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quizzes experts
If you've chosen to bottlefeed, you'll want to choose
the best formula for your child--a regular formula or perhaps soy
or a hydrolysate variety. Learn what to look for and how to prepare
and use it safely.
experts
Q: My 10-month-old
struggles with very hard stools every day. Is he allergic to what
we're feeding him?
A: Our pediatrician
recently gave the okay for us to start giving our 10-month-old son
whole milk. Should his daily intake be the same as it was for formula?
He struggles with very hard stools every day. We tried removing starches,
and giving him MiraLax and flaxseed oil, and are considering trying
Colace. He was having these problems when he was on soy formula, but
when we changed to a lactose-free formula there was no change. Should
I stick to the formula for a while longer rather than changing over
to whole milk?
For kids at that age who do not respond to simple measures for softening
stools, there are a number of possible causes. The most common is
an allergy to cow's milk protein, which causes swelling of the lining
of the intestines. Lactose intolerance is totally different from an
allergy to milk protein. Lactose is the milk sugar, and intolerance
to it gets more common throughout life. Cow's milk protein allergy
is a real allergy to the protein in the milk or formula. Most kids
outgrow this.
About 20 percent
of the children who are allergic to cow's milk protein are also allergic
to soy, so it's possible that your son has been allergic to both the
formulas you've given him. If you were to use something like Nutramigen
(which contains neither milk protein nor soy protein) for two weeks,
and cut out all dairy, you would know--almost. Sometimes a baby is
so allergic to cow's milk that he responds to the trace amounts of
milk in Nutramigen.
If there is no
improvement from Nutramigen, a visit to a pediatric gastroenterologist
to find the reason makes sense. Kids that age shouldn't still be constipated
after MiraLax without steps being taken to find out why.
Your
should know:
The
information on this Web site is designed for educational purposes
only. It is not intended to be a substitute for informed medical
advice or care. You should not use this information to diagnose
or treat any health problems or illnesses without consulting your
pediatrician or family doctor. Please consult a doctor with any
questions or concerns you might have regarding your or your child's
condition.
Rebornne Baby. American Baby
