My son is 4 1/2 months and is very fussy all day. He takes Prilosec for his reflux. I was wondering if Nutramigen would be better than breastmilk? He did have visible blood in his stools when he was younger, but we have never been able to figure out what I could be eating is causing it. I went on a drastic elimination diet and the blood was still there. It looks like it has now cleared up, but the fussiness remains as always. Should I try the nutramigen?

When you say drastic elimination diet, what did it consist of? I did the total elimination diet w/ Evan and it helped a lot, but I coudln't keep up w/ it and we weaned him to Neocate. He couldn't handle Nutramigen.

have you talked you to his ped about this b/c you probably shouldn't change unless you talk to him/her first. It could be gas but then again it might not be gas at all it could be something else causing pain or irritation to the tummy.

The elimination diet that I went on was to just eat turkey, rice and pears. I did this for a month, lost a bunch of weight, but it didn't help my son. I did see the doctor today and he is the one that suggested I could try the nutramigen and see if it makes a difference.

I'm not a doctor, but I'm thinking a couple of things:

1. When was the blood found in your ds's stool? (was it before the elimination diet? during? If during, how far into the diet were you?)
2. When you say it didn't help, do you mean his physical symptoms? (crying, arching, etc.)? It *could* be that the diet *might* have helped; however, an elimination diet won't cure reflux. :-( I did the MSPI diet while nursing and, while my dd did improve a little, she still had to be on both a PPI (Prilosec) and an H2 blocker (Pepcid), along with Miralax for her stools. The combination of the diet, meds and physical changes (propping her bed, not feeding right before sleeping, etc.) is what was the key for us.

Why does your doctor suspect that Nutramigen would be better than breastmilk?

Oh, gosh--I hope I'm not coming across like some crazy b'feeding lunatic! I guess sometimes doctors will suggest something; however, there's not a lot of information behind it, KWIM? Before you stop b'feeding, I'd want to make sure you're totally comfortable with the decision and would know what the plan of attack is just in *case* the formula you switch to doesn't work out.

I'm sending you {{{big hugs}}--I"m sure this isn't easy for you. :hug:

I stopped breast feeding and went to Nutramigen. I am not sure if it was the best choice but at the time I was hoping for a quick fix. My son was still very fussy but his stools did clear up and he stopped vomiting. I was never able to find a magic cure for his fussiness, he just seemd to slowly out grow it.

Organic turkey? Fresh pears? Any salt or sugar? Evan still needed reflux meds even on the Neocate. Could you be seeing a reaction to the meds? Any of the foods you were eating could be reated to, maybe try something different? You could try the formula while you pump for a few days.

ive been seriously considering trying alimentum to see if my son is happier on it. i asked my pediatrician yesterday...how long we would need to use formula for a good test....she said 2 weeks. i decided i didnt want to pump for 2 weeks.....to find out. so im opting out. thats just her opinion though. remember too...that pumping alone can deminish your supply. and i wouldnt want to just go with formula and let my supply dry up because what if the formula is the same or worse?

just make sure and protect your supply - cause once its gone its gone.

good luck sweetie! your doing a GREAT job!!!!

I am avoiding dairy/soya and eggs this seems to have helped my daughter and there is no longer blood in her poos. But i still feel changing to Prevacid has made a big difference as prilosec just wasn't working at all!

One GI said the next course of action was to try formula but i decided to get a second opinon as i really didn't want to give up for various reasons.
Now K is like a different baby but i think it is a combination of things helping her!
Is your baby on any meds?

My son has refused the breast for the past 5 weeks. I pump exclusiely and feed him the BM in a bottle. My supply has been fine- better than fine, even. If you decide to do it, get a hospital grade pump and be sure to pump every time he eats for at least a few mins beyond the time your milk stops flowing.
That way if te formula doesn't work you're not stuck.
I am thinking about trying the same thing in a few weeks after my next ped appt.