Reaching out for help! What next, at end of our tether!

[Em040579]

DD is now 3mo and we've had lots of feeding issues since birth. We just want to help her feel better and more comfortable.

We were lucky with my 2yo in that we never had these concerns so I'm a bit lost with what to do next and hope someone who has been through this can advise.

My 3 mo DD has been miserable since the day she was born. Cries on average 12 hours a day and feel theres something still not right. She seems uncomfortable being held and put down. Nothing we do seems to comfort her.

I bf my 3mo at birth, however she caught thrush from my milk so treated this from the start and it cleared up after 4 weeks. Thinking this would help settle her - it didnt.

We moved her on to Aptamil for personal reasons and has been on formula since 3 weeks old, however it's been a nightmare for her and us.

The Aptamil didnt agree with her due to signs of a cmpi so the gp put her on a course of Alimentum which we tried for 5 weeks without any change. We've now been using Nutramigen after being pushed by our health visitor to try it. However after 4 weeks there's still no change and it's making her even more miserable than ever.

She's doing on average 9-10 dirty nappies a day, to the extent the skin around her little bum is getting so sore its starting to bleed. Each dirty nappy doesnt look right and looks very watery and seedy still. I remember my 2yo's looked darker and more solid in colour so I'm concerned Nutramigen isn't right for her.

We've been applying metanium and bepanthan at every change and leaving her nappy off to let air get to it, but isn't helping.

I spoke to the health visitor again about it and she seems reluctant to change her milk again which I understand as each time we change, her little body has to adapt to a new milk. But what can I do if it seems to not really agree with her?

We were also using Infacol, then Colief for colic and Gaviscon Infant because she was showing reflux at birth. However none of these worked and shes just as miserable today as she was at birth.

I've no idea how we've coasted through these first three months but it's been miserable for all of us and i cry most days as cant see how we can help her.

Hope someone can help advise.

So sorry OP, she will grow out of it but not much comfort now.

I think you must go and see you GP firstly, sounds like you need a paediatric referral.

It sounds like you need a referral to a pediatric specialist, it maybe allergies but also maybe a problem with how her gut is formed and you would need her to see a pediatric gastroenterologist.

Go to the GP, take a diary of crying, feeds, wet and dirty nappies for a couple of days so that the GP can get a clear picture. Is she gaining weight appropriately? Add that information too.

If the GP doesn't do anything, then can you afford approx 150 for a private appointment with a pediatrician? You can then go back on the NHS for treatment but have a proper plan from the private appointment. You can self refer, just google private pediatic gastroenterologist near me.

Hi!

I really feel for you and your little one.

Nutrimigen still has cow’s milk protein in it, albeit hydrolysed. You need to ask them to prescribe Neocate - it is an amino acid formula. There’s a soy based one too, I think it’s Pure Amino but a lot of babies (30%) who have CMPI/A react to soy too, so I’d go strait to Neocate.

A small few babies react to cow’s milk protein via breastmilk, mine does. In breastmilk the cow’s milk has been broken down /hydrolysed, like with Nutrimigen, but even that small amount of the protein is enough to cause a reaction.

It sounds like this might be the case for your little one.