Ok - even though we're pretty sure Safi does not have a milk allergy.....I'm at my wits end. She is doing SO TERRIBLE. GI had suggested trying alternating between breastfeeding 1 week and Alimentum the next. I have been resisting but I'm desperate and am ready to try whatever I can.

Here's my question - how do I do it? How much formula does she get per feeding and how often should she be fed. She nurses now every 2-4 hours (usually somewhere between 3 hrs), and nurses usually twice during the night. She weighs 15lb 7oz., so according to what I've read she should get 4-6 oz perfeeding for total of like 32 oz. in 24 hr period. How do I space feedings....will she still feed in middle of the night, etc. She's never taken a bottle so this will be interesting.

Please any help you all can offer will be appreciated...I'm heartbroken, but defeated and I just want to get on with it.

:sad3: Sarah

Honestly, I'm not entirely sure. I was (and am) lucky enough to have b'fed both of my kids; however, doing the dairy/egg/soy free thing is really a killer.

Even though the books might tell you that a child your dd's age "should" be taking a certain amount per feeding, try to keep in mind that she might resist taking quite so much per feeding and that you might have to start off slowly--say, a couple of ounces every hour or two. See how it goes and what works for her/you.

Also, you'll likely want to start out with a small/slow nipple flow. B'fed babies are used to a slow flow of b'milk (I was told it flows about like a stage 1 bottle nipple). If she seems to be working too hard, go up to the next stage.

Lastly, she might not take to the Alimentum straight away. The taste will be much different than she's used to. Depending on what your GI says, you *might* want to try mixing a small amount of Alimentum with pumped b'milk (if you have any) to gradually get her used to the new flavor.

Above all, this may take some time. Go easy on yourself and give this time--and let us know how it goes. I'll be anxious to hear how she takes to the bottle! :hug: :hug:

I think it should be about the same as her nursing schedule. I would start out with 6-8 oz bottles and then you can just let her have as much as she wants and get on idea of how much you should make for each bottle.

I am not sure if that system will work very well though. It takes up to a couple weeks for the milk proteins to get out her system so I think going back and forth every week would not really give you a very clear answer. I am not a dr though, so I am sure the GI knows better then I do.

good luck. I hope you can find something that will make her feel better.

Hi there: Mary and Katey gave you great answers already. I just want to reiterate what katey said about needing at least a couple of weeks on Alimentum alone to notice a difference. So if you start out with a mixture of Alimentum and breastmilk (which I recommend - that's how we got Roman to accept formula), you can't assume the milk proteins are out of your little one's system until 2 or more weeks after you've weaned baby to pure Alimentum. Anyway, we've found that Roman drinks less formula than he does breastmilk, perhaps it's more filling or maybe he doesn't like the taste much, but he only drink 3 to 5 ounces from a bottle at a time. We had to play around A LOT with different nipples and different temperatures before we found ones that worked. It may take awhile for you both to adjust, but if it means your little one will start feeling better, it is certainly worth the trouble! Good luck and keep us updated!

So how is it going Sarah? Have you noticed any improvement?

Ok, I chickened out and am still exclusively BF. Let me explain why....I totally agree with everyone that one week on and one week off would prove NOTHING...it hasn't been a month since excluding dairy from my diet....my dh and I don't believe its an allergy problem as she doesn't have any of the symptoms associated with an allergy (green frothy poop, etc) other than that she throws up. She has reflux and DGE, as she throws up up to 2 hrs after eating, and doesn't throw up after every nursing. There's just too much that says allergy is not the problem.

Unfortunately, Safi is doing horribly. Meds were increased and put back on Erythromycin, which doesn't seem to be doing ANYTHING! Still better than without meds, but just a bummer that we had an amazing week 4th of July with literally almost NO symptoms and then we crash and burn. (Also, dh and I would assume that if she had an allergy that was extreme enough to warrant weaning of the breast, she would not have had a week like that...as she was on the breast the whole week)

Will call the GI Monday b/c I think the Erythromycin is giving her loose stools and doesn't seem to be curbing the vomiting AT ALL.

:) Sarah