Formula Crisis!

[Manna]

Hey parents, I need some help! My daughter has been on formula for almost all of her life now (for reasons we're still not sure of, I was unable to breastfeed past the first few weeks). The doctors have been saying that she has a milk allergy and put her on a soy formula. I've tried every brand out there, and the only one that she could keep down was the Nestle Good Start Soy Essentials. I tried every other soy I could find, and she threw it up all over me and everything in her path!! I truly do not know why the other brands are a problem for her, but they are. When she was on a milk-based formula, it was evident that she was allergic to it (hysterical screaming, pulling her knees up to her tummy, restlessness, etc), and I've never had those sorts of reactions to the soy. She'll be as happy as can be, smiling at me and *blah*, out comes all the soy formula she just swallowed! Very frustrating...

So here's my crisis...the brand has been discontinued! Nestle has switched over to a new Soy that everyone tells me is "just like enfamil!" Well, she throws it up! As soon as found out that it was being discontinued, I ran to every store in 3 counties to buy all of it I could find, but only got a few months worth. Well, now I'm down to just a few weeks, and I have no CLUE what to do. I've tried mixing 3/4 her formula and 1/4 of a new brand to try to switch her over to it gradually, but nothing like that has worked.

I'm at a complete loss. I have no idea what I'm supposed to do for my baby. Please don't misunderstand me, it's not the mess of a throw-up or anything along those lines that I'm having a problem with, it's that my baby apparently cannot stomach these other brands, and I can't stand the thought of her being sick every day. That will NOT work for me.

Does anyone have any suggestions or ideas? Or better yet, has anyone been through anything similar to this?? I would love ANY input!!

Thanks in advance!!
Anna

EDIT: BTW, my daughter is just over three months old.

 

[alaskamolly]

Goat milk, goat milk, goat milk!


It's the closest thing there is to human breastmilk, especially when you get it fresh! People who are allergic to cow milk are generally NOT allergic to goat milk (it's a different protein form).

Here's some sites with more info:

http://www.whiteegretfarm.com/html/vscows.html

http://www.icpa4kids.org/research/children/breastfeedingalternatives.htm

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=131


It's WAAAAAAAAAAAAYY better than formula, anyways, so this might be a real blessing for her health that the formula is gone!


My 2cents!

Mol

 

[Mayzoo]

We had to put my sweetie on Nutramagen formula. It has enzymes in it that break it down even further than Good start. Two drawbacks.....it is much more expensive, and their stools are almost totally loose.

Check with your pediatrician and see if they have any samples that they can offer you. Most pediatricians have some samples.

If you go with the goat milk make sure it is pasturized. I became very ill on non-pasturized goat milk when I was younger.

 

[Manna]

alaskamolly -- Have you known an infant who is allergic to milk be successful with goats milk? I am definitely going to look into those websites (thank you so much for the info!!) But I was wondering if you personally knew of any similar instances.

 

[Crofter]

Soya milk , goats milk and sheep milk are very similar... if a baby can't tolerate normal formula the child allergy specialist don't recommend giving them these as alternatives because they quickly grow to be allergic to these too and over the months develop the same reaction to Soya or goat as they did to cow!....and this gives you more problems when they are older as traces of milk or soya are in almost every commercially available bread biscuit and so on... and you would have to avoid almost all products...

I found my son thrived best on water... it was the only time he wasn't ill and could keep anything down and he stopped crying and even put on weight.


I would also avoid any wheat products when you are weaning... because these allergies can so often develop and no nut products until the child is over 5... again to try to avoid developing serious allergies.

Also when you wean and through the young years vary the diet so that saturation of one product doesn't lead to further allergies or intolerances.

 

[Leanna]

Well I don't know much but I wouldn't do anything without first consulting your pediatrician. Wouldn't he/she know of your troubles so far and have good suggestions?

 

[Crofter]

Well I don't know much but I wouldn't do anything without first consulting your pediatrician. Wouldn't he/she know of your troubles so far and have good suggestions?

lol! I do hope that is so.... but if so..and if this gets the right specialist advice then you must have far better health care over there then we do here.... took me until my son was a year old and dropped from top centile to right of the bottom of the weight chart before he was refered to the correct allergy clinic and received the correct foods on prescription.

 

[alaskamolly]

http://www.westonaprice.org/splash_2.htm

This site is really cool (though a bit different). We've been eating along the lines these guys suggest for a while now, and we are SO healthy!

They have an AWESOME cookbook (with a recipe for home-made healthy formula, among other things) called, "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon. BUT they also have this recipe on the site!
Go to the children's health section, and then, towards the bottom, you will find a link to home-made formula recipes. I would do this, if I couldn't breastfeed, personally.


Hope this gives you some ideas, in any case!
Love in Him,
Molly

 

[selune]

Raw milk is great if you own your own cow or have one for easy access. It doesn't keep for more than a week which means that for transportation purposes to everyone it doesn't fly.

 

[alaskamolly]

Oh, forgot to answer the question--YES!

My second daughter is totally allergic to cow's milk, but she can have goat's milk without any problems whatsoever.


Cultured milk products are also fine for most cow-allergic people--quality yoghurts and butter are usually ok.

The best is if you happen to have healthy well-treated goats nearby. Most people don't, so that rules that out, but if you can get fresh goat milk, it rocks, nutritionally speaking!

I buy mine, usually from a company called Meyenburg--they have it in our grocery store, in the health food section, though most grocery stores have it in their regular milk section. By the whole milk kind, of course--little babies need that fat (actually, I drink whole milk too!)...

Hope this helps!
Love,
Molly

 

[Manna]

Thank you so much for all of the advice!! I'm sorry I haven't been around more today to respond, but we live on the Gulf Coast and are watching Ivan! =)

Well I don't know much but I wouldn't do anything without first consulting your pediatrician. Wouldn't he/she know of your troubles so far and have good suggestions?

They do know of my daughter's problems (they are the ones that figured out that she was allergic to milk-based formulas. However, we had a problem with acid reflux with her, and that resulted in me having a problem with the doctors! The "answers" that they gave me to take care of the problem made my daughter worse and worse until I finally told them that they could forget it and I did what had been my instinct all along, and she's been perfectly fine since then!!

Wow, I believe that was definitely going off on a tangent! The point was that she does have a pediatrician, but I don't really put a whole lot into what they say anymore...they've messed up my kid too many times! So I'm in the process of finding a differend MD that shares more of my beliefs!

Thanks again for the input...keep 'em coming!

 

[Why?]

I would suggest contacting Nestle. They might have some left over stock that they could send you. It's just a suggestion, and you never know. Give them a detailed letter about how your baby can only drink that one formula. Tug on some heartstrings. You just might be surprised.

Other than that I can only suggest local food pantries or stores that get damaged or almost outdated food items and sell them at a discount.

 

[Manna]

I hadn't even thought of sending them a letter...thanks!

 

[Mayzoo]

If any of us could clear our local stores out and mail it to you, would you be willing to give us an address privately to mail them to? Does not have to be your home, maybe work..or a trusted friend or family member that could then forward it to you?

 

[Crofter]

Oh, forgot to answer the question--YES!

My second daughter is totally allergic to cow's milk, but she can have goat's milk without any problems whatsoever.


Cultured milk products are also fine for most cow-allergic people--quality yoghurts and butter are usually ok.

The best is if you happen to have healthy well-treated goats nearby. Most people don't, so that rules that out, but if you can get fresh goat milk, it rocks, nutritionally speaking!

I buy mine, usually from a company called Meyenburg--they have it in our grocery store, in the health food section, though most grocery stores have it in their regular milk section. By the whole milk kind, of course--little babies need that fat (actually, I drink whole milk too!)...

Hope this helps!
Love,
Molly

True with some kids... but not true with a lot of kids.... allergies are complicated... even the allergy specialists don't have all the answers and their main emphasis is managing the situation and avoiding creating more severe problems in the future because allergies can become very serious in some people... and even at the basic level effect different people in different ways etc..

Manna.. GP and paediatricians are general doctors... not specialist... so they know a little about a lot..... an allergy specialist knows a lot a lot a little and are frustrated with the lack of knowledge banded about by the world of the general practitioner. What amazed me when I finally got to see an allergy specialist was that for the first time they listened to me... something the GP never did... and something the peadeatric consultant I was first refered to at the hospital never did... and being believed and listened to and their understanding that mum knows best was a great step forward to being able to relax with the situation and be able to trust the help and advice offered... I do hope you find some help out there... it would help you to be able to find out what they did to the formula milk that your baby reacted to...

 

[Manna]

Hey, I'm sorry I haven't responded...our area was under mandatory evacuation because of hurricane Ivan. I was just able to get back to my home tonight!

If any of us could clear our local stores out and mail it to you, would you be willing to give us an address privately to mail them to? Does not have to be your home, maybe work..or a trusted friend or family member that could then forward it to you?

Oh, definitely!!! That's a wonderful idea! I would gladly repay you for everything, price for the product, shipping, and your time...that would be so generous of you! Let me know if that's something that you'd be willing to do, and I'll give you an address. Thank you!

Thank you for all of your tips so far! I appreciate all the advice I can get!

Anna

 

[Blindfaith316]

My son was a preemie and threw up everything but nutramigen (its about twice the cost of enfamil) and he was on concentrated for calories, but it was well worth it. Call your pediatrician and see if you cant schedule an appt with a dietician, thats who came up with our solution to the allergy's and helped my son gain weight!

 

[Manna]

Great advice! Thank you!