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My story. Follow your instincts! You are not crazy mom!
All 4 of my children suffered from MSPI and reflux. MSPI is a Milk/Soy Protein Intolerance. This is different than a cow’s milk allergy. It’s definitely more intense and as a new mom it was something I knew nothing about. Let me take you back to 2011 for my first baby. She cried all day and all night. My husband and I were so exhausted we had to take shifts to care for her all night. After many appointments at the pediatrician’s office crying about how she screamed constantly after each and every bottle and in between, he finally tested her stool for blood. (I didn’t even know that was a thing!) Turns out she had blood in her stool. It was microscopic so I had no idea. I felt horrible that I had been feeding my daughter formula that caused bleeding. I should let you know that all of my children were formula fed because I wasn’t allowed to breastfeed (I was on medication for Crohn’s Disease). Many babies with MSPI end up on formula because it is very challenging to eliminate all dairy and soy from your diet when breastfeeding. Even a trace can cause a flare up.
Anyways… we ended up switching to Similac Alimentum formula. I thought this was the most sensitive formula. We never checked the stool again and I thought she was fine, but still quite fussy. The doctor told me it was normal. Then came my first son in 2013. He also had blood in his stool and would refuse his bottle. He spit up a ton and seemed to be in pain when drinking. We were referred to Mass General to see a Pediatric GI doctor. It turned out he needed hypoallergenic formula (Elecare). I didn’t even know there was such a thing. He also had severe reflux and need to take compounded Prevacid (so hard to find).
My next son in 2017 came out of the womb choking on his bottles! This just got worse and worse. He needed thickened Elecare and medication for reflux. I will get into the products next that were complete lifesavers. I kid you not I tried every bottle on the market for this child.
Last came my most recent child in 2020. I knew right off the bat what she needed. She is now on thickened Elecare, but she doesn’t need reflux meds yet. Hopefully being proactive early will help. We finally got it right! Phew fourth times the charm!
Products that were a God Send!
Elecare Hypoallergenic Formula
This formula was a lifesaver. It is one of three Amino Acid-Based formulas that are completely free of any milk or soy proteins. There is also Neocate and PurAmino. These formulas are sometimes covered by health insurance with a prescription from the doctor. It is worth a try because they are super pricey! The cheapest price by far is on Amazon. It doesn’t smell great, but it eliminated all blood in the stools.
Non-Alcohol Vanilla from Trader Joe’s
One tip that the pediatric GI doctor gave me was that Elecare tastes horrible. She said that most babies refuse it. She told me to add about .5ml of alcohol free vanilla extract to every bottle. I put it right into the water so I can make it ahead of time before adding the powder to shake it up. This particular one is amazing and is alcohol free (be sure that is the type you choose). It can be found at Trader Joe’s. (Love that place!) Once this was added my babies drank their entire bottles!
Thickener: Gelmix
There are no words for this product! We found out the hard way that Elecare is extra thin. It actually makes the reflux worse. We tried thickening the formula with rice cereal as the doctor recomended, but it caused constipation. Then we tried oatmeal and it was never the right consistancy and wouldn’t come out of the bottle. Total nightmare! Hence why I had so many bottles. The oatmeal can also bother little tummies. This product is amazing. I use 1 scoop per 2 ounces of formula. You have to heat up the water in a kettle to about 100 degrees. Then I pour the hot water into the bottle, add the vanilla, add the gelmix, shake it up, and let it sit and thicken. When ready add the powdered formula and shake like crazy. A pre thickened bottle is good for 24 hours. Once you add the formula it is good for 2 hours. This stuff will help you sleep at night and make your baby feel so much better!
Dr. Brown Bottles
As I said before I truly tried every bottle on the market. These are the only ones that have been successful for ALL four of my children. They are the only bottles that truly do eliminate lots of gassiness. I did have to use level 3 nipples with the Gelmix. That takes some playing around to find the right nipple and flow when using the thickener. Dr. Brown also has a y-cut nipple, but we didn’t need to use it for the Gelmix.
