Lactose Free formula - do I really need medical supervision to start using this?

[Kif]

I saw lactose free formula on the shelf in the chemist. Would it be so bad if I put ds onto that without the advice and supervision of my doctor?

He is 6.5 m.o. . He was totally bf to 4 months - since then we've mixed fed (at the moment about half half plus solids).

I tried increasing formula feeds about a month ago - it was a disaster. He got massively gassy. After three nights sitting up with him screaming, I went back to bf more. He seems OK on about 12 oz a day (so roughly half his milk intake formula). I was a little at reaction - changed my formula brand etc.

Tuesdsay he had a yogurt - first ever real dairy. He was a little loose Wed morn - and after his 11am bottle he got v loose slimey green diarrhea.

Kept him off any milk and dairy - he's right as rain this morning when we got to the docs.

It's looking like a bit of a pattern to me - I asked the doc if it might be lactose intolerance. He said "book a review appointment in two weeks. In the meanwhile try him on dairy again, and try increasing his formula feeds again".

I understand the need for 'a scientific approach' - but you'll understand I'm not very enthusiastic about giving my little boy something which i think was hurting him.

I think he'll probably grow out of it, what ever it is - and avoiding dairy in food isn't that hard. It's just that at this age they obviously need majority of calories from milk.

Sorry long - but would appreciate anyone's experiences of this.

could you not revert back to fully bf and solids?

why don;t you just see the doctor and get him tested for lactose intolerance?

There's a test? The doc seemed to suggest diagnosis is '3 strikes and you're out' stylee.

oh right

DD had bad gastroenteritis last year, and dairy made her vomit and hhave bad nappies for ages so doc told me to take a poo sample to hospital tp test for lactose intolerance

He's still get bf - but I'm on my knees keeping this level of bf going. we deffo need the top ups (12oz ish) if we comply with the recomendation on proportion of calories from milk for his age. So we need a suitable formula:

a)I'm at giving him a milk that seems to irritate him in largec doses - perhaps he just looks fine on the small dose and it's actually irritating his tummy? Perhaps he'd be happier on lf formula?

b)I'm on my knees with tiredness - I need to start tiptoeing off the breast feeding train now

my post makes no sense! you get the picture.

My DS is 4.5 and is intolerant.

I BF, then FF him, he seemed fine, poos were a little hard or irregular or soft, but no real concerns. He then started to get really bad constipation and diaorrhea and this got much worse. At 12 months, he was having convulsions trying to poo, not good. He had unbelievable eczema, we were wet bandaging him every night, he would scream, his dermatologist just wanted to give him more steroids.

We took him off dairy and in 3 weeks it cleared (there is something about a molecular footprint it leaves inyour body, which is why you need 3 weeks to really see the difference) and he is fine today. If I give him cows milk today (which every now and then I do to see if it has cleared up) he gets the runs really bad and complains that his tummy hurts. He can however, eat ice cream and yoghurts without complaints.

The trick is to get enough calcium into them, which is really quite hard. If you are going to do this, I would talk to the doctor and also get an appointment at a nutritionist if the doc thinks so to make sure you give him a balanced diet. Calcium is something that we struggle even today to get enough of it into him. He can get 50% - 70% of his RDA from Soya milk and yoghurt, cheese etc and a further 20% from his vitamins, so we are nearly there.

I wouldn't start on this without checking with your doc and if you dont like what your doc is saying, see another one in the practice if you can. Or talk to the Health Visitor.

Good luck

I switched DD on the advise of my HV for six weeks then gradually phased usual formaula back in.

Whe DS showed the same symptoms as DD had done I switched without question for the six weeks again and it was fine.

If you weren't supposed to use it at all without supervision then it would only be available on prescription.

At dss age (6 months) wouldn't that tantalising tin of lactose free solve all my problems? It can't be poison, can it? And it will be a supplementary milk - rather than 100% of his diet. And he might grow out of the problem, if there is one....

Seems so tempting when the alternative is to 'stick some more dairy into him and see if his bowels explode again'... [soft mummy emoticon]

Sorry about your experiences ginger - sounds very diffuclt

Kif, just check the calcium thing, it is VERY important.

Should I be worried about my 3 year old too?

She's very fussy over dairy. We serve her milk on breakfast cereals, and bedtime chocolate milk, but she doesan't take much. Flat refuses cheese of creamy sauces. She'll eat petit filous, but I tend not to buy them too often since they're so sugary (and get eaten by the adults).....

... I've been fairly tolerant of it - I barely touched dairy myself for over a decade (aged 10-20) - I've started eating cheese and milk in coffee but plain milk still turns my stomach. Don't know why - just strong aversion to it.

my dd1 had regular formula for a few months then had terrible bout of gas, i switched to soy formula, then goats milk, they both reduced the gas but i heard it wasnt the best idea to depend on those as only source of milk, i switched to SMA LF, and she has been on it ever since (now 2.5). she does not have identifiable reactions to any milk or chesse product.

the LF stuff is good enough to sustain him for the next two weeks while you avoid gas until your appointment.

I put my ds2 on SMA LF without consulting anyone first .

Basically he had been really colicy and yucky poos since birth. They he got sent to hospital because he just wouldn't stop screaming and arching his back when 2 months old. Poor mite was in agony. The doctor had prescribed lactate drops and there was some improvement but not loads. Saw the formula in Boots and thought 'why not?'. Almost instant improvement. Told doc at our next app and she said' well he must be lactose intolerent then. He has been prescribed this milk ever since.

I feel you do need to tell doc or HV you have changed his milk but if you feel it will help it will not do any harm.

Yes, I think that's the plan.

I gave him 2oz of his regular milk mixed with 2oz of water at 11am (doc said to). Runny poo within the hour - grouchy farty baby all afternoon. I went back to the chemist and bought the LF! He's just had a bottle of it - I'll see how the night goes. If he's happier, I'll go back to the docs and talk about it.

The cost of the ruddy stuff is a fair incentive to face the doctors face -

ps - this is a suspected intollerance not an allergy - yes? No indication that he'll be an 'allergic' baby? I'm weaning him fairly free and easy - he;s munching on the toast, and tomatoes and all those kind of things without incident.

pps - I now have six different types of formula milk in my cupboard. I think I should open a 24hr baby formula delivery company

Sound like me! I first had SMA Gold, Then a digestive comform milk and then the LF milk!!

Digestive comfort I mean!!

How's it going Kif?

Saw another doc - my fave in the surgery - who said (before I said anything - on the basis of the notes he saw) doc A's plan was Not A Good Idea - he said v common to have a period of lactose intollerance after runny tummy. Keep bf - avoid milk as far as you can - water down his bottles if you have to - try a little bit middle of next wk to see if he's any better. I confessed that I'd started using 'lactose free' formula - he said 'well done that's the right thing to do at the moment'. I didn't have the front tp ask for the stuff on prescription - was too chuffed that doc was 'on my side'.

Unfortunately he's now on summer hols - but at least I'm now back within the system.

re your qu on weaning, i would wean him as per the guidelines for allergic infants - this is a good site here

Oh - and he's tolerating LF fine - though he still seems a little off his food/sore tummy.

Thanks for all the advice!

Hows bubs? He he still doing ok?

Ooh, hello, didn't see this (trying to cut down on my MN time ). Thanks for asking.

Went back to doc. He gave me a prescription for another tub of the lactose free formula - said if it helps, it helps.

He also referred us to a paediatrician to discuss the cows milk thing. The appointment's next month - not really sure what to ask, i guess just hear what they say.

Just yesterday I've started weaning him back onto normal formula. Seems OK. I suspect he is cows milk intollerant, but only lactose intollerant if his tummy's been irritated by the cows milk iyswim.

I've become a bit paranoid about me and dd now. Now I think about it, we're both big dairy refuseniks. I've bought Dd goat's milk. It's only been a few days, but her poos seem more settled. I've got myself and osteocare supplement. Looking forward to my inevitable old age of brittle bones!