My baby boy is 4 and half months and has had a terrible time with his feeds. He suffers from diareahh, stomach cramps and always seems to be crying in pain! He's had terrible wind and will burp hours after a feed and will be quite sick when burping. Today the doctor has prescribed me SMA soya milk and Gaviscon! Harry was still sick and windy after his new milk and after being quite sick and grisly has finally gone off to sleep. Will it take time to notice the changes? Could it be something else? Also he screams when the bottle ends (as if he wants more) but I don't give him more than 7oz because he just brings it back up. I don't want to give him baby rice because if he is lactose intolerant then this may upset his stomach? Has anyone been in this situation? If so what was the first form of solid you introduced and at what age? Sorry for all the questions.
Answers & Comments
Verified answer
Babies are virtually never lactose intolerant. Much more likely he is allergic to milk. (Breastmilk contains lot of lactose, and nature wouldn't make babies unable to tolerate their only possible food.)
But if baby is allergic, it will take a few days for the proteins to completely leave his body and for things to improve.
At 4 months he should have no solids at all. (6 months is the recommended time to begin.) And if he is allergic, it's even more improtant to delay solids because ANY new food (including soy, for that matter -- why did the doctor not recommend a hypo-allegenic formula?) increases the risk of mjore allergies.
Many babies are sensitive to a protein in milk. It is not the same as being lactose intolerant. Unfortunately, many babies with allergies are also allergic to soy. If you were breastfeeding, it would be easy to fix this by controlling your own diet. Since you're not, you're going to have to wait and see how he does on the soy. If that doesn't work, you'll have to try something else.
There is no reason to give rice cereal. When he's ready for solid food, give him mashed up sweet potato, avocado, applesauce- something with some flavor and nutritional value.
Why does everyone second guess doctors?
It can take time for changes to a diet to take effect. When you talk about a system that anything that goes in one end comes out the other several hours later...things aren't going to happen instantaneously.
Give it a little time and if there is no improvement *then* you go back to the doctor and say "Try again".
Seconding that he isn't lactose intolerant and the need to delay solids. Any solids you give now will be taking away from what milk he can get. Wait at least 14 days before you get concerned.