Formula and GAvison - Allergice reaction only when sick - not on drinking

[jai38]

HI (Sorry long)

wondering if anyone has any suggestions - my five month old dd is now at nursery three mornings a week and am self employed so was struggling to express in shop and have now run out of frozen milk this week so have moved her to formula for nursery now.

She has reflux so gets gaviscon with each feed, always has this with no problems when breastfeed. She is still sicky but not as much but something will always come up.

This week (mon)after nursery she came up in a rash all down her left arm and the back of her neck which then became large red swellings - they went overnight. Now today after nursery we have had the same thing but on her chest. Turns out to be in the place she has managed to hit herself with sick after a feed. So it is the mix of formula and gaviscon when sicked up causing it. We have used Hipp Orgnaic Powder this week but previously ready mixed Aptimil.

Is there a difference between ready madea powder am I going to have to blow all my money of ready made formula or is it worth trying a differnt powder.

All advise appreciated.

Jai - I would see the GP and ask for a referral if needed. You will not be expected to pay for formula for her, specialist formula comes on prescription.

I would suggest that it is the formula that she is struggling with, was she EBF before this? She may have a dairy intolerance if you have never given her any cows milk/formula before?

Gaviscon did not work for us, just made DD constipated, something she has never grown out of. We were prescribed Ranitidine which is far easier to give and worked much better. You need to eliminate one or the other, the formula or the Gavi, if she has been on Gavi with Breast Milk and never had this reaction I would put my money on the formula.

Good luck, and see the GP. It may be just a matter of going onto a prescription formula for a while whilst her body adjusts.

a few people are only allergic to food after it has been partially digested - at least that's what the allergy consultant told us. Or it could be the acid in her stomach contents.

You could go down the less allergenic route as reflux is made worse by dairy. Pepti Junior might work. The nursery could maybe also give her a better bib?

i would agree about the formula.

allergies can be strange. the reaction can build up the more times you are exposed to it. so you might have nothing the first time, a slight tingling the next, a rash the next..and so on.

tbh a baby with an allergy, is much, much, much better on breastmilk.

My GP confused reflux with dairy allergy when DS was EBF, it was only when we tried formula for the first time that it became clear that it wasn't reflux but an allergy.

Ask your GP for a referral for testing.

Thanks all I will take her to go this week, took her on Monday when she had the big rash and they thought it was something viral . Did some research online and have got a formulan with the milk more broken down to try. The gaviscon seems to work most of the time bu we still have days when she is very sick and now I am wondering if if is after in have had dairy as I don't have much. Would love to continue ebm but not possible with work and a four year old

Jai, could you still express a bit and mix the two together? When I lost my mind expressing I was told by a v lovely MW that if I mixed EBM in with formula it helps to break down the proteins or sugars,.... hmmm, now I cannot remember which it seems such a distant memory. Is this possible?