OK, DS is 6 mos, under (sporadic, you know the NHS) care of paedeatrician and soon to see dietician. He has fairly severe reflux and a suspected issue with cow's milk protein. He's on lansoprazole for the reflux, and we have tried nearly every hydrolysed or elemental formula for the CMP issue but he won't accept any of them (neocate, nutramigen, nutramigen AA, Aptamil pepti, etc etc etc.) Even flavoured or gradually introduced we have had no joy. In fact, he is such a fussy little chap he will only drink one brand of normal bloody formula!
DS's main issues are problems settling/ sleeping and milk refusal. He is putting on weight but slowly, and also only because we spend hours trying to feed him, which is difficult as we also have a 3 year old. He won't sleep-feed so that's not an option either. We are down for feeding therapy in a couple of weeks, so hopefully that will help a bit.
Today, having thrown yet another bottle across the room in sheer frustration, I went to waitrose and bought a tin of the goat's milk formula that's not officially formula. I have read the stuff about it not being approved for sale as an infant formula in the UK. I also understand that there have been some health and safety concerns but I am not entirely sure what these are - is it just that it's nutritionally not quite right, or are there worries about contamination?
Anyway, to my surprise he will drink it and he has not vomited at all after having it (highly unusual for him), his persistent snuffles seem to have suddenly cleared up, and his tummy cramps seem far less. So, let's just presume he can tolerate it and it continues not to provoke vomiting.... just how bad would it be for him to have this formula on a medium-term basis given he is now 6 months, and that the alternative seems to be continuing on aptamil that he is (quite probably) intolerant and/ or plugging away with the elemetal/ hydrolysed milks (we've been at it for nearly 3 months with almost no success)?
I will ask the dietician but suspect she will give us a big fat no. However, they don't seem to have any other solutions for us...
Relactation not an option (done it before, can't do it this time) and we have looked into milk share but are not happy about this as a long-term solution as there is no surety of supply and we would feel a bit tied to the area - sometimes I need to be able to go to my parents for a week or so as my dad is ill at the moment.