MSE Newborn to 1 year Baby Club 1

fluffnutter

bellola wrote: »

Hi all,

Have done a bit of searching re protein intolerance and came across a couple of posts from Gilly so I hope you don't mind me asking a few questions? LO is 6 weeks old now, her 'acne' has got worse but HV & dr insist it's normal. She seems uncomfortable at night and screams alot/won't settle. We tried infacol, colief & switched to MAM bottles but haven't had much change. She also has raspy/rattley breathing which sometimes wakes her up. It sounds much like an adult with a chesty bug but there is no mucus or a cough. We saw an osteopath yesterday who put all the symptoms together & suggested a protein intolerance. He told us to buy Infasoy which I have done but after googling it seems this isn't recommended for babies under 6m. But it's Cow & Gate & says suitable from birth so not sure what to believe.

Just after any advice from anyone who has been in a similiar situation?

I can't help you with advice about protein intolerance, bellola, but I do know that if a manufacturer says something's suitable from birth, then it will be suitable from birth. They're so paranoid of giving wrong advice, particularly where babies are concerned, that they'll definitely be covering their own backsides.

I think you can safely use the Infasoy. Try it - it won't hurt and if it helps then that's fantastic. Hope you get the help you need for your little one x.

Gillyx

Bellola Cows Milk Protein Intolerance is just that intolerant to Cows milk protein. Soy Milk or anything similar isn't recommended for babies at all unless prescribed by a medical professional. Far too often I hear of osteopaths recommending it, they shouldn't be, it can cause hormone issues. If your baby does have CMPI, they will be intolerant to soya anyway as it has milk proteins in it.

Have you taken her to your own GP yet with any of these symptoms? In my experience they will probably go down the reflux route, which it may be. If you're not happy ask for a referral to a peadatrician, they imo are the only ones who will do something about it. You could also ask for a referral to a dietician too. We were lucky in that we got the milk we needed right away, but some doctors aren't as willing and may send you for testing to see if anything shows up. If it does she will need medicated formula, you do get stuff like Nutramigen where the proteins are broken down so even babies with CMPI find them easier to digest, we had bought this ourselves from a pharmacy before we got to the hospital to see anyone, but it was £17 for 400g and it didn't work for us. We're now on Nutramigen AA which is completely dairy free and an Amino Acid based formula, like Neocate.

Could it be that she may just be lactose intolerant? SMA do Lacto Free milk and it may be worth a try. If you have any questions feel free to ask and I will try my best to answer them but I am by no means an expert.

P.s what are her poops like? Green? Sticky? Foamy? x

Gillyx

Poor you Jannine I sympathise with you big time. I feel like me and my bathroom have became the best of friends these past few days, I'm finally better now 5 days it's taken to go.

bellola

Thanks Gilly & Fluff.

We went to the dr's today for 6 week check & dr basically dismissed everything. Her skin is so bad, she is covered in pimples but have been told this is normal. Her breathing is also bad and sometimes it sounds like she is struggling to breathe. What I have realised though is that both of these symptoms have got worse in the last two weeks when I stopped expressing and started exclusively formula feeding. She was on Aptamil previously but it just seems like too much of a coincidence.

Her poo's are yellow, not green, sticky or foamy.

katiechoc_2

Well he had a very good nap for an afternoon, hour and a half compared to the usual 45 minutes. He's currently trying to eat his talking ted (anyone else have one of those? From the early learning centre. It is the loudest thing ever!). Just been sat watching him, sometimes I really can't believe me and OH made something so completely adorable

I can't help I'm afraidBellola, but would second gilly on seeing your gp and trying to get referred to a specialist.

And speaking of the elc, anyone know what they're like on returning things without a receipt? We've been given two of these talking teddies, and believe me, one of these things is more than enough! An exchange or credit note would be good.

Gillyx

Go back, and keep going back, hound them. I was lucky that our Dr's surgery was at the end of our road, so I was in most mornings, and I kept asking for a referral. If you can get on to your HV too, it was thanks to her that we knew what to say when we did get to the hospital.

It can be a long road to get diagnosed, and I know how soul destroying it is, when your wee baby is quite clearly in pain and very distressed and noone will listen to you.

Eventually I had to say that it was affecting the relationship with my son, for them to take me seriously.

Does she have bad wind? Bottom wind that is, does she struggle to get it out?

The jury is out on the Soy milk but personally I wouldn't give it, it really ramps up oestrogen levels, and can be the cause of early puberty etc. If a medical professional thinks thats the route to take, then I'd go with it, but I wouldn't be taking the risk without exploring all other avenues.

I'd try the Lacto Free milk and see how it goes, it can take up to 10 days for any other milk to come out of there little systems, but I know myself when we were on to the right milk the change was almost instant for us.

What you are saying about the breast milk is correct too, quite often if an infant has CMPI and is breast fed it's not found until weaning and they can have grown out of it by then. For some reason babies with that type of intolerance can tolerate the milk through mummy milk.

fluffnutter

Keep banging on at your GP, bellola. If you think there's something wrong, then that's enough of a reason for them to investigate fully. You know your baby best.

Gillyx

Imo, I don't think GP's have enough experience with this type of thing, they really are so out of there depth, and the fact that colic is the excuse for almost anything in babies under 12 weeks, it's so difficult to be taken seriously. I took my OH a long with me to almost every appointment but I appreciate that's not always possible. If you ask for a referral to a higher up though they cannot refuse. xx

katiechoc_2

Woop George can roll from his tummy on to his back now. Woop!

bellola

Yes Gilly, she has terrible bottom wind. I agree re GP's. I'd much rather see a specialist who has more knowledge. Frequently I have seen my GP and they have had to bring out a great big Encyclopedia type thing to refer to. I could've done that myself!

Health Visitor is coming on Monday so I'm definitely going to speak to her and then go from there. For now, I think I'm going to try the Soy, then either way, whether it helps or not, I have something to speak to the Health Visitor about and can request an alternative. I don't want her being on the Soy long term but at the same time I do think Aptamil is the problem. Hopefully the Health Visitor will be proactive because I don't want to keep chopping and changing her milk as I know that won't help either.