M.S. asks from Virginia Beach, VA on November 12, 2007
Have a Question About a Baby with a Milk Allergy
My baby has been diagnosed as having a milk allergy so I've switched to feeding him soy based formula. His stools were bloody and I was just wondering when I should start seeing an improvement? I took him to the doctor today and his temp was normal.
So What Happened?™
I switched him to Similac isomil advance and I saw an improvement right away. Not only is there no more blood but he's also much less gassy and fussy. His diaper rash still looks pretty bad but the doc said to try A&D so hopefully that'll work. If not I might be asking for suggestions :) Thanks for the advice!
More Answers
P.P. answers from Washington DC on November 19, 2007
As someone living with a dairy allergy I want to be sure you understand that milk is sometimes found in places you wouldn't expect. The words casien or lactose listed in the ingredints of a product mean they contain milk! You must read the ingredients on everything consumed, not just food. An example is Benedryl. The regular tablets have lactose in them, the hypoallergenic pills do not. Lactose is also used as a binder in flavored foods such as bbq chips and honey-roasted nuts.
B.H. answers from Washington DC on November 13, 2007
Hi M.,
You should see a difference within a few days. If your baby is still having bloody stools or is gassy/fussy then he might be allergic to the soy formula too. This is what I just went through with my 3 month old son. We finally had to switch him to a hypo allergenic formula, Like Similac Alimentum. Anfamil Nutramigen is another you could try. We saw a dramatic improvement within 24 to 48 hours when we switched him to one of these formulas. The only drawback is that this formula is twice as expensive then the other formulas. But it's well worth it! Talk to your doctor and see what he reccomends.
B.
F.B. answers from Charlottesville on November 13, 2007
My son had the same problem and I ended up switching to Alimentum because he couldn't handle the soy either. If you don't see an improvement in a week or so, I would talk to your doctor and maybe trying switching to an predigested protein formula. Also, once he starts eating solids, you may want to avoid Gerber cereal, it contains soy and made my son sick again. If you have any other questions or need to talk...I did it all with the food allergy. Best of luck!!
R.T. answers from Dover on November 13, 2007
I don't know anything about the formula but for the diaper rash use Vaseline.
V.C. answers from Richmond on November 13, 2007
Both of my children were soy babies. My Bella is 8 months old and Zach is 6yr old. Neither one of them ever had bloody stools. Did the doctor say that was normal or indicative of using soy formula?? Both of them did have very soft stools as infants but never any blood.
V.
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