BM vs the formula

looking for some advice.
I'm at a loss and upset. i feel incredibly guilty i'm not EBF my LO. she has a milk protein/soy intolerance (as many of you already know!!) and i've been pumping during the feeds of alimentum. her reflux is still bad; however, even with me cutting out soy and milk, she seems very fussy.

when i *just* give her formula (did it the other day for the entire 24 hours), she was NOT fussy, super-fine. still spits but not screaming, stiff and arching.
when i add in some BM she *sometimes* arches, spits and screams.

i'm really not sure what to do. I'm at a loss. i've been cutting these foods out of my diet and i feel like she's happier on the formula. i feel like thats the 'cheap' way out. i know i'm only 1 month post partum (LOL) but i feel so guilty.

i even tried to pump and add the cereal to help her keep it down but it's still not helping. just fed her like that and she arched, screamed and was fussy - then passed out.

i know i'm all over the place and hope this is all making sense.



EBF just *one* baby isn't as easy as i thought.

IF i pumped and froze if for when she's 6 months (supposedly she'll grow out of the intolerance by then??) would it still be 'worth' it and beneficial for her?
if that's the case can i start with milk/soy again? the no half-and-half in my coffee is a killer, lol.

thanks for listening and for the advice. :grouphug:

 

I'm sorry you're having such issues...have they done any kind of upper GI or probe study (they place a probe through her nose and into her throat to measure the pH of her throat to determine if it is stomach acid refluxing up)? What about zantac, prevacid or prilosec? They are weight based so if she's gaining they may have to re-evaluate the dosage...

I hate to mention this because it is rare but I did have a co-worker who's son was so severely allergic to milk based proteins she could not BF him, in fact he was still allergic to Nutramigen and Alimentum and she had to have him on Neocate - bottom line was as weird as it sounds he WAS proven allergic to BM...and the Neocate only stayed down with a LOT of Prevacid...

Please don't feel guilty - guilt does nothing for your state of mind - you're feeding her, and bonding with her and that is the important thing, whether it comes from your breasts or a bottle - the love doesn't wane

I hope she grows out of this quickly and its just a minor bump in the road...

 

TY Amy...


They did an upper GI to see if she had bowel malformation but that was it.
I'm sorry - I should have mentioned she was on Zantac. .5mL and she's about 8.5 lbs. That's what the GI said to give her.

She does well on the Alimentum but does still spit-up. BUT she's not fussy/archy/screamy, etc...

 

did they mention if she had any type of stricture or atresia in either of the sphincters in the stomach? Any type of pyloric stenosis? Have they discussed Prevacid instead of Zantac?

 

FWIW, mine all did better on prevacid than zantac. I cut out dairy with this baby and unfortunately was not able to add true dairy back in until closer to 9 months. She is much better now! I don't have any advice b/c I never tried formula...although I often wonder if I should have in the beginning while the dairy was still in my milk. I will say though, you need to try So Delicious coconut milk creamer!! It's the best! I still use it in my coffee even though I could probably do regular creamer now. Comes in hazelnut, french vanilla, and regular!

 

I'm just frustrated that she's so fussy/spitty after i feed her my BM. like i mentioned, i even add the rice to help keep the 'food' down and it doesn't help.

in regards to the stricture or atresia in either of the sphincters in the stomach - would they have seen this in the Upper Gi while they were performing it?

 

It sounds like you truly want to breastfeed and chances are your milk is perfectly good for your LO.
Why don't you consider switching to Prevacid? My older boys did well on that as I know many LOs do.
I'm really not sure about adding rice cereal into her milk at such a young age. Honestly, that could be upsetting her tummy more than anything else because she's not accurately regulating how much she's taking in.
And, giving her a full 24 hrs worth of formula isn't going to help you keep up your supply as you know, again, if EBFing is truly what you want to do.
I know it's hard, I really do. But, it seems like you're all over the board in terms of what she's consuming.
Can you commit to giving her the same thing for a few days in a row-- while still cutting out of your diet the things you feel might be contributing to her issues-- and see how it goes; rather than all of the changes?
Also, please consider that all of her fussiness is not necessarily associated with feeding.
It took me weeks to learn my youngest LO's cues. He would ALWAYS fuss after feeds. MANY TIMES early on I thought he was unhappy with my milk or my breast or that my supply was too low or too high (you name it) and really, he was usually just overtired! Just because fussiness presents during or right after feeding does not always mean it's feed-related.
I wish you luck.

 

it can be seen in an upper GI but an ultrasound is also needed...the upper GI would show delayed emptying of the stomach and narrowing of the pylorus but the u/s will show the length and thickness of the muscle itself...

 

What foods have you cut out so far? Have you tried getting a lactation consultant? It's well worth the money!!

 

I LOVE this advice!!!
The other things I would add, have you considered taking baby to a chiropractor? and has baby also been thoroughly evaluated for a tongue tie? (it may not be the obvious type). Both of these things are very important when you are describing the type of reflux your little one is showing. Also have you seen this article: Dairy and other food sensitivities in the breastfed baby