Reflux or milk allergy?

[HWB18]

Hi there I'm going to give you all a little insight to my hectic & very difficult 6 months with my daughter.

In her first couple of months we discovered she had a floppy larynx which comes hand in hand with reflux. The floppy larynx is barley noticeable now but reflux is still an issue. We have tried every reflux medication possible & the only one that seems to work for her is ranitidine, she is on the highest dose for her weight & also still taking carobel in her milk. At one point of this process we were prescribed a milk called similac alimentum as she had a little blood in her vomit (only the once) but unfortunately I couldn't get her to take this milk at all so doctor said to go back to aptimil. Things were going good for a while then in November every so often she would fight the bottle, scream, push it away, turn red in the face. She would take her dummy no problem or even the bottle no problem at times but now this is happening every single bottle. I'm at my wits end & in tears writing this I am so tired of my baby being in pain when drinking her milk. I was at the dr last week who told me it is silent reflux & we have ran out of options with all medication so it's something we are going to have to deal with. I am force feeding my baby because she needs her formula but I feel like the most horrible mum in the world doing this...I need advice. I need someone to tell me how to fix this. A friend of mine suggested milk allergy but I'm not 100% sure. Do I go back to the doctor & suggest this? I feel right now like every bottle I have to feed her I'm ready to take a mental breakdown. Before this she was taking 7 ounces 4 times daily. Now I'm struggling to get her to take 15 ounces a day. But because she's gaining weight (she's on solids now) the dr & health visitor say there not concerned.

Wow that sounds really a rough 6 months. I couldn't leave your post unanswered.

Have you started weaning yet? I'm just thinking of it is milk allergy then that might be more obvious when you wean as you might notice a worsening of symptoms when she has a lot of dairy.

Are you able to go and see a different GP, and ask them why they have ruled out milk intollerance. Have you asked them to try a dairy free milk like neocate or nutramigen puramino, just for a 2/3 week trial to either rule it out or find a possible solution.

I think in your position I'd be going back to the GP. I'd also be holding out hope that weaning will help solve the problem, either by helping with the reflux, or by making any dairy intollerance more obvious.

Hopefully you will get more replies but I really hope things start getting better for you both soon & you have someone who can perhaps take your baby while you rest once in a while. Babies are hard enough work without additional issues!

How is your daughters skin? Does she have eczema? And is she sick a lot or anything?

Another suggestion, could you ask the HV to come round and observe you feeding her, or take a video and show them what you mean?

Well at 6 months she should be upping her solids - maybe she just doesn’t need as much milk - halfing her milk sounds about right if she’s on 2/3 meals a day.

Does she have a rash or bad poop?

Hi there been to doctors this morning & he doesn't think it's reflux he thinks she may just be bored of her milk since this started when I started weaning her. He suggested (although it's frowned upon) to add some flavours to her milk & see if this works. I'm still not 100% sure about this we are currently waiting for an appointment with the paediatrician so I would prefer some advice from them. No rashes, poop is fine & she is happy once she's had her milk it is simply just getting her to drink it 😢

She’s putting on weight - I think you are just feeding her too much milk! You are basically try to force feed her when she doesn’t need it.
Why do you need a paed appointment?! What is the actually problem? She is putting on weight.

Rainbowsandflowers78 actually today all in all she has had 5 ounces of milk. She needs her formula more than she needs her food at 6 months old thank you very much. The only reason she is putting on weight it because of me persevering to get very little milk in to her. Also I don't just feed her because I feel like it she cry's because she is hungry, gets excited when she sees the bottle & then starts screaming & crying once she has a couple of drinks. You are very rude.

I just don’t think you need a paed appointment when your baby doesn’t actually have anything wrong with them.
I presume you’ve tried changing her drinking cup/bottle? She may just be frustrated the teat is too slow.

I have tried changing to a bigger teat, didn't work, I've tried changing to coloured bottles instead of clear ones & that didn't work either. It was the doctor who referred me, I didn't ask? If there's something than can be done then I'm willing to try it. Also my daughter had previously been to the paediatrician & got dismissed while everything was going well...unfortunately everything isn't going well right now. I understand how it looks on paper because she is putting on weight but what I don't think your understanding is the stress for both myself, my baby & anyone else who has to care for her. I'm due back at work in 6 weeks & there is no way I can leave her with anyone else the way she is just now, it's not fair on her or whomever will be looking after her at the time. She isn't a happy baby because she's hungry & wants her milk...not food. She eats her food & lets me know when she's had enough. There is obviously an issue here, I don't know what it is but there is an issue on why she is in so much discomfort taking her milk & just to clarify I'm not just shoving a bottle in her face when I feel like it, I've tried her with water & baby juice, she takes them no problem but still wants her bottle until she starts drinking it & thats when the discomfort/pain begins.

What is baby juice? You shouldn’t give a baby anything other than milk or water. Do you think she just wants the sweet juice instead.

I can see that you’re stressed and it needs to be sorted but it’s not a medical problem - because when all is said and done she’s ok and gaining weight well. I think a better route would be to find a better health visitor.

You said yourself her floppy larynx has gone and she takes food and other liquid well so it’s not a medical issue. I suspect she isn’t in pain but it’s some sort of behavioral thing like what, or the way she’s fed.

Try tommy tippy cups instead of bottles.

Try spoon feeding her milk so you can see it isn’t the milk. Also if sometimes she’s taking the milk fine then it also isn’t the milk.

@rainbowsandflowers78 you are categorically wrong. Have you ever experienced the sheer grinding misery that is chasing a baby with a.feeding aversion around with a bottle?? Nope. Didn't think so.

Op, you could be describing my DS when he was that age. It was milk allergy. Solved entirely by a hydrolysed formula. We used Aptamil Pepti, could not get on with alimentum/ nutramigen/ neonate owing to the taste. Pepti tastes much better but is not as hypoallergenic as some.

Heinz spring water apple is what I've tried her with when I say baby juice, it is suitable from 6 months plus. When she is only taking very little milk I am concerned incase she gets dehydrated. I have a sippy cup which was provided by the health visitor & she does drink small amounts out of this. I actually moved across town when my daughter was 3 months old which meant we had to change health visitor, I did prefer my last health visitor she seemed to give me suggestions that worked. If it is a behaviour issue how do I sort this with a 6 month old? The doctor said today he didn't think a 6 month old was quiet smart enough to do something like that because of behaviour. I myself don't 100% agree with him.

My milk allergic baby would take cows milk formula when asleep/ tired/ very sleepy and then randomly once in a while, by the way. Didn't mean milk was not the problem. Far from it. It was.

6 month old babies do not have "behavioural" issues by and large. Where did you get that notion from rainbows!?!?!

No because I breastfed my two

I have had a very sick child though and know that if a child is feeding, sleeping and putting on weight it’s not that bad.

The op’s baby sometimes take the milk fine. It only started recently. These are not signs of a baby with a milk allergy.

Ps I agree with your GP. Your baby isn't 'playing' you. Something is going on.

Behavioral as in it’s not a medical problem.

Many babies have milk allergies or don’t get on well with formula. A 6 month old baby doesn’t suddenly develop an allergy overnight. He’s already on reflux medication.

And stop the juice ASAP - it could just be they want juice not milk. It might say 6 months plus but it’s not current advice to give them anything other than milk and water under 1 and juice is such an unhealthy choice for them

Really rainbows you are giving out unhelpful and worrisome advice.

I breastfed my son initially and hey you know what?? He still had a feeding aversion. Chasing a baby round with a boob is even more fun than chasing them round with a bottle. Sure he was putting on weight owing to my copious milk supply but unfortunately his eosophagus was also inflamed. This is called eosinophilic oesophagitis and can occur in otherwise healthy 'looking' babies with normal weight gain. Honestly, really, just because a baby is gaining weight doesn't mean all is ok.

And no I’m not saying your 6 month old is playing you - I’m saying work out what’s she’s crying about - I don’t think it’s pain. Do you truly believe it sounds like a pain cry? Go back to basics and work out what it could be by process of deduction.

Ragusa - the ops baby has been diagnosed with a floppy larynx - presumably they’ve already had a look down her airways and have ruled out any other issues like the one your child had to diagnose the larynx.
The key thing you seem to be missing is that this is something that’s happened recently and is getting worse

Reflux medication will not fix a milk allergy by the way. It may make any associated vomiting less bothersome but it won't stop the IgA/ IgG mediated reaction, which can be multi-systemic.

I get so annoyed by people who have no experience -academic, professional or personal- of food allergies and conclude they are merely a minor issue. They can rule your life!

And please tell me which of my advice is unhelpful or worrisome?

Too many people just call milk allergy when it’s actually very rare. It really doesn’t sound like it here.

The thing you seem to be missing is that a medical has already suggested a milk allergy but the child would not accept the hypo milk. This is a common issue with hypo milks.

EO can't be determined from an examination for laryngomalacia which is a functional disorder rather than an inflammatory one

Oh and by the way my son was not diagnosed until 4 months, whichor is when the op says things got worse with her baby.

Milk intolerance allergy is not particularly rare. Incidence is between 2 and 7% of infants.

The op’s baby does not have the same thing your baby does! You are projecting way too much.

Investigators for a floppy larynx would reveal - a floppy larynx. Which is what the op’s baby has/had and reflux. It would be HIGHLY unlikely for there then to be a further medical issue on top.

She’s been giving the baby apple juice! It’s no wonder it doesn’t want milk...