WWYD re: switching formula?

schmoodle

Thanks for the responses to the BF post - for now, trying to stick with it, we'll see what happens though.

So at the pedi today he said that he still does not think milk/lactose issues, as he would expect a rash, more bowel disturbance, etc. if that was the case. For now, he said don't force her to eat (as I've been doing, to ensure she gains weight) and if in a few days she's really taking as little as I'm concerned, bring her in for a weigh in. Otherwise, he said to give the special formula a try, so I picked up alimentum, but to keep BFing and not change diet since, again, he doesn't think it's a milk allergy. He also gave us a referral to a gastro but lord knows how long it will take to get in to see them.

DH says don't switch formulas until we see the gastro. He says too many variables. Thoughts?

I also, on a hunch, picked up a couple different bottles today, since she mostly nurses fine (or even when she refuses, rarely cries when I try to nurse, as she does with the bottle). She just ate a whole feeding in a normal timeframe from the new bottles, but for one feeding that isn't remotely conclusive. Plus, she had shots this morning so I don't know if I can really judge anything by today since she may be acting differently/out of sorts.

emmyloustu

In my experience, Eliza never had any of the symptoms of milk/lactose issues that your pedi is referencing, but there was no mistaking the fact that on regular formula & when I would overindulge in dairy, her reflux would be SO much worse. If I was careful how much I ate (didn't have to eliminate completely) & she was on sensitive formula, it was status quo. I tried Aliementum with her & she straight up refused it over & over again. Our lc was a big fan of combo fed babies with reflux being on a hypoallergenic formula, but e just wouldn't take it. I guess my advice is stick with the new bottles through the weekend & reevaluate the forms switch come Monday!

LIAngel

  I don't know how much help I can be, but Ava was a very pokey/frustrated eater in the beginning.  So the Dr told me to try a different bottle (they had bottles at the Pedi's office I could buy).  So I did.  She was sucking down those bottles like a champ in no time.  

Use the new bottles you got and see if that improves things.  In the meantime, call the gastro and make an appt since there will probably be a wait.  If things improve, then you can always cancel. 

Oh and DH forgot her bottles one day when he brought her to my sister's to babysit.  He ran into CVS and bought a random bottle.  Yeah, Ava screamed and screamed during that feeding.  So it really did matter what bottles we used.

OscarQ

I kind of agree with your husband about limiting the variables.  With my son's reflux we're careful to only make one change at time - at least a week - and then we do another change.  That way you can identify what works or fails.

GuitaristsGirl

Humm. . . well, when we were dealing with my DD's issues, it was hard for me to not do something if I thought there was any chance it could help!  I get what your DH is saying, but I think I'd still be tempted to try the Alimentum  

We actually got in to a pedi GI within 2 days because our normal pedi called himself.  Once there, she was already on Neocate and starting to improve.  The GI said that she couldn't diagnose an allergy or intolerance because that would have required a stool sample, etc. from when things were really bad. . .

Also, fwiw, my DD also didn't have any of the classic signs of an intolerance. . . so, you know what?  Who knows, maybe she doesn't have one. . . .all I know is that switching to Neocate was lifechanging for all of us and I'm so glad we tried it! 

(Alimentum also helped, but eventually things slid back again; she's been on Neocate about 6 weeks now and things are still great!)

I guess, if your pedi ok'd it, I'd probably try it  

GL! 

 

GuitaristsGirl

Also, not to pile on, but the chance that a hypoallergenic or even elemental formula might help her was all that I could think about when reading your BFing post below!  You know I wasn't 100% gung ho about BFing in the first place, so take what I have to say with a grain of salt, but I did hope to be able to keep it up longer than I did.  I ended up quiting cold turkey early on so that we could try Alimentum. DD also didn't have any of the classic signs, so it was a gamble and a difficult decision - but when we saw some relief, I felt like it was the best decision in the world!

(I know some people deal with intolerances/ allergies and still BF through diet modifications, but continuing to BF and modifying my diet would have a) taken longer to give her relief, and b) would have been beyond difficult to keep up given how severe the dr thinks her sensitivity/ allergy/ whatever you want to call it is.  It's not the best decision for everyone, but it worked for us.  As for bonding- cuddling with her and her bottle, with her finally calm and content, was more rewarding for me than any BFing was!  Again, just my experience )