does this sound like Cows milk allergy/intolerance? 3 week old baby

[bella20092013]

I have a 3 week old baby who i tried to feed from the breasy for 7 days, she just would not stay latched on so i tried pumping for a further 2 days but could only get an ounce an hour and ended up with mastitus. I decided to start feeding aptamil instead. She took to the aptamil straight away and started drinking more than it said on the pack, about 9 feeds a day totalling on average 26oz, HV said this was fine and was called feeding on demand. In the hospital while breastfeeding she had had nitrates in her wee and green 'brocoli' poo, and a couple of seedy mustard nappies after having the expressed breast milk. On aptimal her poo became hard and pale green, but after giving her an ounce of water at each feed she did a couple of mustard seedy poos a day. Then after about 2 weeks on aptamil she started pooing at every feed so was doing about 9 mustard seedy loose poos a day. I have never formula fed before (breastfed other daughter for 1 year) so was not sure if this was normal. I took her to the doctors who said it sounds like a cows milk allergy to be pooing so much and gave her nutramagen (sp?). She took to the milk well but after 2 days has become unsettled and was still pooing after each feed but a thicker texture, and is not straining to poo after each feed instead. She is also more sicky on it (was not sicky on aptamil). I spoke to my friend just now who fed her baby aptamil and she said he did a poo after every feed for 6 months until he was weaned and they were runny yellow and seedy. I am thinking maybe my DD just had normal aptamil poos now? She has no other signs of allergy apart from she was born with a slightly stuffy nose which she still has. I'm so confused and don't want to feed her this special milk that is making her unsettled if she does not need it?

Since being on this special prescription milk she is just drawing her legs up all the time in pain and has pretty much cried for a whole day, before she hardly cried and has slept 18 hours out of 24 since birth and his been a very laid back baby. Now she seems in pain all the time and keeps turning red and straining and pulling her knees up. I have been to out of hours doctors but they said she seems fine maybe has colic. But she was fine before starting this new milk. I am so confused.

I would say her poos sound normal. She's still so tiny and adjusting to this new environment. I'm no expert though but I remember changing dds nappy constantly in those first few weeks.

I would agree that her aptamil poo sounded fine. If she was gaining weight and settled otherwise and was just pooing at every feed I'd say that was normal.... (Admittedly I'm just a lady in the Internet though!)
Maybe a second opinion- sounds like the GP may be over medicalising perhaps?

Yes it seems strange that just because of 9 poos in 24 hours she has been given nutramagen? It seems a shame to have it if she does not need it as it tastes awful, and will also have implications for what she can eat when she is weaned too if they think she potentially has an allergy. I will try the health visitor tomorrow, I could not get through on Friday it went straight to answer phone saying to phone the surgery that is why I ended up seeing the doctor instead. My partner had cows milk allergy when he was a baby but he had severe eczema, projectile vomits, dioreah, asthma. My other DD has mild eczema even though breast fed, she had cows milk in food from 6 months though and drank a pint a day from 12 months and still does with no effects. So it does worry me because my partner has allergies, but apart from the 9 poos in a day she seems perfectly fine so just confused why she has this formula prescribed on that basis. Thanks for all the replies, I have been so worried this weekend and so confused and as it is the weekend there is no one I can speak to.

I also drank gallons of milk, yoghurts etc while breastfeeding my oldest daughter and she never had any negative effects. So she has not inhereted my partners allergies apart from a bit of eczema.

I am just worried if I change back to Aptamil and it turns out she does have an allergy I will feel awful. Why do things have to be so confusing?? The doctor has put her on the formula 'just in case', it seems a big step though on the basis of 9 poos in a day. So confused :(

How's your baby today?

There is a huge variation in 'normal' nappies, and it is generally seen as good for babies to be filling plenty of nappies each day when they are only 3 weeks old.

It is just possible that your GP overreacted... Could you talk to a competent and trusted health visitor and/or midwife? They tend to know a lot more about baby poo than the average GP They may be able to reassure you, and of course if they have any concerns they will refer you back to the GP.

I'd maybe try her on a comfort milk such as aptamil comfort.

Or go back to the docs and ask them to prescribe aptamil pepti- nutramigen is bloody awful.

Talk to your health visitor before switching the milk again. Some do recommend comfort milk (Apatamil provide training for health visitors, so many do trust it as a brand) but there isn't much evidence that it helps children with allergies or intolerances. In fact, because it contains thickeners which help the milk stay down, there is some concern that it might keep a problem milk in the stomach for longer.

Good point, greenbananas.

DD2 was misdiagnosed with CMP allergy (along with what seemed half the babies at the surgery ) and was prescribed nutramigen, then aptamil pepti. She did ok on the pepti, but it was when we switched her to comfort that her tummy was finally completely settled.

Agree that you should change one thing at a time, in consultation with HCPs.

HV said it was fine to try switching back to her normal Aptamil stage 1 milk, she is much happier now, back to pooing at every feed but HV said that is normal for a 3 week old baby. The poo is runny but I phoned Aptamil helpline and they said this was normal. Maybe the GP was just being over cautious?

Glad you got some help from your hv. I think you have been given good advice.

From your description I thought the poo sounded normal, and both mine filed their nappies after every feed at 3 weeks old (but one has allergies).

Good luck, hope your baby continues to thrive. Oh, and lots of new baby congratulations to you

Thank you greenbananas :)