soy formula is it the same as lactose free?

[bingo]

We have just found out that my 6 month old daughter is allergic to cows milk. The specialist said to give her soy formula if I wanted to feed her formula. Currently I'm breastfeeding and would love to start weaning her off as I'm over it. I know that breastfeeding is the best and all that but I really would love to give it up now.
I have tried to give her some soy formula and she hates it - spits it out and refuses to drink it. What I would like some advice on is how do I encourage her to take it, has anyone else experienced this problem? And is Lactose Free formula suitable for a baby that has tested positive to cows milk allergy or do they have to go on soy?

[madvoice]

You can try the lactose free or you could try the goats milk formula (Karicare Goat).
If your daughter is diagnosed as lactose intolerant by a GP and he gives you a prescription for formula you can get it at a much reduced price.

[Lunar]

Lactose free formulas are still based on cows milk just without the lactose.
Soy is soy.
DD1 was lactose intolerant and we later found out she was allergic to the protein aswell.
I had her on Karicare soy.
If the DR has said she is allergic to cows milk then I would put her on soy.
She is probably likely to still have a reaction to the lactose free ones too.

[bingo]

mmm - I might give trying out the LF free formula a miss then. The reaction we got from trying her out on S26 gold was scary enough, I don't really want to go through that again.

[nemosmum]

Bingo- hi

If your bub wont take the soy formula and has been tested positive for cows milk allergy then speak to your speacialist (make sure you tell him/her that bubs is throwing the soy formula back up, this indicates a reaction) coz you will qualify for one of the prescription formulas (my son was on one from about 11 months of age till around 15mths and it was great!!!)

The one we used was called elecare and with a script it was cheaper then regular formula (which is a bonus;) ) you get 8 tins (450grams) for $28 but your pharmacist has to order it in so you may have to wait a day or so.

I wouldnt try the lactose free formula coz its probably the protein in the cows milk that your bub is allergic too.

Can I ask if your bub has eczema? if she does once you put her on the formula you may see a vast improvement ( coz when I bf my son he had bad eczema coz of all the things I was eating in my diet, things that I didnt know he was allergic too etc)

So before I weaned him I went on a strict elimination diet and so did my son, I weaned him early (started at 10mths) becoz I was so sick of eating pears and potatoes and rice all the time LOL:D

Good luck and feel free to pm me anytime:fingerscrossed:

[bingo]

Hi Nemosmum,
Maddi isn't actually throwing up as such:barf: , more spitting it out as she hates the taste. Its quite funny to watch. This morning she must have been hungry as I managed to get about 70ml into her before she cracked it and refused anymore. I'm going to try each day a little more to see if she will eventually become accustomed to the taste. I think she just loves breastmilk? When I make the formula up it looks so much richer than breastmilk.
Maddi does get eczma and so it will be VERY interested to see how it goes once I stop breastfeeding - thanks for that tip:idea: .
What is Elecare based on? Is it a soy milk or a goats milk or something like that?
Thanks

[MamaSage]

I wouldnt try the lactose free formula coz its probably the protein in the cows milk that your bub is allergic too.


Casein is the protein in dairy, lactose the sugar, if that is any help.

[jessgray]

many people who have allergies to milk end up with intolerances to soy.

[Goosie22]

Here is a paper discussing Lactose intolerance,

Did your specialist tell you that removing Dairy from your diet will help baby and also to think about continueing with Breastfeeding seriously as it will help your baby to grow out of or lessen the serverity of the intolerance?

Soy has the same potential for allergies as cows milk.

Lactose Intolerance (http://www.health-e-learning.com/articles/Lactose.pdf)



If you are wanting to wean dispite all of this then a perscription formula (neocate or pepti junor) will be your best bet. It can be more expensive than regular formula.

Pepti junor (http://www.homepharmacy.com.au/products/products_view.cfm?ProductID=3195)

[nemosmum]

From what I understand it , Elecare is still based on cows milk but the casein (thanks carlia for pointing that out :) ) is broken down and makes it easier for bubs to digest it, I think, sorry its been a while since I had it explained to me.

Your bub may be spitting up the soy formula coz her body is having a reaction, often bubs wont take certain foods, like in my sons case it was egg custard coz he was allergic to egg among other things etc (sorry Im not very good with putting the words together today:o :laughing: ) It may appear that she doesnt like the taste but it may be that her body cant cope with that particular food etc

Its funny coz my son couldnt take the soy formula either but when he went off the prescription formula at around 15mths soy milk was the only thing he could have without getting a reaction.

We had our son skin pric tested for allergies at around 7mths and it was great to finally find out the things he was allergic too. We put him on the elimination diet (I went on it too as I was still bfing) it worked really well.

One last thing we take my son to a natropath and have had amazing results with his allergies (he is highly allergic to dust mites and has been hospitalized because of it several times) and since seeing a natropath and giving him natural herbal drops he is doing so well. He was exposed over Easter to dustmites and he only got a very slight reaction, where normally he would have been sick for a two weeks or more and maybe hospitalized. So I would recommend seeing a great Natropath, they are fabulous:smiliedance:

Good luck!

[nemosmum]

Did your specialist tell you that removing Dairy from your diet will help baby and also to think about continueing with Breastfeeding seriously as it will help your baby to grow out of or lessen the serverity of the intolerance?

If you are wanting to wean dispite all of this then a perscription formula (neocate or pepti junor) will be your best bet. It can be more expensive than regular formula.

Pepti junor (http://www.homepharmacy.com.au/products/products_view.cfm?ProductID=3195)

Good point Goosie22:yes: ,

I really wish I had kept bfing my son (I started weaning at 10mths and finished bfing at 11mths) this was mainly because I was on a very strict diet due to my sons allergies, I was starting back to work and also the fact my bub was a very big baby and I felt a little uncomfortable. But now I really wish I had of continued as bm is soooo good for bubs especially when they have allergies etc

But alas I didnt, the Elecare formula we used was really good and worked well for our son, also it was cheaper then regular formula becoz we had a script for it:D

[bingo]

Wow I love this website because you learn so much from everyone else's experience and viewpoints. Thanks everyone for the tips by the way. I have been tossing and turning about giving up the breastfeeding thing and I'm pretty sure that its what I want to do. The reasons I want to give up is that Maddi is quite big and I'm not sure that she is getting enough milk from me. At night I am giving her 125ml of expressed milk that I have obtained in the morning as well as a feed from both breasts. She then wakes at 11pm and 3am and 6am for full feeds as well. I thought it would all get better once she went onto the solids but she has been on solids for 3 weeks now and it hasn't changed. So my thought process was that with formula she might sleep better (and hence so will I). The other reason is that she is getting her teeth! And another reason is that I'm due to go back to work when Maddi is about 10 months old. I'm pretty happy that I've been able to breastfeed for 6 months, I never thought I would be able to because I've always been sensitive in that area and I'm quite small in the booby department. And I really do enjoy that special bond that we have during that feeding time.

[MamaSage]

The reasons I want to give up is that Maddi is quite big and I'm not sure that she is getting enough milk from me. .


If she is big, clearly she is getting PLENTY from you! And at 6 months is more than normal to be feeding at night. Not trying to sway you, but it all sounds perfect and normal to me!:thumbsup:

[Goosie22]

Hi Bingo,

I second the seems normal, my boys were big and hungry, they feed frequently, You can tell she is getting enough by looking at her she looks healthy and her output?

How to tell if baby getting enough (http://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/bfinfo/lowsupply.html)

The benifits outway the inconvience IMO so its something that I stuck at for my childrens benifit. Which is the most important thing to me.

You have seen that putting her on solids has not made an impact on her feeding so formula may not reduce her waking either (because it is not abnormal to wake at night) and it comes with high risks of further complications in your situation also. When going back to work the last thing you need is a child becoming sick and causing you to have time off work due to allergies.

[LilMizzMILF]

My Son's lactose intolerant and when i went to the doctor he gave me a script for formula 5 tins each script for 5 dollars you can only get the script till they turn 1 then you have to buy the formula singly for 20 bucks each :thumbsup: