Cow's milk intollerance/reflux

[speaker]

My DS is bottlefed and he has struggled with feeds from birth (now 12 wks), frequently bringing back regurgitated milk which causes him a lot of discomfort and he was unsettled most of the time. At 7wks doc recommended Gaviscon in SMA gold for two weeks. He was probably 40% better which was comforting for us as well as our ds but she suggested Neocate as he may have a cow's milk intollerance. He is a lot happier now on Neocate but he still brings back frequently the milk (sometimes up to 15 times a feed) and can be anywhere up to an hour after and sometime as long as 2-3 hours after. It doesn't trouble him so much the milk coming back now but I wonder if the Neocate is masking another problem (reflux)? I'm due back at the docs with him tomorrow but thought it worth asking if anyone else has experienced this.

How thick is the Neocate ? You could ask gp for a milk thickener to add to it to try to hold it down in his tummy. Presumably you already feed and keep him upright after feeds etc. tbh if it isn't affecting him health or behaviour wise then you could just wait him outgrow it as most reflux improves with time, either at weaning stage or when they can sit/walk.

We still add gaviscon to his feeds. Just got to go, will add more in a while.

could well be reflux speaker. The symptoms you describe could be reflux or intolerance. Maybe try a thickener as suggested. or SMA do a formula called stay down. Helped my ds for a little while. But eventually he ended up dairy free (and on nutramigen)although the reflux was still rampant.

This is not an easy one to deal with. It is all a matter of trial and error, in my experience. You have my full empathy. Let us know how you get on at the docs

Sorry about that. Yes we keep him upright etc after feeds. Agree that it's probably nothing to worry about as he's putting on weight etc. Doc told me to go back after one month on Neocate so will mention it but Iike you say if he's happy then nothing really to worry about but I just thought it worth asking as I din't know how these things develop when they start to wean etc.

Hi speaker I have the same problem with my 4 month old just sparted weaning him as thought that might help but he still brings it all back, but is gaining weight and have found that hv and docs aren't worried aslong as they gain weight, but it upsets me and also I'm forever changing and washing his cloths! I'll be really interested in what your docs says, please let us know.

Good luck

My dd has a Cow's milk intolerance. She used to bring back some milk with every feed but that stopped when I switched her over to SMA LF (lactose free). my gp didn’t seem to be worried about the reflux, I think its normal, but I did have to scream at my doctor to give me that sma lf on prescription, you cant buy it were I live

My DS now 22 months has had severe reflux but he wasn't officially diagnosed with reflux until he was 9 mths old. He is still on medication today and is finally much better. It does sound like your DS may have reflux he may also have a cows milk intolerance I think the 2 are quite commonly related. You will need to push your GP really hard to ensure you get an accurate diagnosis.

My DS1 had reflux and was later diagnosed with milk intolerance. Apparently the two often go hand in hand.

Hi speaker

As others have mentioned reflux and CMP intolerance sometimes go hand in hand. Also, a lot of mom's including myself find that our los spit up more on Neocate because it is alot thinner than other milks. DD definitely spits up more on it but her spew is alot less acidic, and she isn't bothered by it. I just find I have to feed her more often because she gets hungry quickier.

SMA gold is quite thick incomparison, even to milks like Aptimal.

Hi. My son is 8 months old and has reflux and a suspected milk allergy. My 29 month old daughter has a confirmed milk and egg allergy so when he got a rash from head to foot on ordinary formula we have presumed that he is also milk allergic or at least intolerant(awaiting allergy clinic appointment in DEC!). Having tried gaviscon with little effect he has now been prescribed Zantac but I'm stuggling to get it down him and he is now turning his nose up at his nutramigen. any suggestions as I'm going slowly mad and am getting little help from my surgery.

Hi Feet,

My dd won't take Zantac but is ok with ranitidine (generic zantac). I found the Zantac flavour is a lot more potent.

There are other hypoallergenic formulas that some los find more palatable. The only ones I can think of atm is Pregestimil and Pepti Junior. Can you get your GP to prescribe on of those?

There is no way you can wait until Dec to get this sorted.

HTH