Hypo-allergenic baby formula

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  • #601915
    Bored214
    Participant

    Has anyone had any experience with a Hypo-allergenic baby formula where it actually did not agree with their baby and it gave their baby stomach aches or just didnt seem to be good for them?

    I’ve recently come across a few people where the formula seems to not agree with their baby yet the doctors will not believe that such a thing is possible.

    #849420
    Health
    Participant

    Bored214 – Be more specific. What’s the name of the formula?

    Of course certain babies can’t tolerate even certain types of hypo-allergenic formula -that’s why they make more than one.

    This is a no brainer.

    If you want more info -a little background and name of formula the kid is on.

    #849421
    Nechomah
    Participant

    I don’t think there is anything such as a “hypoallergenic” formula. Some kids are allergic to milk products and proteins, so you might try avoiding the dairy, but some say that if there is a true milk allergy there can also be a soy allergy, so it is hard to know where to turn. There is a formula that I have heard of that breaks down the proteins into very small particles that some very sensitive babies have an easier time with when digesting. It is very expensive, but you could give it a try. You will need to give it a few days before deciding that this wasn’t the problem. It is called Alimentum from Similac.

    #849422
    Health
    Participant

    Nechomah – “I don’t think there is anything such as a “hypoallergenic” formula.”

    Absolutely false.

    “Some kids are allergic to milk products and proteins, so you might try avoiding the dairy,”

    The reason they have soy based formulas -now it’s called Enfamil sensitive – is for kids who are lactose intolerant, not for food allergies.

    From About.com:

    “Overview:

    Hypoallergenic infant formulas are used to help prevent and treat allergic diseases in babies and, occasionally, in children. They are usually derived from cow’s milk, but because of the way their proteins have been broken down, they are well-tolerated by most infants.

    Using Hypoallergenic Formulas:

    Hypoallergenic formulas are commonly recommended in three situations: for babies born into highly atopic families (those with a high number of allergic conditions like asthma, eczema, hay fever, or food allergies) who won’t be breastfed or who need a supplementary formula; for babies who are allergic to or intolerant of proteins in formula or breast milk; or for nutrition in people with eosinophilic esophagitis who are allergic to a great many foods.

    Types of Hypoallergenic Formulas:

    Hypoallergenic formulas come in three main varieties: partially hydrolyzed, extensively hydrolyzed, and free amino acid-based. Hydrolyzed formulas have had the larger protein chains broken down into shorter, easy-to-digest proteins, while free amino acid-based formulas do not include protein chains at all but rather contain all the basic amino acids. Partially hydrolyzed formulas differ from extensively hydrolyzed formulas in that their protein chains can be longer. Alimentum, Nutramigen, and Pregestimil are among brands of hydrolyzed formulas, while Neocate, Elecare, and Nutramigen AA are amino acid formulas.”

    #849423
    Bored214
    Participant

    So i’m talking about the free amino acid based formulas such as elecare, and neocate etc. the Dr’s say it’s not possible for a kid to be allergic to it because there’s nothing in it for them to be allergic to. But i’ve heard from a few people that they cant put their finger on it but it just didnt seem to agree with their baby. But thanks for that Health – i didnt know there were 3 different types of hypoallergenic formulas. i just knew that Elecare and Neocate are the most expensive out there and according to the Dr’s – you cant get any better.

    #849424
    golden mom
    Member

    there is neocate alimentem and neosure

    first of all it has been a while since i needed to use them dont remember which is which so u will have to do ur research 2 out of those 3 use a pigs (st part of insides dont remeber which part) in the process of making the formular so a jewish child will not tolirate it well

    we didnt use it for that reason i know some give the heter to use it thhe 3rd one doesnt use and i went to a whole speech from a rep from the manufacture it is free of all pig.. and basicly everything else it is boiled up so everything is soo broken down that it really doesnt have any soy or milk protein in it so its good for a child who is both allergic to soy and milk but since it doesnt have too much of anything in it u might have to subsitute with vitamins or something goood luck

    #849425
    mitmazal
    Member

    I’ve had a lot of experience and know many others with hypoallergenic formula experiences…

    The most hypoallergenic formulas as far as I know are Neocate and Ellecare. (EO28 ranks pretty hypoallergenic as well, that’s flavored and for kids ages 1-10)

    Against what many doctors claim, there are definitely kids that for some odd reason tolerate one better than the other Ellecare vs. Neocate. I don’t think anyone has figured out a rhyme, reason or explanation. But take it from someone who’s been down the GI/Allergy line, it’s just a fact.

    Another very interesting note: there have been cases, few and far between but it does exist, kids that cannot tolerate the Ellecare or Neocate but do better on the Alimentum (which has the pig shaila). Go figure!

    Feel free to ask more questions, I’d be happy to help in any way I can.

    #849426
    mitmazal
    Member

    Another thought:

    Are you using a gram scale to measure out the formula and water? Some kids are very sensitive to the concentration and the only way to make it exact is buy using a gram scale.

    99.8% of kids (at least US ones) who need an elemental will tolerate at least one, either neocate or Ellecare. The 2 in 1000 who don’t generally have more going on than “just” allergies, so if he’s truly not tolerating any formula, you need to get the doctors to look deeper…

    Also:

    Alimentum Ready to Feed is different from the powdered version, I did hear of child handling the ready to feed better than the powdered version…

    There is also “Nutramigen AA” I don’t know much about it, but I did hear of a kid that did better on this than either elemental formulas..

    Also: going back to the hypoallergenic formula: kids can handle it better/worse PO (by mouth) vs. tube ((n)g or j)

    Hope I didn’t overload you with too much info…

    #849427
    2qwerty
    Participant

    “their baby stomach aches or just didnt seem to be good for them”

    “didnt seem to agree with their baby”

    Doesn’t sound like allergic reactions to me.

    #849428
    Nechomah
    Participant

    How old is the baby? Have you considered reflux? There are babies suffer from something called “silent reflux” and the food is irritating their esophagus without actually coming back up. It is best to keep them propped up for a period of time after feeding just to make sure the food stays down in the stomach. There are times when medication is needed (Zantac, Prilosec for example). These are all avenues you should explore in addition to the formula issue.

    What makes you suspicious that it is an allergy?

    #849429
    Bored214
    Participant

    Thanks mitmazal, dont worry you havent overloaded the info – i’ve done alot of research into this whole allergy business! it’s good to hear from other people that there are kids who dont tolerate these hypoallergenic formulas. The Dr kept making me think i was crazy and that such a thing just wasnt possible. but my baby had a really funny reaction to the neocate – he was fine as long as he only drank the neocate (i’m pretty sure it was the one without the pig stuff) but almost all foods he ate gave him stomach ache, so he didnt eat well and didnt put on much weight. As soon as i stopped him on the Neocate (because by then he’d grown out of alot of his food allergies so was able to have soya based formula) he was fine on almost all foods. So i just found that really strange and was wondering if anyone had a similar experience.

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