Help please

scherpha

I don't know what to do at this point. DD was diagnosed with MSPI late June. I went milk and soy free immediately since I EBF and want to continue. She has been rechecked twice since the diagnosis and both times her stool still has blood in it. The pedi (who diagnosed her) said to be very strict for four more weeks and retest since it may just need a little more time to get out of our systems. I also think she has been a happier baby too.

Fast forward to today. My mom watched her for a couple hours while I ran some errands. When I got there DD was hysterical. My mom said that she had another nasty diaper and was upset due to gas. I was sure she was upset because she was overtired but my mom is convinced it was gas. I did mention that I had eaten a Wendy's hamburger over the weekend and that maybe the bun wasn't safe. My mom also jumped on my diet again - she thinks we should go to formula.

I am wondering if I should try the formula. I could continue pumping in case there is not an improvement over where we are now (meaning it could be something else). What I don't know and am hoping someone here does, if I do go to the formula (pedi recommended Nutrigemin sp?) how long could it take to see an improvement?

Also, any thoughts or words of encouragement welcome. Thanks!!

Patches08

Sorry to hear about your DD.. maybe if you post on another board you'll get a better outcome. Eek. So sorry I was on the wrong board, my apologizes. Best of luck with your DD!

hepcats

Are you also cutting out butter? Butter has cream in it, hence milk. Anyhow, my LO has the issue and since I was planning on switching to formula anyways once he went to daycare in a month or so, we just went ahead and made the switch earlier rather than later. We have him on Nutramigen. The difference in his eating was instantaneous but the difference in his stools took at least a week but it normally takes at least two weeks to work through both YOUR system and DD's. Side note about Nutramigen: it's extremely expensive, about 3 times that of normal formula. I highly recommend getting it through Amazon Mom (after you buy a can or two to see how LO does with it) because you can get steep discounts that way. Additionally, many insurance companies will cover a portion of the cost since it is medically necessary.

scherpha

hepcats:

Are you also cutting out butter? Butter has cream in it, hence milk. Anyhow, my LO has the issue and since I was planning on switching to formula anyways once he went to daycare in a month or so, we just went ahead and made the switch earlier rather than later. We have him on Nutramigen. The difference in his eating was instantaneous but the difference in his stools took at least a week but it normally takes at least two weeks to work through both YOUR system and DD's. Side note about Nutramigen: it's extremely expensive, about 3 times that of normal formula. I highly recommend getting it through Amazon Mom (after you buy a can or two to see how LO does with it) because you can get steep discounts that way. Additionally, many insurance companies will cover a portion of the cost since it is medically necessary.

thanks for the amazon tip - we have already been pricing there in case. I would like to avoid formula if necessary. I have eliminated all milk (including casein and whey through reading ingredients) and soy (including soybean oil and lethicin which some babies can handle). I have been on this diet with the exception of one meal that did not directly see the ingredients list since 6/22.

g_belle

The wendy's burger was probably not safe.  Most restaurants- unless they state it specifically on their website or a special menu- are not allergy safe.  I'd just go back to following your diet closely. 

ohioroots

If you can be diligent about pumping it wouldn't hurt to try formula. I was on a dairy/soy free diet for about 2 months with my DD, and though I saw slight improvement, she still was not a happy baby. When she was 5.5 months old I decided to try formula and just pump. Within 24 hours she was a completely new, happy, healthy child. Because of the drastic transformation I had no motivation to continue pumping and my supply tanked. Now I come to find out 5 months later that she's allergic to at least 8 different foods (including dairy and soy) and I certainly didn't cut out out the other 6 while BFing. Also, if you do try formula, you don't necessarily need to jump to a hypoallergenic (read: super-expensive) type. I tried Similac Sensitive just because they had sent us a sample and we had it in the house and she does great on it. You could try a sensitive version of any brand first and if thats not tolerated move up. 

Hugs to you, so sorry you're dealing with this. And I'm sorry your mom isn't encouraging. Its so hard to know the right decision to make, and its hard to see your LO in pain.  

Miller238

If you are going to continue BFing, you have to be super strict about what you eat.  Fast food is just basically out.  She may be sensitive to beef if she is allergic to milk.  My daughter is allergic to both.

If you go to formula, I would want to get a prescription one, such as Neocate.  It seems as if she is pretty sensitive, so a protein based formula probably won't work, and I would hate for her to have to switch formulas multiple times.  I would not want to give her Nutramigen because, although it is broken down, it is still a milk-protein based formula.  My daughter couldn't tolerate it.

And I am not sure if you ever made an appointment with the allergist I recommended.  But they will test babies her age.  Going there when my daughter was 3 months old was the best thing I ever did for her.  They gave me so much information and better advice than a pedi who does not specialize in allergies.

I am so sorry you are going through this.  I know I really struggled when I made the decision to stop nursing and give her formula.  It was so hard to be ok with that.  But seeing how much happier she is on Neocate and how much she has grown, I know I did the right thing for her. 

scherpha

Miller238:

If you are going to continue BFing, you have to be super strict about what you eat.  Fast food is just basically out.  She may be sensitive to beef if she is allergic to milk.  My daughter is allergic to both.

If you go to formula, I would want to get a prescription one, such as Neocate.  It seems as if she is pretty sensitive, so a protein based formula probably won't work, and I would hate for her to have to switch formulas multiple times.  I would not want to give her Nutramigen because, although it is broken down, it is still a milk-protein based formula.  My daughter couldn't tolerate it.

And I am not sure if you ever made an appointment with the allergist I recommended.  But they will test babies her age.  Going there when my daughter was 3 months old was the best thing I ever did for her.  They gave me so much information and better advice than a pedi who does not specialize in allergies.

I am so sorry you are going through this.  I know I really struggled when I made the decision to stop nursing and give her formula.  It was so hard to be ok with that.  But seeing how much happier she is on Neocate and how much she has grown, I know I did the right thing for her. 

thanks for the advise on the formula. I do have an allergist appointment but it is not until early September. I am going to call today to see if we can get in any sooner.