Desperate

[Anonymous]

I posted this under General Feeding Issues as well.

My little girl is 5 months old and we have had the worst feeding issues
since birth. When I was nursing her she would scream and the docs said
to do the bottle (due to stress of moving back to the States and
hubby’s job) stating that she can pick up on my stress. They also said
she was colic. I then went through 9 formulas and soy worked the best
but still gave her problems. I spoke to multiple docs and they all
said she would outgrow this but she hasn’t. The last doc put her on
Nutramigen. She did not like it but it grew on her and she started
doing better although it’s not a miracle answer. He didn’t think she had reflux because she would scream
half way through her bottle and not in the beginning. He said she seems to have an intolerance to the cow’s milk and soy milk.

It’s
been a month on the Nutramigen and she was sick this past Wednesday and
they told me to give her Pedialyte so I did. I’ve been alternating the
bottles since she is having such bad gas. She tries to eat but then
screams. She’ll go 6-8 hours without eating (after eating 3 oz) to
avoid it. I gave her some regular Enfamil Lipil and she gulped down 3
oz. I know that will hurt her belly in due time but I don’t know what
else to do. The nurse says that as long as she’s eating, having wet
diapers and dirty diapers (or gas) then everything is ok. I completely
disagree because I’m in tears 3-4 times a day with feeding time. The
only time she takes a bottle without fighting it is at night and she
wants to eat all night and avoid the day.

I know something is
not normal here. I don’t know what is causing this or maybe she’s just
still sick but not showing any symptoms? She cries all day long (just
like when she was a baby), is obviously hungry, but won’t eat.

Update— I have attempted 4 feeds with Pedialyte, Nutramigen, Enfamil Lipil, and E.L with rice ….. she ate 2 oz of E.L and a few sips of pedialyte and is just screaming. In ten hours she has had 5 oz.

I’m desperate for advice or suggestions.

[Anonymous]

Wow your daughter sounds like my son.I have a two month old who has reflux and he two throws a fit when it comes to eating. I am currently breastfeeding but he fights and fights me but i just keeping on offering. I am shocked that the doctor says she does not have reflux because it happens in the middle of her feeds. My son also is fine in the begining but screams halfway through. And he was diagnoised at two weeks old. Reflux can happen at anytime. So i would for sure get her checked. Also, I just took my son to the G I and they told me colic is gone by three months of age. So i would really try to see another doctor and If you suspect she may have reflux insist on testing her. Hope she feels better soon.

[hellbennt]

hi & welcome!

I have a LOT to say & (most of) it’s here:

J

Groupie Intro: my intro: https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=853&PN=1&TPN=1

so glad you found us!

~laura

Wondertime article/colic solved: http://wondertime.go.com/learning/article/interview-colic-expert.html

[Anonymous]

It certainly sounds like reflux and/or milk/soy protein intolerance (MSPI). Usually the reason they fight against feeding despite being hungry is because of the pain associated with feeding. It’s definately something you want to get addressed soon, because some children can develop serious feeding aversions. Is your little one on any meds?

My best suggestion is to stick with a hypoallergenic formula (like Nutramigen) for at least 2 full weeks as it can take quite a while for the milk proteins to clear her system. In some babies, the MSPI itself is the cause of reflux and sometimes just a switch in diet is enough. Some little ones can’t even tolerate Nutramigen, however, and then require an elemental formula like Neocate or Elecare.

Often babies with reflux and/or MSPI need medication to help ease the pain of reflux until their body eventually outgrows it. Prescription medications like Zantac, Prevacid or Zegerid have helped many of us. These types of medications reduce the amount of acid the stomach is producing so that the reflux isn’t as painful. If you can eliminate the pain, their feeding and sleep should really improve. If you don’t have a prescription, you could try something like Mylanta a few times a day.

My personal opinion here – the term “colic” is just a doctor’s way of saying “I see your baby is irritable, and I can’t really figure out why, so we’ll call it colic”. It is NOT normal for a baby to be too uncomfortable to eat despite being hungry, and too uncomfortable to sleep, despite being tired. Trust your instincts and keep pushing for help. Change doctors if you need to. I hope you find a lot of support and useful information here – it’s a great forum!

MFPIx22008-03-16 22:46:31

[Anonymous]

We tried Nutramigen with our daughter and it didn’t seem to help. Our GI specialist said she probably had a milk protein allergy. We switched to Neocate and it was definitely worth it! She was a whole different baby! It’s very expensive, but we buy it on Ebay (just watch the expiration dates)

[Anonymous]

thanks for the replies!

we are seeing a new doc tomorrow and he already mentioned reflux on the phone today. lets cross our fingers we can figure out what is going on.

[Anonymous]

IMO, I’d be seen by a ped GI. The ped Gi docs are most likely to listen to you and to correctly medicate your little one. They will also do a stool test to check for microscopic blood. This test will help the doc in determining if your lo needs a special formula. My ds was on Nutramigen and it did nothing. When we finally got on Elecare it was a complete turnaround for him. Also, we got the Elecare covered by our health insurance. I know that some have gotten it covered and some haven’t. If you get to that point and need help, there is a topic here about insurance.

Like MFPI and my ped GI said, “colic” is a made up diagnosis, IMO. Docs do this when they don’t know what is wrong or don’t have the time to really figure it out.

[Anonymous]

Hey there.. just wanted to say hello. I think you’ve got some good advice already.. just wanted to second the suggestion at looking at a good PPI med, like Zegerid or Prevacid. Your baby doesn’t want to eat b/c she is in pain, and I totally remember those stressful feeding times. My heart would just pound and my stomach would do flip flops. It was awful.

Once Ben was on a good dose of Zegerid, he was a new man, and life was so much easier, for EVERYONE!

Check out http://www.marci-kids.com They have the best info. on PPI meds, reflux, dosages, etc. It might be worth printing out some of the info. and taking with you to the doc.

Good luck!

[Author]

Posts