CMPA going from EBF to FF

[Wingingit2019]

So my 5mo has been diagnosed with CMPA and I have also cut out egg and soya from my diet to see if that would work. His eczema still flares up badly, he struggles with wind and has mucus in his nappy. My GP has said nutritionally I should'nt try and cut anything else out and we have discussed possibly switching to prescription formula.

My baby has mostly always been fed to sleep, uses me for comfort and won't take a dummy so switching is making me anxious. However seeing him suffer with his skin and sleepless nights are impacting me mentally. Has anyone been through anything similar and can give any advice regarding the switch?

Thank you! X

When did you cut all of these out?

What formula have you been prescribed? When I started weaning DS he hated his CPMA formula so I had to keep breastfeeding

It might be difficult to get him to take a prescription formula if I'm honest.

Also what if he's allergic to what's in the formula. They need to investigate what the actual problem is before making you switch to formula.
That could potentially be the worst thing to do right now.

Hi Op -
How long have you been doing the exclusion diet for? My experience was that it took at least 2/3 weeks for the symptoms to have a marked improvement once I started cutting things out.
Are you checking labels for "hidden" dairy? Just to ensure this isn't sneaking in under things like maltodextrose, whey, etc

My child was still quite windy and had silent reflux in addition to the allergy so not all symptoms could be due to the allergy.

Personally I would gradually start introducing CMPA friendly formula sooner rather than later. Apparently, it is harder to get them to drink it the older they get. The transition period can be tough for the first week or so as they get used to the new milk.

Most likely you will be prescribed Nutramigen first. It stinks to high heaven. Our pedi recommended mixing with breast milk to make it more palatable. E.g 90% bm / 10% formula and gradually switch the percentages. Are you able to express? Have a think as to whether you want to mix feed once you do introduce formula. I did total elimination for 4 months (egg, dairy, soya & wheat) as I was determined to continue bf. In the end DS was refusing to bf due to a cold so having started introducing some bottle feeds meant that the transition wasn't as horrendous as it could have been because he was already used to having it.
The first few bottles I practically had to force feed him because it really is horrid stuff and very different to lovely sweet breastmilk.

My DS drinks Neocate as he still reacted to Nutramigen as it does in fact still contain some hydrolysed proteins. You may want to ask for Neocate off the bat if your GP agrees that your child is likely to still react to even tiny bits of dairy proteins. It's also less gross than nutramigen. He guzzles it by the oz now.

Good luck!