- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
Food Allergy
ToastieSimons
member
Cow's milk and constipation
ToastieSimons
member
in Food Allergy
3 weeks ago we started DS on cow's milk. Before that he was on regular formula. He couldn't handle any of the sensitive formulas because of the corn syrup.
We slowly transitioned to whole milk and toddler formula for going to church on sundays. His constipation has become worse and worse. Even with a full dose of Miralax daily he is extremely constipated.
I've changed his vitamin to a poly vi sol with no iron, he gets oatmeal, apple juice, benefiber and I've added a lot more fruit in his diet lately.
What else can I do? Is this a signal that he probably can't handle the cow's milk and to transition to another medium? I don't think I can use almond/soy milk because of the fat content. He doesn't chew anything so he doesn't eat any table food. just stage 2 and occasional stage 3 foods. And no apple sauce. Prunes don't even make a dent.
To my boys: I will love you for you Not for what you have done or what you will become I will love you for you I will give you the love The love that you never knew
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Cow's milk and constipation
avocado makes your stool softer. My son eats 1/2 an avocado a day -not for constipation reasons but b/c it's good fats and i have noticed his stool is soft(er).
how old is your son? is he over ONE? if so, can you try rice milk (fortified)? Whats wrong with almond/soy milk and it's fat content? why are you worried about the fat content especially if he doesn't eat table foods? We were told to fatten everything up b/c of his food allergies and the lack of what he can eat.
My son is over one. Outside of whole milk his diet contains NO fat. He is only on stage 2 baby food. He cannot eat any table food and he struggles with eating. He has special needs. He eats MAYBE 1 4oz jar of baby food a day. That's it. No matter how little formula/milk I give him. He's been through failure to thrive because of his severe reflux and he's fallen towards the bottom of the curves despite being 9lbs at birth. It took him 9.5 months to double his birth weight.
i'm sorry! I really hope he thrives soon.
i still don't get why no fat though. I would give him the fattiest things so that his weight goes up.. is it due to his special needs? I would try avocados b/c they are pretty healthy and have a ton of nutrition and you can puree it. (add some lime juice and it's delish).
Is he on toddler formula? that might help him thrive more. They were getting ready to put my son on it since he didn't want to eat much and was at a stand still in weight. They pretty much said that if he losses one ounce they will put him on it.
btw- i'm reading your birth story from your blog and the first days in NICU and am in tears. i'm so sorry you had to go through all of this. {{hugs}}
he won't eat anything fatty. butter, avocado, yogurt etc. so i worry soy/rice/almond milk wouldn't have enough fat.
Are you working with a pedi or a nutritionist on his diet? I've heard of some doctors okaying rice/almond/hemp/potato/whatever milk, and having mom add a safe oil to it to increase the fat content.
If he's that constipated, and it only started after adding dairy, his body is saying "NO MILK". Food reactions don't always look like a classic reaction, and constipation is a sure sign in me and my kids that a food is not okay for us. Also, is he getting both benefiber AND miralax? Did his pedi okay full doses on both of these? To me, benefiber + oatmeal + a lot of fruit sounds like a LOT for a tiny gut to handle. Miralax isn't easy to process either. We were giving my 4-year-old a full dose of Miralax (per the pedi's instructions) for a week to help with his constipation, and it only made things worse. It was way too much for his body to handle. We've backed off to 1tsp per day and things are much better. Just some things to consider. Hang in there mama!
We don't have a nutitionist because he won't eat much. We cannot add any type of oil to his foods/formula because he has severe reflux and can aspirate them too easily. My pediatric GI doctor was the one who suggested at Benefiber with our Miralax.
You're reading into "a ton of fruit". DS only eats about 4oz of food a day. Only jarred baby food. Total. I've even dropped him down to 16oz milk/formula in effort to increase his appetite. It's just too hard for him. It has a lot to do with his oral tone. he tires out easily.
DS has been on a full dose of Miralax daily since 3 months old. It was too much at first so we backed off to 1/2 capful every 3days then like 1/4 capful as needed. Then we started whole milk and he became so constipated so we jumped up to the 1/2 capful daily and it's doing nothing.
He only gets about 4-6 Tbs oatmeal per day. and they're in his bottle to thicken it, so he doesnt' eat it all because it sticks to the bottle.
Is he able to eat any pureed meats? Some pureed beef and water would give him some good fat and lots of B vitamins.
I guess I don't understand about not being able to add oil... if he was okayed to have whole milk, and he were to aspirate that, how is that different from aspirating sweet potato w/oil, or rice milk w/oil? I understand why you couldn't give him a tablespoon of oil outright, but if it was thoroughly blended into another food, why not? I'm honestly not being snarky, I'm really curious! I know you said he won't eat avocado, but what if you pureed in a bit of it with a stronger-flavored food he readily accepts? He wouldn't taste it then, but would still get the benefits. You could do the same with sunflower seed butter, etc. Fat and protein!
I urge you to meet with a nutritionist or dietitian who understands these kinds of feeding problems and restrictions. A general pedi, even a GI specialist, does not specialize in nutrition and can give some questionable advice, or gloss over a nutritional concern that is quite valid. Your son is at such a critical stage w/brain development; you want to be sure he's getting the best nutrition his body and abilities will allow. I know how overwhelming it is to be dancing around so many feeding issues (my DS was a nightmare to figure out, and even now we're finding new things that we thought were safe but are causing problems!). Demand the help you need; it'll make a world of difference. Hugs!
Oil is sticky. It's very dangerous to aspirate it. Food and milk are much less dangerous because you can cough it up. The oil sticks to the aveoli in the lungs. My child doesn't aspirate normally (he has a fine suck/swallow) but with the severe reflux it puts him at a higher risk of aspirating (choking or just having it "go down the wrong pipe").
Have you tried swapping out goat's milk? Admittedly, it makes the spitup unbelievably stinky, but the protiens are a little different than those in cow's milk and might help. You also might try acidophilus milk. It has the gut bacteria babies need like yogurt, but with the consistency of regular milk. (A little baby activia?)
Have you asked about using breastmilk? There are milkbanks that can help if your docs think it's worth a try and are willing to write a prescription. Breastmilk contains easier protiens and a natural laxative. It really seems that bringing in a nutritionist might help. Many failure to thrive/gain babies are put on a liquid nutrition supplement, which might ease your mind since your son isn't much of an eater. Good luck. I can sympathize with the stress of a child not eating/growing well.