5 Weeks Old Infant Milk Protein Allergy Allimentum HELP Please

My son had reflux really bad and we had to switch him to the alimentum. It was a life saver but he wouldn't take the powder. He would only take the ready to feed so you could try that. Hope everything gets better. It is tough at first but it does get better.

My daughter had the same issue (protein allergy).. I started her off on Enfamil Lipil and that was disaster, she had colic, was puking A LOT, etc!! I tried just about everything, then finally tried Alimentum and for us it was a life saver.. We had no problems with it at all.. Then around 9 months I was able to switch her to regular Similac Advance and she did fine! Nutramagin is the Enfamil equivilent - which we tried and it didn't work for us, and smelled like dog food!

I had a similar experience with my son, and I found that drinking the Mother's Milk tea (Whole Foods) helped my milk supply enough to mix it with the formula. We had to switch to Neocate, but my son would only drink it if it was mixed with my milk. He outgrew the sensitivity and is doing great now. Good luck!

Work on your milk supply! If ever a baby needed to be exclusively breastfed, it's your son! Go to www.llli.org and click on Resources then on the Answers box. There should be a lot of help there. Put him to the breast frequently and try to empty one breast at each feeding before switching to the other, to get the richer hindmilk. Monitor his weight carefully and supplement if you need to. First priority is for him to get enough milk. If you're not sure if he's latching/positioning well, go to www.drjacknewman.com. There's a lot of help there about this. Hang in there. The milk supply responds best to baby's sucking but there's a little lag till it catches up. You can do this, E.! It will take some effort to get on track, but I see no reason it shouldn't work. You can read to your 2 year old while you nurse! Good luck!!

Hang in there mommy! You are doing just fine! Only you can decide what is best for your family. Yes, breast is best, but not at the expense of your own health. Can baby tolerate soy? Are you sure it's a milk allergy and not a lactose intolerance? My boys were the same way and needed lactose free formula as well as Mylicon drops in every bottle. Eventually we were able to switch to Good Start Natural Cultures and they handled that much better. Do what your gut is urging you to do and don't let guilt enter the equation! These moms who are telling you to suck it up aren't there with you in these heartwrenching hours of a crying baby and a mommy migraine! Do what makes mommy happy and baby will follow!

~L.

my daughter had a milk protein allergy also. She cried non-stop from 2wks old until 7wks old. I was breastfeeding and doing reasearch and thought it might be a milk protein allergy so I cut out all dairy from my diet and kept trying and trying but she was still miserable. One night I went to the store and picked up a can of nutramigen just to see if it would help and that night she slept through the night and woke up happy and smiling! I was so upset about not being able to BF anymore, but even with cutting out dairy it just wasn't working, I couldn't watch her be miserable every day, so I had to do what was best for her. Oh, and I had tried soy too before the nutramigen and it didn't help.

I took her to the ped to talk about it and she also agreed that it was a milk protein allergy and said to keep her on nutramigen. Nutramigen is very expensive, but you should talk to your ped, mine would get in cases of sample size cans and they gave them all to me and they would even call me every time they got a new shipment in and give it to me for free!

I can't remember exactly because she is 2 now, but I think was able to take her off the nutramigen and go to regular formula around 6 months old, and ever since then she's never had a problem.

My son had a milk protein allergy as well, and he would not drink the allimentum. It looked and smelled horrible to me too. We ended up just putting him on Similac Soy. We did have some issues with constipation, but that didn't last long. Now at 26 months, he drinks soy and rice milk and loves his milk so much, he rarely will drink anything else.

I know that my daughter was really gassy when she had the Allimentum. She was mostly breastfed, but it took almost a week for me to have anything to feed her, so we would try to nurse then give her a bottle. We used the Allimentum because of a family coconut allergy and that is the only formula that doesn't contain coconut oil. Anyway she would drink it just fine, but she had that from the start, I would talk to the dr to see if you could give him mostly the Enfamil and a little Allimentum then gradually increase the amount of Allimentum until he is getting all Allimentum. This may be easier on his little system. Good luck and try to pump, pump, pump this may be your best bet to solve his eating issue.

My youngest two babies (both preemies) had milk protein allergies. They were both alimentum babies. My daughter still has problems with dairy, but she is almost 6. She eats it minimally and only gets milk in her cereal and still has digestive and bowel problems, but she's healthy. My son (2 and a half) has not yet outgrown the allergy or adjusted enough to have any milk protein. He cannot even tolerate soy milk... he's on a soy forumla, but took alimentum until he was 18 months old.

It takes approximately a month to adjust to for baby - the taste is horrendous and takes some getting used to after breast milk. You know, I tried to breast feed them, too - and my milk was making them sick, regardless of whether I ate dairy or not.

If he really can't stand Alimentum after a month, try Nutramigen... but my babies hated that stuff even more.

Best of luck to you. Ask your doctor for samples and sign up with the company for coupons because those two formulas are close to $30 a can.

It's just my opinion but if you want to increas your milk you should not be supplimenting the baby. For inormation you should probably call LeLeche League. When I was nursing they were incredibly helpful. Good Luck.

My 7 month old baby also has a milk protein allergy. I stopped trying to supplement with formula and began nursing solely. My diet is low in dairy products and as many organic foods as I can afford to buy. If my baby needs additional milk with a meal or if I'm away, then I give her organic rice milk. I buy the boxed Meijer kind. Mostly I mix it into her rice cereal, but it is the only milk-like product other than breast milk that her system can handle right now. Grand Rapids Allergy, PLC has a great staff and specializes in pediatric allergy and immunology. www.grandrapidsallergy.com ###-###-####. If you want more help, you could schedule an appointment with them.

Hi E.,

My son had a milk protein allergy as well. At 3 weeks old we switched from enfamil lipil to soy formula. After about 4 days of that it still wasn't helping. He was so gassy and throwing up is formula like the exorcist. He cried all day and night. Our doctor suggested nutramagen. it's made by enfamil. It was a miracle. I dont know much about that particular formula your baby is on, but just from what i know with my experience, nutramagen was fantastic. It was expensive unfortunatly. Within 2 days I noticed a difference. thats how fast it worked. Our pediatrican told us that this formula is like drinking puke (not to sound gross and she didn't use the word puke either LOL) but what she meant by that was is thats it's already a pre digested formula so their little bodies dont have to work so hard to digest the proteins. He didn't have to be on this for the whole year. once he hit 8 months i was able to switch to nestle good start. another fantasic formula with no bubbling. another thing I can mention that will help is getting those doctor brown bottles. They work wonders. Good luck and if you have any other questions for me, drop me a line. I feel your pain.

My daughter is 3 and still allergic to all dairy products. She was so fussy as a baby on regular formula so we switched her to soy and we noticed a HUGE differece, her diapers were much better and she was less gassy.

I second the LLL advice. Here's a link:
http://www.llli.org/Web/Michigan.html

They helped my wife - it's a great organization.

Organic Mother's Milk tea really helped my wife increase her production:
http://www.traditionalmedicinals.com/?id=30&pid=79

Some other good links:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/milkproduction.html
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/low-supply.html

Does he HAVE to use that type of formula or just one that is not milk based? We used Similac Soy formula for our daughter and she did really well. Its supposed to decrease fussiness and gas - we just used it because we're going dairy free at our house anyway. She loved it and the only bad thing was she was constipated, not uncomfortably, but just bowel movements every other day. I don't know if that's common with formula or just her system (most of my friends used this brand and had no issues)We used pear and prune juices and it helped a lot with the constipation. But it seems like your little guy is having the opposite problem with the new formula.

Good luck with the dairy free diet, its hard at first. Best wishes!

Hi E.,
My son is almost 19 yrs old. When he was a baby, I had problems with my milk coming in. My doc and my mom stuck with the "old school" method of a can of beer every day. I would drink a can at night after he went to bed so it wouldn't affect him. It worked my milk came in GOOD! When I needed to bottle feed we used Isomil soy powdered and he drank it and didn't have any problems. Now he's 6'4" and 185lbs. And he drinks a gallon of milk a day!! And he doesn't have any food allergies.
My daughter is 13 yrs old. She had milk allergies. I stuck with plain old everyday Nursoy. She LOVED the taste. When we first switched her she had a little constipation but a little Karo syrup in water got us through it. Now she's fine. She outgrew her milk allergy by 14 months. She drinks milk everyday and has no other allergies.
My mom told me that when I was a baby the only "formula" back then was Milnot evaporated milk. One can with a can of water. That's what we drank.
I think it's ridiculous these days the number of formulas and all the lipil this and ara that. The old fashioned tried and proven methods work just fine. They are usually more affordable too.
Hope this helps...
E.

I don't know much about this particular food allergy, but check the Carnation Good Start line and see if they have something. I'm a huge fan of Carnation Good Start because my second two children had no problem going from breast to bottle, back and forth as needed. No gas problems, no hard/watery stools, no allergies, just happy babies. I didn't use it with my first child and didn't breast feed her, formula only (brand after brand trying to find the right one), and all I had were problems (or should I say "she had problems"). I didn't use it at that time because it didn't seem to be the "popular" brand and it was cheaper than the rest, so I thought it was just some cheap stuff...boy was I wrong. My babies loved it.

Our son was diagnosed with multiple food allergies as a baby including a milk allergy. Like you I had been breastfeeding but was having trouble with my milk supply (in spite of exclusively breastfeeding, doing the herbs and everything else that people suggest to get the supply up--sometime it JUST DOESN'T WORK and I don't think you should feel guilty if you've done all you could do and still have to supplement). Anyway, we supplemented first with Alimentum but ended up going with Nutramigen instead. It smells terrible but slightly less so than the Alimentum, and our son seemed to like it better too. Do what's right for you and don't let anyone's criticism of you get to you. If your baby is happy and growing, that's what matters.

E.,
I also had to have my son on alimentium. Yes he did not like the taste at first but after about 2 weeks he did not mind it. And he started eating his normal amounts again. His stool was loose the whole time he was on it and it smelled really bad but this is ok...I called my doctor! My son is now 5 months and he is back on soy and doing fine. Please just give it a chance and before you really realize it he will be doing much better.

Supplementing only makes your milk supply go lower. I would nurse as often as possible, drink plenty of water, rest, and avoid milk and milk products. Would it be possible to get someone to help you with your toddler for a few days so you can get the rest you need and the nursing time you need to get on track? Good for you that you are trying to keep the breastfeeding going! :) Good job! Breast is best!

Try Nutramigen. It is hypoallergenic for babies that can't handle milk or soy based formulas. My son had severe colic. Within 3 days of changing him to Nutramigen he was a completely different baby. It's pretty expensive but it was worth the extra money!

Hi E., I highly recommend just breastfeeding him more often. As the demand goes up, so will your supply. He will get enough as long as you are producing. You will find times when your supply goes down or his demand goes up, and during these spurts, he will want to nurse constantly, every 1 to 2 hours. This might take 1 to 3 days and your supply will increase. If you supplement, your supply will not increase, because demand will not increase. You are doing great, keep it up.

That being said, there are a couple of books out there for this type of allergy, but I would recommend going to a store called "whole foods". When you get there go right to the service desk and tell them that the baby has a milk allergy and you heard they could help you find foods without milk. They will give you a list and might possibly help you with your shopping list.

I have 3 friends with babies who nursed with severe allergies and they all used this place. They all nursed during illness (the baby gets the antibodies, really good for him)

Keep up the good work, you are doing great things.

My 19 month old daughter has a milk protein allergy as well. Whew...what a pain! Wait until you get to table food!!! Anyway, my daughter is on Elecare and they offer a original and a vanilla flavor. Maybe talk to your doctor to see if there is an alternate flavor or consider changing the brand. Contact your doctor about the diarrhea, I would think that is not a good sign. We had to try a few different formulas before we found one that agreed with my daughter. We also see a pediatric allergist in addition to our normal pediatrician. Seeing a specialist in this subject matter area may be of some help as well. Good news is that kids with milk allergies have a good chance of growing out of it! So keep your fingers crossed and good luck!

wow, i see you got a lot of response. my daughter was on allimentum, and was fine. my son had problems with it, so we tried the simalac version. that worked for him. i feel what your going threw. hang in there, there is light on the otherside of the tunnel.

Hi E.,
I am C. and read your concern about the allergy to the formula.Here is something better than formula. I breastfed all of my three and when I weaned never used formula at all . Instead I used goat milk(instant)which is next best to mother's milk. With my 2nd I found a top class product I added to the goat milk that even topped any formula out there in nutritional content and have myself used it with much success. We are all without allergies and healthy. My boys are now 12,7 and almost3 and have not seen the doc for sick visits in yrs!!!!It's saved me many $$$ in the long run. The company that manufactures these products has been around for 20 yrs. and as a result I was able to help many friends become healthier, feel better and have more energy(just what we busy moms need)
I can help you too if you wish.Feel free to call me and I will give you details.
Have a blessed Day, C. W. ###-###-#### or ###-###-####

I was also told that my son had an allergy. Turns out that he had reflux. We switched him to Nestle Good Start. He was fine after that. They also carry the soy formula. I couldn't believe the difference this formula made for us. Try it and see if it helps. Good luck! :)

Have you talked to your Ped. about this? My Daughter was on Allimentum after we discovered she had colic, but she never had any problems (she has contipation issues since birth). There are other, more specialized formulas, like Nutramitigin (sp) and even others you have to order from the Pharmacy. I would talk to your Dr. about this.
Good Luck!

Hi E.,
Our son also had a milk protein allergy with blood in the stool at a few weeks old. Our pediatrician recommended Allimentum and for a while it didn't seem to help. We were told to give it a chance and thankfully it all worked out. Give it two weeks for your son's system to get adjusted to it. I know its very expensive too, so we ended up getting ours on ebay for very reasonable prices if you purchase in bulk (just make sure its unopened and the expiration date is in the future). Hope this helps, K.

Hi E.! My son was on Allimentum for most of his little life. His stomach is/was very sensitive to other formulas it had to break down, so this one worked for him, as it was already broken down to practically nothing. The bowel movements were always really loose and didn't smell pleasant at all (worse than normal!) But he never had an issue with it. At first he was pretty gassy but as his little tummy got used to it he was okay. I know it's pretty expensive too, especially for me since after BF'ing for 2 months Allimentum was his only milk, I got it through WIC, don't know if this is an issue for you. Normally WIC doesn't do this formula, but if your doctor sends them a note stating it's needed they will. As far as him not enjoying it...have you tried adding a little more water to it? I know at 6 weeks I started putting cereal in my son's bottle. Not everyone agrees with that or supports that, so do what you're comfortable with. But a small amount might make it taste better. Good luck!

I would contact LLL and see if here is a way to just breastfeed and eliminate those foods from your diet. I would think it would be very challenging to find a formula that will be allergy free. (not to mention expensive

Do you also need to eliminate dairy altogether (cheese etc?). I have a couple friends that have had to eliminate due to breastfeeding.. and it is hard for them ( I also eliminated dairy and wheat for some time). If you want/need support.. let me know.

Check out the health food stores for organic supplements for your baby. Explain the problem and maybe they can make some recommendations.

Hi E.,

I don't know if my advice can help you or not, but there is a drug called domperidone to help increase your milk supply. It really has no side effects, other than making your breasts sore. It is used in other countries as an anti-emetic, and to help increase milk supply. The down side is you have to get it from Canada, but that is not as hard as it sounds. If you can mail a prescription in to a pharmacy, like Summit Meds, it will get to you. Then if you milk supply is good, you won't have to worry about supplementing. Do some research, if your migraines will let you, and talk to your doctor. Take care.