HI I am new I need advice please

[Julied24]

My son is 11 weeks old and since he was about 4 weeks weve had terrible trouble with his wind, he started not being able to burp so we changed him to omeno cofort milk that Health visitor advised, it made n difference so tried a couple of first stage milks but still he had terrible wind and screaming fits during & after feeds.

He is now back on omneo and his wind is awful, he is burping well but his tummy rumbles because he cannot take more than 2 oz at a time he just cries with tummy ache./ Yesterday he took 4oz at 4pm but struggled and fell asleep, he didn not want another feed until midnight whichi is very worrying.

He was a big lad when born 8lb 7oz well thats big for me, hehe. He use to feed 4oz every 2 hours he was so greedy but he was so happy. No I am lucky if I get 2 full feeds a day down him, other thant hat he is snacking and crying.

Could this be a lactose intollerance you think? I saw my health visitor today who said she will pop out next week to see him and maybe pass him over to a dietician, that could take weeks so what am I going to do? she suggested baby rice to fill his windy tum but I am sure there is more to it. He is not a sicky baby but very unsettled.

Please help if you can.

Julie x

[Pam]

My daughter was about 11 weeks old when I finally went to see the health visitor to ask about her crying all day long. She suggested trying soya milk and I had a new baby overnight. That was nearly 5 years ago and she is still on a dairy free diet or she gets terrible stomach cramps. I'm not saying that this will be the answer to all your problems but it is certainly worth trying.

Soya formula is available from most supermarkets and chemists but doctors tend to prescribe hypoallergenic formula these days as a result of an increase in soya intolerance. The alternative milks don't smell very nice and many babies take a while to get used to them but if you know that is the problem then it will be worthwhile in the end.

I would ask your HV about trying an alternative formula next week or you could just go out and buy some (though you can usually get it free on prescription and it is more expensive than normal milk). If you do find that the problem improves with a different milk (and this can take a couple of weeks to get the old milk out of the system, though it worked overnight for my daughter) you will need to be referred to a dietician to ensure that your baby gets all the nutrients he needs.

Weaning is not recommended before 4 months these days, preferably nearer 6, so your HV is going against the normal guidelines by suggesting that you start so early.

You might also want to look up 'reflux' on the net and see if you can find anything helpful. This usually causes a baby to be sicky but it also causes pain due to stomach acid, I don't know much about it but I know it causes a lot of discontentment in some babies.

Please come back and tell us how you go on.

[Julied24]

:) HI,

Thanks for your reply.

I bought Farleys soya milk and I have a new baby in the last few hours he has taken 2 full feeds and is so content its amazing.

I shall tell my HV I had to change his milk and then go onto a dietician to see what they suggest for the future.

Thanks for your help.

Julie x

[matt]

as pam said though make sure they prescribe it for you. if they think they can get away with it they'll let you carry on buying the soya milk.

i've got no great fondness for health visitors after the hassle we had with them when my daughter was born. nothing as serious as milk intolerance, just hassling about how little then how much weight my daughter was putting on and ofcourse the breast is best even when my wife was obviously not going to be able to. added stress at an already difficult time. so hassle them and get them to help, don't let them fob you off.

[Pam]

It is good news that you now seem to have an answer to your problem Julie, I hope you can now begin to enjoy your son, rather than getting stressed out about a crying baby all the time.

Please do see your GP, he may want to prescribe a hypo-allergenic formula, as soya intolerance is becoming more widespread these days. You also need a referral to see a dietician for when you start weaning. Some areas also offer testing, but most professionals will take your word that an exclusion diet has identified the problem. You may be asked to try a milk challenge (where you give cow's milk again) to see what the reaction is, therefore double checking your theory.

A dairy free diet is difficult when you first start out - you wouldn't believe where they hide milk! But you will get lots of support and advice from here if you need it.

Looking to the future, when I brought milk in during weaning, it didn't have the same effect so I wasn't aware that it was such a problem. It caused disturbed sleep, constipation and general grouchiness, only a large intake caused hysterical screaming due to stomach cramps. It was only a bad reaction to a dose of lactulose at 2 years that made the penny drop.

Good luck.

[Julied24]

When I am weaning what foods to you have to aviod and what is the difference from a milk intollerance and a lactose intolerance? sorry I sound thick don't I.

He is having a tiny bit of baby rice once a day at the moment which is helping him abit aswell, he is a very hungry baby.

Julie :P

[Pam]

Lactose intolerant people cannot digest lactose (milk sugar) and some products do not contain lactose but contain other parts of the milk. Other people have a problem with milk proteins and need to avoid all milk products including casein (a milk protein, I think). There is a long list of milk derivatives eg whey, casein, butterfat, etc and I think you will probably find it on this site on the Dairy free info page.

Early weaning will probably only involve pureed fruit and veg with a little baby rice here and there. If you want to use any of the manufactured baby foods most of them are well labelled and will tell you if they contain milk. The main problems start at around 6-9 months when you would normally introduce cheese, yoghurt, and finger foods. Provamel make some very nice soya yoghurts called Yofu Junior but dairy free cheese isn't too good. You will also have to be careful about butter, chocolate, ice cream etc (not to mention crisps, biscuits, bread, convenience foods, processed foods ) I know it all sounds very daunting but your dietician will give you lots of advice and there is also plenty to be had from sites like this, so don't panic about the future just yet. It does get easier and you will find suitable alternatives for most of the foods you normally use.

Your first step is to see the doctor (hopefully you'll get a sympathetic one - not all of them are), get a referral to a dietician and a prescription for more formula. Whilst he is so young, you have complete control over what he eats so things are relatively easy.

Once again, don't panic. If you need to know anything just ask, I come on this site virtually every day and there are plenty of other members who visit regularly too.

[matt]

as pam said don't panic, don't feel stupid. each of us was in the exact same position at some time or other. first things first, get the prescription and a referal to the dietician. that is all you need to do right away.
you will learn what products to avoid and what ingredients to avoid, you'll probably be able to work out with the dietician whether you need to avoid all milk derivatives or just specific ones. that'll give you the starting point to work from.

most important thing is you've identified the problem and so for now don't have to worry about things. relax and enjoy the time together. plenty of time to sort out what you will be able to use later.

[Julied24]

Thanks for your replies really appreciate your advice.

So do you think he could have a milk & lactose intolerance? If we triedh im on milks with more caesin in he became alot worse btu he was really bad on Omneo comfort milk which is 100% whey.

He was always full of wind, he would burp but have lots more, you could hear his tummy rumbling with it. He would cry & cry after & durign each feed. He would stop after a ounze or 2 of formula and refuse the rest, he was so unsettled during feeding and it got worse & worse as he got older, last week was so bad he was refusing most feeds.

Since trying soya milk he is a different baby, so content and taking all his feeds comfortably.

I am seeing health visitor wednesday, she wants to weigh him to check his weight gain as it had slowed down with him refusing to drink. Also she said she will arrange a dietician. She told me not to change his milk until we saw dietician but I decided to try it because my poor baby was in so much pain and I will tell her that I felt I had no choice as it could be weeks until we see someone.

Thanks

Julie x

[Pam]

From personal experience I would say he is probably intolerant to protein rather than lactose. Lactose intolerance is the body's inability to digest lactose, so generally the body expels it and the baby will be very sicky or suffer diarrhoea. Problems with milk protein are more of an allergic reaction but this can vary from a sensitivity to a full blown anaphylactic shock and have symptoms ranging from eczema, headache, irritability through to constipation or diarrhoea. These are just generalisations though and there's no guarantee that my understanding is correct, after all, I have yet to find someone who can tell me exactly what my daughter's problem is with milk - I just know that it doesn't suit her.

Your health visitor doesn't fill me full of confidence with her recommendations for early solids and telling you to wait until you see the dietician before changing milk. When she visits this week you need to impress on her the difference that this milk change has made and the possiblity of getting further supplies on prescription.

A word of warning - once your baby has cleared cow's milk from his system you might find that reintroduction (however small an amount) might have much more pronounced reactions - amounts that were previously tolerated might now cause a severe reaction as the body can put up all its defences against this invasion rather than keeping up a general guard (if that makes sense?).

[Julied24]

Is soya milk ok for infants under 6 months?

Julie x

[Pam]

Ideally you should be using formula alone until 6 months and even then other soya milk should only be used in cooking and continue with formula in bottles. Formula is nutritionally complete and contains everything that a baby needs to be healthy. If you just used standard soya milk your baby probably wouldn't get all the goodness he needs.

My daughter is a poor eater and the dietician recommended that I give her at least a pint of formula each day until she is 5 years old, she also wrote to our doctor requesting that prescriptions were given until she was 5. It is essential that babies get enough calories, calcium and vitamins to enable their bodies and particularly their bones to develop at an early stage.

Provamel (www.provamel.co.uk) have some uselful booklets that tell you about when you can introduce various products into a baby's diet, you can either register on line with them or I think they have a customer help line. Ask your health visitor if she has any booklets for dairy free weaning too. I know that SMA (makers of Wysoy) produce a booklet, visit www.smanutrition.co.uk or ring 0845 776 2900 and if you look on the Infasoy pack there will probably be a helpline number there too.

[Julied24]

Hi,

He is on Farleys Soya formula but someone on another forum said their dietician does not reccomened soya formula before 6 months because of the problems it can cause, what would these be?

Julie

[Pam]

I think it is a general leaning by the medical professionals away from soya and towards hypo allergenic formula. There have been concerns that too much soya at an early age can lead to soya intolerance as well as milk intolerance, it is thought that the introduction of new foods before 6 months can increase the likelihood of intolerance as the body is not mature enough to accept new products before this (hence recommendations not to introduce gluten before 6 months). There have been concerns in the past about soya formula causing tooth decay, hormone problems and all sorts of other long term health problems. I'm sure if you search on the web you will find references to these. Other groups advocate the use of soya for the health benefits it provides.

[Julied24]

HI Pam

I did somer research over the weekend and decided to take rhys off the soya formula. I went to see my gp coz id put him back on farleys 1st milk and all the problems came flooding back that went with using soya.

I didn't tell him I had used soya i was worried they would have a go at me, silly I know but ive swapped and changed his milk a few timse so didn't want a debate about it.

TOld him Rhys was no better and really unsettled during and after feeds, he presceribed gaviscon and said its probably a bad wind problem such as reflux although Rhys is never sick. I askeda botu an intolerance and he disagread.

I am seeing my health visitor today, she told me eysterday to see gp abotu milk change but gp wouldn't even entertain it. He said he has no symptoms of lactose intolerance other than having bad wind problems. I told him just how upset he gets and he still said no.

Should I tell HV that I tired soya and the difference was amazing? if I do she might ask me why I didnt tell my gp, oh its all confusing me.

I am sure its an intolerance because why would our problems of been solved once he was on soya? surely another milk for this condition would help him in the same way.

HV is coming at 10am would apreciate it if u could offer some advice.

Thanks

Julie :rolleyes:

[Bet]

I am a new member and I can really sympathise with you because I went thru the same problems, particularly with my doctor who obviously was very ill informed (if at all) about milk allergies and intolerance.

My daughter started to get severe colic at 4 months old altho she had not been a collicy baby until then and altho I thought it may be due to milk neither HV or doctor agreed. In the end, at 7 months old, I went to the doctors and refused to move from his room until he prescribed something - he put her on soya which helped a bit altho in time we have also found she was soya intolerant.

At a few months old, the main clue to a milk intolerance was excessive wind which is what my child had - she is now 4 years old and also has tummy pains, tummy cramps, bloating, irritability, bad behaviour, sleepness etc and of course can now tell me how she feels but at a few months old colic and a refusal to settle in the evening and sleep were the only clues.

From my own experience, go with your own instincts and if the soya made that much difference go back to the doctor and dont take no for an answer - doctors really do seem quite uninformed about intolerance in general and for whatever reason do not seem keen to change formular milk but this seems to be out of ignorance more than anything else. My experience is the same with HV's - at lot seem quite ignorant of milk intolerance problems so can give very poor advise.

At 1 year old my daughter went back on milk but becasue of the soya allergy we didnt see much difference in her and it was not until 2 and a half years later after seeing a cranial osteopath that we finally realised that milk was the problem still. During this time my daughter would wake every 1 to 2 hours every night and we ended up like zombies. Doctors and HVs alike failed us so dont be too trustful of the information they give you or believe that they are the authority on the problems you are experiencing - my experience is they are far from any of these things

Good luck and if you need any more advise let me know

Bet

[Pam]

Bet,

Its the same old story. Doctors read the text books and see "lactose intolerance = diarrhoea and sickness" so any other problems can't be due to milk, end of story. What they fail to realise is that milk intolerance, particularly a sensitivity to milk protein, can have many other symptoms and can go beyond just lactose.

Although my daughter had been on soya formula as a baby (a chance suggestion by an informed HV), during weaning it took many visits to the doctors for screaming episodes, constipation etc before I finally hit the nail on the head and identified that milk was the problem. The symptoms had been less specific and could easily have been seen as behavioural problems rather than medical ones (eg. tantrums at 10 am every morning and waking at 10pm every night - both directly linked to milk consumption at breakfast and supper) Even then I found that the doctors were only humouring me by prescribing soya milk and arranging a referral to see the dietician.

Julie,

as Bet says, go with your instincts. You've tried going back to cow's milk and the symptoms came back, you have excluded and re-introduced, so in my mind this is fairly conclusive evidence. You owe it to your baby now (and your own sanity) to change to a dairy free diet. If the Health Visitor won't accept this then see the doctor and be persistent, tell him that you have tried soya and gone back to milk with conclusive results, show him a diary if necessary. Is there another doctor in the practice who is more sympathetic?

At the end of the day, there are vegans who refuse to feed their babies cow's milk and use soya formula from birth, it is available in supermarkets, so you would not be doing anything wrong in just following that route yourself, but it would be a whole lot easier and cheaper if you could get a doctor onside. I hope you get the help you need, keep on pushing for it. Speak to Allergy UK if necessary, they can find you a doctor who will listen to your concerns.

Good luck.

Pam

[Julied24]

HI,

Thank you both so much.

I spoke to a dietician who said to try a lactose free formula and get gp to prescribe it and demand a referal to see her very soon.

I found a milk called SMA LF its lactose free and i just bought it off the shelf, only just put him on it so see if there is any change. Am I wrong to keep canging his formula? I do not want to cause him any harm. Will see gp tomorrow and hope to get it on prescrition as its expensive.

It is all really getting me down and HV says im suffering from stress, its all caused by this with Rhys. I do not know what to do for the best.

Dietician couldnt say much n phone but said drs often say its just wind without investigating further.

Here are his symptons, unsettled all day ie fidgity and whingy, sleeps alot between feeds coz its only way to soothe him when in pain and he even fidgits i sleep, extremely windy during feeds he finds it hard to swallow the milk, after feeds cries constant and kicks legs and thrashes about, he burps but always has constant wind. He sometimes gets distressed and has a blow out down below, not diorehiea but sloppy and sometimes green (sorry, hehe). Infacol, gripe water & gaviscon no help.

What u think just bad wind?dr tried to make out it is reflux but he is never sick.

Someone please tell me i am right and its not just wind, I want this sorted so Rhys can be happy and ui will be less stressed, its tough enough with a 2yr old and 11 week old.

Thanks

Julie x

[astra]

Julie, i would say that most of your stress is caused by your gp and hv!! at least you have a good dietician on board by the sounds of it, if i was you now, i'd stop worrying about what they think and follow your own instincts.

i've seen some good advice given by others on this thread, i've not got any experience of my own other than to trust a mothers instinct, all of my 3 are happy on dairy and it will stay that way until they choose otherwise.

best of luck.

and stop worrying and enjoy him while he is still little! they soon grow up :unsure:

[matt]

as astra says stop worrying get annoyed. demand help from the doctors. good luck.

enjoy the litttle horror!

[julief]

Originally posted by matt@May 7 2004, 04:22 AM
as astra says stop worrying get annoyed. demand help from the doctors. good luck.

enjoy the litttle horror!
I am just about to start my 17 week old son on soya, as he is showing all signs of having and intolerance to milk/lactose. My gp is very reluctant to giving me it on perscription, can they refuse to give it to me? Is it all just trial and error trying different milks or can they be tests done? Please help!

[Pam]

I think it is a bit of a postcode lottery with alternative milks on prescription. My doctor is willing (and advised to prescibe soya by the dietician) but I know that in some areas the doctors aren't so willing.

I think if you find that the alternative milk supplied doesn't do the job, then you have to keep trying different ones until you find one that suits. You should try to gain as much information on different brands in advance so you can tell the doctor what is available - most haven't got a clue. Try to get a referral to see a dietician if the doctor isn't forthcoming, they are often more helpful and will send advice to the doctor.

Most health authorities don't test unless they suspect a serious allergy, you will usually just be advised to try exclusion and reintroduction. But keep a food diary for your own purposes anyway, you can present this to the doctor to show symptoms and cause.

Good luck

[julief]

Thanks for the advice Pam, I have already been intouch with my health visitor today to try get referred to the dietician, as my gp doesn't seem to care. We have only just moved to this practice and now I am beginning to regret it as my last one was great!
Can dieticians perscribe soya or do they advise your gp to?

[matt]

dieticians normally just advise gp's. i think the gp has to actually prescribe. it'll be alot easier though if you get the dietician to agree.

like i said don't take no for an answer, keep hassling them for help. keep the food diary, try the free from/soya products so that you have evidence, then jump up and down to get them prescribed.

if you really get nowhere then you'll have to try a different doctor, but that is the last resort when all else fails and not before.

good luck and keep us informed

[Pam]

Julie,
You might find that it is practice policy not to give formula on prescription. These days most practices hold their own funds and can decide what they spend their money on. My practice only allowed me to have 3 large tins (or 6 small tins) per month on prescription and this was only enough for about 3 weeks, I had to buy the rest. The dietician can only send a recommendation - in my case, that my daughter was prescribed Wysoy until she was 5. Having spoken to people in other parts of the country I know that in some areas doctors will not give a single tin on prescription. If you can prove an intolerance through elimination and re-introduction you might just win a doctor over, a lot of the more sceptical ones don't really believe the impact that milk intolerance can have and put it down to neurotic mothers.

If your doctor really will not listen, Allergy UK might be able to point you in the direction of someone who will, but I would imagine that you will have to pay for this, so it will be a last resort. Try for an appointment with a paediatric dietician first, they may be able to get you a hospital prescription for formula if the doctor won't listen. If your baby is not thriving, they have a duty of care to help you find out why and to treat the problem. Keep on at them until you get seen.

These doctors who don't believe in food allergies really make me mad, they don't have to live with it so they don't believe in it. Wouldn't you just like them to live with these symptoms for a week or so, just so that they know what it feels like? :rant:

[julief]

Thanks both. My HV should be calling me back today so I'll see what she has to say, not a great deal probably but worth a go.
I'll keep you upto date.

[julief]

Started my son on the soya on Tuesday after my gp perscribed one small tin (great). He is now constipated, any ideas as I am so use to his nappies been consentantly dirty with sickly green/yellow watery poo! He seems more settled after starting the soya but obvisously now has tummy ache!

Help and advice needed from one zombie looking lady.

[Pam]

You'll probably find that he gets better in a couple of days. Try to give him water to drink between feeds too. I don't know about anyone else, but if I have a spot of diarrhoea it always takes a few days for me to get back to normal, I usually go from one extreme to the other. If he hasn't managed to go in the next couple of days you'll probably need to visit the doctor again, or give the HV a ring. Just remember that his gut has been so used to everything coming straight out that it has got into the habit of not trying too hard. You could also try gentle massage on his tummy with your stretched out hand, go in circles in a clockwise direction. Olive oil is a good massage oil if you don't have any aromatherapy base oils (it's what we used at baby massage with some lavender oil in it, but chamomile is supposed to be good for constipation massage too.)

Don't panic, you'll sort his diet out in the end, but give it a few days at least before giving up and trying something else. It's interesting to hear that your doctor prescribed soya, most seem to prefer hypo-allergenic these days. I think I was only offered one tin to try the first time though and had to go back a week later to let him know the results.

[julief]

Thanks Pam. I've been massaging his tummy today and his bottom too and what ever I've done has done the trick, he's been every time I've checked his nappy, although only small and very hard bullets but aleast he seems to be going in the right direction.

My gp has now perscribed me enough wysoy to last me a couple of weeks as we are going on holiday, I have then got to go and see him again and discuss things!

Thank again and I'll keep up posted.

[Pam]

Sounds like you're really making progress now. Hopefully you'll have a happy baby and be a happy mummy soon.

[Julied24]

HI Pam,

Rhys has been on sma lactose free milk prescribed by the gp fo r over a week now and doing really well on it, he now takes 35oz a day and is so content. I should hear back from dietician this week as to when we will see her about Rhys.

Had him weighed today though and hv said he has dropped from 50th-25th centile in the last 2 weeks, he has only put on 3oz in 2 weeks so they are concerned about the new milk not helping him gain weight. Is thisd what happens on lactose free formula do you know? they want to weigh him weekly now.

I just don't understand it he was gaining a steady 7oz a week on the other formula but only taking 8-10oz a day it was that bad but since being on sma lf he feeds so well but how come he isn't gaining weight? :(

Juile

[astra]

Originally posted by Julied24@May 17 2004, 02:20 PM
HI Pam,

Rhys has been on sma lactose free milk prescribed by the gp fo r over a week now and doing really well on it, he now takes 35oz a day and is so content. I should hear back from dietician this week as to when we will see her about Rhys.

Had him weighed today though and hv said he has dropped from 50th-25th centile in the last 2 weeks, he has only put on 3oz in 2 weeks so they are concerned about the new milk not helping him gain weight. Is thisd what happens on lactose free formula do you know? they want to weigh him weekly now.

I just don't understand it he was gaining a steady 7oz a week on the other formula but only taking 8-10oz a day it was that bad but since being on sma lf he feeds so well but how come he isn't gaining weight? :(

Juile
bloody health visitors do nothing for a mothers confidence do they?

i really wouldn't worry that he's not put on weight this week, is probably just his body adjusting anyway :)

if it is a pain to get to the surgery, then i would say stick to your usual routine and take him every other week, or as and when you feel you need to. trust your mothers instinct, most of the health visitors haven't had children, let alone have one with a problem!

with my 3rd child, after i was dismissed from the midwife.. or did i dismiss her? can't remember now, i remember she was a right dragon tho! i took madam down to the clinic once to be weighed, and never went back! i was settled into breast feeding with her, weaned her at about 11 weeks - the same as her 2 brothers, things were going well, so i didn't see the point in the added stress from the HV! they seem to have a knack to get you wound up and worried about something! i've had about 4 now, and never got on with any of them! lol. in fact i've dismissed mine now, and if my youngest needs any assistance until she is 5 i'll go to the doctor instead!

you know yourself, if you get on the scales first thing in the morning, you weigh less than you would after the last meal of the day. all depends on what we've drunk/eaten/evacutated etc. and with babies they are weighing to a precise amount in ounces.

with the kids i know that they'll go through phases of not being hungry to being starving and i have trouble filling them up! i know that is when they are on a growth spurt and it's time to buy them new trousers! lolz.

if you feel rhys is contented, is sleeping well, is happy. then trust in that. i would be inclined to leave all visits to the hv out now until you have seen the dietician to be honest. and i'm sure that they will say it is a transition phase while his body adjusts to the new milk.

i know myself now, having not intentionally consumed dairy, i can always tell if there was something hidden that i've not checked for as i feel bloated. maybe this was what was happening on the other milk. he was maybe reacting to it in that way. and hey, he's put on 3oz.. it's not like he lost half his body weight is it?

the hv is concerned about him not putting on the full 7oz a week that he had done up until then. did she say what she wanted you to do about it? it may be that she is just being over cautious because you have had his milk changed and it's not familiar enough territory for her to be confident enough to deal with. if you hadn't have told her about the milk change, she would have probably said 3oz! well done.. see you in 2 weeks! lol

don't panic :) he sounds like he's doing fine :)

[Julied24]

Thanks Astra, you have reassured me.

At what ages did you wean all of your children?

I started giving Rhys baby rice once a day at 10/11weeks, hv said it would help his wind but only did it for a few days because he was fine once on lactose free milk so last 2 weeks he hasn't had any solids.

I am thinking of starting weaning again now as he is feeding a heck of alot 35-40oz a day an still waking at midnight and 3am.

Did you weanthem on rice? I started my first on fruit and veg coz he wouldn't eat baby rice.

Julie x

[Pam]

Hi Julie

I'm glad to hear that Rhys is a lot happier, has his constipation got any better?

It sounds like he is taking a huge amount of milk, I'm sure none of mine used to take more than 30 oz's in a day. Did the HV use the same weighing scales this time as last? Had he recently done a poo? Don't worry too much about weight gain, it takes time to re-adjust to changes in diet and I'm sure that this milk will have the required number of calories. You are probably better off keeping him on high calorie formula than trying to give him relatively low calorie weaning foods at the moment. Also, because he is already showing signs of lactose intolerance, he may develop other food sensitivities or allergies more quickly (particularly wheat, gluten, egg, nuts etc, so it is better to leave the introduction of new foods as long as possible, ideally until around 6 months. I know you will be eager to progress - I was, when mine were all babies, but recommendations are now to leave it as long as possible and usually not before 4 months.

It will probably keep the HV off your back if you at least go for weighing fortnightly, but you would only make them chase you if you didn't go at all. Try not to worry, not all babies put weight on at the same rate, and they'd soon be complaining if he put too much on. If you are happy that he is more comfortable and contented and doesn't seem to be suffering at all then he is probably ok. If his nappies started to look odd or he wasn't well then perhaps there may be absorbtion problems, but it doesn't sound that way to me. Just give it a few weeks! I'm sure the dietician will put your mind at rest anyway, she will count the calories, calcium content etc of his intake and tell you if he is getting enough of everything.

If you do end up being sent to the paediatrician for 'failure to thrive' don't panic. My friend had to take her 5 year old daughter who was stick thin, the paed just looked at her, said that she was obviously meant to be slim and that she ate healthily enough and couldn't be forced to eat just for the sake of it, he couldn't understand why the HV had sent her. In my opinion, getting worked up about children's food and eating habits is more likely to lead to eating disorders later in life - just give them healthy options and encourage them to be sensible. (I am still ignoring my dietician's advice to fortify all my daughter's food with additional sugar and fat to give her extra calories - stupid woman, yes it might make her put weight on now but she'll be having a heart attack at 30! not to mention addictions to sweet and fatty foods.) :headbang:

[Julied24]

HI Pam,

He is not constipated, he is pooing ok really.

Yes she did use the same scales as last time.

He is taking alot of milk I know but I can't stop him, he is such a hungry boy.

I am only thinking of giving organic baby rice to him to try and helps settle him down abit nothing else until 4mths and ive spoken to the dietician.

Julie x