I breastfed DD #1 for 8 wks & then used Carnation Good Start for 10 months. DD didn't have reflux(she spit up like most babies do, but that stopped happening) nor blood in her stools. Around 9 or 10 months old she had allergy shiners (dark circles under her eyes). I had never heard of allergy shiners & didn't realize there was a problem. Also, in those last couple of months on formula she would vomit occasionaly. She was very sensitive with her gag reflex & it didn't happen often, so I didn't think it was a problem. Also, she was a happy baby, & didn't experience pain/fussiness with her feedings. At 10 1/2 months, one day after her lunch, her faced swelled up very badly, her eyes were almost swollen shut. The Ped MD said he didn't know what it was & that it was probably just a fluke, since she'd had no new foods. At 1 year after starting milk, she had the same reaction twice in 1 day. Ped MD still didn't know why this was happening. So I took her to an allergist, who skin tested & blood tested her for cow milk, casein(a milk protein), & egg whites. The skin test was positive. The blood test results were positive- they all came back as a level 4, which is very high. The allergist was surprised that she didn't have eczema & very surprised that she tolerated the formula as well as she did. She was tested 6 months later & had outgrown the egg allergy, but not the milk allergy. She's had bad reactions & @ 3 1/2 yrs old she had her worst reaction; vomiting, throat closing, trouble breathing, wheezing. I gave the epi pen, benadryl & the paramedics came & gave albuterol respiratory treatment & took her to the hospital where she received a steroid injection. She was still on benadryl for the next 24 hrs & an oral steroid for 2 days. I didn't sleep for the next 2 nights.
An allergy is different from an intolerance. I can tell you about allergies. A true milk allergy affects a very small percentage of babies & children. Many outgrow it, although not all do. DD will be tested again in September. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that her counts @ least go down. The only hope for outgrowing it is strict avoidance. Five wks ago I had DD#2. Now that there is a family history, I decided to breastfeed (my goal is to do 1 yr.) & I have taken all nuts, dairy, & seafood out of my diet to try to prevent a food allergy. I talked to the allergist about the formulas in case I needed one. Alimentum & Nutramigen are the same. They are cow milk based, but are broken down so much that most babies can tolerate them. There are some babies that can't & need go on Neocate, which is completely milk free & a lot more money than Alimentum & Nutramigen.
Best of luck. I hope this helped & I really hope she doesn't have an allergy.
Mary
DD 10/02