Tuesday 1 November 2016

Reflux and Cow’s Milk allergy or Intolerance

It is very hard to see your baby “vomiting” after every feed. It started when she as around 2 months and got much worse at around 3 months. In the beginning, I imagined that this was because she would feed so quickly that she was overfeeding and for that reason, she needed to spit up, but when the projectile vomits started after every feed I decided to check it out with a Lactation consultant.

One thing that she notice was that my baby was slowly putting on less weight than before. Where her average was around 200 to 300 grams a week she had put only 500 grams in 1 month and that was a sign that something was not right. She was eating half breastmilk and half Nan HA formula, as I did not have enough milk.

Some babies are happy spitters meaning that they reflux but they are ok with it. However, my baby would anticipate the reflux coming and getting very upset and scream so the GP tried changing her formula to a more hydrolyzed formula (Aptamil) but still the symptoms were similar so she started on Losec medicine before feeds, which makes the acid reflux less acidic. She would still reflux but with less pain. However, as a Mum I did not want to keep her on a medicine for too long so I started researching and found out that Cow’s milk could cause Reflux and other symptoms that she had from birth but I did not think they were related. She had body rash, loose poos (which are not common when babies are having formula), she was very gassy and had lots of colic, she was always wheezing and making breathing noises, she winged the whole day and would not sleep at all. Those last two continues until today but that can be still reflex of anxiousness from the inflammation and pain she felt in beginning of her life. (There is a symptom checker here: http://www.neocate.com/help-for-parents/tools/symptom-checker/).

I decided to try as much as I could giving her more breastmilk, I started a dairy free diet, and that was it. In 1 week, she wanted more and more my breast (I was now on Boobies Bikkies and Motillium, and this made my supply increase). Still she was hungry so I went to a pediatrician he put her on Neocate formula which is an amino acids only based formula. She really loved and actually started refusing the breast. I guess that it is very hard to be 100% out of lactose and she felt much less pain on Neocate so I transitioned for 1 month and now at 5 months she is on Neocate only. Her skin is clean of the rashes, her poos are great, her gassiness is gone and she is a much happier baby. 

It is very hard to see your baby refusing to breastfeed but I know that it is for her own good in the end. I miss our night feeds and cuddles, but I still try to hug her tight while giving her the bottle now.
Two of the reasons for that milk allergy/intolerance (I state both here, as we are not sure what she has yet and there are big differences between those two) is being a genetic condition or the fact that I ate LOTS of dairy while pregnant. I really craved it and ate a bit too much. Either way now I need to make her feel better and help her not be anxious because of the pain and to sleep more. 

I am here for her and I want her to know that.

A mum that will do anything for her baby after 30


#neocate #mumafter30 #boobiesbikkies #cowsmilkintolerance #cowsmilkallergy #reflux

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