The Baylor Family Blog

Much to our delight, our week in Vail was Eli’s second good week of feeding, which helped our enjoy our much needed vacation even more! Unfortunately, we were dreading what the doctor wanted us to do upon returning home: re-introduce Nutramagen into his formula starting at 1/2 an ounce per feeding.

So, I started the regimen on Monday…he started out doing fine, though he was eating smaller amounts more frequently. Matt tried to give him a bottle that evening, and he completely refused to take the formula from his daddy. We continued through the night not sure if all the changes were related to Nutramagen or other things (growth spurt, fussiness, adjusting to being home again, etc). However, by the morning, his feeding amounts were very small and he fussed constantly in between feeds. I stopped the Nutramagen at noon, and started Eli on 100% Elecare again. He cried most of the afternoon, but by the time Matt got home from work, he was a happy little baby again.

So, we can officially say our little boy has an allergy to cow’s milk and soy milk. We return to the GI specialist when Eli is 4 1/2 months to discuss introducing solid foods. For the time being, we are thrilled that we have a solution to his feeding woes! Thanks for your prayers!

Here’s a video of Eli enjoying a little tummy time a couple of weeks ago. Enjoy! (sorry for the clicking… it’s the auto focus of the camera)

I brought Eli in today for his follow up appointment with the GI Specialist. Eli has been on his new formula, Elecare, for 12 days now. His first 9-10 days on the new formula were pretty bumpy as he continued crying and refusing feedings at times. However, starting Sunday, Matt and I started seeing him change and tolerate feedings better. Praise God!

Much to my surprise, Eli gained almost a pound since his last visit and is now just over 11 pounds! So despite our concerns with Eli taking smaller feedings than he used to, his body is apparently getting just what it needs! The doctor also said that if Eli fusses during feeds or refuses feeds to not worry about it…Eli will not let him starve. When he’s hungry enough he’ll eat. So, I’m taking those instructions to mean: relax and don’t worry about the numbers!!

The GI doctor wants us to continue giving Eli Elecare. Once he has 2 weeks of good feedings, we are going to mix 1/2 an ounce of Nutramagen formula into his Elecare with each feed and see how he tolerates it. If he does well, we’ll increase the amount of Nutramagen by 1/2 an ounce each week. If he doesn’t do well, we’ll stop the Nutramagen and return to Elecare full time. We have to be careful how frequently we re-introduce foods he hasn’t tolerated well in order not to increase the severity of the allergy.

Another goal we have is to wean Eli off splenda. I’m afraid our boy may have inherited his mama’s sweet tooth! The doctor said once Eli is having good feeds, we need to start decreasing the amount of splenda we add to his formula. He may not take the formula at first, but eventually, when he’s hungry enough, he’ll eat! That part will be hard for me…its hard to watch Eli be hungry and refuse to eat. But we’ll get through it!

We have won 2 auctions on Ebay to get some more Elecare…we are praying the formula arrives as soon as possible as we are nearing the end of our last can formula. We are hoping not to have to buy it at the way-to-expensive price at the local pharmacy.

We will return to see the specialist just before Eli starts on solid foods to get the low down on how to do it with a kiddo with allergies. I’m so thankful for the extra help and support!!