Thoughts and opinions appreciated! (Long)
I am looking for any advice or guidance you ladies can give me! DD is currently just shy of 5 months. She was EBF for the first 3 and 1/2 months. BF was not a pleasant experience for her or myself. DD had latch issues from birth and we ended up using a nipple shield the entire time. She has always been a fussy baby and a good bit gassy. I had gone dairy/soy free for about 8 weeks in an attempt to see if that helped LO. After months of tears and frustration with nursing issues I began the switch to formula. We started with Similac advanced and then similac sensitive and then gerber soothe. After all of those not agreeing with her we went in for another visit to the pediatrician. At that time they found from an occult fecal test there was some blood in her stool. They diagnosed her as MSPI and she was put on Nutramigen. Over all this formula has helped her GI discomfort and gas. However she has been spitting up since on formula ( never had that issue with BF and she is now on prevacid because the reflux was causing a fair amount of discomfort) and I don't understand why. If she had a reflux issue from an "immature esophagus" then it would have happened with nursing too. She also has a severe diaper rash that has been present for almost 1 month! It got pretty bad and is a little better now ( after antibiotics and a bout a million different creams both OTC and perception) but will not go away. The rash becomes very red and sore after she poops. I seems that her stool is acidic and causing this chronic rash. She also developed a rash on her cheeks when we initially started on formula that went away about 1 week after starting Nutramigen and is now back again! She constantly rubs her face even when she is not tired. Also a very poor sleeper, waking frequently!I am concerned that there is still an issue. Is it possible that this formula is not broken down enough and that she needs one of the persciption formulas? I am calling the pediatrician tomorrow. When the perscibed the last cream for her diaper rash they said if it did not work we would need to go see a dermatologist. So I will be taking them up on that offer. We also had booked an apt with a pediatric GI specialist but the first available apt is in mid February. Do you think I should have Ped push for a sooner apt with the GI doc? Should we see an allergist?
Any thoughts you all have are appreciated. I tried to provide as much info as I could but I am sure I left some things out!
TIA!
Re: Thoughts and opinions appreciated! (Long)
Hi! Ok, I feel you on this one. And isn't it terrible when so many people look at your post but don't answer ?!? Anyway..my LO was on Nutramigen and it made everything worse! There is another type of formula,,well 2 actually, Elecare and Neocate. They are super expensive though. We have had terrible experience with both. We went to an allergist and did a scratch test,(even at 4 1/2 months) he was allergic to the top 5 eggs, wheat, soy, milk and peanut. We had previously been on similac organic, then switched to Nutramigen bc it wasn't milk based. It was horrible for him. His face blew up and he got hives all over. So I took it upon myself to find a formula WITHOUT DHA/ARA added. Unfortunately it was milk based. We did this one for a month before knowing he was allergic to milk. He did fabulous on it. His skin felt smooth for the first itme since he was born! His stools were finally not liquid! But the allergist switched us to alimentum and within 5 days, his face was up to the same old thing. We got Elecare ($200 for a case of 6) and same thing was happening. Today with an emergency call to doctor, after his eczema on his face was oozing. She said put him on the one he tolerates the most.
All I can say is follow your mommy instinct. You are right, why would reflux start at this point? I think pedis do their best, but not one size fits all. And I feel they hand out baby zantac, prevacid, and nutramigen etc as a general rule of thumb. Make those other appts, derm, GI etc. It will help u narrow everything down. GL!
DD1: allergic to eggs & dairy
c/p 4/1/11
DD2: milk and soy protein intolerant, allergic to eggs, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, bananas
MSPI Moms Check-In Blog
It sounds as if your LO is not tolerating Nutramigen, which is still milk based but extensively hydrolyzed. Neocate or Elecare may be better--they are elemental formulas that do not contain any cow's milk or soy proteins. DD has been on Neocate for 2 months. Her diaper rash is finally gone, but she still has liquid stool with mucus and occult blood, difficulty with feedings, and poor sleep. She is getting scoped later this month to try to figure out what is going on.
If your LO's weight gain is ok, maybe talk to the pedi about Neocate or go ahead and order it from their website. If LO's weight gain is an issue, then pushing for an appointment with GI sooner seems warranted.
Our insurance does not cover Neocate for oral feeding. We buy directly from their website, because that is the cheapest option.