescribed Neocate by her GI specialist.  Just so happens, Neocate is covered under our insurance (Nutramigen and others weren't).  The formula isn't covered under our prescription plan so I pay up fem $160 at the pharmacy every week.  Then I submit my receipts, her letter of medical necessity, and a claim form to the medical plan for reimbursement.

Also, her poop smelled wretched before the Neocate, and no that was not a normal smell apparently.  And she was pooping 10-12 times a day, also not normal for a formula baby.

My advice to you if you need special formula, call both your medical and prescription insurance coverage (sometimes they aren't the same customer service reps.).  If that doesn't work, go to your insurance company's FB page and ask for help.  That's how I finally got the right person on the phone.  

Good luck.

Rachel*Neocate

My LO had terrible tummy aches, awful gas, mucousy stools, blood in his stools, ezcema, and colic behaviors.  He was always uncomfortable and unable to settle down... sleeping was awful.

You can start with Nutramigen and see how it goes.  Sometimes the partially broken down protein chains are all the help a baby needs.  More sensitive LO's (like my guy!) end up needed the elemental formulas you're talking about, like Neocate.  Elemental formulas, like you mentioned, are broken down 100% into free amino acids, so there are no protein chains for your LO to digest.  

It sounds like you have a pretty knowledgeable dr, that's great!  Unfortunately not all drs understand the differences between formulas.

I would give the Nutramigen two weeks, and see how your LO does.  There is usually an adjustment period with any new formula.  

If you do have to switch to Neocate there are ways to try and receive insurance coverage.  Here are some great links that help:

https://www.neocate.com/reimbursement/ 

This link has information about insurance coverage, medical necessity letters, WIC, etc.  

HTH!!

littledaisies

My guy has a milk protein allergy. We found out around 6 weeks and he still has it (7 months). I didn't see any visible blood in his poop but the doctor said the test indicated there was.  I knew something was wrong because he was extremely cranky, especially when he was eating, gassy, runny poop, sometimes green poop, very gassy and seemed uncomfortable all the time. His eyes were swollen which is a sign of the allergy. After we found out I cut out all dairy and it made a huge difference. His eyes weren't swollen, he slept better and overall was a much happier baby. 

Our pediatrician said the formula can be covered by insurance since it's medically needed. I started with the samples first but we had a hard time transitioning to the formula so I continued to BF but cut out all dairy.