red rash around anus: doc says milk proetin allergy : switched multiple formulas

[kate0803]

Hi, Need Help! first time mom. My baby just turned 2 months old on june 15th, 2009. At birth she was on Similac and some breastfeeding as my milk supply wasnt enough and she wasn't latching on properly so I had to supplement with formula. At 2 weeks old, we noticed she had a red rash around anus which kpt getting worse. I switched to Enfamil Lipil but no change in the rash. Stopped using wipes and rinsing with water. She was pooping 16-20 times a day. Always pooping little bit at a time. With every sneeze, some poop will com out and was very gassy. Dr suspected cows milk protein allergy and switched to Nutramigen and told me to restrict dairy in my diet. I stopped bf and gave nutramigen which she hated the taste but immediately made her poop less and the rash started to go away. but as soon as I introduced breast milk ( I was pumping and giving it in a bottle), the rash came back. so I stopped bf again and gave her only nutramigen but rash is not getting better. Now Dr put her on Neocate which is super expensive. I would love to breastfeed but I am so confused. My baby hates nutramigen and neocate and hardly eats 2 ounces at each feeding. Ofcourse she will poop less if she is eating less. She is 9 lbs 6 ounces at 2 months old and takes about 18-20 ounces a day. I know she should be eating more. Other than the red rash, she does not have really have any other issues. She does not spit up, vomit or any acid refluxes. She does get gassy and throws her arms and legs around as if uncomfortable all the time. what should I do??? My friends tell me no baby is allergic to breast milk and I should continue breastfeeding. Should I try soy based formula because I heard they taste better than nutramigen or neocate. But I hate to keep experimenting with my baby. Is it ok to switch between so many kids of formulas?? She does not have blood in her stool. Please any help or comments will be very much appreciated.

If you want to continue to BF you will probably have to cut out all dairy from your diet too.

You could try soya based formula but the problem is she could then develop a problem with that too which is what happened with my DD and then her diet will be more restricted when it comes to weaning.

Have you been referred to a pead?

Kate, are you in the US?

If so, then your health insurance should pay for it. Some states have it has law that a health care provider must pay for it

I believe there is some very, very rare condition where babies can be allergic to human milk. It has a special name and I can't remember what it is. However, more babies are allergic to food proteins in the milk from the mother's diet (cow milk protein from the mother, nuts, soya, eggs, fish I think are the most common culprits), with cow milk being more common than the others. You could try an exclusion diet yourself and see if this helps her symptoms. Soya formula is not usually recommended for allergies because it is highly allergenic itself and many babies with cow milk protein allergy also have soya allergy. You could try weaning her onto the Neocate by expressing a feed and slowly swapping 1 oz EBM for 1 oz neocate. We did this (except we swapped soya formula for neoacte as I'd just stopped breastfeeding at that point and it took us around 2 weeks to get ds2 to accept it).

Have you thought about taking your baby to see a craniosacral therapist? They are wonderfully gentle with babies and can help with digestion issues. They are able to pick up minute imbalances and may only take one session.

Thanks for the comments. Yes I am in the US. I have nver heard of a Craniosacral therapist? I live in New Jersey. Are these therapist covered by insurance?

If you start breastfeeding again, eliminate dairy produce from your diet. You may want to get a dietician's advice with this.

It's my understanding that babies should not have soya milk as a main drink under the age of one due to phyto oestrogens (plant proteins) and possibility of future alleriges.