Formula Sensitivity?

My son had a milk protein intolerance which developed when I was breastfeeding (I love to drink milk...). We ultimately put him on Nutramigen (just Enfamil's version of Similac's Alimentum). I know it's expensive, but worth it. The Dr. can do a test of the stool to see if that is the problem. Call the Dr. and see if they need a stool sample to test - then you can treat what is bothering him. Good luck. I know it's terribly frustrating - hang in there.

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Heading to the pediatrician sounds like the right thing to me, too. I'm a little surprised they won't see you the same day after having blood in his stool - did you mention that to them?

Also, I just wanted to jump in and second the advice about milk protein and soy protein intolerance (or even possibly allergy). The two often occur together, so it's not surprising that you're having trouble with both milk-based and soy-based formulas. My daughter had very similar stools when she developed this issue, and it resolved completely with removal of dairy and soy from my diet (she's exclusively breastfed).

Nutramigen or Alimentum are supposed to be the way to go for formula, but keep up with the breastfeeding as much as you can - it's by far the easiest for them to digest. If you end up needing to eliminate dairy and soy from your diet, don't be intimidated - it's much easier than it seems with all the great alternative products (like Rice Dream) out there!

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We supplemented for my son because I DID have supply problems. I really like Baby's Only Organic Formula http://www.naturesone.com/ and we never had any problems. You might look into it.

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I went through the same exact thing with my son. I would feed him all my breasts had to offer and then had to top him off with formula. We used Enfamil, just regular Enfamil. He was gassy and fussy at first so we switched to a more sensitive formula through Enfamil and it seemed to make it worse. So, we went back to regular Enfamil and let his body get use to it and build a tolerance. We tried other brands, but our son responded to Enfamil the best. He had no problems after that. Our doctor told us that breastfed babies have a more sensitive stomach when anything other than breastmilk is introduced to them.
We never used soy because there is a higher rating of allergies to soy than milk based formulas. Our son too had bloody stool, but that was due to constipation, but it is highly suggested that any signs of blood in stool needs to be checked out by your doctor asap.
Craddle cap and eczema are not signs of an allergic reaction, it's normal baby stuff. A little bit of baby oil and a comb worked for me with craddle cap and eczema cream worked like a charm.
You would be better off calling your doctor or scheduling an appointment for your son. No, you are not over-reacting! My story is pretty similar, but better safe than sorry.
Best of Luck to You!

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are you using powdered? if so switch to the concentrated. I went through so many formulas with my little girl and found out she was not okay with lactose and the powdered soy formulas were too grainy (or something, who knows, right!?) and she was getting diarrhea and gassy. I finally settled on Similac Lactose Free Advance Infant Formula. What a God send though, mommy finally got some sleep. it's pricey, but anything for baby! good luck momma.

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A lot of soy is genetically modified--and often contains estrogen which would be worse on a boy than a girl. I would definitely stay away from that. And eczema is a sign of a food sensitivity, so more than likely you are right when you say he is reacting to SOMETHING. My second daughter had a feeding disorder and had to take formula at two months of age. Nothing agreed with her; even the "hypo-allergenic" expensive stuff. So we did goat's milk (straight from the farm). All of a sudden, she was a new baby...growing, happy, sleeping...and thriving for the first time. I know it sounds nutty and I can't imagine a pediatrician supporting my decision, but it made all the difference in the world. Today she is a smart, active, almost-three year old.

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Ya know, my daughter had a lot of sensitivities to formula too. We adopted her and so I didn't get the chance to breastfeed her. So I had tried a couple to, and found out she was allergic to milk. She had the same kind of reaction it sounds like your little one is having, eczema. So I ended up making her formula from scratch every day! With goats milk. It's a more faty and complete milk and then added some vitamins and oils. I got the receipe from my natural path dr. I know it's a lot of work, but it's so worth it. And it actually costs a lot less than buying formula. Just a thought! If you are ever interested, let me know.
I also know changing from formula to formula can irritate their little tummys, so the gas and change of color in his poo could be from that too. Sometimes you need to give it a little time and transition into the next kind. We went through that too!
Hope this helps and good luck! And don't feel bad supplementing, I think every kid is different. Some may need extra and some may not:)

T.

Hi--I just wanted to mention in case it hasn't been, an herbal supplement that I used throughout breastfeeding of my first baby because I had a low supply due to breast reduction surgery. It is called More Milk Plus and it is made by motherlove. It has fenugreek, blessed thistle, nettle and fennel seed in it and it did seem to help with my supply at the time. It is available at www.motherlove.com or your local health foods store might carry it. Best of luck to you, I so completely relate to the stress of not knowing if your baby is getting enough milk--I hope the dr. or someone on here has led you to the cause, and ultimately a solution to your baby's issues...you're doing great, mama, and he'll be fine! Blessings!

Glad you are taking him in. As for supply/supplementing, one thing you could try is pumping at night when he sleeps longer stretches. I do this with my twins and then feed them bottles in the evening when my supply is running low to top them off and help them feel full and sleep longer. We naturally run low in the evenings due to nursing throughout the day, wearing ourselves out and getting to the point where we need to rest to make more milk. Also watch your calorie/fluid intake and make sure it is quality fat and protein that will help your body produce more milk. Creating a feeling of more demand will help increase your supply, so you can also pump one side while nursing the other.

His stools and gastric reaction to formulas will definitely be different than being totally breast fed. At 7 weeks I would totally demand feed. It will increase your supply and you'll be able to meet his needs. Your body will adapt. If that means you're nursing every 90-120 minutes, tnen that's what it's going to take initially. But it does work. I went back to work after 6 months with both of my boys, and I breast fed and pumped at work, having enough for them. The youngest was a big boy (9# 3 oz) so he was really hungry. Feeding more often during the day will stimulate your production and many calm the feeding frenzy you describe at night. I'm not going to tell you this is convienent, but parenting never is.

My middle child, my oldest son, had a sensitivity to any dairy product, so when he learned to drink from a cup it was formula. It was not pleasant for him. His stomach griped and the diapers required a gas mask when he had a bowel movement. Breast fed babies definitely have a more pleasant b.m.,

In short try to nurse more frequently, he's still very little. As far as the formula choices, you may have to go to the spendy formula to keep him healthy and comfortable. Sorry.

Take good care.

I feel for you, I had the same experience with my son every night in the first couple months, wanting to nurse every 30 minutes, and then going back and forth between breasts even when he had already cleaned them out. It was frustrating, and even though he never really seemed content he would eventually fall asleep while sucking. My milk increased as I demand fed throughout the day and night, even though it often took a few days to increase enough to satisfy him at night at the stages when his demand increased. Have you already worked on increasing your milk supply (i.e. demand feeding, drinking lots of water, taking a supplement like Fenugreek, pumping when he's not nursing)? I'm sure you know that once you start supplementing, it just spirals from there. Your body will continue to produce less milk and you will begin supplementing more, and so on.

As for the formula, after we supplemented with formula a tiny bit when we first brought our son home (trouble with breastfeeding), I read more about how the baby's gut works. You will probably never hear this from a doctor, but a baby has an open system until about 6 months of age, which is how immunities are transferred by the mother's milk into her baby's bloodstream - through his "open" gut. So if you use formula, especially when they are closer to newborn, any substances (i.e. milk protein or any additives) in that formula are going to be able to cross over into the baby's bloodstream - hence the development of allergies, eczema, etc. (same thing that can happen in an adult who has a "leaky gut"). After I learned this, we never touched formula again. So if at all possible, hang on until 6 months and then supplement if needed.

If you do end up having to supplement, just know that there are other options out there, including donated breastmilk and homemade formulas (I know doctors would want to hang me for suggesting that) like the Nourishing Traditions formula that people all over the world successfully use with their children. Also, while straight goat milk would be nutritionally deficient to nourish a newborn full-time, if you only used a little to supplement the extra hunger, the breastmilk should still provide all the necessary nutrients (but to provide much nutrition the goat milk would need to be fresh from the farm).

I second Baby's Only Organic formula. Once you really start to look into the ingredients of most formulas, it's no wonder babies have such a hard time tolerating them! Check out their website (www.naturesone.com). Lot's of wonderful info. there!

Gladl to see that you made the Dr appt. Should be first thing on the agenda if there is blood involved even if it just turns out to be due to the change in his diet.
I went through the feeding my son ALL day long (sometimes every 45 minutes) for a long time - after we left the hospital -where he begrudgingly took a bottle - he only took a bottle a few times, usually when he was absolutely starving after draining me. But when we did use formula, the only one he would take was the concentrated Enfamil. I tried some powdered versions and sensitive version - the only one he ever spit up - to no avail.
If you are having a sensitivity to the regular, I would think it is worth the extra investment to relieve the stress on both of you. I know, in hindsight, how detrimental it was to my milk supply with my stress over him always seeming to still be hungry. And I had to cut out Chedder cheese from my diet for the longest time. Not dairy - just cheddar cheese.
Might be worth it to vary your diet to see.

And remember to drink TONS of water! Another simple thing that I usually didn't do enough of.

Good Luck to you and I hope he, and you, are well.

My granddaughter was found to be allergic to the protein in milk. The doctor recommended Nutrimigen which worked great.

She also had severe eczema that did not improve with the change in formula. The two do not seem to be related. She also has asthma. She's 9 and the asthma is still problematical but the eczema has greatly improved. She has been able to drink milk for the past 3 years. Food allergies that begin in the first weeks and months of life tend to abate as the child gets older.

A note about rice milk. Once my granddaughter reached one or so she did drink some rice milk. But rice milk does not contain sufficient nutrition for a baby under the age of one.

And yes, soy is a common allergy.

Well glad you are trying to breastfeed - best choice. I HIGHLY recommend you do not feed your baby soy formula - it is so bad - here are some articles for you to read up on it...

http://search.mercola.com/Results.aspx?k=soy%20formula

scroll down to read the subject article - there are MANY here that will inform you and shed the light on soy and its detrimental effects.

Good morning,

What it sounds like you may be experiencing is an intolerance to cow's milk. The proteins of cow's milk (primarily casein) can promote gassiness and a tendency to slower transit resulting in bloating. It stimulates greater gall bladder activity hence the darker, larger stools. The munchkin can be affected through breast milk if you are consuming compounds with cow's milk in it.
Over 50% of caucausians have this difficulty and over 70% of blacks with asians less troubled at 30%. It is a serious concern with implications far beyond 'lactose intolerance'. You can see more info at www.notmilk.com. In the meantime, transfer your babe to soy or rice or (even best) coconut milk. The soy concerns you are hearing about are about 1/20th of the concerns the child receives from the cow's milk so don't let that well-meant information disway you from changing his sources. (He doesn't get calcium from cow's milk products...that is a marketing myth.)

Hope this bit of information has helped.

S. (chiropractic physician/clinical nutritionist)

You could try using goat milk as a replacement for formula. I did that with my twins. if you are really intent on breastfeeding though here are my suggestions. 1) make sure you are getting enough water. This is essential to having a large milk supply. 2) Don't try to loose the weight you gained. Your body needs the calories and fat you currently have to help make the milk. 3) nurse on demand. let him go back and forth... he may be getting fussy because he is getting used to how quickly the bottle lets down rather than how slowly your breast lets down.

Good luck Mama, either way you are doing a great job.

S.

take him to a pediatrician and ask those questions. also I can't do the soy, so I drink rice milk. is there a rice based formula? if there is try that. if might come down to a simple try something and eliminate that and go on to the next.

I hope things get better for you.

I had trouble with Similac formula with my first son and switched to Nestle Good Start. But the lactation consultants will tell you that there's nothing wrong with the Kirkland Brand formula at Costco either and it's a third of the price of other formulas! I also can't see how formula would cause blood in one's stool, so that's something to ask the doctor, I would say. I couldn't keep up with my first son and then I had twin boys so have always had to supplement and always on the advice of my doctors/lactation consultants, so that shouldn't be an issue at all. After all, the most important thing is getting your child enough to eat. Also, boys grow at a much faster rate than girls. I can't compare directly as I only have boys, but I can tell you that I know of at least two one-year-old girls who currently weigh in at 16 or 17 lbs while my 8-month-old twins weigh 22 lbs and are wearing 18-month size clothing. My first son was also this big and other women who have had a girl then a boy can't believe the difference in their growth rates. I think a boy grows about an ounce and a half a day compared to a girl growing an ounce. Hope that helps!