How long to adjust to Nutramegin?

[sunshine28]

My newborn was diagnosed w/ a milk protein allergy and switched to Nutramegin formula. The ped. said it could take up to 3-4 weeks to work. She's been on it for almost a week and the last few days she seems worse than before. Is it possible that it could get worse before it gets better? Other people, it seems, saw a difference almost right away.

[jren]

Immediate difference for us. The bloody stools were gone after a few bottles and the fussiness was gone after about a day maybe. My DS also had problems with corn products. No bloody stool, but VERY cranky and seemed to be in pain on them. He's on Allimentum ready-to-feed. It's the only hypo formula without corn. May be worth a try.

[randomkid]

We noticed a difference with DD after the first feeding with Nutramigen. If you are still having problems, you may need to switch. I have also heard that Alimentum is easier than Nutramigen for some babies. FWIW, it may just be an intolerance, not a true allergy. By a year, we were giving DD some dairy and switched her over to regular formula, then whole milk by about 15 months.

[tesslouise]

I had a child in my infant room who had a rare, unspellable and unpronounceable, protein intolerance. She couldn't tolerate either hypoallergenic formula. Her mom nursed her and limited her own diet--I think mom could eat about six foods (rice, sweet potatoes, avocadoes, ?). The good news is, the child outgrew her condition around 12 months and was able to transition to whole milk (and finally put on weight and lost her funky-looking potbelly). The bad news is, there is at least one child out there who couldn't tolerate either Alimentum or Nutramigen.

[veronica]

We noticed a difference with DD after the first feeding with Nutramigen. If you are still having problems, you may need to switch. I have also heard that Alimentum is easier than Nutramigen for some babies. FWIW, it may just be an intolerance, not a true allergy. By a year, we were giving DD some dairy and switched her over to regular formula, then whole milk by about 15 months.

Ped gave us a Nutramigen sample for DS and he seemed better but 24 hours later, refused to drink it. We went out and bought Alimentum and he loved it. Bloody stools went away and he never had an issue drinking it either.

Also-ask your Doctor for samples and coupons as it is so pricey. Call your insurance plan and see if it is covered. Our Dr. wrote a script and our insuranc covered it all. We would pay and send in the claims and were always reimbursed 100% so it was great (and for us, cheaper than regular formula)

Good luck and hope your little one feels better soon!

[jse107]

My experience with both kids was that it took about 10 days to get the milk and soy proteins cleared from their systems.

And, in the end, E couldn't tolerate teh Nutramigen so we went to Neocate, an amino-acid based formula that's even more expensive! So, if the Nutramigen doesn't work out, there is another option.

Hang in there!