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Summergrl14
LIF Adolescent
Member since 4/16 625 total posts
Name:
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UPDATE and new question! Alimentum Reaction
Sorry for the long post!
DS is 3 months old today and has pretty much been a miserable baby from birth. Was diagnosed with reflux and put on Zantac and then Axid, was colicky, just generally unhappy. I was EBF and had cut out dairy even though his initial stool tests came back negative for blood.
Last week he had several mucusy diapers that had streaks of blood in it and I brought him back to the doctor yesterday. This time he tested positive and I made the decision to put him on alimentum and stop nursing, since we were having a really rough time nursing anyway and he had hardly gained any weight in a month.
Literally after only a few feedings it was like I had a different baby. Yesterday he was happy, smiling and slept better than he ever has. Even this morning I couldn’t believe what a difference the formula had on him and I felt so much better about deciding to stop nursing.
Then this past feed this afternoon he projectile vomited everything he ate and had the bloodiest stool I’ve seen to date.
Has this ever happened to anyone’s little one. Were they still able to take the alimentum or had to switch to a more specialized formula? I’m waiting for a call back from the doctor, but I’m just so upset because here I thought we had found the answer and now I’m scared he can’t even handle the alimentum :(
Of course now I’m also feeling terrible guilt because it felt so liberating to be done with nursing and now I’m wondering if I should have just continued to eliminate more foods.
UPDATE!!!
So I just wanted to update this post and say that ds has been doing so much better on the alimentum! It was like all of you said, he did worse for a few days and by the 2nd week it’s like i have a new kid!
However, he is still spitting up quite a lot and it does seem to bother him. The pediatric gastro recommended putting some oatmeal in his bottles. Right now we use the Dr. Browns with a size 2 nipple, but even putting in a 1/2 teaspoon seems to be clogging up the bottles too much and it’s even worse with the Dr. Browns inserts. What bottles have people used when adding cereal/oatmeal? The gastro also said 1 teaspoon per ounce, but that seems like a ridiculous amount!
Message edited 1/16/2018 4:09:50 PM.
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Posted 12/20/17 3:14 PM  |
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lightblue
LIF Adult
Member since 1/17 2249 total posts
Name:
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Re: Alimentum Reaction
My sister had this happen to both her sons, they both had to go on elecare.
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| Posted 12/20/17 3:16 PM |
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mommy2be716
LIF Adult
Member since 1/16 2921 total posts
Name:
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Alimentum Reaction
DD didn't have bloody stools after alimentum, but the vomiting continued for sure. My Dr. said Alimentum is thinner so if your baby is prone to spitting up already, this usually still happens with alimentum. Also, if i gave zantac right before the bottle, she would barf the ENTIRE bottle up. I had to start giving the zantac 30 mins or so before the bottle.
DD was immediately better with the alimentum the following day. Then it got worse again but it think it was just the transition. Usually after a week or so you should notice a drastic change for the better. If not, then you might need to move on to neocate or elecare
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| Posted 12/20/17 8:33 PM |
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Alimentum Reaction
My son projectile vomited And has blood and mucus in the stool until he was on elecare. We went through breastfeeding and 5 formulas before getting to elecare
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| Posted 12/20/17 8:35 PM |
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ChristinaM128
LIF Adult
Member since 8/12 4043 total posts
Name:
Christina
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Re: Alimentum Reaction
My dd needed neocate. And as per the gi doctor we had to add some rice because it was so thin, she was spitting up.
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| Posted 12/20/17 8:43 PM |
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Summergrl14
LIF Adolescent
Member since 4/16 625 total posts
Name:
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Re: Alimentum Reaction
Thanks! I was lucky to get an appointment with a pediatric gi tomorrrow morning. So I’m hoping to get some answers. I’m just so upset because I felt so hopeful this morning and now i feel like we are back to square one.
Did you see a significant change on the elecare? How is your DS doing now on it?
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| Posted 12/20/17 8:50 PM |
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Summergrl14
LIF Adolescent
Member since 4/16 625 total posts
Name:
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Re: Alimentum Reaction
Posted by ChristinaM128
My dd needed neocate. And as per the gi doctor we had to add some rice because it was so thin, she was spitting up.
How long until you saw an improvement? Was DD ever on alimentum or Nutramigen or you just went straight to neocate?
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| Posted 12/20/17 8:52 PM |
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LuckyStar
LIF Adult
Member since 7/14 7272 total posts
Name:
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Alimentum Reaction
It can take a week or so for the GI tract to heal. It may have just been residual blood. We had this happen when DD first went on alimentum. I remember calling the doctor crying that nothing would work for her. She also spit up like a machine and there's nothing worse than alimentum vomit. Potato puke.
We took her off the alimentum cold turkey at a year and went to whole milk. She was fine. She's 2 now and (knock on wood) doesn't have a single food intolerance.
I remember the panic well. He'll be ok and one day this will be a distant memory, I promise. Hang in there!
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| Posted 12/20/17 10:40 PM |
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Re: Alimentum Reaction
It could go either way.
It takes about 2 weeks to totally clear their digestive system, so it could be that.
Or, sometimes babies with food intolerances will initially get better when something is less irritating to their system, and then get worse again because they still can't tolerate it. Put a call in to the doctor and see what they say.
It's hard, and frustrating, but you're not alone and you will figure it out and get to a point where everyone is happy (and hopefully sleeping). Good luck!
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| Posted 12/21/17 8:40 AM |
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Summergrl14
LIF Adolescent
Member since 4/16 625 total posts
Name:
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Re: Alimentum Reaction
Posted by LuckyStar
It can take a week or so for the GI tract to heal. It may have just been residual blood. We had this happen when DD first went on alimentum. I remember calling the doctor crying that nothing would work for her. She also spit up like a machine and there's nothing worse than alimentum vomit. Potato puke.
We took her off the alimentum cold turkey at a year and went to whole milk. She was fine. She's 2 now and (knock on wood) doesn't have a single food intolerance.
I remember the panic well. He'll be ok and one day this will be a distant memory, I promise. Hang in there!
Thanks for this! We took DS to the pediatric gastro this morning and she said it takes 2 or 3 weeks for his GI Tract to heal and we are probably just seeing more blood because he is taking in more food than what he was getting nursing. We go back after the new year for a follow up, but it was reassuring to hear that everything seems normal. Now I’m just hoping we get another night like we did on Tuesday because last night was absolutely awful and he was up every hour screaming :(
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| Posted 12/21/17 1:14 PM |
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ChristinaM128
LIF Adult
Member since 8/12 4043 total posts
Name:
Christina
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Re: Alimentum Reaction
Posted by Summergrl14
Posted by ChristinaM128
My dd needed neocate. And as per the gi doctor we had to add some rice because it was so thin, she was spitting up.
How long until you saw an improvement? Was DD ever on alimentum or Nutramigen or you just went straight to neocate?
It was very similar for us as you. She went onto nutramigen and I thought things were better for about 2 days, then things got worse. I never saw blood, but she was going to the bathroom about 16x/day and never slept for more than about 45 min., writhing in pain. Blood In stool was confirmed by test in gi office. Once we switched her to neocate, it took about 2 weeks for full effect, but saw some Improvement about 3 days in. The GI system is so sensitive that once damage is done by an allergy or anything else, it takes about 2 weeks to heal itself.
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| Posted 12/21/17 3:12 PM |
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Summergrl14
LIF Adolescent
Member since 4/16 625 total posts
Name:
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UPDATE and new question! Alimentum Reaction
Bump with update and new question :)
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| Posted 1/16/18 4:10 PM |
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BriBri2u
L'amore vince sempre
Member since 5/05 9320 total posts
Name:
Mrs. B
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Re: UPDATE and new question! Alimentum Reaction
This reminds me of a post I posted 7 years ago with my DS. hang in there, it does get better.
Dr. Browns were no good for DS. The bottle that worked best for him were the Playtex Ventaire system. They have a slight curve to the neck so it lets even more air out. I would look into those.
Also, we would always burp DS after one ounce. He had silent reflux, where it all comes up but then goes right back down (double whammy in the discomfort and burning aspects). Burping after each ounce helps a lot. It takes a bit longer to feed them, but they are much happier.
Also, keeping him upright for at least a half hour worked.
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| Posted 1/17/18 9:30 AM |
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mommy2be716
LIF Adult
Member since 1/16 2921 total posts
Name:
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UPDATE and new question! Alimentum Reaction
This was DD. Alimentum worked, but she puked often still (like 2-3 nights/week before bed). I think the alimentum mixed with zantac just makes it easier for them to spit up. It never bothered her when she puked and she never cried, so we just dealt with it until she grew out of it! We gave smaller bottles at night and that helped a little bit
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| Posted 1/17/18 10:15 AM |
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brooke23
LIF Toddler
Member since 3/11 482 total posts
Name:
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UPDATE and new question! Alimentum Reaction
With regard to your oatmeal question-- YES! The ped gastro told us to add oatmeal and we've tried a fast flow nipple and a cross cut and there is no way for it to come through! Having the same issue (we use playtex drop-ins for bottles)-- and, we were also told 1 tsp per oz but i did 1 tsp per 3.5 oz and it still didnt come through (1 per oz seems extreme, I agree). I gave up trying and poor ds has some bad reflux episodes where it comes through his nose and up and he clearly cant breathe. I may try rice cereal (even though I dont like the idea of the rice) to see if maybe it will work better for getting it through the nipple? I was/am at a loss like you. Did you see Dr. Marciano by chance?
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| Posted 1/17/18 2:05 PM |
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b2b777
LIF Adult
Member since 9/09 4474 total posts
Name:
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UPDATE and new question! Alimentum Reaction
Hi! I could have written this word for word. My baby did not do well on Ailementum and had to move to elemental formula which was even thinner than Aliementum, so we were forced to thicken. I did half a teaspoon per ounce, used DR Browns Bottles and stretched the size 3 nipples with a fork tine. I literally tried EVERYTHING under the sun before i found improvement. Has the dr considered switching your child to a PPI instead of Zantac? If the vomit is hurting the baby you should consider it. The first two weeks are hell on the new med, but after that there is usually relief. PM me for more info if you'd like. I just went through this HELL. It was the most heart breaking and lonely experience i ever had. There is also a facebook group "infant acid reflux solutions" that got me through the hardest days. Good luck mama.
Message edited 1/17/2018 3:07:42 PM.
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| Posted 1/17/18 3:06 PM |
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Summergrl14
LIF Adolescent
Member since 4/16 625 total posts
Name:
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Re: UPDATE and new question! Alimentum Reaction
Posted by brooke23
With regard to your oatmeal question-- YES! The ped gastro told us to add oatmeal and we've tried a fast flow nipple and a cross cut and there is no way for it to come through! Having the same issue (we use playtex drop-ins for bottles)-- and, we were also told 1 tsp per oz but i did 1 tsp per 3.5 oz and it still didnt come through (1 per oz seems extreme, I agree). I gave up trying and poor ds has some bad reflux episodes where it comes through his nose and up and he clearly cant breathe. I may try rice cereal (even though I dont like the idea of the rice) to see if maybe it will work better for getting it through the nipple? I was/am at a loss like you. Did you see Dr. Marciano by chance?
I bought size 3 nipples and earths best oatmeal since I was told it’s the thinnest, we were using beechnut. I’m hoping by putting in only a 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon for every few ounces that will help!
We see Dr. Lazare, who is in the same office as Dr. Marciano. She’s very okay.
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| Posted 1/17/18 3:18 PM |
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Summergrl14
LIF Adolescent
Member since 4/16 625 total posts
Name:
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Re: UPDATE and new question! Alimentum Reaction
Posted by b2b777
Hi! I could have written this word for word. My baby did not do well on Ailementum and had to move to elemental formula which was even thinner than Aliementum, so we were forced to thicken. I did half a teaspoon per ounce, used DR Browns Bottles and stretched the size 3 nipples with a fork tine. I literally tried EVERYTHING under the sun before i found improvement. Has the dr considered switching your child to a PPI instead of Zantac? If the vomit is hurting the baby you should consider it. The first two weeks are hell on the new med, but after that there is usually relief. PM me for more info if you'd like. I just went through this HELL. It was the most heart breaking and lonely experience i ever had. There is also a facebook group "infant acid reflux solutions" that got me through the hardest days. Good luck mama.
I think because DS is gaining weight nicely now and seems to be doing ok on the alimentum the only thing the doctor did was raise the dosage of the Zantac. I think if he’s still spitting up so much and seeming uncomfortable while doing it by next week, I’m going to call the doctor back. It’s so heartbreaking seeing these baby’s in pain. He’s doing so much better, but he’s definitely still uncomfortable.
Were you able to still use the dr. Brown inserts with the oatmeal or no?
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| Posted 1/17/18 3:21 PM |
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b2b777
LIF Adult
Member since 9/09 4474 total posts
Name:
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Re: UPDATE and new question! Alimentum Reaction
Posted by Summergrl14
Posted by b2b777
Hi! I could have written this word for word. My baby did not do well on Ailementum and had to move to elemental formula which was even thinner than Aliementum, so we were forced to thicken. I did half a teaspoon per ounce, used DR Browns Bottles and stretched the size 3 nipples with a fork tine. I literally tried EVERYTHING under the sun before i found improvement. Has the dr considered switching your child to a PPI instead of Zantac? If the vomit is hurting the baby you should consider it. The first two weeks are hell on the new med, but after that there is usually relief. PM me for more info if you'd like. I just went through this HELL. It was the most heart breaking and lonely experience i ever had. There is also a facebook group "infant acid reflux solutions" that got me through the hardest days. Good luck mama.
I think because DS is gaining weight nicely now and seems to be doing ok on the alimentum the only thing the doctor did was raise the dosage of the Zantac. I think if he’s still spitting up so much and seeming uncomfortable while doing it by next week, I’m going to call the doctor back. It’s so heartbreaking seeing these baby’s in pain. He’s doing so much better, but he’s definitely still uncomfortable.
Were you able to still use the dr. Brown inserts with the oatmeal or no?
Yes, i used the inserts and bottles as is. I had no problem with the beechnut oats. I just had to stretch the nipple out with a fork!! It is the worst having to do guess work like this for your baby. Mine was in so much pain all day and night with spit up and reflux (burning). I would do anything to stop it. We did a PPI (prevacid) and it was well worth it. We finally had a happy baby. And by 13 months were med free.
https://www.infant-acid-reflux-solutions.com/
Message edited 1/17/2018 4:09:02 PM.
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| Posted 1/17/18 3:59 PM |
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b2b777
LIF Adult
Member since 9/09 4474 total posts
Name:
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Re: UPDATE and new question! Alimentum Reaction
Posted by brooke23
With regard to your oatmeal question-- YES! The ped gastro told us to add oatmeal and we've tried a fast flow nipple and a cross cut and there is no way for it to come through! Having the same issue (we use playtex drop-ins for bottles)-- and, we were also told 1 tsp per oz but i did 1 tsp per 3.5 oz and it still didnt come through (1 per oz seems extreme, I agree). I gave up trying and poor ds has some bad reflux episodes where it comes through his nose and up and he clearly cant breathe. I may try rice cereal (even though I dont like the idea of the rice) to see if maybe it will work better for getting it through the nipple? I was/am at a loss like you. Did you see Dr. Marciano by chance?
We saw Marciano.
Try stretching the nipple with a fork tine. Pull hard enough to stretch it but not enough to rip. The nipple should be stretched enough that it looks a little bit open and "ripped" without ripping it. I hated doing this bc once i had one nipple that worked i had to try to recreate another. It was madness.
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| Posted 1/17/18 4:10 PM |
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