i believe my 6 week old baby has a cow based formula allergy. he had some of the symptoms. spitting up mostly with what looks like beakouts on his face and loose stools with some blood (allergy symptom) congestion, gaging, choking, and sometimes projectile vomit. i put him on the a.r. but symtoms gradualy came back. so i felt he was allergic. so with docs permission, i switched him to soy. the thing is he was eating about 4+ oz before the soy, and now only 2-3 oz. IS THE SOY MORE FILLING? just dont understand why he was eating more before. by the way he still spits up a little so i know it wasnt over feeding. maybe reflux?
My daughter had the same symptoms and we were told not to switch to soy because its a known allergen as well. Also, I know that soy causes constipation so maybe its just keeping him fuller so that's why less oz's? We have been using Similac Alimentum for about 3 months now- no symptoms and great appetite! Good luck!
My son had the same problem, but when we switched to soy he stopped eating after 1-2 ounces. It turned out he hated the taste of soy, so he refused to eat it! Dr. put him on Nutramigen, but he was still spitting up tons and tons and crying in pain with every feeding, even between feedings. He prescribed zantac and it worked wonders. He is now 6 months old and back on regular formula (no soy, no nutramigen) and he still spits up a little, but he is not in agony.
If you think your baby is in pain, talk to your doctor because he may need a prescription. If he does go on zantac, take a hint, add flavor when you fill the prescription!! It is pretty nasty without it!
B.- the cut back on the oz might be fine- give your doc a call to double check. The baby may be just getting used to the new formula and it takes some time for them to adjust. The baby may also have reflux if the spitting up is still continuing. The Soy should help a bit, but if it progresses you can talk to your doctor about medication options. I wouldn't stress about the 2-3 oz. My daughter was a light eater for a couple of months.
our son drinks a ton more when it is milk too. for him, i think it is because he simply likes the cow milk kind better. but it could be because your baby has sensitivity to soy. VERY common with cow's milk allergies. it's more likely an allergy than reflux (or the allergy causing reflux) since the spitting up isn't as much.
We've had 3 kids with cow milk allergies-so if you have questions, just message me.
Good luck.
Hi B.,
Not sure if this has anything to do with it or not but a lot of babies who have a cows milk protein allergy also do not tolerate soy. This was the case with my daughter. She was just as irritable and in pain with soy as with milk based formula. We then tried a hypoallergenic formula and it worked like a charm. It is expensive but you may want to try it. It may be that your son isn't spitting up as much so he isn't as hungry. Just as an FYI when my daughter turned 1 month old she had outgrown her milk allergy.
Good Luck and don't worry as long as he is happy and growing that is all that matters, not necessarily how much he is eating.
K.
Hi B. -
Definitely sounds like allergies/sensitivities to the first two formulas - wish I had figured out my DS was allergic as quickly as you did.
As to the soy. Sounds like he's full, especially since he's spitting up a little. I know sometimes kids will eat more of something they're allergic to (doctor's suspect) because they're not getting sufficient nutrition from it, and that may be why he took more of the milk based formulas.
As long as he's not losing any weight, I'd wait a week or so and see how he's doing.
Best of health,
S.
Have they ruled out Celiac?
B.,
It is difficult for babies to get used to the taste of the new formula. I would say he doesn't like it. I have been told that the low allergy formulas are really gross smelling and bad tasting. See if the doc can recommend something that has a milder flavor.
-Jen
