Kaitlyn's Holiday Scare
Written on December 27, 2007 by Kevin.
Oh what would the Christmas season be without a trip to the emergency room? My wife has been exclusively breastfeeding Kaitlyn for nearly 6 months now. We have started feeding her the occasional bowl of rice cereal however that is always a slow process to get them adjusted to it. In the meanwhile, my wife decided to give her the first bottle that she has ever had. A bottle filled with formula.
We let Kaitlyn try to work with the bottle herself but she was just too fussy and after a bit I had taken her out of her chair. It was mere minutes later that I noticed her face was all red. Further examining it, she had red bumps all over her face. She was having an allergic reaction to the formula. Now in semi-panic mode, we made the quick decision that we needed to go to the emergency room because she was already sounding different like her throat was tightening up. We replaced her clothing and discovered that any place that the formula had touched including her hands and chest were also having the reaction. We headed out quickly.
My wife sat in the back of the car with the kids as I quickly rushed to the ER as she was saying that Kaitlyn didn't look well. Crying in a different way than normal is always something to notice. When we got to the ER, we were lucky to get taken in pretty quickly. After a quick examination, they gave her some Benadryl medicine which quickly took care of the redness and bumps. They monitored her for a bit and released us.
So we are at a bit of a loss here in regards to what exactly caused the allergic reaction. The formula was milk based which of course could mean she is allergic to milk. Then again, she is breastfed which is milk also. Is her eczema caused by the breastfeeding but in a milder manner? The doctors won't give her an allergy test because she is too young they say but it sure would be nice to know exactly what she could have troubles with. In the meanwhile, back to breastfeeding she goes as we transition her into cereals skipping the formula part.
It was certainly an interesting way to start the Christmas weekend. A large leap was made this weekend however with her as she now is able to keep herself entertained with some of the new Christmas gifts that she was given. We couldn't be happier.
You could always try soy formula. Similac is good stuff, might be worth a shot, and see if it also clears up the other stuff. It's kind of expensive, however, but you can often find coupons.
If you are interested in giving it a try, I can send you some. I wouldn't feed it to her, but maybe add a little bit of water, and put a little on her tummy to see if it turns red.
I used to have a VERY severe milk allergy, it's no fun!
Written by FordPrefect on Dec 29, 2007
We had exactly the same scary experience with our 1st daughter. If you have not already done so, have her tested for food allergies. This is a skin prick test where they put the different foods commonly known to be allergens on the skin to see if there is a reaction and how bad it is.
Our daughter is allergic to cow's milk, eggs and peanuts. This is an allergy to certain proteins. Looks like you're going to have to start scrutinizing all the ingredients that go into any food you feed her.
Take care.
Written by Jacques on Jan 18, 2008
Breastmilk is not the same as formula. Formula is cow. A person can be allergic to cow milk and never be allergic to human breastmilk.
Written by breastfeeding mom of 3 on Mar 29, 2008