Is My Baby Unable to Digest Food Because of the Transition to Whole Milk?

A.

Welcome to mamapedia. Now stop freaking out.

1. your daughter's digestive system is changing. It happens.
2. transitions should happen gradually over a few weeks, not in a few days.
3. You've just messed with her system AGAIN by making ANOTHER drastic change to her diet.
4. CALM DOWN!!!
5. We all have "bits of food" in our stools. It's from not chewing it all before we swallow and also - our body takes what it needs and gets rid of the rest - that's why we have bowel movements and urinate.
6. She's bloated because you flipped her diet on her in a heart beat. SLOWLY - this means add whole milk to her formula - the first should be about 1/4 whole milk - that should be for a few days - like 3 to 5 days - then to 1/2 and again - 3 to 5 days - then 3/4 for 3 to 5 days and then full after the last 3 to 5 days.
7. CALM DOWN - DO NOT PANIC!!! This is NOT an ER visit situation. STAY AWAY FROM GOOGLE if you have no clue what it is.

You call her pediatrician and ask them. If you don't have insurance?? GO PAY CASH if you are THAT stressed over it. It would be a heck of a lot cheaper than an ER visit.

I realize you're a new mom - but really. Breathe. STAY AWAY FROM GOOGLE until you talk with a doctor who gives you a diagnosis. Otherwise? You'll convince yourself your child is dying because of what you found on the internet.

While you are waiting for your insurance to kick in, you can still call pediatrician. They don’t charge for phone calls. Even if you did have to make a visit I’m sure they would charge a reduced fee.

When I switched my son’s formula due to colic, it would take about 3 days for his system to adjust. But this was done under the guidance of a pediatric nurse.

Being a first time mom can be very scary, so it’s a good time to also learn to use your voice and speak up to ask questions. You could ask the pediatrician how to handle medical needs while waiting for insurance to activate, or ask the ER about a pediatric hotline to call if you have questions.

I would call your pediatrician now and ask about this. If you have to bring your baby in, discuss how the office handles it. You can also call the hospital that you visited and see if they have a pediatric nurses hotline (especially if your child was born there).

My son spent a week in the NICU before he could come home. Those nurses were fabulous! They gave us contact information, and encouraged us to call anytime with questions (this was 15 years ago).

Relax, write down all your questions, and call the pediatrician.

Why do you think switching to any food over a few days is a good idea?
It's not.
You are suppose to take your time doing it and watch for reactions.
I'm glad you have her back on formula.
When shes back to normal try switching slowly 3/4 formula mixed with 1/4 milk - do that for a week, and if she's ok with that then next week 1/2 formula with 1/2 milk and if she's ok with that then next week 1/4 formula with 3/4 milk, etc.
At each stage if there's a problem then you don't go forward - you go back a few steps.

Diarrhea and constipation are problems that you don't want to ignore even if your daughter is coping well with it.
As for your insurance if the new doesn't cut in for a month then the old should still be in place until new takes over unless you had no insurance from husbands last job.
There might be a plan in your state to cover uninsured kids.
If not then just stick with formula for a month until you are insured and then talk with your pediatrician about what happened and how you should go about introducing new foods.
Formula will be fine for awhile - there's no rush to switch over.

As for poop changes when adding new foods - yes this happens a lot, like mashed carrots will produce orange poop and mashed beets will produce red/purple poop, etc.
White would scare me because it does mean her liver took a break from making bile which is what makes poop look brown.
Get a book on what to expect the toddler years and how to transition from formula to foods - if you can't afford to buy then check them out from your local library.

i'm sure they 'paid attention' to her in the ER, but since this isn't an actual emergency they probably saved some focus for people who are actually in crisis.

the problem is almost certainly right there in your first sentence. why did you make the change over a 'short period of time' and then assume it was an emergency when the poor baby couldn't make the rapid adjustment?

don't you have an actual pediatrician? did it not occur to you to run this huge change by her first and ask for some actual medical advice?

taking your bellyaching baby to the ER and now seeking advice from strangers on the internet with no medical degrees does not bode well for this child.

stop freaking switching up her NUTRITION like it's a cute outfit. take her to a pediatrician and follow their advice, and stop yoinking her poor tiny digestive tract around.

khairete
S.

Why was she in the ER? Why aren't you talking to her pediatrician about this?

I have kids with lactose intolerance. It would show up as runny, or diarrhea or possibly mucous which can look kind of whitish - but you can tell. It's not an 'all white poop'. You can google if unsure.

Their intolerance showed up later - when they were older, not as babies - and had other symptoms, like gas and bloating.

Did you introduce slowly - like mixing it with the formula? If you start again, try that.

Is your baby eating foods/solids? Because if so, it could be something she ate. If it has pieces of food in it - then it's possible she's just passing this milk faster (may take a while for her system to get used to it, and the food is showing up).

I would give her time to adjust. Go slower. If she's not in distress and the ER was not concerned, try again, just do tiny amounts mixed with formula. Don't give her any new foods - just stick to simple ones she's used to eating.

I would stay of the internet trying to diagnose her. If you see blood in her stool, that would be an allergy - or if she starts having diarrhea/loose stools, then I'd stop and you might have to switch to a non-cow type milk.

Good luck :)

Too much milk can cause digestion issues, as you are seeing. It will take awhile for her system to regulate.

You may have misunderstood the role of whole milk in your child's diet. Formula is a complete nutrition food. Cow milk is a some-nutrients beverage.

When you wean off formula, you replace the bottles with a variety of solid foods. She should not be drinking bottles of milk in place of formula. If she is not yet eating regular meals of solid foods and is still having bottles multiple times per day, she needs to stay on formula until she is eating solids for most of her nutrition. When you do add dairy products, like any new food, it should be in small amounts over a slow period of time.

your husband changed jobs so you felt you could afford an ER visit instead of paying cash at the pediatrician?? WOW.

First of all, step away from the computer. DO NOT try to self-diagnose yourself or your child on the internet. You'll have yourself dying of something because you don't know what it is you are looking for.

DO NOT EVER switch foods in a baby overnight. You make SMALL introductions to see how your child reacts to the food and how she tolerates it. You do NOT just switch.

You go talk with your pediatrician. Pay cash, if you're that concerned instead of going to the ER. And follow their directions.

Her system is all messed up now. She doesn't know if she's coming or going. So stop switching until you talk with your pediatrician.

Poop changing color can be a symptom of an illness however it rarely is illness. Did you notice a change in color when she started eating actual food? The color of poop can change with what we eat. I've seen this change with several babies over time.

I suggest the light colored poop you call white can be caused by primarily eating/drinking light colored food. When I have a cold and eating cereal and ice cream my poop turns whitish. This happened just last week. It's normal.

I suggest you keep her on formula and continue feeding her the food she's used to until you're able to take her to the doctor. There is no need to make an abrupt change to whole milk at 12 months. My grandchildren stayed on formula until closer to 18 months. My daughter waited until they were more established with real food. Then she gradually transitioned to whole milk. Then she gradually transitioned them to less milk and more food.

I suggest you join a moms group so that you can have some support from other moms experiencing similar things that you are. Call the hospital or a pediatrician's office to ask for information.

I also suggest you get help for yourself and your fear/anxiety. When you're tense and fearful your baby is negativly affected. Ask your doctor for help.

About your insurance. I've changed insurance when I retired and when I divorced. Both times I was covered by COBRA and was never not covered by insurance. Perhaps your husband didn't have insurance prior to the new job? If not, COBRA wouldn't apply.

When one doesn't have insurance, doctors and hospitals often bill a lower amount.

I suggest that instead of googling for symptoms you find an on line site that gives information about babies' growth and what to expect as a baby grows. Such a site could've reassured you that your baby is OK. The site would've also have told you how to transition from formula to whole milk.

You can also buy or find a book at the library with information. Perhaps moms here would recommend a book that helped them.