Has anyone not had any success with Neocate

[CADS]

DD is 4 mnths old and is on Neocate due milk protein intolerance. We have tried Nutramigen which didn't work for her and have now been on Neocate for 10 days. I thought think the Neocate isn't working as well as soya formula did, but doctors seem to think that Neocate should definitely work.

Her symptoms are:

1. Reflux (burping and spitting up, up to 2hrs after feeding no matter how big or small the feed was)
   
2. Fussy all day (not sure if due to reflux)
   
3. Constipation
   
4. Bloating and gas
   
5. Difficulty feeding pulling legs up to chest a few minutes into her feed (could be reflux too)
   
6. Also, she use to have screaming spells 1-2hrs after feeding until she managed to successfully fart. Doesn't seem to get this on the Neocate or soya.
   
   She is already on medication for the reflux so not sure what is going on.
   
   Hope someone can help.
   
   Thanks

[CADS]

Forgot to mention, she is also wheezy during and after feeding. Have taken her to the doctors twice to check her chest and each time they say her chest is clear.

[lisalisa]

Hi Cads - havne't read the whole thread but your first post only and wanted to say hello and to empathise wiht you. My ds aged 4.5 months also has relux quite severely I think. I say I think as he's just been diagnosed byt the screaming episodes are absolutely terrible and can last for hours. He also has all the other sympotoms you mention being bloatying, gas , burping and drooling ( which you ddin't mention). Does you child drool as well?

I currenlty use babynat organic milk but wabnt to change milks - interesting what you posted about neocate etc.

All the suymptoms you mention are classic of reflux and the meds sometimes dont work or aren't sufficient. Do you prop your child up during sleeps. Baby slings also help although I tend to carry ds most of day. bought a baby swing although that doesn't really help miuch.

[CADS]

Hi lisalisa,

Happy Mother's day. I'm sure you were on the Nov05 antenatal group. Things have been really hectic since dd was born starting with colic for 9 weeks and carrying on from there. Doesn't help when you have other LOs that need your attention too. Isn't ds your 5th? Sure you must be having a harder time then me.

Yes, my dd drools alot too but have just put it down to possible early teething (ds got his 1st tooth at 4.5mnths) never realised there might be a connection.

DD is on 1ml x 3 of rantitidine and 3.5ml x 3 of domperidone per day. I adjust her dosage of rantitidine as her weight increases and have found that her spit up is alot less acidic than before the meds.

Her paed thinks her reflux as well as other symptoms are tied in with milk protein intolerance hence the Neocate. We tried Nutramigen but didn't seem to work with her. Unfortunately, we can't seem to get over the gas and constipation issues and it is making the whole family pretty miserable.

I do prop her during sleep but don't use a sling, being top heavy using a sling makes my back hurt alot.

What meds is your ds on?

take care

[7up]

hi cads, my ds now 17months, been off all formulas since 5months old and been on only water since then. same symptons as yours, awful isnt it. tried nutramigen, neocate, soya, none of them agreed with him . i took matters into my own hands with the neocate and nutramigen and stopped giving it completely for a few days and the symptons subsided. then i informed the paed who agreed to stop giving them. hes been on a calcium/vitamin supplement since 5months , the first one of the supplements we tried bought him out in hives!

good luck

[CADS]

Hi 7up,

Very interesing. DD has been on Neocate for 12 days now and I can't believe she can be having such difficulty with milk. She is still thriving beautifully so the health professionals aren't concerned and don't seem to take me seriously.

Thinking back now, I realise she started to react from her 1st breastfeed after birth. Wish I knew what I do now, I wouldn't have blamed my milk and carried on breastfeeding (at least she wasn't constipated) but 10 weeks down the line I feel it's too late to change my diet and go back to breastfeeding. Might post on the feeding board and see what the breastfeeding gurus say.

Do you mind me asking some questions:

1. Did your ds also have constipation? Mine wouldn't have a bowel movement without some sort of laxative or suppostory.
   
   
2. I assumed you were already weaning your ds? What were you feeding him? Worried cereal/rice will make mine more constipated and that fruit and veg will give her more gas.
   
   
3. Did your ds have any other symptoms? Was she thriving otherwise?
   
   
4. What supplements was he on?
   
   Thanks for replying. We had the some problem with my ds until I changed him to soya at 13mnths. Can't stand the thought of another long stretch of interrupted sleep. Barely coping now.

[7up]

morning cads, thought id quickly reply while im waiting for my car to 'unflood' for work!!bloody damp weather!

my ds had v.bad constipation from 5months when he stopped the milk. had to have laxatives.

i fed him baby jars of food, nearly every hour because of the lack of fatty milk.

he was thriving ok till the milk stopped, then lost weight quite drastically and its been up and down ever since even though im constantly feeding him. hes nearly 18months and weighs 21lb.

his symptons were the same as yours, they also though he had refulx but never sicked anything up. would scream for hours on end and i couldnt console him. its v.depressing isnt and youre right it effects the whole family. tired, grumpy mum = unhappy kids.

hes now on paediatric seravit which is a powder that includes vitamins that i add to food or drink 3 x 5ml a day.

i think you should keep hassling the docs and health visitor, it was actually my health visitor who told the docs to refer him as he lost 8oz in 3 days!

it sounds very much like your dd could be my ds from the symptons being the same.

im seeing a dietician next week as hes now living on special bread, ham, chicken and a few vegetables. cant have fruit as that gives him a belly ache.

hope this helps.x

[lisalisa]

CADS - yes I was on Nov 05 group and ds was born 10 Nov. What a shame we have to "meet " again here rather than under better circumstances. Yes it is bloody hard but we're bearing up - and you?

The dribbling and drooling are connected and may be a sign of easophagitis - can't do links but please google it ( think my spelling may be wrong - its basically an inflammation of the tube leading from throat to tummy) and can be seroius.

My ds weighs 6.3kg and is on 0.8ml ranitidine and 2.5ml dom peridon. I read up on this all night last night and there is a better medicine out there than ranitidine but can't recall name ( think it begn with "o". ). REceived some great advice from friend whose baby had severe reflux ( hospitalised due to failure to thrivce) and she said haberman bottles are the best for reflux although hideously expensive. Off to look at those now.

Enfamil is working for us after 2 days on it - ds is a bit better and screaming episodes slightly reduced.

Take care

[CADS]

Hi lisalisa,

Just as you think your lo has had a good day, it all goes to pot. Not expecting any sleep tonight.

Which Enfamil are you on the soya or anti-reflux? And did the doctor prescribe it?

We use Dr Brown bottles which are pretty good. The teat is soft so I found(with dd and ds) that it is easier for them to suckle on. Both of mine didn't take to the avent teats because they were too hard for them.

DD has been on rantitidine since she was 6 weeks. I find that her spit up doesn't smell as acidic as it was. Have to keep upping the dosage according to her weight because it can quickly stop working if the dosage isn't high enough.

Have tried dd on domperidone twice and both times I have found that she gets bloated and seems uncomfortable. Will try it again in a week. Need to sort out the constipation issue first.

Your poor friend and her lo. I keep thinking that I'm being ungrateful moaning about dd. Fortunately, both my refluxers have been comfort eaters so tend to put on stacks of weight.

Hope the enfamil and reflux meds work for your ds.
Goodnight