Reflux Med

Our son had milk allergies and reflux as well. We ended up having to feed him Alimentum (sp?) VERY expensive formula that is already broken down and much easier for his body to digest. Our sign to indicate the milk allergy was blood in his stool. He saw the peds specialist at Hopkins as well.
In addition he takes Prevacid (Zantec didn't work for him either). He is still on Prevacid at 1.5 years, but was able to slowly transition to cows milk around one year of age.
Good luck to you -- I remember all the sleepless nights and the freezer full of pumped milk I was never able to feed my baby.

My son at 8 weeks was having similar problems. I finally had to give up on the breast milk. We went with enfamil and he had all the problems you spoke about. The doctors suggested we try many different formulas til we found one that was right. In the end we had read online that the one that seems to work the best is Neutramagin (I believe it's enfamil..you'd have to to check the grocery store). We also bought Colic Calm (also online)to assist with reflux and gas. He drove us crazy up nights, screaming by day....it was nuts so we went right to the most expensive formula (Neutramagin) rather than trying all the cheaper ones hoping they worked. It was an immediate difference once we started using the Neutramagin. Then we found out about the colic calm and we could actually hear it working. It's gross to look at but overall it worked! I can symathize with you because I had a CSection and then to be trying to recoup and deal with issues is just lunacy!

Here we are at 2 and he now has a severe peanut allergy. The allergist informed us that having allergies at a young age many times is a sign that there will be additional allergies to come. Just a heads up. Hopefully your baby won't have that problem but just so you know....you are not alone! Hang in there. PS... I used a bit of zantac too and that helped but once we started the new formula...he rarely needed more than the colic calm.

HANG IN THERE!

Are you sure that she has reflux and milk allergies? How did the doctor determine this? I only ask because there are other reasons that could lead to similar symptoms.

My son had severe acid reflux but the pediatrician wouldn't formally diagnose it until he had an upper GI done. We ended up in the ER with him being admitted when he was 10 wks old because he was dehydrated from all the spitting up/projectile vomitting. They did an upper GI to rule out any blockages.

The pediatric GI dr put him on Prevacid (we'd tried Zantac and it didn't work). We had to track his caloric intake (he had lost a lot of weight and at 10 wks actually weighed over a pound less than his birth weight) and we had to thicken his formula/breastmilk with rice cereal (this should ONLY be done when a doctor has recommended to do it).

I found out my preemie had reflux at 2 months, (which would have been right around her due date.) A few weeks later I found out that she has a protein allergy, for not only dairy - but soy products as well. So it was just blow after blow for my wanting to nurse. I watched every thing I put in my body to make sure I wasn't getting anything that would worsen her reflux. But because dairy was such a big part of my diet, my supply slowly started to diminish. Eventually I barely had anything left at around 7 months.

Reflux sucks. DD was put on Reglan and Zantac and if I didn't have any stored breastmilk, (and I was working) she would be given Nutramigen. I digress.... my whole point of rambling comes down to this. Rice Cereal. I was VERY hesitant to put a thickener in her bottles because the pediatrician didn't recommend it. It wasn't until DD was visiting my parents at around 4/5 months and my mom decided to try it without asking. (She had been encouraging me to do this, but because of the Pediatrician, I kept saying no.) I was astounded at the difference it made. I immediately took her off of the drugs, and put a tsp. of rice cereal per 2 ounces in her bottle every time. I kid you not, she didn't spit up again (AT ALL) until she was about 10 months and I was attempting soy formula to see if she was ready yet. Obviously she wasn't and she spit up immediately, but that was more related to her protein allergy rather then her reflux.

Some cases of reflux are much more severe then my daughter's. So I would pump my milk when I could, put it in the bottle, add the rice cereal and it just worked like a charm. She still got her BM and I got my sanity back (and my clothes!) I'm a huge fan of breastfeeding - so I encourage you to try to continue as long as you can. Try not to stress, and always be open to other options! Good luck and I hope that you get this figured out!

I would try Goat's milk over soy formula. Soy has estrogen like affects which can affect his growth and development. It can also suppress the thyroid. Goats milk seems to be better tolerated in children with milk sensitivities. Also be careful with the Zantac. Although it helps with symptom control, the stomach does need its acid. The acidic content of the stomach aids in digestion as well as signaling the sphincters at the top and bottom of the stomach to close. Suppressing acid production will interfere with his digestion of necessary nutrients. Many babies with reflux have been helped with chiropractic (through regulating the nervous system control to the organs see ICPA4KIDS.org) I'm a chiropractor and have adjusted my baby since she was days old. It is very safe and has helped her with her issue which was constipation.

There are very easy non invasive ways to determine if it is something that you are eating that is bothering her. It is called kinesology, or muscle testing, which many alternative practitioners do. Also, I agree with many of the other posters that you should at least avoid diary completely and let it "get out of your system". Then if that doesn't work you could start with the next thing ("hot" spices, soy, wheat often show up when I test but sometimes things like oatmeal do as well, depending on the person).

Just some thoughts. Hang in there. It is most important that you not be stressed. (easier said that done!)

Even soy formulas have dairy in them. It can take a few weeks for the dairy to be completey out of your system but if you just stop it in all forms you are better off breastfeeding. There is a great yahoo
group for moms like us who have kids with food issues and other momswho have found ways and hidden ingredients in food like how sometimes the coatings on pills are lactose based or thatnthere is dairy in soy formula or how soy can mimic the dairy reaction

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/foodlab/

Many children with reflux and milk allergies also have a sensitivity to soy. If you are going to go the forumla route, I would switch to the allergy formulas, Alimentum made by Similac or Nutramigen. It's very expensive though. My middle son had reflux/milk issues so I switched to eating no dairy and I drank/cooked with rice milk. When I did have to supplement I used Alimentum. His reflux got better that I he was able to come off the meds. He continued with the milk allergy to 2 so once he turned 1 he drank rice milk.

I would not go with soy. Besides the high aluminum content, there is concerns of how the phytoestrogens will effect the child as they are getting doses of estrogen too early. I know it is expensive, but switch to the formula that is predigested. Most likely, it is the cow's milk (bovine) protein that is causing the issue with your baby. The predigested formula's already break this down.

The protein does go through your milk. Cut out all dairy (milk, icecream, cheese, yogurt, etc.). It will take your body a few weeks to completely clear itself of the dairy. Watch out for hidden dairy as well. The next culprit would be wheat.

I would just recommend you nurse her and pump... stop worrying as that stress is what is affecting your supply.

It may just be that she has a tiny tummy~ so avoid dairy and anything spicy. I would just research online what someone with acid reflux would need to avoid (or ask your doctor) and do that.

Your body WILL make what you need for your baby~ rest, drink LOTS AND LOTS of water and relax... Your breast-milk is what she can digest, as long as you make sure to avoid the food she can't. Your doctor and her's should be able to assist you on that list.

Fran,

My daughter didn't have reflux, but we dealt with the cow's protein allergy, diagnosed around 2 months. I switched to rice milk (which is nice and sweet) and goat's cheese and a vegan "butter". It was hard because I LOVE dairy products, but I continued to breastfeed her until she was 14 months old.
Am I certain it was cow's protein allergy? No, but eventually things improved, and I was able to keep breastfeeding.
I have a friend whose son was having reactions to eggs, dairy, all kinds of stuff and I don't think she ate anything other than chicken, pork, fish, vegetables and fruit the entire time she breastfed (longer than I did).
It is a sacrifice, and I got a lot of flack from my SIL about it, but it was the choice I made. Maybe it is not the right choice for you, that is okay.
Try finding Mother's Milk Tea (Whole Foods or natural food stores), it should help with your production. And yes, I had to throw out a munch of cow's milk contaminated milk. Frustrating!
Good luck!

hello
my son was allergic to protein in the milk AND had really bad acid reflux also, my pedi told me to try alimentum formula, IT was really expensive but it worked, not meds, no spit up. maybe you should ask your peditrician about it? they ussually have samples.
hope this helps

she's allergic to breast milk? or she's reacting to the dairy in your diet? if she's allergic to breastmilk then you've got to find an alternative, and soy is probably not your best bet. but if it's what YOU'RE eating, try raw milk. a large percentage of folks who test lactose intolerant are intolerant only of processed milk. in its nutritious raw form many people who thought they had to give up dairy find out they don't.
good luck!
khairete
S.

I went through the same thing. My daughter is allergic to milk as well. She's 16m and being weaned. All that to say try the vanilla silk, you will get used to it. Even vegan cheese and silk soy yogurt aren't so bad.Also drink dairy free smoothies *dairy queen has one.Betty crocker now sells dairy free dessert mix and cherrybrook farms as well. I hope this helps and that you can maintain your milk supply. Pump too!

I am confused, milk allergies but you're still giving her milk? If it's an actual allergy then finding a milk alternative in crucial. Talk to your pediatrician and get their recommendation. So many formulas are so expensive and it's not only time consuming but it also makes the tummy trouble much worse to change them around every few days. So, get a professionals advice about what TYPE of formula to go for, Lactose free, Soy, Goats milk, etc... There are many to choose from. Too many for her to have to go and try.

Reflux is an issue that can come from overfeeding, poor stomach closing so the milk stays in the correct area to digest, etc...your doctor has the baby on a good medicine. We had J on Reglan. He got it 10 minutes before getting a bottle. Reglan relaxes the stomach muscles and allows the food to pass through easier. Always hold the baby upright to feed, never laying flat. That helps a lot. We used the Mylacon drops in every bottle too. We just put them in than added the water and then formula.