Refuses All Formula

Hi D.,

My daughter is on neocate too and when she doesn't want it, I mix it with oatmeal. Usually it works for her. Also I put more formula when she refuses to eat, so there is more calories, but you have to consult the doctor for that, you don't want to put too much formula and too little water either.

good luck,

M.

I went through much of the same thing - did not breastfeed and baby did not take formula. But my baby had sever acid reflux, so what I did was rock him to sleep with his binky then once he was asleep I would slip out his binky and replace it with his bottle. This was my only option. When they are like this you have to do whatever you can to get them to eat. Eventually, he would also drink the neocate when watching a baby television program. I am so sorry - good luck.

ER, honey. Now.

If you're in a hotel talk to the concierge, similar for other situations...and they'll arrange to get you sent with a cab, etc. The lack of nutrition is dangerous, but dehydration is deadly.

Belgium has good medicine & medical practices. Get her seen. If language is too much of a barrier (although most people in western europe speak english, and many speak fluently), after you get her seen in belgium, spend the 200 and get to the UK.

Best of Luck

Geeze I don't know what to tell you except to get another doctor immediately! My son lost his appetite for 2 days with a cold and the MD told us that as long as he was haveing 3 wet diapers a day it was OK because he was hydrated. If it went below that to take him to the hospital and they would put him on an IV to get him rehydrated.
Good Luck, J.

*If you are increasing her solids AND she is STILL not drinking anything... you need to watch out that she does not become CONSTIPATED.

YOU NEED TO TAKE YOUR BABY TO THE DOCTOR... OR ER.

If she continues to not feed.... she WILL get dehydrated. This is VERY dangerous.
As it is, she only had 2-3 wet diapers yesterday... they need to have about 6-8 wet diapers... not "damp" diapers, WET.

HOW OLD is your baby?
Regardless, they cannot go 24 hours without feeding.
You need to get her looked at... or she will be hooked up to an I.V., and very dehydrated.

Now, is she lethargic? Lack of alertness? No tears? Drowsy? Sleeping more than usual? These are signs of dehydration...

How is her fontanel? (ie: the soft spot on top of her head). Is it concave or depressed? If it is sunken in... this is not a good sign either.

A baby HAS to feed. How the heck is she doing?

You do not have to go to only 1 Doctor... when a baby is not feeding and likely to be dehydrated... you go to ANY Doctor and have her seen. Immediately. Go to a hospital ER... something.

All the best, take care... I hope she will feed again... but you must find something that she WILL and can have as far as Formula.
Please let us know, how it goes and update us...
Good luck,
Susan

Poor you! Travel with little ones is challenging enough without feeding issues.

My daughter's father is European, so we travel frequently. I am really shocked that any pediatrician would advise you to stop breastfeeding while traveling. Your child will benefit from your immunities and have less chance of becoming ill &/or weathering illness while you are abroad. You may not be producing much milk, but I would definitely advise a return to breastfeeding just for the immune boost. If your baby was experiencing tummy problems (blood in stool, runny stool) from your breast milk -- try cutting out all dairy and/or soy. If you need ideas for what you can eat -- mamasource the request and let the mamas help.

Meanwhile, A& D fortified goat's milk is what I would give my child if I could not breastfeed. Formula tastes and smells awful, no matter how you mask it (have you tried drinking some yourself? -- Yuck!)

Two links that might help you:

Guide to poop:
http://www.drjaygordon.com/development/pediatricks/poop.asp

Increasing Milk Supply:
http://www.drjaygordon.com/development/bf/galact.asp

Hope this helps! Best of luck!

How frustrated and worried you must be! Please go easy on the water though; find another hydrator, Belgian equivalent to pedialyte, because too much water is not safe for babies. Do seek medical advice where you are locally. I'm sorry you're going through this. . . We'll pray for full recovery of appetite and enjoyable remainder of your vacation!

I'm not sure what the reasoning is behind the doc directing you to stop breast feeding, but am a little curious about that. So often I hear of doctors doing things like this smply because it is easier for them than providing breast feeding counsel.

Do visit a doctor there. You do not want your sweet girl to become dehydrated. In the meantime, try and get her to sip some water.

Oh! and I second the goat milk advice you received! Goat milk is similar in makeup to human milk.

Get her in to see a doctor before she dehydrates. I'm sure you can be directed to a pediatrician from someone at your hotel or go directly to an ER. I personally, wouldn't wait. You also don't want to miss some other health issue.

Good luck to you.

I am not a doctor or a nurse, but I did have two babies while living in the Netherlands. Belgium is very similar. Don't be shy about going to the local ER for help. Everyone speaks English and they are very good with babies. My little ones were on Similac and this was nice because it was available when we were on vacation in the States from time to time.
Don't worry, she will eat.....
B. v. O.

I am a mom & have traveled a fair bit - I concur with the suggestions below. Do try your concierge first, if you are staying where there is one - they are very well informed. You can also contact the nearest US consul to you (that has one)for help finding an ER or urgent care. And I also concur: play it safe and get your little girl to an urgent care or the Belgian equivalent thereof sooner not later. Keep giving her lots of water, along with the solid foods. Our daughter (adopted, ergo: bottle fed & also alergic to many formulas) started to drink only about 7 oz. formula total per day at about 8 or 9 months. She just switched herself to food. and don't panic - be calm for you and her all three!

Well, formula just isn't as yummy as breastmilk...nor as good for her...but if you can't BF for medical reasons--a drug you need to take that passes through?--find a breastmilk bank & purchase breastmilk for her.

Or call the pharmarmist & find out if there is something else you can take for the condition & still BF. Sometimes Dr prescribe just the brand that they've been given free samples of. Also, a lot of meds are safe, but no one wants to make that call, because we are a law suit happy society. So do a little research & see if there are alternatives.

If you don't have a medical condition & the dr just wanted to be able to measure the formula--it's hard to measure Breast Milk--& the formula was to prevent the rashes, just cut the soy & dairy out of YOUR diet & go back to breastfeeding. BTW, have you wondered how much the dr gets free--golf vacations promotions, dinners to push this "special" formula? Just because breast milk isn't measurable, doesn't mean it isn't the best thing for your baby. Plus, it's WAY more convenient while traveling, not to much cheaper...

Follow your daughter's needs, she is telling you she isn't ready for so much solids & she doesn't like the formula. Listen to your daughter's needs, each child is different. Some want to eat table food by 8 mos, some only nurse with the occasional solid food to play with...

I would take your child to an urgent care or hospital. He or she could very well be becoming dehydrated. Once they have rehydrated her, they can work on what the best formula is. Our little granddaughter is also on a (fat free) special formula and couldn't tolerate the breast milk after a surgery on her aorta. We hear it is horrible tasting, but after some time, she seems to be okay with the taste. She is more able to tolerate solids now and Mommy has tried the frozen breast milk (pumped) and Katelyn can tolerate it as well. She seems to prefer the formula. Good luck with your precious child.
K. K.

You've gotten some good advise, but I would like to add one more thing here. Massage her feet. Reflexology is the science of stimulating meridian endings to activate energy. The reason a foot massage feels so good is that it is basically a full on body massage including organs. You don't really have to know all the specific points in the feet to get benefit. In a nutshell, the toes reflex the head/neck. The pad under the toes reflexes the chest/lungs/ shoulders. the arch of the foot and the heel reflex the digestive system. That is a simplistic breakdown, but it is enough to get started. Just gently apply pressure. If you hit a spot that she reacts to, it is an area that needs more attention. Just 20 seconds of pressure will help. Do it several times throughout the day. Find someone who does reflexology. It certainly can't hurt and it could help. Acupuncture is another way to go.
It is especially stressful being in a foreign country at this time. Don't be afraid to go to someone there for help. They deal with the same problems we do.
Blessings.

I know of something she can eat that is very nutritious and very safe for baby. When do you return from Belgium and where do you live in Southern California?

It is good that she is rejecting it. Even though she is so young, her body is telling you something.

God Bless!

J.

You mention that you recently stopped breastfeeding. There might still be milk in your breasts. If you're not on medication that will harm the baby, can you try to resume breastfeeding, at least for now, so the baby is getting some fluids?

I had the same problem with my son at 6 months....he was fully nursed until then and was having allergic reactions and rashes. If you don't have to use Neocate (which is terrible tasting) use the Nutramigen and pedialyte or even gatorade. Try to keep her hydrated. Or since your in Europe when my mom was a baby(military family) she was allergic to milk and they used goats milk. Talk to the local pharmacy or dr's there is bound to be someone who will help or have some advice since your out of the country. Good luck and let us know how she is doing.

Hi There!

Try Nurtramegin. It has saved my baby! Good Luck to you!

Goat's milk. Find some goat's milk, and then a new doc please. You poor things. I am praying for you. Find some goat's milk. Please update up because I will pray till I hear how things are.
Blessings,
V.

Have you tried Neutramagin? I had the same issues with my daughter. I too had to stop nursing. (My ped said he was VERY pro nursing and had only asked one other mom to stop nursing throughout his entire practice.) She really loved Neutramagin by Enfamil. It's hypoallergenic, no soy, no dairy. My niece and nephew were on it too and it loved it as well. Guess the allergies run in our family.

Similac makes a version too, Allumentum I think its called. I don't know if you can access it Belgium, but maybe you should try to switch her to one of those formulas. She might like the taste better.

Which other ones did you give her to try?

My daughter was also on Nurtramegin, and did very well. I would still go to the ER, just in case there is another reason she is not eating. Good Luck.